VISITORS to National Trust-owned Dyrham Park saw a 100-tonne crane arrive today to work on part of a£3.8m conservation project.
The crane will be at the National Trust house until tomorrow lifting large trusses onto scaffolding to form a protective temporary cover for the building while the 150-year-old roof on Dyrham Park is replaced.
Nine large roofing modules will be lifted onto the roof. Each measures 2.5m x 38m and weighs about 2.5 tonnes and is made up of aluminium beams and tube.
Colette Cuddihy, project manager at Dyrham Park, said: “We’ve had a few smaller cranes on site and they’re been impressive enough, but this crane is something else.”
Scaffolding is currently being erected around the 17th-century house in order to provide builders access to the leaking roof, which is being worked on.
The structure is due for completion at the end of April with a fully accessible scaffold walkway due to open in May, when rooftop tours will begin.
Dyrham Park is just off junction 18 of the M4 – 8 miles north of Bath and 12 miles east of Bristol. It is open daily from 10am-5pm (last entry one hour before close).
The house was closed today, while the crane is operating, but is due to be open again tomorrow and the property will remain open throughout 2015 while the work takes place.
More information is available at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/DyrhamPark
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