This week saw Mrs Austin and Mr Sheppard take some excellent aerial photographs of the building site, which give a far better picture of the scale of the job in hand. The digging is progressing well, but whilst it looks on the surface that lots of earth has been moved, the drone images show how much more has still to be shifted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To update the cricket fans out there, the cricket nets will be relocated behind the Cricket Pavillion, with a new fully enclosed 3-lane cage net being installed later this term, to complement the new indoor nets being fitted inside the Sports Centre. The outdoor nets will be in place prior to the next cricket season, to ensure sporting opportunities are not missed.

The dig extends back to close to the heras fencing line (just in front of the rugby pitches) and the front face of new building is designed to follow the existing line of the side wall of Sheffield house, and extend this line to the corner of the AstroTurf. The bulk of the building will nestle in the excavated embankment, meaning only the upper floor will be visible from the Reception building.

The contractor has been fascinated to discover a little of the history of the site as they have been digging.  

The embankment is not actually a natural feature, as the Founder himself agreed its creation, in order to build up and flatten an area for cricket. As they have dug deeper, part of the supporting walls that would have been place during this process 130 years ago have been exposed.

    

The weather has remained on our side this week and with forecasters talking of a potential Indian summer, there is hope that we will get the earth moved before any poor weather sets in. If all goes well, we should have the foundations poured just before Christmas.

 

 

 

 

Cat Thompson and Nanci Austin