We’ve just uploaded some exciting new photos from the Skainos site showing the progress from some unusual view, including the top of the tallest crane on site.
You can view these photos from the Skainos gallery on flickr (see the link in the sidebar) or on the Skainos facebook page, again, the link is in the sidebar.
All construction work is due to cease for a week from Friday 8 July until Monday 18th as the traditional builders holidays begin. Farrans however are only shutting down for a week and will be back in full swing on 18th. In the next six weeks we expect to see all the steelwork erected on the West side of the development and also the top floor slab in blocks A and B as well as the delivery of the pre-fabricated apartment units to top out those blocks.
The East Belfast Physical Developments Group is facilitated by Michael Briggs of the East Belfast Community Development Agency, and meets quarterly to update members on the capital projects in the area. The most recent meeting took place on the Skainos site where the group was guided round the site by Skainos architect Barbara Baird of Donnelly O’Neill
Skainos and East Belfast Mission were pleased to welcome President Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese to the Skainos site yesterday. The President also addressed a large audience of local people in the EBM Re:fresh cafe.
The President and her husband have been long-time supporters of the Mission and Skainos and expressed their delight at the significant progress on the site. In her speech to people from both communities in East Belfast she also spoke about the significant public unrest on the Newtownards Road just a week previous to her visit and encouraged peacemakers to persevere, because the goal was worth the struggle.
A key element of the Skainos vision is the creation of shared space in East Belfast. This is exemplified in the the new public square that is at the core of the development. This has been imagined as a new street in the area, which has never been fought over, nor carried the colours of one side or the other.
There are more photos of the visit available in the Skainos photo gallery.
At the end of May, members of the Skainos and EBM teams walked around the site in the company of the lead architect, Nial O’Neill of Donnelly O’Neill Architects. Now that the construction is out of the ground and the archaeology is complete progress is much more noticeable. Indeed, with the works now visible above the site hoarding many more people have been noticing the progress being made.
Watch the attached video and begin to imagine how the finished buildings will look, including, at the end, a sneak preview of the brickwork for the inside of the church building.
Back in April, when the weather was considerably more clement than it is now, we ventured up onto the roof of the EBM building to get an overview of the site. From there we were able to watch the concrete being poured for the floor slab in Block A, which will be the retail and commercial block.
Since this job began and the floors are being poured in Blocks B & C, it has been a familiar sight on the Newtownards Road to see cement lorries queuing down the road waiting to serve the voracious appetite of the elegant concrete pumping vehicle.
Almost two years ago Skainos commissioned an archaeological dig on a graveyard which was uncovered to the rear of the previous East Belfast Mission church building. The graveyard was used from 1826 through to 1914 and was closed in 1918. It fell into serious disrepair and was subsequently covered over in the post-World War II Belfast blitz confusion.
Skainos has been determined to treat all remains with the utmost of respect and dignity which has led us into some unusual territory. But as Rev Dr Gary Mason said at the simple re-interment ceremony on 20 May 2011, we still have much to learn from the past. So we’ve had a second funeral service, which was held during the last service at the EBM church, and this is some video from the re-interment ceremony. The remains of 387 individuals were cremated and laid to rest again under the site of what will become the new EBM church building.
A detailed report has been received from the archaeologists, identifying the location of every set of remains and any artifacts found round the grave. This will be archived with the Methodist Historical Society. Should any information emerge in future years to help with the identity and location of burials then those who were exhumed will be able to be identified.
The new grave site will be acknowledged in an appropriate way in the new church.
It doesn’t look like much but this is a sign of some considerable progress in Skainos. The steelwork has been laid in preparation for the pouring of the concrete floor slab which will form part of the plant room, access space for the commercial space and part of the family room. The top right hand corner of the photo shows the rear of the retail units as the team prepare for the first floor slab in the retail/commercial block – what we know as Block A.
Video of the most recent site visit will follow soon.
We’ve just uploaded to our flickr account some new photos of progress on the site. The photo above shows the floor slab for the new family centre. This is what we intend to be the ‘drop-in’ facility off of which a range of services will be accessed. Directly off this open space there will also be a large kitchen, an IT suite and an arts and crafts room. Nearby also, a dance studio, several seminar rooms and our counselling centre.
Check out the other shots of the Baskin Street unit and the retail units to the front of the Newtownards Road.
Even as we are looking ahead to a promising future with Skainos, we are taking the opportunity to look back as well.
Skainos plans to use the construction hoarding around the site for series of displays highlighting the story of the community. The Skainos website will also feature some of the images and stories that will form part of the exhibition which is hoped will become a real feature during the period of the construction.
We are very much indebted to local historian Bobby Cosgrove who helped us with materials and stories. Without him this history project simply couldn’t have happened.
Archaeologists working on the graveyard on the Skainos site have unearthed a silver half crown dating from 1825. This dates it right back to the year befoire the first church was built on the site. The coin was heavily corroded until put through electrolysis which revealed the true nature of what looked like a piece of rusted metal. It is planned to put the coin, which is not exceptionally valuable, on display in the completed development.
Excavation work has been completed on the site and now the archaeologists maintain a watching brief during the construction of the substructure.
Re-interment of remains will take place in early May 2011.
Even as we are looking ahead to a promising future with Skainos, we are taking the opportunity to look back as well.
