Britain’s oldest museum re-opens following £61m redevelopment Download / Print Article
Ashmolean Museum London stone contractor, Putney & Wood has completed the internal stonework contract at the £61m redevelopment of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. The redevelopment, which included elements of both renovation and modernisation, has doubled the exhibition space whilst retaining the Victorian external façade.
The Museum, which was built in 1683 making it Britain’s oldest, re-opened to the public in November 2009 following a ten month closure. The expanded exhibition space boasts 39 new galleries surrounding an imposing Portland stone staircase in the main atrium.
Main contractor BAM Construction appointed Putney & Wood to carry out the internal stonework package. This included the “cascading” stone staircase in the atrium and large expanses of 1200X600mm Portland stone slabs for flooring. Putney & Wood’s in-house design team provided practical solutions to a number of technical challenges to ensure the finished stonework fulfilled the architect’s expectations.
The central staircase is illuminated by natural light from above and gives visitors access to all six floors of the Museum. Referring to its importance to the design, architect Rick Mather commented, “And, wherever you go, whatever you're looking at, the central stairwell, which holds the design together, is easy to find.”
Tony O’Keeffe of BAM said, “The stone flooring and staircases are a central part of the building. The design and installation were complicated but Putney & Wood completed the stonework to our satisfaction. Their workmanship was good and their team performed well, I’d have no problem using them again”.
The stone used was Portland Basebed from Albion Stone’s Jordans Quarry.
