The big install

The installation of new information panels into the Air Raid shelters is a big project. The Air Raid Shelters were built in the early 1940s in anticipation of the Germans attack on Britain. They were built to protect the everyday people of Stockport and were hailed to have been the safest place in the Manchester region. They span for about a mile under Stockport in total but today only a small section is available for the general public to view. Installing new information panels is just one of the steps being taken to improve the interpretation and viewing of the site. An audio guide for visitors and improving the shop reception area and disabled access is also underway.

I will be helping with the install of approximately 54 new information panels in total which will enhance the visitor experience and provide more concise information about the tunnels aswell as the war and the lives that it affected. The technique for installing the panels has been specially developed to work well within the damp environment and sandstone walls, and they should last for many years.

The first step of the install was to lay the panels out into the correct order. A lot of planning by the curatorial team has gone in to the position of each panel. The next stage was to drill holes into the sandstone in order to insert a roll bolt fixing. Then threaded steel rods are twisted in to the roll bolt fixings and a mounting plate attached to the end which will be the area that is fixed to the back of the panel. The large panels will need four of these to be secure and the smaller ones two per panel. Once these steps are complete the panel can be glued and clamped in place and left for a minimum of two hours before removing the clamps. It is a very technical process and because of this they have taken on average 50 minutes per panel to install.

I have attached some photographs taken throughout the process. The first few panels were particularly difficult with it being a new process. It was also difficult to get the panels level with on another due to the uneven surface of the walls and the curvature of the tunnels.

It has been an exciting experience to see the development of the tunnels at different stages from when we stripped them out to the completion of the flooring and shop fittings being installed. I have learnt lots of things whilst working on this project including; how different areas of staff have input in to one project, working to a set deadline, new processes for installing, the use of power tools and health and safety precautions with the use of tools. It has been a brilliant and interesting first project and I can’t wait to see it fully completed and revealed to the pulblic.