Hollingwood Hub

As part of the regeneration of the Chesterfield Canal, the Canal Trust raised funding to create a visitor centre, café, offices and a small exhibition space. The existing lock house, gifted to the Trust as part of the curtilage of the canal, had been vacant since 1967 and fallen into disrepair. As the building is of historical importance, the Trust sought to retain the building.

The existing lock house was stripped back to a bare shell, cast iron cavity wall ties were replaced throughout, roof timbers and flooring were replaced, and a new extension was provided to house a café and exhibition space. Offices for the Canal Trust are now within the lock house.

The site presented challenges as it had a height restriction (below a pylon), was contaminated and there were drainage issues which resulted in unforeseen costs. Our value engineering works reduced these costs significantly and ensured the works met the tight budget. We also made sure the costs to run the building would be kept to a minimum by using natural ventilation, installing energy-efficient boilers and designing the roof to enable solar panels to be fitted in the future (when funding was available).

Chesterfield Canal Trust were very pleased with the end result which was delivered within their time frame. This new facility has allowed them to raise additional funds as well as raising awareness.