28 Jan 2016 14:10
Tags buildingwork iowsg richardharris rogerpike timharris
The museum's neighbour, Isle of Wight Studio Glass, is expanding. Due to healthy order books the studio needed more workshop space and is moving it's retail area next door adjacent to the museum.
Work started at the weekend. They started by knocking through a new doorway between the workshop and new retail area. Also they are adding a large new window between the two spaces to bring in more natural light. This is very much needed since there are no windows in the museum and new retail area.
The studio staff are very hands on! Timothy Harris and Roger Pike started by drilling a hole in the wall to insert a prop above the new door. That allowed them to cut away a slot to insert a new steel lintel. Then they could cut away the door opening. They did a similar thing for the new window, by inserting two props. That allowed them to make room for a steel beam to support the wall above the window.
As you will see from the following picture, the studio's managing director, Richard Harris, is no slouch either. Richard is a retired oncologist, yet he shows he can roll up his sleeves when needed too.
The studio tell me that they hope to have completed the conversion work in about a month. That is definitely an ambitious target, but knowing them, they will do it.
Anton Doroszenko, Museum Director
