THE National Trust is about to start work on a project to convert a set of currently dilapidated historic buildings into holiday cottages.

How Hill, by the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal estate near Ripon, was acquired by the trust in the 1990s almost 10 years after it acquired the rest of the estate.

It comprises a set of 18th-century rundown farm buildings in a traditional courtyard shape set in approximately 25 acres of pastureland.

The project will see the conversion of the original buildings from farm use to holiday cottages, providing five holiday cottage lets with a total of 24 bed spaces.

The will be let out to provide sustainable income which will support the trust’s conservation work at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

Local natural materials will be used wherever possible, the use of renewable resources and recyclable materials will be optimised and energy and water consumption in the construction and use of the site will be minimised.

The estate’s general manager Chris Fowler said: "The new holiday cottages will contribute to the future conservation and restoration of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal ensuring that this magnificent World Heritage Site can be enjoyed by generations to come."