PROJECT UPDATE

SCHOOL VISIT:-Following four successful visits from John Masefield High School to view the interior of the Masters House, Peter Heaton kindly allowed access to the rear of the Almshouses & St.Katherines Chapel.
Peter was most helpful and informative as to a brief history of the buildings.

GENERAL PROGRESS:-The overall project is moving along well and the new year will bring construction of the lift to a close and allow a substantial amount of other works to proceed.

Salters Hill Charity

Salter’s Hill Charity is based in Falcon Lane, Ledbury and provides services for people with a learning disability and promotes choice, independence, respect, dignity and responsible lifestyle choices.

They provide a wide range of high quality services working in partnership with our clients, local authorities, parents and family members developing people to reach their full potential and integrate with their local community

Site Manager Ed with Andrew and Kelly

Part of their work is to give opportunities to experinence paid working environments and SpellerMetcalfe are proud to be able to offer part-time work to two of the individuals they support.

If you would like to learn more about the Charity or offer assistance to them please visit their website http://www.saltershill.org.uk/index.html  or call 01531 671 080

Car Park Repairs

Just to make everybody aware - we found out this afternoon - Amey will be undertaking tarmac repairs to St. Katherines Car Park. They will be blocking off a number of parking spaces while the works will taking place but they anticipate the works being completed by Thursday night.

John Masefield High School Y8 Visits

This week we are running a series of site visits from John Masefield High School - giving the Year 8 pupils a chance to visit the Masters House, St. Katherines Hall/Chapel and the Alms Houses. Graeme Sampson - Head of Humanities was keen to get the pupils thinking about the reasons why money is spent on preserving old buildings - and to take an interest in the history of the local area - in particular places like St. Katherines Hall which are right under people's noses but often get forgotten.

Each class was split into 2 groups with Peter Heaton - Secretary of St. Katherines Hall kindly giving up his time to show the children around - and imparting some of his intimate knowledge of the history of the site.

List of Masters of St. Katherines

Medeival Floor Tiles in St. Katherines Chapel

St. Katherines Chapel - c.1232

Y8 Pupils line up to peek into the roof space

Group Switch Over

Ed explains about the use of lime plaster

Looking into the Roof Void

Site Staff

Our Site Manager Ed Mandrell. You may have already spotted his smiling face on the sign board! Any problems or issues relating to the work please do not hesitate to contact him on 07976763579.

Project Update 27th November 2011

Work continues apace with strip out works to the 19th Century Wing completed.

Works were delayed for around a week due the discovery of asbestos underneath the floor boards on the ground floor which resulted in the area being sealed off whilst it was removed under controlled conditions.

The formation of the lift pit and service trenches are well underway - as are the Mechanical and Electrical Installations to the 1st floor.

External repairs including extensive repointing in lime mortar are well underway. Replacement stone cills are on order after being accurately identified using a petrographic survey to ensure they matched the originals. Overhauling of the sash windows which had badly degraded has also commenced.

Internally lath and lime plastering works are due to commence in the next week.

Formation of the New Lift Pit - This was undertaken under the watchful eye of a Archeologist from Herefordshire County Council.

Lime Mortar Repointing of the existing brickwork undertaken by local directly employed staff.


Areas of particular badly degraded plasterwork have been removed ready for lath repairs and replastering using traditional lime plaster.

New Electrical and Data Installations being undertaken on a existing wall ready to recieve replacement lime plaster

Site Manager Ed Mandrell explains to site staff planned works to the existing floor

Community Involvement

· As part of the Considerate Constructors scheme - we are keen to be involved in community as much as possible during our time at the Masters House. Many of our site team are Ledbury residents and as such feel as a special attachment to this project. If anybody has any good ideas how we can actively get involved please do not hesitate to contact any member of our team so far this year we have:

• Sponsored Ledbury Reserves Football club shirts for the forthcoming season.
• We sponsored the Ledbury Young Farmers Frog Racing Fundraising Evening in August.
• 20+ members of Speller Metcalfe staff took to the streets to take part in the Ledbury Carnival on a float specially constructed by our apprentice carpenters. The event raised a significant amount of money for local charities.
• We held a community opening afternoon in St. Katherine’s hall on the first day of the project to explain how we would be managing the works to minimise impact on the community – around 30 people attended throughout the afternoon including the Mayor. Our fortnightly project update will delivered to the Town Council offices for display.
• We letter dropped the entire Ledbury High Street & nearby local residents prior to starting the project to explain how we would be managing the works to minimise impact on the local community & bring benefits to the town.
• We have met with Andy Evans (Headteacher of John Masefield High School) to discuss the educational opportunities that the project will afford to the school and also the seven feeder primary schools in the locality. We intend this to include site visits, use of the hoarding as an outdoor art gallery, have Ivor Goodsite visits to the primary schools & talks on Sustainability in Buildings at the High School.
• We have contacted the Chairman of Ledbury in Bloom and will be making the site hoarding and surrounds a centrepiece of the St. Katherines Car Park next year.
• We will be sending out a questionnaire to local businesses and residents to ask how we are getting on at minimising negative impacts of construction work in the new year.
• · We have met with the Local Salter’s Hill Charity for children & adults with learning difficulties. Commencing and are employing two Ledbury residents with learning difficulties to clean the site accommodation at the project. As well as giving them good work experience they will also be paid. We recently completed the construction of an outdoor covered learning space with the charity at their Ledbury base with staff from our Malvern office on a voluntary basis.
• We are monitoring the site’s CO₂ footprint & transport to and from the site.
• We will be making an effort to erect Christmas Decorations in December and to send Christmas cards to Ledbury residents.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

The first progress update