THE £1.5m restoration and conversion of virtually derelict stables into offices on the Zetland estate, near Richmond, has won a major award.

It took 2 years to turn the listed buildings on the Aske estate into offices and the work has now topped its category in the Farm and Country Buildings Award run by the Country Land and Business Association.

Judges praised the Earl of Ronaldshay for "saving an important part of our heritage".

The sandstone walling required considerable repair work and the existing blue slate roof had to be removed and reinstated.

"The result is outstanding because it now looks indistinguishable from its original appearance," said the judges. "What is impressive and totally new in concept is the modern fountain in stainless steel which dominates the approach to the building. It provides a feature which is astounding in its simplicity and brings this Victorian building into the twenty-first century."

The building attracted a £75,000 grant from Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, and provides jobs for about 90 people. Some firms re-located from the South of England.

The project was handled by Rural Solutions, a company based at Broughton Hall, Skipton.

The award for the best conversion in the North of England went to a £500,000 development by Gareth Gaunt of Paddock House Farm, Sicklinghall, near Wetherby. This combined two traditional Yorkshire stone barns with futuristic Scandinavian office design.

"It's now a very prestigious business location and an encouraging example of the imaginative re-use of redundant farm buildings to create jobs and boost the county's rural economy," said the CLA's regional director, Dorothy Fairburn.

The judges described the Carlshead Business Office Complex as "a most unusual development by any standards".

"We liked the way he looked to the future by considering the climate change levy, and a solar room feature will be a boon to those who work there," they said.

The development attracted a £60,000 grant from Yorkshire Forward.

Other winners included the Bolton Abbey estate, near Skipton and Escrick Park estate, near York.

The Abbey estate offices are housed in a 100-year-old building which was originally the village institute and reading rooms. They have been tripled in size and won the alteration and extension category.

The new building category was won by Charles Forbes Adam's new estate offices at Escrick Park where the copper roof is designed to collect rainwater which is then treated for use as drinking water for office employees.

There were commendations for the £70,000 conversion of a remote Dales barn into a bunkhouse by John Cowan at Horse Head Pass, overlooking Littondale. The scheme kept the original features but included installing water and sewage treatment plants, electricity and a water supply.

The transformation of a ruined smithy by the Brodsworth Estate, near Doncaster, was also commended. Mrs Graciela Artola de Williams, estate owner, was also the architect.