Located within the South Lakes area of the Lake District National Park and just a short drive from Lake Windermere, lies six acres of picturesque farmland otherwise known as South Barn, and which was acquired at auction by Rick Fallowfield and his wife Amanda in 2018.
Since purchasing the land and its 400-year-old barn, Rick, who is an engineer by trade, has been on a journey of discovery, developing the farm and farm buildings to accommodate six top pedigree alpacas, ready for breeding.
This has included the creation of an advanced, fully-functioning barn, as well as relevant feeding sheds and other essential shelters, which have all been constructed using lightweight roofing systems from Onduline Building Products.
Agricultural aesthetics
Lake District National Park
Rick said: “Initially, I knew very little about alpaca breeding, but saw it as a low volume high value approach to farming here, and thought it would also offer a viable diversification of the land usage.’’
The decision was, however, not without its notable challenges, as Rick had to develop suitable outbuildings that would pass local requirements, which were listed during consultations with the Lake District National Park planning committee.
Moveable feed stores and shelters
ONDULINE CLASSIC sheeting having a traditional look
Rick fabricated his own moveable feed stores and shelters, which he designed to suit the farm’s criteria of durability and functionality, as well as fulfilling its aesthetic requirement, with the ONDULINE CLASSIC sheeting having a traditional look that echoed the farm’s historic rural charm.
The ONDULINE CLASSIC roofing system is also highly resistant to the strongest winds, contributing to the need for the structures to withstand extreme weather conditions. With advanced thermal performance and acoustic comfort inside the building, it’s both an animal and eco-friendly material.
South Barn Moveable Feed Stores
Simple, quick and intuitive installation
Onduline really stood out from the crowd
Rick said: ‘’Onduline was the first and only roofing system I used here, mainly because after extensive research it really stood out from the crowd.
‘’It offers a wide range of clear and easy to use products, which luckily for me allowed me to complete the various installation processes quickly and alone.’’
Rick then used ONDUCLAIR PC polycarbonate sheeting, for the rooflights, which complete the shelters and feeding shed, a transparent roofing option that offers outstanding light transmission to any type of agricultural building, and features a technology that reduces condensation in enclosed spaces.
Onduline is far easier to use than steel
South Barn’s expansion plans
In this case, this particular product was selected because of its notable impact and UV resistant qualities, and will be continually used throughout South Barn’s expansion, with the next project being the completion of a larger 14m x 8m barn, which is currently under construction.
Providing space for more alpacas, following Rick’s anticipation of six cria (baby alpaca’s) in Summer 2021, the barn is being built with locally sourced timber and completed using ONDULINE CLASSIC sheeting.
And as South Barn continues to develop, Rick concluded: ‘’Onduline is a great roofing company with products that are far easier to use than steel, something which also helped us to plan for the development of additional farm buildings.
‘’After we were able to obtain full planning for more movable structures, it was a no-brainer that Onduline sheeting would be used because it is so lightweight, so they can be easily repositioned or re-purposed if necessary.’’
Rick was also able to put any spare sheeting to good use, building a chicken shed, which houses 20 chickens to accompany the alpacas.
For more information on Onduline’s lightweight, eco-friendly and durable roofing solutions: