THE historic Church House at South Tawton was packed to bursting point last Wednesday (November 30) as visitors came to marvel at the extensive restoration work on the 500-year-old building. The Church House was built around 1490 as a place where villagers could meet to enjoy ?church ales?, have wedding and funeral parties and hold feasts. The thatched granite building was also used as a schoolroom in the 18th century, a poor house in the 19th century and, during the Second World War, as a store by American servicemen. The church house was officially opened by Deborah Griffiths, head of archaeology and historic buildings at the Dartmoor National Park Authority. Mrs Griffiths said: ?This building represents the medieval architecture of Dartmoor. The church house roof preserves thatch which is smoke blackened, which makes it an extremely rare building, one of only 200 examples in the country. ?I think it is a wonderful building, giving off a wonderful atmosphere. You can actually feel the history.? The work was made possible thanks to a grant of £274,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Adrian Tinniswood, from HLF said: ?The fund is about everybody?s heritage, about opening it up to communities. It takes my breath away to see what has been achieved here.? He added: ?A society which fails to treasure its past has no future.? It took three years of hard work before the restoration work itself ? including preservation of original features along with the incorporation of new floors, doors and thatch ? began in May of this year. Much of this was achieved thanks to the dedication of project manager David Youle. Mr Youle said more than 70 people had been involved in this project at various stages and he thanked them for their support. He said: ?Having got this building restored, we need to secure its future and the best way to do that is to ensure it is well-used.? At a well-attended official opening ceremony last Wednesday, many got their first glimpse inside the delightfully restored building. Before the official opening announcement was made, the Wren Singers led the assembled crowd in a rousing singalong of the English traditional song John Barleycorn. In 1599 church ales were declared unlawful throughout Devon, and four years later they were prohibited across the country. The building then had a variety of uses over the next four centuries, but remained in parish ownership. It was used as a school from 1663 and the first mention of its use as a poor house occurs in 1804, when the building had been altered to become six heated rooms. In addition to the HLF grant, the project was supported by financial contributions from organisations including DNPA, The Pilgrim Trust, West Devon Borough Council, South Tawton Parish Council, the D?Oyly Care Charitable Trust, English Heritage and HRH the Prince of Wales. The work was carried out with great expertise by contractors Darrock and Brown of Bodmin, and the architects were Van der Steen Hall Ltd of Chagford. Church House will be open to the public each weekend from April until October, and stewards will be on hand to answer visitors? questions. Interpretation panels and a film of the restoration will also help visitors to appreciate the building and its importance. The management committee say they hope to promote Church House and safeguard its future by ensuring it is well-used. They say they intend to promote the building for exhibitions of art and local crafts, for training purposes and encourage school and local history group visits. The committee intends to hold monthly lectures and talks on a diverse range of subjects, and would welcome bookings for community or family occasions. To celebrate the occasion a new ale has been produced by Exe Valley Brewery, in keeping with the fact that Church House was originally built to serve as a centre for brewing and baking for feasts which raised funds to maintain the church. Several years ago, the exterior of the building was used as a filming location for a commercial for Gold Blend coffee.