Dhamma Hall Project 2015-2020
The new Dhamma Hall is now effectively finished, thanks to the meticulous efforts of Ajahn Ariyo and Mo, who created the shrine and doors. Just a few small finishing touches remain to be completed, but Ajahn Ariyo has been away over the winter and we await his return later in 2020. You can see some images in the Photo section (scroll to the bottom).
The hall is a beautiful space in which to sit and meet, and we have been using it over the winter, especially during our retreat time. Anumodana to all who have helped in any way to create this space.
We had intended to hold an Opening event in July 2020, which we were just about to announce in April, before we were overtaken by the coronovirus pandemic. Luang Por Sumedho had very kindly agreed to come and visit for the occasion, but at nearly 86 years old he wisely postponed his planned visit to the UK in the summer. We also think that it is very unlikely that it will be safe to hold any large gatherings for quite some time, and consequently we are not contemplating an event this year. As and when it becomes possible to make some slightly more reliable predictions about the future, we will contemplate a date for some sort of celebration... perhaps a Re-Opening Ceremony in summer 2021.
As and when it is possible to visit the monastery again, please feel free to see the Dhamma Hall, or use it for meditation and quiet contemplation.
Update November 2018
The Dhamma Hall is nearly finished. After the shell of the building went up in the early summer, we built the hemp walls in one week during the summer heatwave, by the end of September the building was watertight and at the end of October the lime rendering was complete. Its going to take a while to make the finishing touches because our master craftsman, Ven Ariyo, is now away until April, so we will have to wait for the wood flooring, the bespoke internal doors, the new shrine, and various pieces of furniture, but all being well the lights, power and heating will be up and running in November. We hope to make use of the unfinished space during the winter retreat period – it should be dry and warm.
Already it is apparent that the hall is going to be a very grand space. It isn't particularly large – we didn't have space on the site for a large hall – but the traditional timber frame, attention to detail and an artist's eye do give it a quality of substance and refiinement.
The hemp walls were built by the community, with a little help and advice from specialists, and backed up by the excellent carpentry team from our main builder, Dovetail. Its been a bit of a learning curve for everyone, as not many people are familiar with the hemp construction, but we got there in the end! Thanks to everyone who has had a hand in the work, it's too long a list to mention everyone by name. If you haven't been able to come along recently to the monastery then you can see photographs of the work in progress in the "Photos" section of the website.
Update June 2018
We are now underway with the work to complete the Dhamma Hall, having installed the floor screed and raised the traditional timber frame. We can already get a sense of how the finished space will look, and have been spending a lot of time discussing the little details with the builders. At the end of June and beginning of July the community will be constructing the walls, so if you are reasonably sturdy and would like to help please get in touch. We are using a technique with hempcrete walls that we have used previously to construct the workshop. This is a very environmentally friendly approach - it is carbon negative and provides very good insulation - and lends itself to community involvement as the hemp is mixed on site with a lime-based mix and poured into shutters to form the walls. So far work is progressing quickly and we hope that by the end of July the walls, roof and windows will be in place. There will still be a few months to wait for the hemp to dry sufficiently before being rendered, but we hope that the work will be finished by the end of autumn.
Update December 2017
Christmas 2016 saw a winding down of work on the first phase of the Dhamma Hall project. With a push during the autumn months two bathrooms, wood floors, a laundry room, kitchenette and finishing touchs to decorations meant that we could hang up our hammers and paint brushes for the winter and begin to enjoy some of the fruits of all of the work over the previous two years. Anumodana to everyone who helped in any way!
We had a winter retreat period from January to March, and – because the new accommodation is so toasty warm – we used some of the new spaces as our temporary shrine room. In fact we have continued to use what will in the future just be the shrine room entrance as the actual shrine room. It's a little small for Sunday evening pujas, but most of the time there is enough space for the resident community and guests.
