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Ham Scout Group:
HQ refurbishment project
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Ham Scout Group Hut Renovation Project
About the hut
The group was formed in 1946 during the post-war expansion of
housing in Ham and North
Kingston, initially linked to St Andrews Church. As the group expanded, meetings
moved to Grey Court School. The group were eventually
successful in leasing a plot of land in the south-east corner of
the school playing field, where parents and local tradespeople
built the group’s headquarters “hut” which formally opened in 1967.
Plot and access
The front of the plot is accessed from the footpath and bridleway "South Avenue"
between Ham Common and Ham
House. It is difficult but possible to drive a long wheelbase van between the bollards defining the bridleway from the Ham Common car park to the south, but there is wider access to the bridleway from the Sandy Lane end, and this has been used for skip and materials delivery in the past.
The frontage steel fencing is maintained by the local authority as part of Grey Court School boundary. A double steel gate provides normal pedestrian access to the plot, but the southernmost fence panel can also be unbolted to provide slightly wider access for the group's horsebox or other needs.
The southern boundary fencing is maintained by the neighbouring properties on Ham Common. The north and west boundaries which adjoin Ham and Petersham Tennis Club are maintained by the group.
A small area of grass surrounds the hut and a horsebox, used for storage, sits in the south east corner of the site. A secure steel gas-storage container is located next to the external south west corner of the building.
Construction
Walls and roof
The hut comprises breeze-block and brick walls built between one-and-a-half-brick square pillars set with centres 3.06m apart.
This creates three sections front and rear and five sections along the sides. The hut therefore measures just over 9m wide by 15m long giving a 141m2 footprint.
The side pillars and walls are about 3.5m high.
The three central pairs of side pillars support steel purlins spanning the width of the hut and the roof rests on these and steel joists spanning between the the end walls.
The ridge is approximately 6m above ground.
The roof was installed in 2014 comprising 100mm-insulated 'plastisol'-coated steel panels. Steel gutters drain into a single downpipe either side which lead to soakaways.
External doors and windows
Access to the building is provided by two pairs of steel doors to front and north side, secured by heavy-duty padlocked steel bars. Immediately inside the doorways interior are door mats embedded within floor tiles, forming a slight threshold step which is a minor obstacle for wheelchair users. Small flat-roof porches protect the exterior doorways.
Single-glazed windows are set in the side and rear walls. The side windows are all 190x125cm but the rear windows vary. The windows are secured by steel mesh grilles all round, mounted on four wall-bolts.
Interior: Hall
The main feature of the hut is an open hall space, 9x12m, used for meetings, games and other activities.
The concrete floor base is covered by a timber floor supported on rows of single bricks and possibly timber joists as well.
Much of the perimeter of the hall comprises timber benching providing storage and robust informal seating.
These benches are set on a single-brick base above the concrete and are 55cm high by 65cm deep.
Interior: Rooms
Internally, the rear, western, section between the final pillars and end wall is partitioned across the width into three compartments defined by the end-wall pillars,
above which is a loft space used for storage that spans the width of the building.
The southern section is divided equally by a breeze-block wall into separate male and female cloakrooms and floor-tiled WC.
The central section houses the kitchen and a breeze-block wall at the northern third of the section
and a meeting room/office (known as the "Court of Honour Room") respectively.
Above these is a loft space used for storage, accessed by a staircase situated in the central (kitchen) section. Storage space
below the stairs is accessed from the "Court of Honour Room".
Cloakrooms
Kitchen
Court of Honour Room
Loft
Services
Mains electricity and gas enter the property in the south-east corner with meters and fuse boxes located in the storage benches.
Space heating is provided by two 16.12kW output Vulcana Kestrel 55 electrically-powered flue fan-assisted gas heaters located in the north-east and south-west corners of the hall, fitted with automated shut-off timers. Gas piping also extends to capped outlets in the kitchen and Court of Honour Room.
Mains water enters at a metered point in the kitchen.
The only heated water at present is provided by an electric water-heater above the kitchen sink.
Pipework exists to non-functioning hot taps from a former gas boiler once mounted on the south wall in the female cloakroom.
The exhaust vent still exists.
Mains drainage is effected to an inspection pit outside the south west
corner of the building, linking to a further pit in the Avenue and
onwards to Ham Common.
Onward electricity, water and sewage services are provided from the hut to the
adjacent Ham and Petersham Tennis Club pavilion building within the
school paying field area.
Landline telephone service arrives externally at the south-east corner
and exterior cabling connects to a main socket in the Court of Honour
Room.
Renovation and improvement works required
Exterior
- Create more accessible path surface between Avenue footpath and main
entrance (in conjunction with local authority)
- Replace porches covering main and side entrances
- replace/install external lighting at front and side
- re-paint 2 No external double doors inside and out (4m2 per side)
- inspect and replace door bolts and fastenings as required
- eliminate slight step at threshold to facilitate wheelchair access
- repair/replace wire mesh fencing north (~25m) and west (~15m) adjoining H&P Tennis
Club
- repair/replace window security grille mounting bolts all round
- replace single-glazing with double-glazing all round allowing for ventilation given restricted outward opening
- repair minor mortar cracks in walls, repair/place rendering all round and re-paint(total rendered surface =~ 160m2)
- reset steel external gas secure storage cupboard on new concrete base and repaint oxide
Interior
- refurbish kitchen and provide disabled access
- tile floor and walls of redeveloped kitchen
- redevelop M/F toilets and cloakroom to provide accessible
unisex facilities
NB note that the breeze-block partition wall between M/F cloakrooms may be load-bearing
- tile floor and walls of redeveloped toilet/cloakroom facility
- install rapid-fill WC cisterns
- install water-heater to provide hot water supply to cloakroom basins and
kitchen sink
- re-plumb accordingly and, preferably, remove header tank in loft
- replace and test all wiring (say 100m ring main) and remove various relics of former alarm and PA
wiring
- replace all electrical sockets (approx 20 No), replacing single with double in
most instances and provide additional sockets in kitchen and Court of
Honour Room
- Install fitted shelving/cupboards for books, files, and small items in Court of Honour Room
- replace all light fittings (7 batten, 3 strip) excluding existing suspended dual strip-lights in main hall space
- repair and replace internal timber wall-cladding throughout and install wall insulation to exterior walls (all in conjunction with re-wiring operations)
- install appropriate heating in Court of Honour Room (NB gas supply and former exhaust vent present)
- repair and renovate perimeter timber storage benches all round (approx 22m x 0.6m -x 0.55m)
- repair,sand and polish timber floors all round (117m2)
- repair floor tiling around external doors and replace doormats
- Supplier to provide appropriate scaffolding etc when working at height
- Supplier to safely dispose of all waste in accordance with regulations
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