Rainbow Performs At The Pavilion
I am sure you will be aware of some of the large fires that have affected Glasgow city centre this year. Sadly, a casualty of these fires was the fantastic Victorias Night Club which suffered such extensive damage in March it had to be demolished as a result.
Also, as a result of the fire, some of the neighbouring properties were damaged and had to close temporarily or relocate due to the Council placing restrictions on entering the area due to safety concerns.
At the height of the blaze over 120 fire fighters were at the scene and the Scottish Fire Service said it was one of the biggest fires it has ever had to deal with.
One of the larger organisations affected by this was the much loved, People’s Theatre, The Pavilion. Theatre Manager, Iain Gordon was very concerned that their inability to access the theatre after the fire, could cause even more secondary damage as the although not fire damaged, the theatre suffered extensive smoke and water damage while the fire service bravely battled to save it. The Council advised them it may be 2 months before they would be allowed to access to property to assess the damage. This was mainly due to the pending demolition of the Night Club.
Finally, some weeks later and after much campaigning and liaising with the authorities, Iain and his team were allowed access to the property to assess the damage. The road to restoration of this iconic building could begin.
Iain runs a tight ship and when the restoration company he originally instructed failed to deliver, he contacted a Loss Adjuster. This Loss Adjuster had previously dealt with Rainbow International and did not hesitate in recommending them as their preferred restoration company.
Iain’s colleague called our office and we arranged a visit to undertake an Inspection of works required. Our Technician assessed every area affected from the Balcony to the Stalls. We took pictures of the damaged areas, assessed the restoration requirements of the ornate fixtures, seating, carpets, walls and ceilings etc.
If you have ever been in this building, you will know it is enormous. However, unless you have been behind the scenes you have no idea how big this property really is. There are more nooks and cranny’s than you can swing a cat at, oh yes there is!!
Access to the three levels are via large sweeping stairwells. I can tell you there are 78 steps to the balcony level. I can still feel the pain of the numerous times I had to climb them with the team taking equipment with us as we climbed. If I’m honest, it never done me any harm…but I did regret every calorie I have ever consumed during the climb and was in need of oxygen by the time I got to the top…thank god I am not a smoker!!
The ceiling height and ornate décor of this fabulous building are something else. The scaffolding company did a great job of building a structure in the centre of the property from the floor to the ceiling thus affording all contractors a safe platform to work on at each level.
Ornate Décor
Scaffolding Platform (Balcony Level)
Rainbow Team reach new Heights
On completion of his assessment, our Technician sent his report to our administrators who prepared a detailed quotation for Iain and his team to consider.
Iain and the management team at the Pavilion were very specific in their requirements and we were happy to oblige. Once we received approval for our costs and recommendations, we swung into action.
Due to other prior commitments, we sent a small team of staff on the first day to make a start on the cleaning and restoration.
Visitor Box gets VIP clean
Each day thereafter, we sent larger teams of our own staff (no agency workers here), at all times taking direction from Iain and his team as to what was required as there were several other contractors onsite and we all had to work together to get the job done.
Secondary Damage Protection
There were scaffolders, painters, joiners, plumbers, even a team abseiling from the top of the stage to clean the smoke damage from the walls.
Some of the seating was being replaced and others required to be cleaned at the end of all the redecoration works.
Carpet & Upholstery Protection
Iain was determined to meet his deadline for restoration of 5th September in order that the next show could commence as planned, Celtic The Musical.
Iain’s dedication to the Theatre is evident and when he seen the work our staff completed at our first visit, he said “thanks to the team for a very well done job, it was a treat to work with a company and workers who simply get on with the work”
Our work was finally completed on 29th August when the remaining seats and carpeted areas were cleaned by our team of Technicians.
As they say in show business…”The Show must go on” and thanks to Iain and his team, that is exactly what happened.
For more information on our Fire Restoration Service, please visit our website https://glasgow-west.rainbowrestoration.co.uk/ or call 0141 889 6958 where our staff will be happy to help you.