Despite the recent poor weather, work has continued on the building.
Old boarding has been removed as has the asbestos sheeting apart from that under the tank which needs to be done separately. The windows and doors have all been uncovered and another doorway, which will be preserved, has been uncovered. The original frames are being retained so far as possible and new framework to receive the doors and windows will be inserted where necessary. Boarding has been reinstated until the final installation of doors and windows is carried out. The main priority is keeping everything watertight, dealing with the purlins, and renovating the gable ends and wall plates where required.
A work programme for replacing some timbers and steel work on the gantry has been issued. The work that is needed to renovate the water tank has been priced and agreed and will start in the new year.
If there are any of you out there who are interested in volunteering your time next year we'd love to hear from you middlewich.heritage.trust@gmail.com
As the weeks roll on at the Murgatroyd's Brine Pumps site, despite the high winds the monument is still upright! Asbestos has been removed and a temporary roof has been put in place to shield the pumps from the weather pending a further engineer's report on how to proceed with the gantry and water tank.
A new conservation officer covering Middlewich, Katherine Bailey, visited the site this week for the first time. We welcome Katherine to our group, and with her experience from Staffordshire of the coal industry, it will be great to get a wider point of view on our project.
There is some extra support and offers of volunteer help coming through now, so we are thinking of having a volunteers' afternoon at some point during January – March. The date is dependent upon the weather for a site visit and the point reached in the programme for the project.
If there are any of you out there who arte interested in volunteering your time next year we'd love to hear from you middlewich.heritage.trust@gmail.com
