HLF - Autumn Almanac

The Power Hall continues to take shape rapidly and the contractors are still hopeful of completing it by Christmas. By mid-November the new building structure was complete, including the roller-shutter vehicle access doors and the concrete floor pad. Some brickwork, mainly on the toilets block has still to be completed. Currently decorators are painting the steelwork and electricians are expected on site shortly. The main contractor is now turning his attention to the roads, paths, drainage and services required outside the building. The good news is that as part of this process the yard between the new hall and the existing Shire Hall, which has been greatly churned up by the construction work, is to be properly surfaced.

All those who come and work on the site must be congratulated for putting up with the inconveniences of the building work. The loss of the water supply to the mess room might be regarded as the most serious but some days there are JCBs, dumpers, stacker trucks and workers going all over the place. Then, as those who came to the Wumpty Twenty event on 15 October will have noticed, materials get delivered and stacked on any available spare piece of ground. In the run-up to that event day, when there were more buses on site than normal, where to park vehicles out of the way became a work of art.

At present most of the work on the project that can be done is the contractors' job. Nevertheless there is preparatory work that can be done for the finishing work we will be doing ourselves. One such job is preparing new fence posts ready for the GWR fence that will separate the car park from the displays. New volunteer Cliff Byrne has done an excellent job in painting these posts.

Thought is also going in to the interpretative display. Although this is another area where the professionals will be doing much of the work, Malcolm Keeley is leading the Museum's input. The artefacts that will go in the display are being identified and refurbishment where necessary is commencing.

Several bus exhibits are currently receiving attention ready for display in the new hall. Some of these were shown in the last edition of 'Omnibus' with the likes of the Tilling-Stevens, the Wolverhampton Guy Arab IV, the trolleybus and the Guy Otter receiving attention.

The shop, in its new form was open at the 15 October event, albeit with access in part via a temporary ramp provided for us by the building contractors the Friday before. Those who looked through the windows in to the café section would have seen why it was not open for the event, with fittings removed and part of the kitchen wall gone. Work to put it back together will recommence soon.

Phil Ireland

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