Scaffolding Verses the National Trust
The 18th Century Ickworth House nearLondon is having some major refurbishment, but it is hidden away by Scaffolding spanning 360 degrees around the famous landmark.
One of Britain’s most remarkable stately homes can barely be seen after being swathed in an extraordinary maze of scaffolding during renovation.
Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds nearLondon can just be spotted peeping beneath its new 360-degree, gigantic metal shell. Workmen have spent two months constructing the scaffolding structure around the oval-shaped building’s central Rotunda which needs its leaky domed roof repaired.
Incredibly none of the scaffolding poles with reach a dizzy 131ft high (40m) in the air actually touch the exterior of the building. National Trust Project Co-ordinator Mac McCullough said, “The scaffolding around the Rotunda is an extremely complex design given the oval shape of the building, as well as the differing heights of the front and back of the building.
“Due to the importance of protecting the Rotunda and the treasures within, the scaffolding has no contact to the building and is completely free standing to preserve and protect the building.”
A colossal 7,000 individually crafted slates, weighing a total of 42 tonnes, will be taken off of the domed roof and replaced to recreate the dome. A statement from the National Trust said: “The iconic Rotunda was the vision of the Earl Bishop in 1795. However, the roof is now in urgent need of repair. As well as the domed Rotunda, the roofs of the buildings that link to it need work. We will be mending leaks, adding lightning protection and re-tiling the roof of the Rotunda.
Works currently underway are the biggest conservation works that Ickworth has ever seen, as more than 2,500 items have been moved from storage for the work to begin.
Andrew Rowson, Project Manager, said: “The craftsmanship that went into building Ickworth is incredible, but it is also natural that over time repairs will be needed.
They are working with a highly specialised team, to ensure we honour this historical craftsmanship, from individually cutting the slate on site to form a domed roof, to the complexities of erecting scaffolding around a historic building.
Not so Picture Perfect covered in Scaffolding
So, you’re ready for your travels, getting ready to see all the famous landmarks – you stay up all night making sure that all your cameras are charged up full. You imagine yourself taking the perfect shot, you know the one of someone pretending to hold up the leaning tower of Pisa? But hang on, somethings wrong, you’re not treated to a wonderfully preserved monument. No, the landmark of your dreams is covered in every traveller’s nightmare: scaffolding. The Necessary Evil!!
Who could imagine Egypt without its pyramids or London without Big Ben? Losing these from our collective memory due to age-related decay would be painful. After all, we still speak of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the world, although only one remains today. If we don’t want the Eiffel Tower to suffer a similar fate as the Lighthouse of Alexandria or the Colossus of Rhodes, we need to accept scaffolding as a necessary evil. After all they represent the important conservational efforts taken by the people, for the people.
It is a bummer to find a famous landmark covered in Scaffolding, obstructing the perfect view. However, it is understandable that a facade can hardly be restored in the thick of winter, but to find it completely covered is a pity. Yes, the Colosseum was completed nearly 2000 years ago and we would still love to marvel at it in 2000 years from now on, but sometimes we must prevent them from damage and must repair any cracks that might appear. I think we’ve all been there and we’ve all had to adjust our expectations. Travel isn’t always perfect, but that’s what makes it real.
In 2014, many people were bummed to find that the Fontana di Trevi was in the middle of some reconstruction work. Fontana di Trevi was not even something you’d recognise hidden away in all that Scaffolding.
Other landmarks covered in Scaffolding
The spectacular basilica, designed by the legendary architect Antoni Gaudí, began its work in 1882, and incredibly has been worked on ever since. Most of the structure and towers and set to be completed by 2026, which represents the centennial of Gaudí’s death, but currently cranes are in full force. Barcelona is a city where this iconic structure is only one of the many reasons to go, and it’s still magnificent to behold, you’ll just have to curb your enthusiasm for the perfect exterior shot until 2026, or so.
Big Ben and Westminster make up an iconic section of London’s famously beautiful skyline, but unfortunately things won’t quite look the same for a while. Renovations to the tune of £3.5 billion broke ground in 2017 and are expected to be complete by 2021. In the meantime, there will be scaffolding galore. Renovations are said to have started from top to bottom, so with any luck, the beautiful towers will start to uncover in the next year. Fortunately, we’re talking about London here, and all you need is a phone booth for a quintessential picture.
About RG Scaffoling
scaffolding direct london-Solihull has over 40 years of industry experience and we provide a complete scaffolding service in and around Solihull,London and the London areas of England. We undertake projects of all descriptions ranging from temporary roof systems to complete new build projects and we take on contracts of any size and pride ourselves on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction. All of our projects are designed from the ground up with your requirements in mind. We have been delivering successful projects to a wide customer base for over a decade.
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For more information and recent blogs, have a look at the links below.
5 Uses of Scaffolding – Scaffolding Direct London
The Hazards for working at Heights
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