At the moment we don't know when we'll be open to the public, but we're working really hard behind the scenes to get Peacock & Verity open. It's a complex refurbishment project and we still need additional funding to be able to continue. Please consider donating to us here.

We're still restoring Peacock & Verity. Even though we've already made great progress, we're still at the beginning of a really complex refurbishment that is taking time, care and a lot of financial investment. 

We've also uncovered lots of surprises along the way (which is often the case with old buildings!) which has set our timeline back, and we still need to raise some additional funds to be able to carry on.

Peacock & Verity is run by the community, for the community. We’re a small team of local people who started the idea for Peacock & Verity because we wanted to make a positive difference to the place where we live. We’re a registered Charitable Community Benefit Society (number 8937) and also a Community Land Trust.

The team is overseen by our Board of Directors, all of whom are local volunteers.

As a major Heritage Enterprise Scheme we must produce detailed Business Cases for housing, retail, heritage, training, and a net-zero demonstrator building, along with building designs, interpretation plans, and planning permissions.

A paid Project Manager oversees the Design Team, composed of national experts committed to our innovative scheme and delivering exceptional services beyond their fees. We have also worked with paid local Community Engagers, Fundraisers, and PR Specialists.

We also have a dedicated team of incredible volunteers who get involved in loads of things, from helping us to renovate the building to making endless cups of tea!

We need to raise £250,000 in public donations to fully buy the building and continue our work on the restoration.

You can donate to the Peacock & Verity Crowdfunder here. 

Since the cameras stopped rolling, we’ve been given an incredible opportunity to fully purchase the building at a much-reduced price. If we can buy the building outright, it’ll release over £1 million in further funding from supporters like the National Lottery so we can continue with our restorations.

We’re incredibly grateful for any donations to help us towards our fundraising goal.

The restoration is still in its early stages and is projected to cost £2.2 million. Potential funders including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Karbon Homes could commit a total of £1.2 million, but we need to raise the additional funds through a mix of public donations and further backing from other fundraising bodies.

15 Silver Street is a really complex building with a lot of different areas and stories - the shop and tearoom only make up one-sixth of the total floor area. The entire building needs to be fully refurbished. It’s a big project, similar in size to schemes more generally found in larger towns and cities. 

One of the major tasks is fixing flaws in the superstructure from a poorly carried out renovation in 1913. Plus the cost of putting in four new housing units and a catering kitchen for the tearoom is expensive.

Another key cost element is heritage; the nature of the refurbishment means preserving parts of the old building, some going back over three hundred years, and using traditional skills and materials but in a modern way. The finished building will be an exemplar for the whole region on how to manage this type of restoration.

We've undertaken major construction work, key surveys are complete, planning permission is secured, and we’ve redesigned everything to meet modern building standards. So far we’ve made great progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do before we can open.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards capital funding to projects in two phases: Round One (Development Phase), and Round Two (Capital Build and Delivery). They awarded us £74k to start our Development Phase. We also received development funding from North Yorkshire Community Led Housing Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund. These have allowed us to fully survey the building, carry out essential repairs, commission architects, undertake detailed business planning to test viability of all the elements, initial designs for the living history venue, and secure planning permission.

The costs of setting up the pop-up shop for the Sheep Fair weekend in 2024, as well as the repainting of the shop front and cafe sign, were kindly paid for by the production company of Our Yorkshire Shop.

15 Silver Street has been at the heart of Masham for over 300 years. We want to preserve the building and make it a central part of our community again. 

Although Masham is a popular tourist destination, our high street has been struggling as more and more people shop online. This has had a massive impact on other shops and businesses in the town.

Peacock & Verity will be a unique attraction in Masham both for tourists and local residents, with a shop, tearoom, heritage centre as well as affordable rental housing for local people. 

We can provide something different for people to do, to help people come to Masham in the first place, or to stay for the whole day, or to visit for a couple of nights – augmenting and helping existing businesses, attractions, shops, pubs, and restaurants.

The Bakehouse training centre will also offer local access to training and apprenticeships, supporting property owners to reduce energy bills and protect their buildings in perpetuity. 

We’re currently joint owners of 15 Silver Street along with our community housing operators Karbon Homes, who will operate the rental flats. Thanks to financial support from North Yorkshire Council, we own a 20% share and Karbon own 80%. Our aim is to buy Karbon’s share so we own the building outright.

We believe that members of our local community who want to live, work, and stay in Masham should have access to affordable, small rental homes - yet this is becoming increasingly difficult.

Masham is a beautiful town with a rich history and a strong, close-knit community. It's no surprise that people want to retire here, buy second homes, or invest in holiday rentals. But as a result, properties are quickly bought up for short-term lets, leaving very few options for local people looking to rent.

Our community housing partners Karbon Homes will manage the flats and let them to people who live and/or work in Masham and who are in genuine housing need. The Housing Allocation Policy has already been agreed – applicants will need to live, work, or have a close family connection to HG4 4** postcodes.

We’ll be releasing information about this in the future - please contact us at info@peacockandverity.org.uk if you have any questions. 

Peacock and Verity Community Spaces is a Charitable Community Benefit Society held accountable to the Financial Conduct Authority and managed by a board of Directors. It has been registered since September 2023 having converted from a non-profit company limited by guarantee accountable to Companies House.

Accounts for 2022 - 2023
Accounts for 2023 - 2024