Buzz Site Gear's Visit to Ledbury Primary School

Buzz Site Gear has paid a visit to Ledbury Primary School to promote Health & Safety and warn children of the dangers of playing on building sites.

In two sessions the children from ages 4-11 learnt about what the different signs meant - including those they might come across at school or in town.

SPLAAT - Safety Please Learning At All Times.

Further visits are planned to other local schools and nurseries in the future.

Masters House Medieval Fabric Exposed

As the stripping out work continues - removing many layers which have been added on unceremoniously over the years - reveals the splendour of the original Medieval frame which the project is attempting to restore. See below pictures taken internally. If you would like a closer view then please feel free to attend for a site visit between 2pm-4pm this Saturday 24th May.

Looking in East in the Main Hall reveals the lath and plaster to the walls. The timber roof structure can now been seen directly from ground-level.

The original roof structure has been cut through when later extensions were added causing structural deformation to the building

Bill Cave (SML director) and Ed Mandrell (Site Manager) discuss the structural elements of the roof whilst Aaron carefully remove lath and plaster.

Looking across into the old HCC reception area - modern brick piers meet historic fabric.

The inscrpition in the panelled room dated from 1588. Whilst the panelling dates from then - it is believed to have been moved from Hereford to Ledbury at a later date.

The Timber roof structure now fully exposed as send from 1st floor level

15th Century Wattle and Daub (Centre)  adjacent to later Lath and Plaster shows how the building has been significantly altered over its lifetime.

What does the text say?

In today's Ledbury Reporter there is a article about some medieval writing that was discovered on a beam in the Masters House.

The text is difficult to read as per the picutures below . Colour and Black/White Versions.

But after posting the picture of Facebook and asking for help the best translation that has been come with so far is that the text is Latin and is Proverbs 28:18. 'Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once'. 

14th May - Update - This has now been confirmed by Joe Hillaby an author of many local history text books as being a correct interpretation.

Hard Hat Tours of the Masters House - Saturday 26th May 2012

Residents and visitors to Ledbury will have seen that work on the Master’s House has been continuing apace over the last few months.   The Customers Services Team have temporarily moved to the recently refurbished wing to enable stripping out of the rest of the building.  This work will enable Herefordshire Council to do the preparatory work for the next stage, due to start in 2013, which will see the restoration of the Medieval Hall and kitchen.

The stripping out has meant that much of the medieval structure has now been exposed for the first time in many years and it is now possible to begin to understand what the building would have looked like when it was first built in the 15^th Century.

Herefordshire Council is organising an open day, to enable residents and visitors to don a hard hat and have a look at some of the work that has been done to date and to see the stripped out Mediaeval Hall.  Staff from Herefordshire Council, Volunteers and the builders, Speller Metcalfe Ltd, will be on site from the 2.00pm to 4.00pm on Saturday the 26^th May to show visitors around the building.  Entrance will be free but there will be an opportunity to make a donation to the St Michael’s Hospice Charity.

Completed Phase 1B

Handover of the Phase 1B was made on time to Herefordshire County Council and they have now taken occupation of the fully refurbished 19th Century Wing of the building releasing the previously occupied area for stripping out works.

Below are some photos of the finished article!