The restoration of the Great Barn and Oast Houses at Great Dixter - in pictures

The 500-year-old Great Barn at Great Dixter, one of the largest and most significant surviving medieval timber frame barns in the south-east, and the adjoining three 19th century brick built oast houses whose interiors have been rarely seen by other than Dixter farm workers and agricultural historians, will open to visitors for the first time on September 4. Photograph: Great Dixter

The restoration of the Great Barn and Oast House is the culmination of the £8m four-year conservation project by the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, using a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as contributions from individual donors and friends of Great Dixter, plus several other organisations. Great Dixter's creator, Christopher Lloyd, formed the Great Dixter Charitable Trust in 2004, to receive his estate. He died in 2006. Photograph: Great Dixter

Local craftsman have worked to repair rotting timbers, decaying joists and original wattle and daub to bring the barn back to life. Visitors will be able to clamber over the barns many thresholds to see part of a medieval feeding trough, remnants of the original threshing floor, and the 18th century grain store which was built on blocks to protect the corn from rates. On the ground floor, the ceiling joists are inscribed with hop pickers' graffiti and from the newly restored mezanine floor there will be a view of the kilns, drying floor and hop press (pictured above). Photograph: Great Dixter

The barn still plays an essential role in the working of the estate and is used for making hurdles and fences for the garden. Part of it houses a biomass boiler fuelled by wood from the estate which will heat the house. Photograph: Great Dixter

Fergus Garrett, head gardener and chief executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, is pictured here with Christopher Lloyd in 2004. He says the current restoration work "has significantly enlarged Great Dixter for everyone to enjoy. When visitors come down the front path it will be to the Lloyd family's country estate as well as a much loved house and garden." Photograph: Great Dixter

Material from the archive covering the development of the house and garden, and a virtual tour of the house showing areas not normally open to the public will be on display in the White Barn, a grade 2 listed weatherboard building close to the entrance to the garden. This picture shows Christopher Lloyd in the Great Dixter potting shed in the 1950s. Photograph: Great Dixter

A short film will show footage of Christopher Lloyd and an oral history project is recording loval memories of former employees. This photograph shows the team of gardeners at Great Dixter in 1911. For more information on Great Dixter, including visiting times and courses, visit greatdixter.co.uk. Photograph: Great Dixter