Firstly apologies for not giving advanced notice of a a delayed blog post, but I have been away in London having organised a surprise birthday treat for the better half. Anyway back to normal now, and absence makes the blog grow fonder(or something like that!).
This week will be a bit of a diversion for the Broadway Area Group. We were asked by Building Services to lend a hand to demolish (in a careful way!) the Goods Office (latterly the C&;W Volunteers mess room). Certainly the BAG had know problem with this, not only because we would inherit the bricks, but also Building Services have been good friends to the Broadway Team on several occasions, helping out with several exercises.
Jo has sent me the following report from Saturday, together with his usual set of fine photos:
Following your appeal all but one of the Saturday gang went to Winchcombe to help Pete knock down the goods office. Only Robin stayed at Broadway ! Jim said he would check up on him on his way home.
At Winchcombe were Clive, Bob W, John S, Jim, John C, Vic and myself. A number of B&S people also helped. Lunch was in a C&W buffet car, very luxurious !
We filled 4 pallets, and there is a pile still to be put on two further pallets.
The next working day will be Wednesday, given the good progress made. John C will then attend again. He brough a chain of half buckets with him (he seems to have everything at home, including an anvil!) and that chain worked a treat in getting the bricks down undamaged. The bricks are being cleaned as/when.
We took down about half of the building, I suspect that there are another 2 working days to go if you include the foundations. Picture 23 shows the situation at the close of play.
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| Thermals required up here! |
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| The chain of half buckets |
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| Sorting the wheat from the chaff! |
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| JC in Action |
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An added bonus of being at Winchcombe!
Thanks to all the BAG Group who literally went the extra mile (or5) to help out - it was much appreciated.
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12 comments:
So 'preservation' has come to demolishing the few surviving original GWR buildings on the line? Mmmm....
I agree, I think it is a real shame that an original GWR building is being demolished. I thought we were supposed to preserve what little there was left of the original buildings on this line. The goods shed was in its original condition, but not anymore. Was this completely necessary for the new paintshop or could there have been an alternative solution? Anyway, good to see that the bricks are going to be reused at Broadway.
I am afraid this counts as progress!
All I can say is that the demise of this and other structures we have been involved with, have been photographed and documented for posterity. Broadway will something of a living memorial to all those building lost along the way!
While you at it don't bother to put any buildings up at Broadway Station. A couple of Modern Bus Shelters will do to keep the customers dry whilst they are waiting for a train and get the Guard/Ticket Inspector to sell them their ticket(s) once they are on the train.
Bill, your guys should have worn hard hats on scaffold. It's compulsory nowadays. Be careful.
Lets be clear here, from the pictures it isnt the whole goods shed that is being demolished, just a part of it? Is that correct?
Could somebody explain why the goods office is being dismantled?
I think it's unfair for some people to point the finger without knowing all the facts.
All projects have to evolve and change if they don' t they will just wither away. We can't expect to run a railway in he 21st century without updating the infrastructure
A question to myself.
In the light of the demolition of the Goods Office. Am I:
A) More likely to donate to GWSR projects?
or
B) Less likely.
The Answer is B
I applaud your efforts at Broadway but you are diminished by having anything to do with this.
Speaking as someone now at C&W, the building, as a Mess Room was too small (for the number of volunteers).
1. It is not in an area accessible to the Public.
2. It is/was in the way for the Workshop extension.
3. For it to remain, would have probably meant it being 'cladded over' at additional expense.
4. It has not been 'demolished'. It has been 'rescued' to re-appear at a later date, albeit in a different form. Even the window frames + glass, are still intact.
Which is more preferable? To achieve greater throughput at C&W, and hence an increased (hopefully) revenue for the Railway, or preserve a useless relic that could only be observed at some 100+ yards distance.
Anon,
I would note that the funding for the extension has been largely funded by one individual who decided A was the option for them.
The value the extension will provide to the C&W folks is significant as noted by Ken. Had EH become involved at Winchcombe (which they wouldn’t as it already has an extension at the opposite end) and therefore sterilised that one location from development - effectively in the middle of a yard - it would have significantly affected the whole railway by stopping any future changes at Winchcombe should they provide a benefit (such as a carriage shed, a long held ambition of the railway).
The benefit to the C&W volunteers and a number of other departments that will also move into the accommodation is significant given they will also have the benefit of secure storage, rather than having to use ever deteriorating non service railway vehicles etc.
Darren Fairley
I don't remember any complaints about building Winchcombe station. That was a relocation and re-use of another historic railways building.
For C&W to repair restore and maintain the rolling stock required to run the railway as envisaged requires a big and continual effort. Just follow the Carriage &Wagon blog to see what I mean.
There was a lot of discussion amongst C&W volunteers about the building. The finished building while not everything we would have loved it to be, that would have needed probably another million.
I guess most people, us included, would rather spend the funds that are available on extend and operate the railway
Gentlemen, Thank you for taking the time to reply to my comments.
I understand there are good practical reasons for the demolition of this building.
Personally, I would have retained the goods office within the new structure. In a generation, it may be that c&w work is done at other locations than Winchcombe. But the goods office would still be lost.
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