But meanwhile, in January, Ajahn Jutindharo was in Thailand for the casting of the new Buddha rupa for the shrine room. There was a beautiful ceremony at the foundry outside Bangkok, attended by about 50 monks from many branch monasteries of Ajahn Cha in Thailand, and several hundred lay people. The Buddharupa was shipped to Britain in April and arrived at Hartridge on "kaow pansa" – the day after the full moon of July and, by tradition, the day when the monastic community begins the rains retreat period. As kaow pansa fell on a Sunday many friends of the monastery had already planned to come that day, so although we only had a few days notice that the Buddharupa would arrive, there was a joyful atmosphere as we were able to open the crate, unwrap the Buddha, and install the image on the temporary shrine in the new building.
After the retreat period we had already decided that there would be a pause in building work. Tan Ariyo was away, and with a big Sangha gathering at Amaravati in May, it was a good time to have a break. In the remainder of the year we attended to some finishing touchs to the accommodation, and gradually became more familiar with using some of the various spaces. It was also a chance to catch up with outstanding repairs, maintenance and general tidying up elsewhere in the monastery after the couple of years while the focus of our efforts was on the new building.
In the autumn, though, we initiated the process for completing the shrine room, with the intention to start in spring 2018. As we write, details are being worked out for the timber frame and straw bale construction, and we have a provisional start on site in April 2018. We have most of the funds towards our budget cost, although we won't be able to pin down the final price tag until later, but we are optimistic that we have at least 80% of what will be needed. Many donations have been received in the last twelve months and this has given the Trust the confidence to go ahead and trust that the balance of what will be required will manifest.
During the spring and summer we intend to add pictures to the photo section of the website showing progress. We hope to begin using the new shrine room later in the year, and are beginning to think about holding a proper "opening ceremony" in summer 2019. Watch this space!
Update September 2016
Phase One of the Dhamma Hall project is nearing completion, and we already have part occupancy of the new guest accommodation. Autumn and winter last year saw good progress on the building with our excellent construction team from Natural Design and Build. It was a sad day in February when they handed the building over to us, having completed their part of the work - creating the watertight shell and undertaking parts of the interior work. We had had six months when, by and large (!), it had been a pleasure to have builders on site day in and day out.
We are grateful too for the enormous amount of practical help from skilled friends and supporters of the monastery, and the odd monastic who is quite handy with a hammer, which has enabled us slowly but surely to progress the work. Thanks to all of those who have been able to help with carpentry, plumbing, decorating, paving, tiling and much more.
As we enter autumn we still have wood floors to put down, a bathroom and laundry room to fit out, and many little touches here and there, but there is heat, electricity and the building is already usable. Over the late summer we have also done some initial work on the shrine room (Phase Two), completing the foundations and below-ground work, and putting in the concrete floor beams. However for now we are out of funds to continue with the main part of the work on the Shrine room, and we intend to take a break from all the construction work for a year or so to replenish the piggy bank, have a rest, and enjoy what has been done so far.
Update September 2015
Building is well under way on the Dhamma Hall project. After a gradual build up over the winter months of 2014-15 during which construction details were refined, the ground works subcontractor arrived in late April, and since then we have been busy with construction. There are photos showing progress of the work here. We will update these regularly during the building phase for those of you who are not able to visit very often. Whilst the delay in getting construction under way was at times frustrating, the benefit has been that some of the inevitable inconsistencies in the design or planned execution have come to light and been addressed in advance. The groundwork has also taken place during the drier months, so although there was, and still is at times considerable evidence of a building site, the mud and mess has not spread too much into the rest of the grounds or the cottage, and day to day life at the monastery has been able to continue without too big an impact.
The builders are keen to maintain momentum, and the timber structure has been going up fairly quickly. In later autumn the roof will go on, and the doors and windows in, so that the building will be protected from the elements. Work can then continue internally during the winter. If all goes reasonably to plan for the remainder of the construction, then we anticipate that most of the work will be done by early next year. This would leave us with the new accommodation and the shared foyer entrance to the Dhamma Hall. The Dhamma Hall itself will wait until there are funds to build it, but the foundations and groundwork are now already in place.
