WYTHALL WORKS
With all the new building and refurbishment done last year the run up to the March re-opening of the Museum to the public was relatively painless. The rebuilding of the café wall mentioned last time was completed in time and Bob Williamson has attended to various other painting jobs on that building, as Bob describes...
The new café wall is now complete. Most of the frame and all of the new panels were completed by Pete Murphy. The panels were then given a coat of paint on the 'inside' face by Bob Williamson with assistance from Geoff Hodkinson and Leo Coley. After being fixed by Pete, the outside faces were given three coats of green to match the rest of the building. Bob has also repainted the white woodwork (window frames) and the shop's "Fire Exit" door.
Inside the café and shop John Rollings has completed a number of modifications allowing stock to be displayed more attractively. John has also looked in to the feasibility of selling ice cream now that we no longer have the visiting vintage ice cream van with the result that the café now sells a limited range of ice cream as a trial. So far, and despite the weather, the biggest purchaser has been one of the Museum's volunteers but hopefully that will change when the weather gets warmer. Finally, in this area, the shop now boasts a new till. This enables the breakdown of sales by category to be achieved much more easily.
Even tidying the site for March re-opening did not require an excessive amount of work. Mick Doolan has continued to keep the vegetation under control and others have dusted exhibits and swept the roadways. The annual job of renewing the white lining on the old part of the car park was done when the opportunity presented itself during a dry period in March. A skip was brought on site and quickly filled, mainly with the old seats taken from our Midland Red Leopard coach, correct style ones having been acquired some time ago and fitted last winter.
The gradual work to improve the bus station area outside the Power Hall continued with the erection of a new stop post in the distinctive Birmingham round top style but with a Midland Red plate. The concrete post it replaced had moved further down the site where the aim is for a more 'rural' feel. This is also the location for the AA box, which is an item the Museum has owned for years and has finally managed to erect. Pete Murphy has done the woodwork assisted by Leo Coley. Although now in place, much of the detailed finishing work remains to be done.
The work on the Power Hall cloakroom is now complete and Cliff Byrne has turned his attention to providing more shelving in the mess room and, following that, plumbing in the water heater in the mess room. With the improving weather paint brushes can come out again. Geoff Hodkinson and Maurice Collignon are regularly seen preparing and painting the railings surrounding the car park.
Phil Ireland plus note by Bob Williamson
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
