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Barn Club: A Tale of Forgotten Elm Trees, Traditional Craft and Community Spirit
A joyful reminder of why nature, being outside, being together and creating beauty is so good for the soul. Kate Humble, broadcaster and author of A Year of Living Simply
For all our advances, it’s hard to deny the modern world brings with it new ills of disconnection and disenfranchisement, but here in Barn Club they’ve found their cure.Barn the Spoon, master craftsman and author of Spon
Natural history meets traditional hand craft in this celebration of the elm tree and community spirit.
Perfect for fans of Norwegian Wood and the Hidden Life of Trees.
Barn Club calls on us to discover our landscapes more intimately and to explore the joys of making beautiful things by hand, together.
When renowned craftsman Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire, in southern England, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife and elm trees. Nestled within London's commuter belt, this wooded farmland inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns.
Barn Club follows the building of Carley Barn, over the course of one year. Volunteers from all walks of life joined Barn Club, inspired to learn this ancient skill of building elm barns by hand, at its own quiet pace and in the company of others, while using timber from the local woods.
The tale of the elm tree in its landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history, historic importance and remarkable survival make for a fascinating story. This is a tale of forgotten trees, a local landscape and an ancient craft.
This book features 16 pages of colour photographs, and black and white line drawings of techniques and traditional timber frame barns feature throughout.
For all our advances, it’s hard to deny the modern world brings with it new ills of disconnection and disenfranchisement, but here in Barn Club they’ve found their cure.Barn the Spoon, master craftsman and author of Spon
Natural history meets traditional hand craft in this celebration of the elm tree and community spirit.
Perfect for fans of Norwegian Wood and the Hidden Life of Trees.
Barn Club calls on us to discover our landscapes more intimately and to explore the joys of making beautiful things by hand, together.
When renowned craftsman Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire, in southern England, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife and elm trees. Nestled within London's commuter belt, this wooded farmland inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns.
Barn Club follows the building of Carley Barn, over the course of one year. Volunteers from all walks of life joined Barn Club, inspired to learn this ancient skill of building elm barns by hand, at its own quiet pace and in the company of others, while using timber from the local woods.
The tale of the elm tree in its landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history, historic importance and remarkable survival make for a fascinating story. This is a tale of forgotten trees, a local landscape and an ancient craft.
This book features 16 pages of colour photographs, and black and white line drawings of techniques and traditional timber frame barns feature throughout.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2021
3 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 29, 2021
Twenty years ago I remember seeing a Grand Designs programme for a stunning property. Known as the Cruciform House, this amazing building was a perfect marriage between oak and glass. It sparked an interest in oak framed buildings, learning how they were built, that some of the techniques used in building these structures are having to be relearnt. One day I would love to be able to afford to build my own, but it isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
When craftsman, Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire, in the home counties, he discovered by accident an ancient barn nearby in a place called Wallington. He was fascinated by the way the pre-industrial revolution craftsmen had made and constructed this barn and it had a literary link too, it was the inspiration for Animal Farm by George Orwell.
He was commissioned to make a small barn in a traditional way, but his clients had an unusual request. They wanted this to be a hand raised barn. They had been involved in a previous barn project and wanted this to be a project where volunteers could also join in and learn some life and practical skills. Somerville was as committed as they were to the project.
Until I picked this book up, I didn’t realise two things; one, that you could build a structure with elm, second, that there are still elms tree left! But Somerville knows where to look in the vicinity and manages to source the trees that he needs to start the project. They are going to have lots of volunteers with very different skill levels working on the site, they made the decision not to use any power tools for safety reasons. It is a decision that has lots of benefits, the biggest of which is that it becomes a social event as people can talk over the sound of hand tools, something that they would be able to do with power tools.
I thought that this was a really enjoyable book, Somerville takes you through every step of the processes of making a tree into a barn. He shows what trees to choose and how to select the component parts from the trunk and branches and there are outline plans, details on how to build the plinths, how to make the frames and details on how to make the joints all done with delightful line drawings. I thought that It was very well written, he is generous with his knowledge with all the people that volunteered and us the reader. The structure that they build is beautiful and looking at it makes me want to find out if there is anything similar to this going to be happening in Dorset. If you have any interest in architecture or traditional crafts then you would probably like this. It is well worth watching the video on YouTube here
When craftsman, Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire, in the home counties, he discovered by accident an ancient barn nearby in a place called Wallington. He was fascinated by the way the pre-industrial revolution craftsmen had made and constructed this barn and it had a literary link too, it was the inspiration for Animal Farm by George Orwell.
