By Historic renovation to begin on Alexandra Road
A section of the balconies above properties on Alexandra Road, Cleethorpes, will be removed for conservation from today as part of the Discover Cleethorpes’ Heritage programme.
The balconies, from Numbers 21 to 24 Alexandra Road, are being removed by a specialist team, so that the cast iron can be stripped, checked for structural flaws, and then re-coated away from the marine environment before being reinstated.
Research has been carried out to identify the original designs, materials, paint colours and suppliers in order to ensure a historically accurate restoration is undertaken.
As well as the cast iron section of the balcony being restored, the concrete decking will be demolished and replaced.
This concrete decking was a later addition from the 1930s, and the reinforcement metal and the metal decking frame have come to the end of their useful life.
A new metal decking frame and timber decking and soffit will be installed when the restored cast iron returns from the sub-contractor.
In order to do this work, scaffolding and hoardings are being erected around the properties, to allow the specialist cast iron conservators to carefully label, and catalogue each piece of historic metalwork, before removing from site for full restoration and recoating.
Councillor Callum Procter, Cabinet member for heritage, said:
“This is a fantastic project, and one that I’ve been waiting to see come on-line for some time.
“People in Cleethorpes love the Victorian balconies, and we need to make sure our heritage is preserved for the future.
“I’d like to thank the property owners for working together on this, and can’t wait to see the balcony section restored.”
The conservation of the cast iron is expected to take around 3 months, and the scaffolding will remain in place until the balconies are reinstated.
All businesses will remain open.