In the latter stages it looks probable that we will be running short of funds, and we will be trying to do more of the work ourselves and with the help of volunteers. Inevitably this will be slower, but it will allow us to match progress with funds available. If you are interested in volunteering your help, please contact us directly if you have some building skills, or for general help we will be posting information in the News section of the website for work days which we are planning for late in the year and next spring time. Or, to help financially, there are several ways:
Cheques can be made payable to Hartridge Buddhist Monastery Trust;
Online donations can be made to the Trust's account at Co-op Bank - the account name is Hartridge Buddhist
Monastery Trust, Sort Code 08-92-99 Account number 65483992
If you wish to make out a regular standing order donation, please click here .
If you are a UK taxpayer you can Gift Aid your donations (worth an extra 25% to the Trust) by completing and returning the Gift Aid form here.
Update August 2014
Much has happened with the Dhamma Hall project since the last update at the end of 2012. During 2013 we began work on the ground by putting up a replacement workshop/storage building effectively completed in spring 2014. The new workshop is a rather pleasing space in its own right, being spacious, light and airy – in contrast with the old cottage – whilst from the outside being a blend of traditional and modern styles, part barn and part farmhouse. We used lime-rendered hemp to create naturally breathable walls with excellent thermal insulation, low embodied energy and all from a sustainable source. The old workshop was dismantled and, during this year, with lots of help from friends and supporters we have gradually removed most of the guest accommodation (leaving only the old portacabin for the time being), the outside bathroom and the storage rooms at the rear of the cottage. The site was being readied for the main phase of construction to begin. In August, while waiting for Building Regulations approval, we were able to clear and excavate the site, and writing now in September we are very close to a full start on site.
The experience we gained with building the workshop, undertaking much of the construction ourselves (OK, with the help of several skilled friends and many other helpers!), has given us confidence to aim to help with the much more complex and larger task of the accommodation building. We have a main contractor to oversee most of the work and manage the project, but they are happy to work collaboratively with us and be flexible to incorporate our input as well where we have the right skills.
In parallel with the very visible changes on the ground we have made some small adjustments to the plans, and been granted revised planning permission. From the outside the changes are quite minor – additional rooflights, inserting a glazed façade to the lobby area between the shrine room and the accommodation block, and a flue for a biomass boiler. On the interior, we have made more effective use of the space in the accommodation building (by creating a habitable loft area), which has allowed us to add a lounge/reception room for the use of guests and visitors. Although it is only a small change in the whole project we believe that it is an additional improvement offering a valuable extra space and much needed day-to-day flexibility for the site as a whole. There are links on the website to view the revised plans and elevations.
Meanwhile, further funds towards construction have been gradually received. Small donations from many individuals, almsgiving ceremonies, and some larger donations have added about £60,000 since the end of 2012. We have spent about £35,000 on the new workshop building, on further consultants’ fees, and on the costs of demolition and other preliminaries to prepare the site, leaving us with just about £200,000 with which to begin building. Our current estimate for the whole project is around £275,000, so we will undertake phase one (the accommodation side) now and review the position next year and decide when to continue with the new shrine room.
The hall is a beautiful space in which to sit and meet, and we have been using it over the winter, especially during our retreat time. Anumodana to all who have helped in any way to create this space.
We had intended to hold an Opening event in July 2020, which we were just about to announce in April, before we were overtaken by the coronovirus pandemic. Luang Por Sumedho had very kindly agreed to come and visit for the occasion, but at nearly 86 years old he wisely postponed his planned visit to the UK in the summer. We also think that it is very unlikely that it will be safe to hold any large gatherings for quite some time, and consequently we are not contemplating an event this year. As and when it becomes possible to make some slightly more reliable predictions about the future, we will contemplate a date for some sort of celebration... perhaps a Re-Opening Ceremony in summer 2021.
As and when it is possible to visit the monastery again, please feel free to see the Dhamma Hall, or use it for meditation and quiet contemplation.
