PROPERTY
Work began on the historic landmarks in late 2018
Celebration as Nottingham Castle reaches major milestone
Significant renovation works at Nottingham’s famous landmark, the Ducal Palace, are progressing well and 15km of scaffold tubing has now been removed to make way for the next stage of restoration at the historic site. Led by Midlands contractor G F
Tomlinson, the Ducal Palace works are part of the £30m redevelopment of Nottingham Castle, funded by D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, the Heritage Lottery fund, Nottingham Castle Trust, and Nottingham City Council, which aims to transform the site into a world- class heritage destination. Work began back in 2018 with Managing Director at G F Tomlinson, Andy Sewards, saying: “Nottingham Castle is one of the city’s greatest treasures, with people from all over the world aware of its rich history. We understand the importance of the redevelopment of the Castle and the benefits this will bring to the local economy, so it’s an honour to have been chosen to deliver such important works. “We look forward to working
closely with the Council and other partners to transform the iconic landmark into a world-class tourist destination.”
90 business network April 2020
‘We understand the importance of the redevelopment of the Castle and the benefits this will bring to the local economy, so it’s an honour to have been chosen to deliver such important works’
D2N2 invested £5m from its
Local Growth Fund allocation and a further £2m which has been raised from Enterprise Zone business rates. The project includes creating a
new state-of-the-art visitor centre and a new extension to the Ducal Palace, where brand-new Robin Hood and Rebellion galleries will be created to celebrate Nottingham’s most famous outlaw. Works to the Palace until this
point have involved stripping back and returning the site to its original 1870s state, including the removal of the roof following a number of modifications since the 19th Century. The original Ducal Palace
building burnt down in 1831 and was rebuilt in 1875 and later opened as a gallery in 1878. To protect the building, it was
covered in a temporary roof and surrounded by innovative freestanding scaffolding around its
structure, balanced by water butts. Due to the delicate nature of the project, only limited parts of scaffolding were allowed to touch the building, in order to prevent any damage to the masonry. Loading restrictions were
enforced around the site as well, due to the large number of historic caves under the grounds, which has further added to the logistical challenges of the project. The scaffolding has been
progressively removed over the course of eight months, with the northern temporary roof being taken down in June, the southern temporary roof removed in December and the last section located on the Colonnade at the end of January. If combined, the removed
scaffolding would reach 15km in the air – that’s around two and a half times the height of Mount Kilimanjaro and approximately 150 times the height of Big Ben.
Once complete, the Ducal Palace
will be home to brand-new Robin Hood and Rebellion galleries and a showcase of the Castle’s array of fine and decorative art collections. It will also feature interactive stations for archery, enabling visitors to experience the Castle’s rich history in an interactive fashion. The Castle grounds will be
remodelled and access to the impressive cave network hidden within the Castle rock will be improved. It is expected to attract around 350,000 visitors in its first year.
Richard Oldfield, Project Manager at G F Tomlinson, said: “The removal of the scaffolding marks another major milestone in the redevelopment of Nottingham Castle. This is an iconic yet complex development, so each step forward is a major victory.” Nottingham City Council
portfolio holder for leisure and culture, Councillor Dave Trimble, said: “The impressive scaffold wrapping the Castle for the past 12 months has been something of a landmark on the Nottingham skyline. The works on the roof are now complete, marking a significant step towards finishing the transformation of the castle.”
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