NGMH renovation: rapporteur report #8, September/October 2019

Words and images by Marcus Duran, New Unity’s project rapporteur.

The renovation of the Newington Green Meeting House is happening with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Date: Thursday 10th October 2019

The Newington Green Meeting House has become a very different place to the one the builders first encountered when they moved in earlier this year. A variety of complex new partitions and concrete cavities – including a whole new staircase – punctuate and frame new spaces at the back of the building. 

The space reserved for the new lift shaft

Adding the finishing touches to the ceiling

One of these newly created cavities leads all the way from the basement, via the first floor, and straight into the Mary Wollstonecraft room. Soon this will hold the encasing for the lift shaft as well as the lift and its accompanying machinery.

Mirroring the lift is the new concrete staircase that leads from the first floor entrance to the basement. This was still in the process of being set into place when this report was compiled. Once the steps have reached their final solid state, they will be prepared for public life with a lining of Yorkstone. This milestone will also provide the builders with their main route to the basement. 

Newly poured concrete steps winding their way up from the basement through to the back entrance of the building

As the staircase curves its weaving descent into the basement it also provides a new structural backdrop for the wet room and shower, which was also in the process of being fitted when this report was written. In the basement, the shower room will also be accompanied by three brand new toilets.

New doors, windows and rooms – in this case the new kitchen, pantry and serving area, with the accompanying serving hatch (right)

Numerous patches of localised work continued to be done by hand, both on the interior and exterior walls of the Meeting House. This included painting and decorating of the floral features framing the main skylight window and meticulous cosmetic stone work on the exterior window frames. Much of the original shape and design has been saved, but this could only be achieved by the work of patient expert hands. 

Testing out new colours

A quick inspection of the loft via the new hatch in the Meeting House’s ceiling