Repairs to the ceiling at the Town Hall have been completed.
The ceiling had been damaged by rain penetration in the 1990s leaving areas of missing lath and plaster and damaged cornice at the front of the main hall. Elsewhere there were cracks in the plasterwork that needed closer inspection and remediation.
Woodlouse Conservation of Wiveliscombe undertook the job which required the whole room to be scaffolded – no small task. The areas of damage were then stripped back, new laths fixed into place and then two coats of lime plaster applied. Elsewhere fixings were put in place to secure the whole ceiling to the joists above, the smaller cracks filled in and the cornice repaired. The whole ceiling and cornice was then painted with a porous paint.
The old gas heaters have been taken down while we assess the potential to refurbish them as lights.
The whole room now looks stunning in its brightness and the repairs enable us to start preparing a new programme of events.
Still to come is the installation of a water supply, toilet and kitchen (which requires prior approval from our landlord, the Coop, and listed building consent), redecoration of the stairwell and the fitting of a stair lift.
The works are being funded by Wiveliscombe Town Council using the Community Infrastructure Levy.