He was commissioned to make a small barn in a traditional way, but his clients had an unusual request. They wanted this to be a hand raised barn. They had been involved in a previous barn project and wanted this to be a project where volunteers could also join in and learn some life and practical skills. Somerville was as committed as they were to the project.
Until I picked this book up, I didn’t realise two things; one, that you could build a structure with elm, second, that there are still elms tree left! But Somerville knows where to look in the vicinity and manages to source the trees that he needs to start the project. They are going to have lots of volunteers with very different skill levels working on the site, they made the decision not to use any power tools for safety reasons. It is a decision that has lots of benefits, the biggest of which is that it becomes a social event as people can talk over the sound of hand tools, something that they would be able to do with power tools.
I thought that this was a really enjoyable book, Somerville takes you through every step of the processes of making a tree into a barn. He shows what trees to choose and how to select the component parts from the trunk and branches and there are outline plans, details on how to build the plinths, how to make the frames and details on how to make the joints all done with delightful line drawings. I thought that It was very well written, he is generous with his knowledge with all the people that volunteered and us the reader. The structure that they build is beautiful and looking at it makes me want to find out if there is anything similar to this going to be happening in Dorset. If you have any interest in architecture or traditional crafts then you would probably like this. It is well worth watching the video on YouTube here
September 15, 2024
A totally inspiring real life story about elm trees and how woodland and community culture can be kept alive.
July 1, 2025
From the blurb, I was expecting a story of a team of people working on a community project, but what I actually got was a detailed description of how to make a timber-framed barn. One entire 17-page chapter is devoted to explaining how to make a mortice and tenon joint... The 'community involvement' is limited to occasional quotes from volunteers, talking about how they enjoyed being outside, using hand tools and being part of a team. Every says pretty much the same thing. Somerville does make some very good points about the importance of using natural resources well, and I enjoyed his account of choosing the trees and how it is important to use as much of the wood as possible. But if you take out all the fine detail about how to build a barn, there is not much of a book left. It would have been far better if he had written a magazine article on the importance of timber-framed barns and a separate manual on how to build one.
If you are wanting to build a barn (or any other timber-framed building) from scratch yourself, this will probably be really useful. But if you are looking for a story of a community coming together to build something, this doesn't deliver.
If you are wanting to build a barn (or any other timber-framed building) from scratch yourself, this will probably be really useful. But if you are looking for a story of a community coming together to build something, this doesn't deliver.
July 20, 2021
Inspiring book both to make me more alert when hiking, looking for evidence of local Elms, but also to give me the mental tools to make sense of my own timber frame bank barn on my property. I can't wait to try my own hand at fixing up parts of the barn that need my attention, haha.
February 26, 2021
Though not a woodworker, my intense passion and appreciation for nature drew me to this unique book. It rekindled my love for elms which we often take for granted where I live. The author took on the project of a lifetime, building and raising a barn in rural England with local materials and old techniques, even using handcrafted pegs instead of nails with just a few exceptions. We learn about craftmanship, definition of craft (I craft with my hands so can relate in that way), the importance of community, knowing where materials come from and learning more of what we can accomplish. I really like that quotes of a wide range of project volunteers are sprinkled throughout which really make this personal. Not only did they learn and hone skills, they saw the value in reviving and breathing life into the past and in doing so, the future.
A lot of preparation and planning went into this project...as the author says, knowing where to begin is key. So is connecting with each other as well as the materials. The author details the trees themselves including observation in the forest, climate, physiology, characteristics and growth to choosing, felling, harvesting and milling. One of my favourite aspects of the book is the beautiful photographs highlighting stunning patterns in the wood. here are many detailed illustrations, too. My favourite quote by a volunteer is that of the door handle. Lovely.
