Scaffolding hire in wakefield:

A case study

Ackworth School was founded in 1779 by John Fothergill on behalf of The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Part of the school's heritage is the Grade II listed Meeting House, which was opened in 1847. Some 164 years later, it was in dire need of repair work and a restoration project took place to make sure it would be preserved for future generations of pupils.

The school raised the funds through the generosity of an old scholar, various grant-making trusts and many individual friends of the school, and, with the help of their architect and main contractor, put in place a defined project plan for the restoration.

Scaffolding access was an integral part of this project and required early consultation with SAY in order to produce a designed scheme that provided William Anelay’s craftsmen with the required protection and access.

Internally, SAY constructed a birdcage scaffold that covered the entire internal plan footprint of the building. Built up to just below ceiling height, and cantilevered over the seating galleries at first floor level, the birdcage allowed access for repairs and redecoration to the original plasterwork.

Externally, the scaffolding scheme involved a designed solution to span the low-level parts of the Meeting House, which were non-loadbearing, in order to support the fully boarded external access scaffold to the entire perimeter and temporary roof above. The fully sheeted scaffold enabled access for the repairs to the external fabric of the building, and re-roofing works to be carried out whilst protecting the building from inclement weather.

Great care had to be taken throughout the project to both protect the building and minimise the disruption and routine of the school’s pupils.