A FARM byre which is now a magnet for buyers landed an award for its successful trading last night.

Eleanor’s Byre at Embleton Mill Farm in Northumberland was converted into a high-quality gift shop last year.

Last night, at the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership awards, the byre was joint winner in the Building Design category with Dewar's Lane Granary in Berwick.

The awards event, held at the Sun Hotel, Warkworth, acknowledges, promotes and celebrates excellence in the care, management and development of the coast and countryside.

The judges praised owner Elizabeth Robertson for giving a new lease of life to the byre which reflected its agricultural origins.

They said that the byre “is every inch about how to trade sensitively and successfully in the AONB”.

The byre is named after Eleanor de Monfort, sister of Henry III, who is believed to have stayed in a house on the site in the 13th century.

When the byre was being converted, a stone gate pillar was revealed in its gable wall and cobbles were unearthed from the floor, which suggested an approach road. The byre shop now fronts the Northumberland coastal route and is proving a draw for visitors and holidaymakers seeking gifts.

Mother-of-four Elizabeth said: “We carried out a sensitive restoration which has brought the byre back to life. The shop is something I have always wanted to do.”

Judges said that Berwick Preservation Trust had salvaged the Dewar Lane Granary and turned it into a “cultural inspiration”.

The 242-year-old listed and leaning granary has been transformed into an art gallery, 55-bed youth hostel, bistro, meeting and conference rooms.

Hunting Hall, near Beal, won the Farming & Land Management and Sustainable Tourism awards.

The judges said owners Tom and Karen Burn had “passion and commitment” to farm and manage their land in an innovative, sustainable and wildlife-friendly way.”

The Northumberland 4Shores Partnership project, led by the Environment Agency, and the Northumberland Whin Grassland Project, from Northumberland Wildlife Trust, received highly commended awards in the Farming and Land Management category.

St Cuthbert’s House, North Sunderland, and Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel, Embleton, were highly commended in the Sustainable Tourism Category.