Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I tend to the view that one ceiling is plenty for any room. The ceiling in the café area is a low, beamed affair, and originally we were asked by the conservation department to preserve it.
However, when it became necessary to remove some asbestos between the walls, a small area of ceiling had to be removed, and we were all surprised to find another, rather more modern ceiling above it.
It seems that at some time the owners have dismantled an old ceiling, replaced it with a modern one, and used the old bits to create a false ceiling below it. In the light of this, we asked for a rethink and the conservation department were very prompt in coming to see for themselves and agreeing a variation that allows us to recapture the original room height. That means the tops of the windows will no longer be clipped off by the low ceiling, and hence restores the proportions of the room.
The downside is that it means that the panelling will no longer reach the ceiling, but it will come up to a dado rail and then the upper parts will be painted with breathable paint. We will also make good the lower ceiling in the small lobby, which is original.
I have been known to have the occasional grumble about the Council's planning team in the past, but it is only fair to say that we have had excellent service and great co-operation from all concerned thus far. They have been as keen as we are to bring this old building back into daily use and modernise it sympathetically. I won't pretend I can visualise it perfectly, but as the new walls begin to rise I can see how customers will move around inside the building. We hope they will like what we've done.
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