Les Caches Farm
Les Caches Farm is a mid-15th Century Guernsey farmhouse and barn, carefully restored by CCD to preserve it as a moment to Guernsey's architectural history for the National Trust.
- Category: heritage
- Awards: Shortlisted RIBA Ibstock Downland Prize 2007
The two-storey longhouse at Les Caches Farm in Forest dates from the early to mid-15th Century. Originally it comprised an open hall to the left, a parlour to the right, first-floor sleeping accommodation, and a rear tourelle staircase. Over the centuries, the building was altered and later used as stables, cart sheds, and a cow shed after the neighbouring farmhouse was built in 1840.
Bequeathed to the National Trust of Guernsey in 1993, the building was restored as an educational project to demonstrate traditional construction techniques to schoolchildren, students, and the public. Works focused on reinstating its appearance circa 1800–1840, before it was abandoned as a dwelling.
The restoration included a new oak-framed roof with water reed thatch, rebuilt fireplaces, a furze oven, a wattle-and-daub chimney hood, and the tourelle staircase. The project incorporated seminars and live demonstrations, giving visitors insight into historic vernacular building methods. The completed longhouse now provides storage for historic farming implements and a venue for educational visits.
