Chedham’s Yard in Wellesbourne, near Stratford-upon-Avon, is to be transformed into a living heritage site after winning the BBC series Restoration Village in September.

The £1m project has received £250,000 from Restoration Village and a further £750,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The new attraction has been designed to educate visitors about the importance of the forge and wheelwright to 19th century villages and bring back to life the skills and stories of the generations of people who worked in the buildings and the yard.

The site was owned by the same family for more than a hundred years before being bought in 1992 by Wellesbourne Parish Council (WPC) on the basis that it should be preserved as found.

Chedham’s Yard was once a vital part of the rural economy and village society, and the buildings and collections will be restored within their original context. Examples of 19th century technology include a set of original leather bellows and an early horizontal sawing bench.

The site will also provide a home for small businesses with a strong heritage, educational or interpretive element, which will be interwoven into the overall interpretation of the historical base of the centre.

Products made on site using traditional methods of the wheelwright and blacksmith will be available.

Cllr David Close of WPC said: “Earlier this year a Friends of Chedham's Yard was set up to actively promote the project and they have galvanised the community into supporting the project.”

Saturn Projects designed and project managed the development in partnership with Wellesbourne Parish Council.

Andrew Winterbottom, director of Saturn Projects, said: “This has been an exciting and invigorating challenge and we are delighted with the public support.” Details: www.chedhamsyard.org

Photograph: artist's impression of Chedham's Yard courtesy of Saturn Projects