Good Looking Builder Seeks

This sign would be made for me if I were a builder! Ha! Nothing else to say apart from its good to see some people still have a sense of humour.

As I'm all behind today the answer and winner of Saturdays competition will be revealed tomorrow.

Packing Up

The changes in the seasons brings about changes in Cheltenham. All sorts of things are packing up and finishing.

Tables and chairs are packed up for Autumn.

The Cheltenham Literature Festival packs up for another year.

And the workmen at the Regent Arcade are finally packing up the scaffolding. The transformation will soon be complete!

Up On The Roof

I'm not sure what amazed me more - the new glass roof of the Regent Arcade or the workman stood on it! He must have faith in his work, stood at least 40 feet above the shoppers below on the brand new glass roof! As you can see there is still a lot of work to do in the ongoing refurbishment of our main shopping centre but the roof is impressive. Its not exposed to the elements yet (hence the scaffolding and metal sheeting above it) but from what I can see it looks good. All the natural light that'll come flooding in will make a real difference below.

Talking about walking on glass high in the sky click here. Scary stuff!

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Regent Roof Update

Dedicated followers of Cheltenham DP will know that I have an ongoing obsession with the refurbishment of the Regent Arcade. For those not in the loop, the arcade is the main shopping centre in Cheltenham and for the past 18 months has been undergoing cosmetic surgery, the main procedure being the replacement of the arched poly-plastic roof with a flat glass one. For months now the place has been protected from the elements by plastic sheeting, wooden boards and scaffolding. I managed to sneak this photo and saw that work isn't really progressing.

In the UK we have several home makeover TV shows, the main ones being Grand Designs and Property Ladder. The story of Regent Arcade reminds me of these. The presenters turns up in the spring, the homeowners tell them of their plans. They are asked "how long will it take?" The answer - "we'll be in by Christmas." The presenters revisit at Christmas to find half a house, no roof, rain lashing down, water pouring in and, because the homeowners have no clue what they are doing, they've plastered the walls and put down wooden floors - which are now ruined!

I'll update you next when the glass arrives. Next Christmas!

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Raising The Roof

Now I know what you're all thinking. That I'm obsessed with the renovation of the Regent Arcade shopping centre. Well, its not so much obsession as overly interested! Anyway, those that have been following Cheltenham DP know that the Regent Arcade is undergoing a makeover and that the arched roof is being removed and is being replaced with a flat glass one. After weeks of scaffolding the old roof has started to vanish. This photo was taken on the top of the car park, through the safety fencing, and four storeys below those open arches is the Arcade! To stop the shoppers getting wet there is a temporary roof made from planks of wood and lots of plastic sheeting! To see the roof as it was go here.

I'll keep you posted with the work, whether you like it or not!

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On The Up

I showed you a model of the new look exterior of the Regent Arcade the other day, and work on that is yet to start, but the renovation to the interior is under way. Workmen have already removed a lot of the marble covering the pillars and walls, and they have rejuvenated the toilets. The next phase is to re-clad the wall high above the shopping area with wood. All this scaffolding signifies the start of that work, which seems to be done at night. I guess they don't want to squash the shoppers below with any falling debris! After this has been done the arched roof will be replaced with a flat glass one. This part of the project has been the most controversial, but it won't be long before they start, so no more complaining!