A MUSEUM honouring the life and times of a war poet who died in the Great War has been named the best Building Conservation project in the UK.

Over 90 of the UK’s most impressive and community-beneficial property schemes battled it out for top honours at the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Awards Grand Final 2018, where Yr Ysgwrn in Trawsfynydd was named the best Building Conservation project in the UK.

The prestigious annual contest – held on Friday, 2 November – celebrates the UK’s most inspirational initiatives in the land, property and construction sectors that are having a significant positive impact on the communities they serve.

Yr Ysgwrn won the Building Conservation category in the grand final against stiff competition from the likes of Canterbury Cathedral, Depare Abbey in Northampton, and the Tropical Ravine in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens.

Yr Ysgwrn is a cultural symbol for the people in Wales.

It is a simple 19th century farmstead, but it represents the life and achievements of one of Wales’ most famous poets, Ellis Humphrey Evans, who is better known by his bardic name Hedd Wyn.

The conservation project, which tastefully and carefully restored the historic farmhouse and artefacts on display including a black chair originally carved in wood by a Belgian World War One refugee called Eugeen Vanfleteren, was delivered by surveyors Cavendish Bloor, architect Purcell UK and Grosvenor Construction.

The work also radically improved the traditional agricultural outbuildings, some of which were derelict, in order to create a comfortable and spacious visitor centre.

RICS judges said of the scheme: “Great conservation projects enhance the understanding of the building, its story and significance.

“Hedd Wyn’s story could have been told via photographs and with the contents removed to a Museum setting.

“The conservation of this humble dwelling in such a remote area with its view across Snowdonia provides a much more powerful understanding of its significance in cultural and literary contexts as well as the historical juxtaposition with the horrors of the Great War that might otherwise have been lost. The conservation of the ‘spirit of place’ as a whole, so often not possible or overlooked, is considered a wonderful achievement.”

Sian Griffiths, Yr Ysgwrn project manager, was thrilled with the accolade. “We at the Snowdonia National Park Authority are thrilled that yr Ysgwrn has won this award,” she said. “It is a testament to the fantastic work of the architects, Purcell and the whole design team, none of which would be possible without the support of the HLF funding.”