The sad sight of the historic Brunel Shed, stripped of its much-loved mural, ready and waiting for a transformation into a new role, has been improved a little recently by an informative display on the hoardings, giving passers-by hope for the future with an impression of its planned appearance. Robert Hutton, who took the above photograph, is a member of the Society’s Planning Group, many of whom have taken a close interest in the plans for the development of this listed building.
Following our brief coverage of the Brunel Shed in the Autumn 2020 Edition of the Society’s Newsletter, in which we included the above photo by Chris Woodman, we were pleased to be contacted by Richard Ackerley, Interim Capital Progamme Manager at Buckinghamshire Council, who shared with us the results of work originally commissioned by Wycombe District Council in February 2020 and prepared in anticipation that historic building recording would be a condition of planning / listed building consent.
Archaeology South-East who undertook the work, have produced a very thorough written report of the history of the site, backed up where appropriate with cartographic evidence and records obtained from the National Archives, together with a detailed photographic record of the building in February 2020 both outside and inside. Their initial work was further supplemented by work from below-ground archaeological watching briefs as work progressed in the summer months including full colour plates of the excavation work.
Some of their findings will be of particular interest to the Broad Gauge Society as they clearly show the broad gauge track base. Other more recent finds include a number of bottles from the local Wheeler’s brewery. We look forward to carrying more details in future newsletters.