Update November 2018
The Dhamma Hall is nearly finished. After the shell of the building went up in the early summer, we built the hemp walls in one week during the summer heatwave, by the end of September the building was watertight and at the end of October the lime rendering was complete. Its going to take a while to make the finishing touches because our master craftsman, Ven Ariyo, is now away until April, so we will have to wait for the wood flooring, the bespoke internal doors, the new shrine, and various pieces of furniture, but all being well the lights, power and heating will be up and running in November. We hope to make use of the unfinished space during the winter retreat period – it should be dry and warm.
Already it is apparent that the hall is going to be a very grand space. It isn't particularly large – we didn't have space on the site for a large hall – but the traditional timber frame, attention to detail and an artist's eye do give it a quality of substance and refiinement.
The hemp walls were built by the community, with a little help and advice from specialists, and backed up by the excellent carpentry team from our main builder, Dovetail. Its been a bit of a learning curve for everyone, as not many people are familiar with the hemp construction, but we got there in the end! Thanks to everyone who has had a hand in the work, it's too long a list to mention everyone by name. If you haven't been able to come along recently to the monastery then you can see photographs of the work in progress in the "Photos" section of the website.
Update June 2018
We are now underway with the work to complete the Dhamma Hall, having installed the floor screed and raised the traditional timber frame. We can already get a sense of how the finished space will look, and have been spending a lot of time discussing the little details with the builders. At the end of June and beginning of July the community will be constructing the walls, so if you are reasonably sturdy and would like to help please get in touch. We are using a technique with hempcrete walls that we have used previously to construct the workshop. This is a very environmentally friendly approach - it is carbon negative and provides very good insulation - and lends itself to community involvement as the hemp is mixed on site with a lime-based mix and poured into shutters to form the walls. So far work is progressing quickly and we hope that by the end of July the walls, roof and windows will be in place. There will still be a few months to wait for the hemp to dry sufficiently before being rendered, but we hope that the work will be finished by the end of autumn.
Update December 2017
Christmas 2016 saw a winding down of work on the first phase of the Dhamma Hall project. With a push during the autumn months two bathrooms, wood floors, a laundry room, kitchenette and finishing touchs to decorations meant that we could hang up our hammers and paint brushes for the winter and begin to enjoy some of the fruits of all of the work over the previous two years. Anumodana to everyone who helped in any way!
We had a winter retreat period from January to March, and – because the new accommodation is so toasty warm – we used some of the new spaces as our temporary shrine room. In fact we have continued to use what will in the future just be the shrine room entrance as the actual shrine room. It's a little small for Sunday evening pujas, but most of the time there is enough space for the resident community and guests.
But meanwhile, in January, Ajahn Jutindharo was in Thailand for the casting of the new Buddha rupa for the shrine room. There was a beautiful ceremony at the foundry outside Bangkok, attended by about 50 monks from many branch monasteries of Ajahn Cha in Thailand, and several hundred lay people. The Buddharupa was shipped to Britain in April and arrived at Hartridge on "kaow pansa" – the day after the full moon of July and, by tradition, the day when the monastic community begins the rains retreat period. As kaow pansa fell on a Sunday many friends of the monastery had already planned to come that day, so although we only had a few days notice that the Buddharupa would arrive, there was a joyful atmosphere as we were able to open the crate, unwrap the Buddha, and install the image on the temporary shrine in the new building.
After the retreat period we had already decided that there would be a pause in building work. Tan Ariyo was away, and with a big Sangha gathering at Amaravati in May, it was a good time to have a break. In the remainder of the year we attended to some finishing touchs to the accommodation, and gradually became more familiar with using some of the various spaces. It was also a chance to catch up with outstanding repairs, maintenance and general tidying up elsewhere in the monastery after the couple of years while the focus of our efforts was on the new building.
In the autumn, though, we initiated the process for completing the shrine room, with the intention to start in spring 2018. As we write, details are being worked out for the timber frame and straw bale construction, and we have a provisional start on site in April 2018. We have most of the funds towards our budget cost, although we won't be able to pin down the final price tag until later, but we are optimistic that we have at least 80% of what will be needed. Many donations have been received in the last twelve months and this has given the Trust the confidence to go ahead and trust that the balance of what will be required will manifest.
