Contractors carrying out the restoration of Cambridge Arcade and Southport Town Hall have revealed the extent of works they will be carrying out as they look to bring them “back to their former glory”.
Quadriga Contracts Manager Stephanie Morabito said: “It’s important to bring these historic buildings back to life and ensure their future for generations to come.”
Workers are currently on site putting up scaffolding, ready for the restoration work to begin in mid-September.
Renovation work on the arcade will go as far as the line of Southport Town Hall with no date yet scheduled for the Chapel Street end of the arcade.
Work is taking place to repair and restore Cambridge Arcade in Southport. Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southpor
A superb array of local independent shops, restaurants, cafes and bars inside Cambridge Arcade and Cambridge Walks will remain open while building work is taking place.
Traders are hoping that work by JSM will start soon on the former BHS building on Chapel Street, which runs along one side of the arcade.
North West based specialist heritage contractor Quadriga Contracts Ltd has already carried out prestigious restoration projects on North West landmarks including the Queens Hotel, Southport, The Royal Liver Building and Manchester Victoria Station.
Quadriga was commissioned by Bernard Taylor Partnership (architects for the scheme) which is acting on behalf of Sefton Council to carry out essential heritage restoration works to both buildings.
Sefton Council has earmarked £400,000 for the work to take place.
Work is taking place to repair and restore Cambridge Arcade in Southport. Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southpor
Southport Town Hall is situated on the east side of Lord Street, adjacent to the Cambridge Arcade and is a Grade II listed Palladian style building designed by Thomas Withnell and built between 1852 and 1853. The building was extended in 1859, 1865 and later in the 19th century and escaped proposed plans for demolition in the 1960s, which would have seen a shopping centre take its place.
The town hall was originally the headquarters of the County Borough of Southport but once the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton was formed in 1974, they were based at Bootle Town Hall. Council meetings continued to take place at Southport Town Hall and nowadays the building forms part of the Atkinson Art Gallery, which sits on the other side of Cambridge Arcade.
The historic arcade is home to a variety of independent retailers and food and drink outlets which will remain open throughout the works with disruption kept to a minimum.
The scaffolding is currently being erected with restoration work anticipated to begin in mid-September.
Work is taking place to repair and restore Cambridge Arcade in Southport. Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southpor
Quadriga Contracts Ltd. are being supported by sub-contractors including Connolly Scaffolding, Warbreck, Alco Roofing and the Standard Patent Glazing Company to complete the proposed works.
A number of the existing roof slates to Southport Town Hall will be removed and reinstated using both existing and reclaimed slates to match the original. Rainwater goods will also be replaced to ensure water is being drained effectively.
Once the roofing is complete, work will start on the Lord Street end of Cambridge Arcade in line with the town hall building.
Internally all the paint will be stripped followed by timber repairs, drainage improvements, replacement of all aluminium beading and glazing before finishing with redecoration works.
Work is taking place to repair and restore Cambridge Arcade in Southport. Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southpor
To the exterior, the stone sections on the Lord Street façade will be sympathetically cleaned using a superheated steam cleaning method which removes dirt and deposits without damaging the historic fabric, before full repointing and isolated stone repairs are carried out.
Stephanie Morabito, Contracts Manager at Quadriga said:
“I’m delighted to be part of the dedicated team restoring Southport Town Hall and Cambridge Arcade back to their former glory.
“It’s important to bring these historic buildings back to life and ensure their future for generations to come.
“These buildings play a huge part in the historic landscape of the town and we’re proud to be involved in this.”
This restoration project will ensure that the architecture, culture and history surrounding both buildings can be appreciated by the local community and visitors both now and in the future.
For more information on Quadriga Contracts Ltd or this project, please visit www.quadrigaltd.com or email info@quadrigaltd.com
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