NEWLAND FURNACE TRUST
POWER-ON PROJECT - B/2612/4107 - FINAL REPORT
Background.
The project objective was to provide an independent electrical supply to the Scheduled Monument known as Newland Iron Furnace, near Ulverston in Cumbria, and to provide initial distribution through the buildings.
This work was estimated to cost £2579, this being covered by a 100% grant from The Pilgrim Trust, under reference B/2612/4107.
The project was managed by David Smithson, a director of the Trust company and Treasurer at project inception in 2010. His experience includes involvement with previous projects for building work on the furnace in 2005 and 2009.
As a senior IT manager (retired), his previous project management experience included the building and restructuring of large computer data centres.
Overview
The project effectively started on 13 January 2011 with the offer of grant funding. Power was switched on at the furnace on 4 May 2011 and the whole project was completed on 8 June 2011 at a cost of £1712.11.
There are several reasons for the under-spend against budget:
1. The original quotation for the electrical connection was made by United Utilities. UU was subsequently superseded by Electricity Northwest who gave a better price (£816.76 against £1041.19, saving £224.43).
2. The anticipated requirement for a way-leave and associated legal fees did not materialise (saving £250.00).
3. There were no contingencies or inflation price rises (saving £248.00).
4. VAT saving on the above £722.43 was £144.49 (total saving £866.92).
Because the furnace is a listed building, advance permission for the work was sought from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. This was granted on 20 December 2010.
Following a survey by Electricity Northwest, on 15 April a power cable was run from an adjacent pole into the Charging House and terminated on a board on the west facing wall.
Our electrical contractor then installed a consumer distribution unit (fuse box) prior to meter connection by Southern Electric on 4 May 2011. At this point, independent electrical working capacity became available.
Over the following three weeks our contractor installed an armoured cable from the Charging House into the lower Blowing Chamber where a second consumer unit replaced an older unit. A fixed extension lead from a privately owned attached building was disconnected and finally stripped out on 28 May.
The historical nature of the building dictated that installation be sensitive and non-destructive to the fabric. This conflicted at first with the requirements of Electricity Northwest to make cable attachments into masonry rather than woodwork or mortar. The installation engineers managed to satisfy both constraints sensibly.
The environment within the furnace is damp and loose dirt is heavily infused with iron ore, both problematic to electrical installations. Care has been taken to ensure that the features installed are robust and appropriate to this environment.
Restoration/conservation work requires lighting and the use of power tools, especially a small mortar mixer. Completion of this project will allow on-going restoration of the furnace to continue without the fear of power loss from the adjacent building which is outside our control.
There is the option of a further phase in the provision of lighting which may highlight the historical and industrial features of the furnace for students and general visitors. This is at a lower priority than tabled remedial work and hence is unlikely to receive further planning consideration this year.
Lessons Learnt
These are lessons confirmed as much as learnt.
Take the time to get the detailed planning right first
Obtain permits and talk to interested parties in advance.
Confirm contact details, agreements and dates at all stages
Assume timescales will extend.
Ensure that new facilities come on stream before chopping the existing ones.
Maintain objective, don’t be tempted to vary the requirement in flight.
David Smithson
Project Manager
10/6/2011