Our plans for 2016

We try to keep you informed about our progress through regular updates and the Heritage Centre timelapse.

By way of a change we thought you might like an insight into what we have planned for the coming year.

Heritage Centre

Outside seating area

Heritage Centre outside seating area

Our aim is to open the Heritage centre and tea room sometime in April.

In the next few weeks contractors will complete construction work on the buildings. Community volunteers will then undertake all of the remaining work on the site.

Volunteer work will start on fitting out the heritage centre and tea room. We’ll also make a start on erecting timber post and rail fencing around the outside seating and play areas.

One of the major tasks the volunteer team has ahead of us is the creation of the car park. This will be built in the same way as the car park at Mountsorrel Station. A plastic mesh system will be laid on top of stone and in-filled with small gravel. This creates a hard wearing surface that has a natural appearance opposed to using concrete or tarmac.

Around the main entrance gates we will erect green steel mesh heras fencing to connect the gates into the existing hedgerow, new bushes will then be planted in front of these.

Volunteers will also be building a disability friendly path that will link the heritage centre to the bottom of the quarry. Building this will be a similar process to how the zig zag path was built at Mountsorrel Station.

Railway Museum and Exhibition Buildings

Our priority is to get the Heritage Centre and Tea room up and running as soon as possible, however there are other tasks that cannot be delayed.

Railway Museum and exhibition building

Railway Museum (centre) and exhibition building (right) in base of Nunckley Quarry

Volunteer work will be starting this coming Saturday to lay sidings into the new museum building. Laying track requires at least 20 volunteers.

Progress is also continuing with laying the granite walls for the stone masons’ huts.

There is certainly much to do over the coming months and we are looking for new volunteers to come and lend a hand. No prior experience or skills are necessary as guidance will be provided. If you are reasonably able bodied and looking for ways to shed those extra Christmas calories, then why not come along to join our merry group of volunteers! Restoration of the Mountsorrel Railway and heritage centre has only been possible thanks to the volunteers who have given their time over the past 8 years. We need your help now more than ever as we push towards completing the final remaining tasks prior to opening.

If you feel you could help, or would like to know more, please feel free to email volunteer.2019@heritage-centre.co.uk.