During the spring and summer we intend to add pictures to the photo section of the website showing progress. We hope to begin using the new shrine room later in the year, and are beginning to think about holding a proper "opening ceremony" in summer 2019. Watch this space!
Update September 2016
Phase One of the Dhamma Hall project is nearing completion, and we already have part occupancy of the new guest accommodation. Autumn and winter last year saw good progress on the building with our excellent construction team from Natural Design and Build. It was a sad day in February when they handed the building over to us, having completed their part of the work - creating the watertight shell and undertaking parts of the interior work. We had had six months when, by and large (!), it had been a pleasure to have builders on site day in and day out.
We are grateful too for the enormous amount of practical help from skilled friends and supporters of the monastery, and the odd monastic who is quite handy with a hammer, which has enabled us slowly but surely to progress the work. Thanks to all of those who have been able to help with carpentry, plumbing, decorating, paving, tiling and much more.
As we enter autumn we still have wood floors to put down, a bathroom and laundry room to fit out, and many little touches here and there, but there is heat, electricity and the building is already usable. Over the late summer we have also done some initial work on the shrine room (Phase Two), completing the foundations and below-ground work, and putting in the concrete floor beams. However for now we are out of funds to continue with the main part of the work on the Shrine room, and we intend to take a break from all the construction work for a year or so to replenish the piggy bank, have a rest, and enjoy what has been done so far.
Update September 2015
Building is well under way on the Dhamma Hall project. After a gradual build up over the winter months of 2014-15 during which construction details were refined, the ground works subcontractor arrived in late April, and since then we have been busy with construction. There are photos showing progress of the work here. We will update these regularly during the building phase for those of you who are not able to visit very often. Whilst the delay in getting construction under way was at times frustrating, the benefit has been that some of the inevitable inconsistencies in the design or planned execution have come to light and been addressed in advance. The groundwork has also taken place during the drier months, so although there was, and still is at times considerable evidence of a building site, the mud and mess has not spread too much into the rest of the grounds or the cottage, and day to day life at the monastery has been able to continue without too big an impact.
The builders are keen to maintain momentum, and the timber structure has been going up fairly quickly. In later autumn the roof will go on, and the doors and windows in, so that the building will be protected from the elements. Work can then continue internally during the winter. If all goes reasonably to plan for the remainder of the construction, then we anticipate that most of the work will be done by early next year. This would leave us with the new accommodation and the shared foyer entrance to the Dhamma Hall. The Dhamma Hall itself will wait until there are funds to build it, but the foundations and groundwork are now already in place.
In the latter stages it looks probable that we will be running short of funds, and we will be trying to do more of the work ourselves and with the help of volunteers. Inevitably this will be slower, but it will allow us to match progress with funds available. If you are interested in volunteering your help, please contact us directly if you have some building skills, or for general help we will be posting information in the News section of the website for work days which we are planning for late in the year and next spring time. Or, to help financially, there are several ways:
Cheques can be made payable to Hartridge Buddhist Monastery Trust;
Online donations can be made to the Trust's account at Co-op Bank - the account name is Hartridge Buddhist
Monastery Trust, Sort Code 08-92-99 Account number 65483992
If you wish to make out a regular standing order donation, please click here .
If you are a UK taxpayer you can Gift Aid your donations (worth an extra 25% to the Trust) by completing and returning the Gift Aid form here.
