The Tank Museum Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Torrential rain and high winds haven’t slowed the pace of construction at The Tank Museum this winter. Two months on from the day that BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman volunteered to `break the earth` on the Vehicle Conservation Centre (VCC) project, work halted for the Christmas break with 90% of the steel frame for the 40,000 sq ft building in place. Building contractors Dawnus remain on target to complete the new publicly accessible building before TANKFEST, but it will be late autumn before it is opened with a modest conservation exhibition (right) and around 100 tanks - many of which will be on public display for the first time. Museum Project Manager Roy Hicks said; "Having seen many architects drawings for the building over the last couple of years, it is only now that we can really appreciate just how substantial this new hall will be. And this building is only phase 1 of a site master plan that will include the construction of new workshop facilities alongside the VCC." With a huge amount of spoil removed as the land was levelled, it seems there has been as much work taking place below ground level. He said; "On what is essentially a `brown-field site` there can often be unpleasant surprises lurking below the surface. On a site which has been in military use for over 100 years this can have serious implications. The World War One era military huts that once occupied the site raised fears that there could be both asbestos and unexploded ordinance in the ground. Fortunately we have encountered neither so far." Digging continues, as a new Tank Wash facility being built as part of the project requires a specialised drainage system and a 50,000 litre underground rainwater storage tank. The unit, which will remove the mud and grit that coats vehicles when used in the arena, will be fed by `recycled` rainwater whilst the drains will filter out oil and silt to ensure that all waste water entering the sewage system is as clean as possible. The Vehicle Conservation Centre is just one part of a wider programme of developments at The Tank Museum, which was awarded a £2.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in July 2012. To find out more about our VCC appeal and the various ways you can show your support click here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 That's a big building. I don't even have a garage for my vehicle. Hopefully I'll be able to visit the musem again in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rover8FFR Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 It's nice to see my line of work on the forum....... Always great to see a piece of paper become reality in architecture...... Very satisfying :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 It will be good to have all the collection under cover. In this stage also the wash down will be very usefull for the running fleet a big improvment, with the next stage new workshops ect will allso make big improvments for the museum all for the better for staff,volinters,Friends,and most importent the public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Is the intention to move what some call the 'reserve collection' into the new centre or will it be the restoration fascility for any and all museum exhibits that require work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty2 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Very nice and BIG you could consider a indoor tank track wauwww time to come back and have a look. Peter http://Www.milmarket.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tank Museum Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Is the intention to move what some call the 'reserve collection' into the new centre or will it be the restoration fascility for any and all museum exhibits that require work? Hi Alastair, When the VCC is complete, the first objective will be to ensure that all of the vehicles currently held in poor storage sheds (or outside) are placed in the new facility. This will take a few months to achieve, but when it is complete we will have more space within the Workshop area to work on actual projects. The VCC is phase one of a master plan that will see the building extended the length of the Museums entrance road and include a new and larger Workshop where all future projects will be undertaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Will there be a viewing gallery like in some factories so the great unwashed masses can see what is going on but also be protected under HSE regulations etc etc? Pay a quid to see the work underway kind of deal? R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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