Visit to Harwich Electric Palace Ceiling Repair Works

Event details

Friday, 4 October 2019 - Afternoon Hard Hat tour (2:30pm) with an optional Morning lighthouse tour (11:15am).
Hard Hat Tour Only - £18, Lighthouse Tour and Hard Hat Tour - £25 

Join us on this special opportunity to see the repair of a fibrous plaster ceiling in a historic cinema, with an optional add-on morning guided tour of Harwich's historic lighthouses.

The Harwich Electric Palace Cinema is a Grade II* Listed historic cinema constructed in 1911 for Charles Thurston, an East Anglian travelling showman. Following the collapse of the fiberous plaster ceiling at the Apollo Theatre in London in 2013, particular attention was drawn to these ceilings nation-wide.

The Electic Palace, however, suffered from one major problem – the lack of an acessible roof sapce. This resulted in an ambitious scheme to remove the Welsh slate roof, inspect the ceiling, carry-out repairs, and reinstate the roof with provision for future access.

Works are now underway after several setbacks, and we are pleased to offer a hard hat tour of the works whilst the specialist craftsmen who are repairing the fibrous plaster ceiling are in attendance. This is an excellent opportunity to see a challenging conservation project in progress, and will equally appeal to the curious and the conservation professional who is interested in this now notorious form of ceiling.

Further to our tour of Harwich town and the Redoubt by the Harwich Society last year, the morning will offer an opportunity to go on a guided tour of the historic lighthouses of Harwich, allowing for lunch before the afternoon hard hat tour.

Multiple bookings
As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.

About the Fenland & Wash Regional Group
The group was set up by a number of enthusiastic members in 2003 to promote SPAB philosophy amongst homeowners and those who work on old buildings. Our area loosely covers Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and South Lincolnshire, although some events are outside this area.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Accessibility: please contact the Group Organiser before booking to discuss any special access requirements.