What a wonderful community to be a part of! Volunteers must feel such a sense of pride and kinship when seeing the barn again, knowing that each of the 309 timber planks has a place and they are all individual. It would bring back such warm memories.
The book is specifically about raising a barn but the sentiment definitely applies to any crafting or workmanship club. I found it to be refreshing and it reminds me of stories about neighbours helping neighbours from the past before technology.
My sincere thank you to Chelsea Green Publishing and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this this book, this tribute to workmanship and trees!
A lot of preparation and planning went into this project...as the author says, knowing where to begin is key. So is connecting with each other as well as the materials. The author details the trees themselves including observation in the forest, climate, physiology, characteristics and growth to choosing, felling, harvesting and milling. One of my favourite aspects of the book is the beautiful photographs highlighting stunning patterns in the wood. here are many detailed illustrations, too. My favourite quote by a volunteer is that of the door handle. Lovely.
What a wonderful community to be a part of! Volunteers must feel such a sense of pride and kinship when seeing the barn again, knowing that each of the 309 timber planks has a place and they are all individual. It would bring back such warm memories.
The book is specifically about raising a barn but the sentiment definitely applies to any crafting or workmanship club. I found it to be refreshing and it reminds me of stories about neighbours helping neighbours from the past before technology.
My sincere thank you to Chelsea Green Publishing and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this this book, this tribute to workmanship and trees!
March 7, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Barn Club is a story of community, continuity, tradition, and craft by Robert J. Somerville. Due out 11th March 2021 from Chelsea Green Publishing, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
More and more in the last decades has -all- of the emphasis been on producing more in less time. Efficiency studies are a multi-billion dollar industry to train people how to work "smarter" not "harder". If there's been one positive thing from the pandemic, it's being forced to slow down and become more connected to our own slower rhythm. Many of my circle of friends have picked up knitting needles, planted gardens, learnt embroidery, learnt to cook from scratch, and other traditional handcrafts. It's deeply satisfying to feel a connection with countless generations who have gone before us.
In this philosophical and reasoned narrative the author, who is a woodworker, gathers together a group of volunteers to raise a barn using traditional timber framing methods which have been nearly vanished for 150 years. He delineates the process alongside the philosophical, musing on the fate of millions of elm trees in the 70s and their gradual resurgence. He discusses the processes of design and construction which they used, and how the project and process came together.
The narrative throughout is enhanced by the inclusion of simple hand drawn line illustrations which show different construction details and small schematics.
Five stars. This is a different, relevant, and philosophically appealing book. It is in absolutely no way a "how to" or tutorial guide. I highly recommend it to readers of natural history, philosophy, traditional lifestyle, self sufficiency, homesteading, and allied genres.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Barn Club is a story of community, continuity, tradition, and craft by Robert J. Somerville. Due out 11th March 2021 from Chelsea Green Publishing, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
More and more in the last decades has -all- of the emphasis been on producing more in less time. Efficiency studies are a multi-billion dollar industry to train people how to work "smarter" not "harder". If there's been one positive thing from the pandemic, it's being forced to slow down and become more connected to our own slower rhythm. Many of my circle of friends have picked up knitting needles, planted gardens, learnt embroidery, learnt to cook from scratch, and other traditional handcrafts. It's deeply satisfying to feel a connection with countless generations who have gone before us.
In this philosophical and reasoned narrative the author, who is a woodworker, gathers together a group of volunteers to raise a barn using traditional timber framing methods which have been nearly vanished for 150 years. He delineates the process alongside the philosophical, musing on the fate of millions of elm trees in the 70s and their gradual resurgence. He discusses the processes of design and construction which they used, and how the project and process came together.
The narrative throughout is enhanced by the inclusion of simple hand drawn line illustrations which show different construction details and small schematics.
Five stars. This is a different, relevant, and philosophically appealing book. It is in absolutely no way a "how to" or tutorial guide. I highly recommend it to readers of natural history, philosophy, traditional lifestyle, self sufficiency, homesteading, and allied genres.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
June 13, 2022
Part story, part natural history, part timber framing manual, Somerville weaves his text into an enjoyable and instructive whole. While Barn Club won't provide you with sufficient information to go out and build your own timber framed building, I believe it will help you determine whether or not it is something you want to attempt.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews