Lottery Project Update - museum roof and platform completed!

Thanks must go to the National Lottery for advancing the final 10% of funding which has helped us to settle some outstanding bills and enabled us to progress some internal works on the museum building.  The Roofing work was completed successfully just before the lockdown, and Wells Roofing have made a superb job with some excellent finishing touches on the chimneys.  Trotmans have replaced the floor and rotten panelling in the booking office, and a new ceiling, plastering and loft hatch has been completed in the museum room. For the first time since 1858 the building actually has loft insulation!  Our electrical contractors Moulderz were able to replace the time-expired fuse boxes and install some 21st century electrics in our 19th century building, thanks go to Ken Slade for organising this.  All of our contractors were able to work safely with appropriate social distancing which has now become the norm.

The next few tasks will involve fitting the new waiting room window which Owen from CTMS has made (as soon as glass becomes available and the glaziers open post-lockdown), and a metal plate to strengthen one of the beams in the waiting room needs to be fabricated and fitted.  Derek and the station team are removing some of the wallpaper and paint to fully assess the condition of the plaster on the walls and other ceilings before internal decoration commences.  A start has already been made on priming and painting timber installed during the roofing job as the bad weather prevented this from being done.

Over on the new platform, it was fortunate that the surfacing was completed just before our only weekend of operations before lockdown.  Derek and the station team were able to install the reproduction Victorian lamps, build some small retaining walls by the signal box and start planting shrubs and flowers to enhance and tidy up that area.