The Berern
Barn interior before conversion - drawn by Helen Ruth Barwell
The title of the barns is an abbreviated version of the Old English term for 'barley place'. The C18 timber framed barn is a Listed Grade II building, formerly part of the Old Farm complex. It escaped the devastation of the fire that swept through the cluster of five farms in Dales Way (now Comberton Road) in 1865.
The Barn and its outlying timber sheds were converted from agricultural use to form a house, on three levels, and two studio workshops. The orchard garden acts as an extension of the studios, housing items of sculpture that exploit and are conjoined with the natural habitat. The house doubles as a sculpture gallery that, collectively with the two studios and sculpture garden, forms a striking venue for the Cambridge Open Studios event that takes place each summer.
See also: John McGill, Sculptor
