Work has started on the demolition of Bristol's Westmorland House, a derelict six storey office block that has been a blot on the Stokes Croft landscape for over thirty years. The long awaited project also includes preservation of the impressive facade of the adjoining grade two listed Victorian carriageworks. To celebrate the event, members of the local Carriageworks Action Group (CAG) who have long campaigned for this moment to come, were invited onto the site to see the demolition begin.
PG Development Director Stuart Gaiger, said this was a truly momentous occasion. "There has been a considerable amount of preliminary ground work to be done since we acquired this site in November to provide 112 homes and twelve business units but now our contractors are poised to begin the actual demolition, " he said.
CAG Chairman Lori Streich said the group had been working since 2011 to insure the inspirational regeneration of the site in line with the community vision. "We are delighted that PG are now starting the demolition of Westmorland House which is a huge step in the history of the site," she said.
See the demolition here and read more about the Demolition Time Plan below
There will be more visible activities on site in preparation for the demolition work that is planned - see the time plan below. This will include a carefully engineered lattice scaffold that will be craned into place as protection to No 108 Tuckett House, making sure Westmorland House can be removed without impacting on this neighbouring building. As with Croft Dale, a significant amount of hand demolition will be used over the first couple of weeks for this part of the demolition, with the big machinery arriving later in the month. Wrings are on track to complete this task by Christmas.
Westmoreland House - Demolition Time Plan
Carriageworks - Demolition Time Plan
By Christmas the demolition should be completed ready for further archaeological activities that will be taking place on site in the New Year 2019.