Shanklin Theatre receives its 2nd fully restored window replacement
“Thanks once again to kind and generous donations, a second theatre steel window has been removed, repaired and reinstalled. The knowledge gained during the repair of the first window helped speed up the repair of the second window and it is looking every bit as pristine as the first window, with its new powder paint finish and shining brass fittings.
However, unlike the first window, once the second window had been removed for repair of the steel frame by Graham Filer Engineering, the extent of rot to the oak sill was very apparent, requiring replacement of the sill.
Once the old sill had been removed, the wall cavity was exposed, allowing examination of the drainage beneath the window. It was then evident that a previous felted repair, carried out a number of years ago, had blocked up drainage holes for the cavity, potentially allowing water inside the building. This was a useful learning exercise in understanding how the theatre is constructed and a future maintenance task to unblock the drainage holes below windows.
A new oak timber section was obtained and carefully machined by one of our volunteers, Peter Tuppen, to match the detail of the original sill before being installed, followed by the repaired steel window.
With two windows installed, we plan to start another window soon, concentrating on a location that is very visible to visitors and so continuing to enhance the appearance of our lovely theatre.”
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Robert Robertson
