An historic Cumbrian farm on the edge of the Roman Empire World Heritage site has been granted funding towards a study which could bring it into use as a place of heritage learning.

Camp Farm, the 140-acre Victorian farm in Maryport which lies on the site of a Roman camp, was bought two years ago by the North of England Civic Trust.

It had previously been owned by the now defunct Hadrian's Wall Trust, which had planned to create a large museum and visitor centre on the site.

The civic trust has received £5,000 from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), which represents 50 per cent of the amount required for a commercial viability study for the farm.

The farm operated as a working farm until 2008 when it was sold to Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, later Hadrian’s Wall Trust.

The civic trust bought the farm in March 2015.

Since then it has worked on preserving the 19th century barns and buildings on the site, created a small bothy for meetings and training and improved some access.

It has also been consulting with local people to find out what they would like to see.

This funding would help the trust look at how the farm could be relevant to local people, investigate ideas like Care Farms, working holidays, European Heritage Campuses, services for veterans and a satellite training site linked to agricultural, horticultural or animal husbandry colleges.

The trust applied, last year, for a £1m Coastal Communities grant but was turned down.

Its intention then was to set up courses in traditional skills, offering apprenticeships and the chance for people to enhance their employment opportunities.

Graham Bell, from the North of England Civic Trust, said: "Camp Farm has two thousand years of European history underfoot and buildings that witnessed Britain’s agricultural revolution.

"Now’s the time for us to begin to write the next chapter, which will be about building the relationship of people to the land."

Ian Morrison, chief executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund, said: "Thanks to support from Historic England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and through a team of regional support officers we are able to help the North of England Civic Trust to test the feasibility of the exciting vision for this historic farm."