The Yorkshire Mining Museum, Colne, grade II*

The 16th Century traditional a mullioned-windowed West Yorkshire building was built as a school. Left redundant and neglected for many years, it has undergone a £300,000 transformation into the Yorkshire Mining Museum with HLF grant funding.

The engineering challenges

Introduction of a new suspended floor using traditional details, but able to cope with museum floor loading requirements, and the assessment and repair of decayed trusses. Also reduction in ground floor level to create better head heights and accommodate a new lift pit meant that sections of the walls needed to be underpinned.......all whilst respecting, repairing and retaining the outer 16C envelope.

The solutions

To get to know the building really well through a series of site visits, trial pits, and other opening up investigations. This put us in a good position to design and detail appropriate structural engineering interventions such as the spliced on end truss repairs, replacement of decayed rafters, and localised underpinning as and where needed to allow the floor level to be reduced without undermining the foundations.

The first floor oak beams were sourced from France. Care was taken to detail ventilated bearing pockets into the solid load bearing perimeter walls, ensuring these beam ends will be protected from decay for generations to come.

Client - The Earby Mines Research Group Museum Trust
Architect - Lloyd Evans Prichard