Of digging, archaeologists and beginning to lay the foundation....

A few folk have sent messages wanting to know progress on the new hall. Here are a few pictures which show the digging out of the old foundations (including the old coal boiler house beneath the demolished part of the building - this was covered over in the 1960's).

We are a couple of weeks behind schedule and this is due to archaeologists being on site and the Building Regulations Officer wanting the footings deeper than planned by our architect and agreed by Planning Officers. However, thankfully the extra cost of the deeper footings has been offset by the fact that the Building Regulations Officer is more than happy that the churchyards existing drains can cope with the new building's requirements. That means we haven't got to dig out into the road which will save us a tidy sum.

Looking at these photographs it would seem that the Hall we are building is really small, but when I stood at the other end where the door into the hall will be from the church it gives a much larger perspective. The builders tell me that when the raft foundation is laid next week we shall think it quite large, then when the walls go up it looks big outside but small inside, then when the plasterwork goes on inside it looks even smaller, but then when it is decorated it will look much bigger. In metric the hall will be 10.1 by 6.3 metres, and in proper measurements that is roughly 36 x 22 foot.

The next series of photographs at the end of this week should show the gradual building of the raft foundation which has several layers to it. There will be an L-shaped trench for the new heating pipes to connect the existing church system up to the new boiler and eventually we will get to the point where the underfloor heating system is laid and the final layer put on. Then the building starts - and I am promised quite dramatic progress.

The remaining part of the building at the east end that has not been demolished is to be retained and incorporated into the new building. That part is 1891 by the local architect Swinfen-Harris and the style on the exterior of that is to be replicated on the new part.