Demolition of fire-damaged school begins
Demolition work has begun on a school which was badly damaged by fire.
Bonhill Primary School in West Dunbartonshire was already earmarked for demolition but work had to be brought forward after damage from a recent fire meant that the structure posed a safety threat.
In the initial stages, building work will focus on making the site safe and removing the risk of the school building collapsing. A plan for the full demolition will then be put together.
Unfortunately, because of the fire damage caused, the demolition work is likely to be more expensive for the local council. West Dunbartonshire Council had originally set aside £50,000 for the demolition work but this was to be offset by materials such as sandstone and wood being salvaged from the building. However, many of these materials have been lost or badly damaged in the recent blaze, although some hand-carved stone blocks were recovered by contractors.
Interestingly, whilst they were working, the demolition contractors also discovered a chisel which had been used by the original stonemason who carved the blocks. His name – J. Trotter – was engraved on the blade of the chisel.
Education convener Councillor Jonathan McColl has commented: “It was devastating to watch the building as it burned but to have been able to recover these treasures from the ashes is fantastic.”