Update August 2014
Much has happened with the Dhamma Hall project since the last update at the end of 2012. During 2013 we began work on the ground by putting up a replacement workshop/storage building effectively completed in spring 2014. The new workshop is a rather pleasing space in its own right, being spacious, light and airy – in contrast with the old cottage – whilst from the outside being a blend of traditional and modern styles, part barn and part farmhouse. We used lime-rendered hemp to create naturally breathable walls with excellent thermal insulation, low embodied energy and all from a sustainable source. The old workshop was dismantled and, during this year, with lots of help from friends and supporters we have gradually removed most of the guest accommodation (leaving only the old portacabin for the time being), the outside bathroom and the storage rooms at the rear of the cottage. The site was being readied for the main phase of construction to begin. In August, while waiting for Building Regulations approval, we were able to clear and excavate the site, and writing now in September we are very close to a full start on site.
The experience we gained with building the workshop, undertaking much of the construction ourselves (OK, with the help of several skilled friends and many other helpers!), has given us confidence to aim to help with the much more complex and larger task of the accommodation building. We have a main contractor to oversee most of the work and manage the project, but they are happy to work collaboratively with us and be flexible to incorporate our input as well where we have the right skills.
In parallel with the very visible changes on the ground we have made some small adjustments to the plans, and been granted revised planning permission. From the outside the changes are quite minor – additional rooflights, inserting a glazed façade to the lobby area between the shrine room and the accommodation block, and a flue for a biomass boiler. On the interior, we have made more effective use of the space in the accommodation building (by creating a habitable loft area), which has allowed us to add a lounge/reception room for the use of guests and visitors. Although it is only a small change in the whole project we believe that it is an additional improvement offering a valuable extra space and much needed day-to-day flexibility for the site as a whole. There are links on the website to view the revised plans and elevations.
Meanwhile, further funds towards construction have been gradually received. Small donations from many individuals, almsgiving ceremonies, and some larger donations have added about £60,000 since the end of 2012. We have spent about £35,000 on the new workshop building, on further consultants’ fees, and on the costs of demolition and other preliminaries to prepare the site, leaving us with just about £200,000 with which to begin building. Our current estimate for the whole project is around £275,000, so we will undertake phase one (the accommodation side) now and review the position next year and decide when to continue with the new shrine room.
Update - October 2012
Since the launch of the project in autumn 2011 there has been a very generous response from many friends and supporters, with nearly £50,000 raised in the first year. As well as individual donations, there have been several large alms-giving ceremonies arranged by the Thai community, including one at the start of the traditional Rains retreat in July, and with 200 people outside on the lawn at Hartridge the rain duly obliged!
The monastery trustees have approved the start of building work, with the first step being the erection of the new workshop building just off from the main site. Weather permitting, we'll put in foundations before winter, and pick up the construction in the spring after the winter retreat.
New Dhamma Hall Project
After several years on the drawing board, in summer 2011 we applied for and received planning permission to build a new Dhamma Hall and guest accommodation, along with improved amenities and a replacement workshop/storage building. Below we describe why we are undertaking this project, what we hope to achieve and how you might be able to help. To enlarge the pictures, right click in your browser and select "view image" or similar.
Since the monastery began 25 years ago the shrine room has been in the lounge of the original Odle Cottage. This room is regularly overcrowded, and the quiet atmosphere is impaired by close proximity to the kitchen, bathroom and rooms upstairs. Further, as the old cottage is built on ground at a significant gradient, there are steps throughout and wheelchair access is not possible. The new Dhamma Hall provides for a larger and more suitable meeting space, separate from the cottage. The main structure will be a timber frame with straw bale walls, making for an ecological method of construction and maintenance, with low heating requirements.
The current accommodation available for lay people to stay comprises four rooms of very poor quality (an old caravan and portacabin) with outside bathrooms and the plans allow for the replacement of these with the same number of rooms, built to modern standards and with better facilities and easier access. The plan also provides for relocating storage spaces, bathrooms and a laundry/boiler room which are a part of the old structures to be removed.
The monastery is blessed with a quiet and secluded location and this is a significant part of its appeal. Thus the intention in the proposed development is to improve the current substandard facilities, whilst maintaining a simple rural feel.
Although the monastery has 20 acres of land, the only area that we have available for new buildings is very small, being basically the garden of the cottage, and so the plan aims to make the most of what can be done in the limited space available. Similarly, the lack of space complicates the process of putting up the new buildings, as all of the current outbuildings in the cottage garden will need to be removed. So the work will need to proceed in stages with some careful planning.
