When Brian Rutterford decided to expand his farm by buying a neighbouring property he wanted to diversify his business quickly to maximize the return on his investment. His plan was to develop a lake on the property for irrigation purposes. This provided an opportunity to develop a fisheries business that would augment his farming income. However he needed to build attractive visitor facilities to be able to turn his investment into revenue. Rural Log Cabins Limited was able to construct the two timber buildings he needed to provide accommodation and office space.

Brian Rutterford has worked hard to build and diversify his business, making the most of the additional land he had acquired near Hockwold-cum-Wilton in Norfolk by developing the lake and stocking it with rainbow trout and brown trout and converting two large existing barns into luxury accommodation.

In order to develop the Blackdyke Fishery business further, Brian then needed to establish living and office accommodation for a Fisheries Manager on the site. With planning permission likely to be difficult for permanent buildings in such a rural area, he soon discovered that the best solution to this part of the development proposal was to build transportable log cabins.

These propoals would be in keeping with the rural nature of his business, blend with the environment of the lake and would also be easier to get through the planning process, since they are classed as non-permanent structures.

The timber-built accommodation, designed and constructed by Rural Log Cabins Limited, were the ideal solution. Rural worked closely with Brian to design exactly the accommodation he needed for the site and they were able to pull out all the stops to build and install the two units for the summer season.

The new log cabins provide a two-bedroomed home for the Fisheries Manager and also an office so that he can be on site at all times. The timber is imported from sustainable forests in Northern Europe and prepared, cut and treated at Rural Log Cabins’ UK manufacturing site. This gives a level of quality control and of flexibility in design and build that is of the highest standards.

“The commercial part of our business is about helping others to grow their businesses quickly and flexibly,” says Steve Missen, Managing Director of Rural Log Cabins. “Because we design individually and manufacture in this country we can respond immediately and work to tight deadlines if needed. Blackdyke needed the facilities in place in time for the summer season so we just reeled in every one of the team and all the resources we could to get the job done.”

Rural Log Cabins is one of the country’s leading suppliers of bespoke log cabins for a variety of uses, from residential properties and holiday homes to leisure facilities such as visitor centres, sports facilities and schoolrooms, each individually designed to suit the customer’s requirements. The Black Dyke Fisheries project demonstrates both commercial and residential building and shows how versatile a log cabin can be for all types of accommodation.

Situated just outside the village of Hockwold-cum-Wilton, in the heart of the Norfolk countryside, the Black Dyke Fisheries offers excellent opportunities for trout fishing and luxury accommodation in beautiful rural surroundings.