THE dilapidated barns that have become part of the iconic landscape of the Yorkshire Dales are in line for some tender loving care.

Thanks to £100,000 from a mystery benefactor, barns in Upper Swaledale will be receiving special attention over the next 18 months in a bid to give them a new lease of life.

About 600 in Swaledale and more in the parish of Muker have already been identified as potential candidates for the project, which will see local builders using traditional materials, techniques and skills to conserve the barns for future generations

The scheme will be paid for partly from a £100,000 legacy bequeathed to the National Park Authority by an individual who wished to remain anonymous. Additional funding is being provided by the authority and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

As well as repairing the buildings, the project aims to support a range of training events and opportunities focused on built heritage skills, working alongside skilled local craftspeople and training organisations.

The physical restoration work will be complemented by another National Park project, Every Barn tells a Story, which will record the history of the barns and provide opportunities for them to be used and understood by local people and visitors.

That project has been awarded £65,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the authority contributing £20,000, and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust £5,000.

The National Park’s member champion for cultural heritage, Julie Martin, said: “Each of these barns has a unique place in the landscape of Swaledale and in the social history of the farming communities that built them – and each one has its own story to tell. But many of them are in a bad state.

“Together, these projects mean we will be able to work with farmers and residents in Muker parish to help reverse some of that decline. We will also be able to record and share the buildings’ stories with our visitors.”

She added: “The barns in Swaledale are a main attraction for tourists who come to the area from all over the world and we hope visitors will go away with a better understanding of why these barns are such a special part of this landscape.”

As well as volunteers and officers from the authority there will be input from Keld Resource Centre.