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Wharf Redevelopment - Progress report
The external scaffolding has now been removed from around 3.5 sides of the building and only remains in front of the Guard's room, which had its slate roof completed last Wednesday (13th October). Apart from the Guard's room, all of the room decorations have been started and it's now down to painting/patching up the missed bits. Electricity was switched to the building also on Wednesday and snagging/commissioning of electrics has commenced. Gas was laid to the building about two weeks ago so commissioning of the heating system is imminent. The strings (sides) of the museum's steel staircase have been painted and the steel and glass handrail was installed last Wednesday (when everything happened!). The wooden flooring for the balcony is in place and the handrails will follow. All windows are glazed - the toilets presently all with plain glass - and most of the external gloss painting (in buttermilk and hollybush green) is complete.
The platform edge has been built up with slate and backfilling of the platform substrate has commenced. The platform canopy has been glazed and water run-off gutters sited. New gutters have been fixed to both (north and south) sides of the old station building.
The brick perimeter wall alongside Neptune Road has been built and the pedestrian walk down started - steps are in place but they have to be topped off with paviers. A layer of bitumastic paint, followed by concrete screed then artificial membrane has been added to the flat standings that lie to the north of the building (between the building and the Neptune Road wall) - all to ensure that water does not fall through into the kitchen or the ground floor of the museum; this is to be finished off with paviers in the coming week. The wing wall of Neptune road bridge is being brought up to pavement level behind the north wall of the Guard's room using old/second-hand bricks. Installation of new security alarm/detection systems also started this week (on Wednesday, of course).
Most of the plumbing is complete and water is "on" to the building. The first-floor toilets have been tiled (green) and installation of white sanitary-ware has started; cubicles are still awaited, though.
The west wall into the shop was demolished some while ago although the wooden separating screen is still in place.
It is still uncertain when the Watkin Jones element of the construction will be completed, although they have started to clear the site of timber and rubble, exposing more of the tracks. Once handed over, the new kitchen should take less than a week to install, so we are hoping to have this ready for Christmas. The cabin placed in the coal dock used by the plumbers has been removed from site - last Wednesday, yet again!! - and it looks as though we will be able to tip our next load of coal at Wharf rather than at Abergynolwyn.
The museum design is still on track and various discussions/meetings have taken place concerning the nitty-gritty of how/what we'll display in the new museum. Installation of the big exhibits should start at the turn of the year - probably after new year with completion in time for next season at the end of March.
We hope to add some more photographs to the website over the next few days.