Day 2 - Preliminary Works in the Snow

Week 1 - Day 2
Works continued today in the snowy conditions to set up the site office and safety fencing around the chapel. The iron railing at the front elevation have been removed and the pavement moved out for the safety of pedestrians.

The front elevation on George Street will become hidden by scaffolding over the next few days.
After that the windows will be removed.
Follow this blog to watch the transformation.

Front elevation of George Street Chapel with safety barriers erected.

Safety barriers being erected to south down David Street. 

Site office being set up at the rear elevation in Jackson Pit.

Day 1 - Work Starts at George Street Chapel

Week 1 - Day 1
Lambert Walker, specialist in the restoration of historic buildings began the work today on the restoration and repair of the former Independent Methodist Chapel at George Street, Oldham.
This week are the 'preliminary works' to prepare the site, but actual work is also starting.
Keep checking in to see how work proceeds.

Preparations for safety barriers being erected on George Street elevation.

My Methodist History

We have registered the George Street Chapel Project with the new My Methodist History web site.

The My Methodist History website was launched in December 2012 as part of a community archive network supported by the Methodist Church. The site is developed and edited by volunteers.

The aim of the project is to share information and research about every aspect of Methodist history: its early development, nineteenth-century splits and sub-denominations, overseas mission and life post re-union in 1932.

Primitive and Wesleyan Methodism are covered by the sister websites, My Primitive Methodist Ancestors and My Wesleyan Methodist Ancestors (coming soon).

We hope this will bring our project to the attention of a wider audience, in particular methodists, or those who are  search for their ancestors where there is Methodism in their family.

FOGS Study Day Cancelled

Unfortunately because of heavy overnight snow, over a foot in places, our FOGS Study day has been cancelled today. Will repost when a new date can be scheduled in. Many apologies.

Site Meeting of Project Team, HLF, EH and AHF

Yvonne Lee CEO Age Uk Oldham (front centre) welcomes sponsors and the project team
(photograph by Andrew Fielding)

Left to right -
Henry Owen-John; Head of English Heritage North West
Sara Hilton; Head of HLF North West
Gavin Richards: Architectural Heritage Fund

The Project Team lead by Yvonne Lee, CEO of Age UK Oldham  met with the major heritage funders today to allow them to see the chapel before restoration works begin on 4th February.
Attending was Henry Owen-John, Head of English Heritage North West; Sarah Hilton head of the HLF North West and Gavin Richards of the Architectural Heritage Fund who are administrating the grant awarded by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Challenge Fund which is made up of £100,000 - £50,000 each from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and English Heritage. The HLF award is for £948,2000.

Our Project Team is made up of architect John Prichard of Lloyd Evans Prichard, building contractor Adrian Walker of Lambert Walker; Sandy Roy, HLF architectural advisor; Jeff Hinchcliffe, project manager; Sue Redmond, Age UK Oldham and Laura Whalley, HLF case office and Andrew Fielding, heritage advisor.

Everyone appreciated the opportunity to visit the chapel and see it as it is now before the plaster is taken of the walls, the pointing is raked out, the roof is dismantled etc etc. Check out this blog to keep up to date with the works as it progresses.

It was another freezing cold day with snow on the ground. See how the chapel looked today -

Front elevation.

Rear elevation

FOGS Study Day 26 Jan, 2013

There will be a Friends of George Street Study Day

Saturday 26 January, 2013.

10.30 to 4.30pm

at

Age UK Oldham

Church Lane

Oldham

AGENDA

To pull together information on the following topics and draft a work programme to fill in gaps.

1. Independent Methodism and the Nields
2. The chapel as a building
3. Those who lived in the cellar dwellings
4. The local area of George Street
5. Organisations who used the chapel - Boys Brigade, Temperance etc
6. The restoration works programme
7. Itinary for trips FOGS members could make 
- to other chapel projects;
- Organ restoration to see David Wood, Huddersfield etc

Dismantling the Pipe Organ at George Street, Oldham Nov 2012

We dismantled the pipe organ at the end of November for refurbishment by David Wood Organs in Huddersfield.

This is a video record of how it was dismantled.

We will follow the careful work of David Wood and his team as they give our organ some well deserved tlc.