What was just a concept, a drawing on paper, has become a reality as the builders took over today from the architects and planners. Scaffolding is being erected, and earth cleared where the liftshaft will be dug.
Leadbitter – based in the Abingdon Science Park – won the building contract and will start putting up scaffolding next week. Their brief is “The restoration of the existing listed building, the construction of a new lift from street level to basement, upgrading exhibition spaces…”
They target completion in 8 months time. Key Dates taken from the first of their regular newsletters are:
17th January – Official Start Date
23rd February – First Community Open Morning – between 11am and 1 am where they will chat and answer questions. This is a regular event on the last Wednesday in the month.
29th April – Royal Wedding and Abingdon Bun Throwing Ceremony.
Apart from finding out about building progress, Equal Studio, in charge of the museum side of things, presented their conceptual ideas about how the museum itself would look and were asking for feedback.
They will be able to fit in more display space on three levels for Abingdon history and stories about Abingdon people. The existing display cases will be reused on the top floor, while new multi purpose display cases will be put in the sessions hall …
Overnight, snow has spread to provide a light covering for much of Abingdon …
The Market Place Christmas tree has now been replaced with a better specimen in time for tonight’s Christmas Extravaganza. The first tree did make the news, but the really big story coming out of Abingdon in November was whether a Royal wedding bun throw would go ahead – given there might be no roof on the County Hall for dignatories to throw from. It started at the Abingdon Herald, then went to Radio Oxford and ended up getting more headlines than any real bun throw ever would – even getting featured on Radio 4.
No sign of building work above ground yet at the Old Gaol but they were going to start with the underground carpark.
Economic recovery is still uncertain. House prices have fallen for the 4th or 5th month. So will development of the Old Gaol slow down awaiting an economic recovery or push on now they have begun?
Spring Gardens Cemetery (previously known as the New Cemetery) is to see improvements over the coming months.
A new area for cremated remains has been installed in the cemetery. It will be landscaped and used when the present Garden of Remembrance is full.
A new office for cemetery enquiries, a toilet facility for visitors, and a depot area for the workers is to be installed. The old office building (shown above) is to be carted away.
Also the roadway / pathway in the Spring Gardens Cemetery will be resurfaced to improve accessibility and the environment. This is the worst stretch near the bottom and it floods on days like today but wll drain when redone.
More pictures next spring when the work is complete. But I will show respect and not intrude. It can take some people a very long time to come to terms with losing someone very close and the cemetery is a very private place.