South West Heritage Trust – Glastonbury Abbey Tithe Barn

2016 – Ongoing

Glastonbury Abbey Tithe Barn is a stunning Grade 1 listed Scheduled Ancient Monument, next to the Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury, Somerset.

Geckoella has worked with the South West Heritage Trust on their scheme to enhance the visitor experience and conserve the heritage of the site. We carried out bat surveys to advise how the use of the site by Common and Soprano Pipistrelle, Serotine and Grey Long-eared bats can be maintained and enhanced.

The bats have already lived with use of the barn as a visitor destination for decades. This interesting project looked at indirect effects on bats arising from new lights and increased noise associated with the museum refurbishment. The bats can still use the existing crevices, as well as an additional new dark and quiet batbox within the barn that has direct access to foraging areas; new bat boxes have also been erected on trees outside the barn.