Omnibus 172 - May 2006
HLF-SPRING INTO ACTION
Following on from “The ‘Prospect Before Us”
in the ‘Omnibus’ no.170, it is intended to keep
readers informed of progress towards our goal
of a new display hall by Easter 2007 in each
edition of ‘Omnibus’.
It is often true that when things disappear one
does not notice that they have gone and even,
sometimes, cannot think what was in the
space left. This is the stage we have reached
with the HLF project. There is nothing new
that has appeared on site to show for it but
things have been moved and disappeared.
The mezzanine floor which was constructed
last summer is not, strictly speaking, part of
the HLF project but nevertheless is an
essential part in clearing what was the blind
store and the railway carriages. A lot of effort
has gone in to identifying new homes for the
items stored in both these places and then
moving them. Special racking has been
constructed in the mezzanine and as I write –
late January – the task of shifting everything is
nearly complete.
My predictions in ‘Omnibus’ no.171 of the new
access road to Scania Hall and the complete removal
of the railway carriages by Easter are looking a little optimistic at the time of writing this update (late March).
Progress is being made on both fronts. The area alongside the café/shop building is now ready for the contractors,
the plans have been approved and our architects are organising tenders for the work.
Two of the railway carriages have been stripped of more or less everything apart from the remaining steel and wooden floor.
The other two are minus all the windows,
doors and much of the interior fittings but still need work to get them to a stage that makes them more attractive to scrapmen.
Obviously, if these remains have not gone by Easter, more of the orange fencing will be required to keep the public away from them.
Otherwise, all the HLF related work is in the background with our
architectural team producing the full specification to allow us to tender for the main construction work of the Power Hall,
as the new exhibition building will be named.
The steelwork has a rather longer lead-time so a separate contract for the supply of this has already been awarded.
Phil Ireland
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
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