Progress so Far, #1
Seeing as you can't go in...

Here are pictures and a description of whats gone on so far.
Click on any of the pictures for a larger image.
(This is the first report, for Report 2 click here

The Last Sunday
Empty Bar

Well, work has finally started. On Sunday 8th after lunchtime closing, the glasses, bottles, cans and tankards, as well as all the many other accumulated items normally kept behind the bar were cleared away. This took two hours alone.

Last To Leave

On Monday 9th January, the builders came in and the ripping out process began. This entailed removing the wall behind the bar and taking out the chimney breast. When the wall between the bar and the lobby was tackled so that the door aperture could be enlarged. This was when the first problem was encountered. What appeared to have been quite a substantial, thick wall turned out to be a just single brick width. The wall had been boxed in on both sides, many times. When all the layers were removed, the wall was very shaky and literally fell down.

Look what was hiding behind the Bar!
Looking from the Lobby into the Bar area; there used to be a wall there!

The new opening gave us a few options. Could we leave it open? Well, as it happened, we had to reinstate the wall as the local fire officer told us that we had to have fire break giving 30 minutes protection. We made the decision to have a five-foot opening with a pair of doors in the centre of the new wall. The wider aperture will make it much easier to access the kitchen, especially when meals are being served.

Back to bare brick; what will become the new back bar.
The next area of concern was near the extract fan in the bar lounge. There had been a recurring problem of water getting in during heavy rain and despite past remedial action, the floor beneath there was wet and rotten. As a result the joists have had to be replaced. The lack of proper guttering on the flat roof above which caused the problem is being been sorted out.
And look what was hiding under the Floor!
We then realised that the floor in the centre of the room was rather bouncy. This hadn’t been noticed before as the bar extended half way across the room. There was a concern that the floor would not adequately support an enlarged floor, full of people. To stiffen the structure the joists have been braced and noggins inserted between them.

The new opening into what used to be the underused passageway
The wall behind the bar (the one above with the window in it) has been removed and the opening made beneath the lintel for the access into the lounge.

During all of these episodes, new wiring, lighting and a fire alarm system have been installed; and a new extraction system. All the exposed walls are being plastered and a replacement window, matching those in the wardroom, is being installed in the lobby.

Suitable carpets have been chosen for the wet areas, the bar, lounge, lobby and the for staircases up to the changing rooms. There is still a lot of work to do but it is progressing on schedule and if this continues we should be ready to reopen at the end of February.

For the latest progress report, click here