Building restoration / Local history.

[Shush]

Not going to be of much interest to most, maybe only DannySan, but,

Channel Four Wednesday 12th of Feb, 8pm., The Restoration Man.

A below ground level ex - RAF Filter bunker being converted by a local into his house. Very close to where I live, it is a place I used to go and play about in since the late 1970s. Barty has been there a couple of times also, and no doubt, Texaspete in his youth.

Watnall, a large village to the West of Notts. A little know fact, even to the people who live there, Watnall from the 1930s onwards was a large RAF control centre, and was even the command centre for the entire Northern area of England during the Battle of Britain. All of it swept away on ground level in the 1960s, and now looks like a normal small town. I remember in the 80s, there were still chimneys and foundations to be found in nearby woods, and one or two of the larger buildings still around, all of which has since been pulled down.

The filter station, or bunker that will be featured in the programme was cut into the earth in 1942. Not visible till you go down the sunken road that leads to it, which has till now saved it from any serious attention. Still has machine gun blocks in front, and one at ground level. Having seen what it looks like inside, I will be amazed to see how it was possible to turn it into any form of dwelling, as the damp must be as bad as possible, and the surrounding land often flooded. While it saddens me that I will no longer be able to visit the area at will as I have done for around 35 years, I am  glad the building is going to be saved, as there was was talk of using the area as land fill, making it disappear for ever along with the rest of RAF Watnall.

During the making off the programme, I supplied the Channel 4 researcher with information about RAF Watnall during the War, and photographs and maps, and details of a 1940 bombing raid on the area, -- but I am not holding my breath to see if I am mentioned in the credits.

Anyhow, if you like a bit of local history or programmes about house restoration, I think this episode will be a good un. 

[Barty]

Brilliant - thanks for the reminder Shush  Really looking forward to it mate.

[Shush]

You're welcome kidder, now look @ ur emails now and again !! 

[Master Ray]

I really like that show!  A couple of years back, they did this huge water tower in Congleton, a town I used to go drinking in many times... absolutely fascinating...

Something like this would be such an amazing thing to do if you had the time and the money.  Oh well, if I get that amazing big lottery win... actually, it'd be a bloody miraculous Lottery win, seeing as I don't do the Lottery... 

Sounds like a good watch, sir!

[Pim]

Long live restoration, that's how I earn my living. I've worked on hundreds of projects the last 15 years, mainly churches, the houses you find in Amsterdam along the canals, castles and about 30 old windmills. Just wish they'd free more money for it 'cos there's so much to do with too little money. They should get more cover on tv to get people interested and invest.

[DannySan]

Thanks Shush,

I will have to catch up with that on the i-player... if available.

I think I may have seen some photo's of that project online in the last 2 - 3 months?

Danny

[Shush]

Evening Danny,

The bunker has been discussed on numerous forums , heritage groups, and archaeology groups. If you google RAF Watnall, there is lots out there.

This one has some interesting pics of the inside before work began.

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/military-sites/55411-fighter-commands-12-group-hq-nov-2010-a.html

[Shush]

Long live restoration, that's how I earn my living. I've worked on hundreds of projects the last 15 years, mainly churches, the houses you find in Amsterdam along the canals, castles and about 30 old windmills. Just wish they'd free more money for it 'cos there's so much to do with too little money. They should get more cover on tv to get people interested and invest.

Cool Job Pim, You work on the "dancing houses of Amsterdam" ? I love looking at those, it looks like half of them are ready to fall over at any time. A tour guide told me they learn forward / over because they were built on wooden piles which have since rotted away allowing the houses to move and lean , but the piles since replaced with concrete foundations.

[Master Ray]

Long live restoration, that's how I earn my living. I've worked on hundreds of projects the last 15 years, mainly churches, the houses you find in Amsterdam along the canals, castles and about 30 old windmills. Just wish they'd free more money for it 'cos there's so much to do with too little money. They should get more cover on tv to get people interested and invest.

Cool Job Pim, You work on the "dancing houses of Amsterdam" ? I love looking at those, it looks like half of them are ready to fall over at any time. A tour guide told me they learn forward / over because they were built on wooden piles which have since rotted away allowing the houses to move and lean , but the piles since replaced with concrete foundations.

Interesting... I also noticed, during my few trips to Amsterdam, how so many of those houses look like they were about to fall forward into the street... now this might be bullshit, but I was told by a local that they were built that way because the stairs were so narrow that they need to pull furniture from the street and take it through the windows of the upper floors, otherwise they'd never get anything into the bedrooms... which would explain why so many houses had a big heavy wooden thing just outside of the roof...

Sounds plausible, but I suspect I may have fallen for some 'take the piss out of the tourist' thing...

[Pim]

Some are leaning over because they're just old, but most of them for getting stuff to the upper floors and to keep the walls dry from the rain. And one of the reasons the topfloors are wider is they had rules for minimal width of the streets so you just build wider above the first floor.

At work we still use the hoistbeams old style, with a wheel and rope, it's a ***** getting all your gear up.

[Shush]

UP

[wobs]

Loved the bunker episode,although I was suprised they had an issue with structural cracks when they were kniocking out walls, as one would have thought they'd have accounted for this in the plans.

Smaller, but if you fancy a cold war bunker to restore, South West Water are selling one:
http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/50k-spare-treat-secret-Cold-War-underground/story-20620862-detail/story.html

Auction on 25th March.

[Red]

Probably under water now though

[Shush]

to be honest red, thankfully, our area of Notts is high and hilly. Put it this way, if the bunker was under water, then where Barty lives, you would only be able to see his chimney sticking out of the water