The intention is to build the workshop first, so as to allow the existing workshop building to be removed and free up some of the space for the other new buildings. Similarly, we hope to add an additional bathroom to the upstairs of the cottage (we have applied separately for planning permission to do this, and await the Council’s decision), and this would enable the single storey extension at the back of the cottage, which currently houses one of the existing bathrooms, to be removed. With temporary arrangements for guest accommodation, the site for the Dhamma Hall and new guest rooms would then be free for building.
Since the launch of the project in autumn 2011 there has been a very generous response from many friends and supporters, with nearly £50,000 raised in the first year. As well as individual donations, there have been several large alms-giving ceremonies arranged by the Thai community, including one at the start of the traditional Rains retreat in July, and with 200 people outside on the lawn at Hartridge the rain duly obliged!
The monastery trustees have approved the start of building work, with the first step being the erection of the new workshop building just off from the main site. Weather permitting, we'll put in foundations before winter, and pick up the construction in the spring after the winter retreat.
New Dhamma Hall Project
After several years on the drawing board, in summer 2011 we applied for and received planning permission to build a new Dhamma Hall and guest accommodation, along with improved amenities and a replacement workshop/storage building. Below we describe why we are undertaking this project, what we hope to achieve and how you might be able to help. To enlarge the pictures, right click in your browser and select "view image" or similar.
Since the monastery began 25 years ago the shrine room has been in the lounge of the original Odle Cottage. This room is regularly overcrowded, and the quiet atmosphere is impaired by close proximity to the kitchen, bathroom and rooms upstairs. Further, as the old cottage is built on ground at a significant gradient, there are steps throughout and wheelchair access is not possible. The new Dhamma Hall provides for a larger and more suitable meeting space, separate from the cottage. The main structure will be a timber frame with straw bale walls, making for an ecological method of construction and maintenance, with low heating requirements.
The current accommodation available for lay people to stay comprises four rooms of very poor quality (an old caravan and portacabin) with outside bathrooms and the plans allow for the replacement of these with the same number of rooms, built to modern standards and with better facilities and easier access. The plan also provides for relocating storage spaces, bathrooms and a laundry/boiler room which are a part of the old structures to be removed.
The monastery is blessed with a quiet and secluded location and this is a significant part of its appeal. Thus the intention in the proposed development is to improve the current substandard facilities, whilst maintaining a simple rural feel.
Although the monastery has 20 acres of land, the only area that we have available for new buildings is very small, being basically the garden of the cottage, and so the plan aims to make the most of what can be done in the limited space available. Similarly, the lack of space complicates the process of putting up the new buildings, as all of the current outbuildings in the cottage garden will need to be removed. So the work will need to proceed in stages with some careful planning.
The intention is to build the workshop first, so as to allow the existing workshop building to be removed and free up some of the space for the other new buildings. Similarly, we hope to add an additional bathroom to the upstairs of the cottage (we have applied separately for planning permission to do this, and await the Council’s decision), and this would enable the single storey extension at the back of the cottage, which currently houses one of the existing bathrooms, to be removed. With temporary arrangements for guest accommodation, the site for the Dhamma Hall and new guest rooms would then be free for building.
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How can you help or get involved?
The project is likely to take some time, not least because the monastery Trust only has a fraction of the money that will be needed. So the Trust has launched an appeal with a target to raise £250,000 over the next two years. If you would like to make a donation you can follow the suggestions in the forms below (they are not "web" forms - sorry our technology doesn't go that far - but you can open them in your browser to enlarge and/or print them). Or perhaps you have some skills and time which you would be happy to offer at some point - perhaps a building trade or profession - so please get in touch to let us know that you would like to help. There will also be times when we will organise work parties, say over a weekend, for particular tasks, and it will not be necessary to have specific skills, just some energy, enthusiasm and a dash of common sense. |
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