Bray & Slaughter, the main contractors on the project, started in earnest from 9 January and major interventions of the building’s fabric will be apparent soon.   Building the access points to the Lift will be undertaken from February to April and refurbishment of the toilets on the Ground Floor has commenced.

inside

Temporary toilets along the back wall of the Rear Hall are now use during the upgrade.  This should not affect the lecture on 28 February and the work is in anycase due to finish before Michael Clayton’s lecture on 15 March.  The latter is expected to be very popular, so it will be ticketed (but entry will still be free to members).  Members should look out for the booking form with the February Bulletin due to be delivered around 17 February and be ready to reply quickly

now empty

In the meantime, to protect them from dust, any vulnerable glass and ceramic objects have already been removed from display, and the Assyrian Reliefs protected against possible vibration.  The photo shows an emptied cabinet on the staircase leading from the French Gallery to Ceramics. The notice in the cabinet says “Contents removed in preparation for the installation of new lift.”

The entrance to the Lift Lobby on the Ground Floor will be located where the “Polar Bear” case used to be in the right-hand corridor just past the reception desk.

now empty

The planned siting of the Lift access on the Second Floor will mean opening up the existing doorway in the French Gallery. Please note that this Gallery is now closed and the paintings have been removed.  It will not reopen until the Lift project is complete, but it may be used as a “walk-though” for the public at some stage.

space for lift access

The only other Art Gallery affected by the project is Ceramics where there will be a further Lift access directly above the French Gallery in the space shown in the photograph.  This is to the right at the top of the stairs from the French Gallery to the Ceramics Gallery.

water damage to ceiling

Additional to the Lift Project, separately the opportunity is being taken to re-lamp and re-wire throughout the areas affected by the construction, including the French Gallery itself where water damage to the ceiling, extending down one of the walls, will also be repaired. Planning these works, including a complete refurbishment of the Gallery, is due to be finalised by the end of February so that all the work here can be completed, hopefully, by the end of May.

new signage

This image shows the recent infill of the architrave above the corridor, just past the Shop on the Ground Floor, directing visitors to the Cafe and Exhibition Gallery.  The ‘Bristol Tapestries’ which used to be displayed on the corridor walls have been moved temporarily to Exhibition Room 2 (formerly the Watercolour Gallery) on the second floor.  Soon, however, they will be moved again and a new exhibition will be set-up here displaying paintings and arefacts to accompany the Leonardo exhibition.

As a consequence of the Lift Project, many of the recently installed Signage and Wayfinding notices (not this one) will have to be updated and new ones created.

Clearly the impact of the Lift installation will be far-reaching, and some disruption will be inevitable for most of this year.  Check this page regularly for further updates as the Project continues.

(This update 2 February 2012).