THE future of an historic late 17th Century barn has been secured this week, thanks to a community partnership between Sainsbury's and Chawton House Library. Rather than demolish it, the Alton- based store has committed £41,000 to a project which will be dismantled and transported to Chawton, where it will be restored and rebuilt. It is a long-term project started in 2002 when East Hampshire District Council was unsuccessful in a quest to procure listed- building status for the barn, leading to calls for its relocation. When the barn timbers arrive they will be stacked on palettes and covered by tin roofing to allow the air to circulate, while keeping the rain off and the footings dry. Offers of alternative sites came in for the timber-framed structure, discovered under corrugated iron cladding on land leased by JS Sainsbury plc. At the time, Sainsbury's was seeking planning permission to extend its domain by moving its filling station over to accommodate more pumps, and installing staff car parking on the barn site at the rear of properties in Mount Pleasant Road. Thought to be in imminent danger of demolition the five-bay barn had a preservation order slapped on it by EHDC. In January this year work began on plans, approved in November 2003, to provide a large extension and single car-park deck at the Alton Sainsbury store. Work is due to be completed in September this year and the store will trade as normal in the meantime. To ease congestion in the existing car park, Sainsbury's has also been granted permission to site a temporary staff car park, for a two- year period, on the barn site. And this the dismantling work began. According to Chawton House Library estates manager, Adrian Thatcher, the timbers will be carefully dismantled by London based specialist, Peter McCurdy, whose past projects have included restoration of the famous Globe Theatre. Each piece of timber will be carefully photographed, numbered and catalogued and a report made on its condition, so that it can be treated and then reassembled. It will stand on the site of a former historic 1780s barn, in the corner of a meadow located at the far end of the old Gosport Road cut-off. It will fit in with long-term plans to restore part of the Chawton House estate as an organic working manor farm, designed to reflect the Regency period. The vision is for the estate's Shire horse team to work on the land while Longhorn cattle roam the meadows – a scene reminiscent of Jane Austen's Chawton. The period barn will help complete the picture, and once erected will serve as storage for winter fodder and horse-drawn farm equipment. It will also provide an exhibition area for school children. The barn restoration is expected to cost in the region of £100,000 – a sum which is the subject of a major fund raising appeal. It is hoped to secure partnership funding in line with the educational aspect of the project and there is talk of combining forces with Peter McCurdy to use the restoration of the barn as a training ground for young carpenters – a project which could attract National Lottery funding for vocational training. "We are looking at ways of attracting funding to benefit the community," said Mr Thatcher, who masterminded the restoration of the Chawton grounds and is now embarking on the farm project. Heather Shearer, the Director of Chawton House Library, said: "We're thrilled that Sainsbury's is helping us to preserve a slice of Alton's history, ensuring that it can continue to be enjoyed by the community and future generations to come. They have kick started the transfer of the barn with a significant donation and we are now seeking the help of other individuals and organisations to complete the project." Daryl Copper, the Manager of Alton Sainsbury, added: "Sainsbury's has been a part of Alton's community for more than 15 years and so we have an important responsibility to not only invest in its future, but also help preserve its history."