New window units fitted in the Lansdown Gallery

THANKS to the combined support of the STC and the GET trust the LH&G has had new sealed double glazed panels fitted in the gallery and the Lansdown road side of the hall.

We now have a full dozen matching window glass mounted in black metal surrounds in the gallery.

It gives a strong and consistent light which we believe enlivens the gallery space itself.

There is also a bonus in the black surrounds enhance the appearance of the frontage Mullins onto Lansdown itself.

The 20 window panes, on the Lansdown road side of the hall, have similarly been replaced with new purpose made units.

These double glazed units of course help keep both heat and noise in and so have a double benefit.

Similarly to the gallery the new windows and frames have added to the appearance of the building on the Lansdown side – as well as making it quieter for our neighbours.

Thanks to the STC and the Summerfield Trust, we have been able to replace the fifty year old hanging light bulbs with up-to-the-minute LED lights that have massively improved the lighting in the hall up to 2017 standards.

Apart from only using five per cent of the energy that traditional bulbs do it’s a far better quality light that his highly controllable and has been designed to enhance the hall for our wide variety of users.

These two pieces of work mean that improvements to the fabric of the building are now over 95 per cent complete.

The STC has created a useable and workable venue after having replaced and improved; the mains power supply, the internal wiring, the drains, the windows, the guttering, the façade, the insulation, the heating and toilet facility for gallery visitors.

During this period the LH&G Charity have upgraded all audio and visual equipment and have good mid-range equipment across the piece.

We have also added customer controlled options for both audio and visual – to keep prices as low as we can.

After seven years of ownership the building is well on its way to being brought completely up to date whilst serving the community as a venue.

In the year ending April 2016 we hosted some 745 events and had a footfall of some 28,000 people.

Lansdown’s key building’s serve as a testament to Victorian social conscious and self-improvement goals of the town: the offices of the Stroud News & Journal, The School of Science, The Free Library and the Lansdown Hall and Gallery.

Finding a sustainable role for these buildings, plus notable others, must be a key focus for the town of Stroud as it faces a challenging future.