The coach house has been home to our studio at Ford Park since 2002 giving the local bands around Ulverston a place to rehearse and record their music. Ever since we opened it's been busy with up to 80 musicians a week using the space, kids from as young as 12 to oldies like myself.
Recently we acquired funding to refurbish the coach house, build an extension and make a cafe downstairs. This means that for six months the building will be taken over by contractors to carry out the work, and today we started to clear all the equipment out of the building in readiness for the work to begin in one weeks time.
It's the strangest of feelings, because although we're going to end up with an amazing facility here inside of a year it feels like the end of an era. The coach house has seen lots of bands come and go over the years, and they came here because there was a certain rock n roll vibe to the place. That vibe has been etched into the walls of the building by some great bands who have grown their music here, Murry and the Skankers, The Mooncats, Streams of Whiskey and recently Bad Transmission along with countless others.
Over the years we've also used the building for intimate gigs, and audience and bands alike have agreed that we had a special little venue, a bit rough and ready, but one that had that had the x factor.
So now we are about to build on the success of the past and break a few eggs to make ourselves an omelet, as the saying goes. By this time next year we'll have a fantastic small venue upstairs, and a cafe downstairs with a new extension with offices and toilet facilities. The room upstairs will still be available for band rehearsals and we'll have the recording facilities, albeit in a smaller control room.
But as I unwired all the equipment, took down the old posters and carried all the stuff out and over to its temporary home in Ford House I had those pangs you feel when you move house. The nostalgia of what had been some great sessions, knowing that what comes next will be altogether different.
Once the new coach house is up and running the group will be able to sell the main house, which will allow it to pay off the loan that they took out to buy the park and the future of Ford Park will be secure. That's why we all got involved in this project back in 1998, although I didn't get on board till 2002. In fact I walked passed this building when it was all boarded up in 1998 and thought it would make a great place for a studio/ venue and here we are thirteen years on about to see that daydream realised.
It's been a long and winding road to get to this point, and as I said it felt kinda strange to have to vacate the building today but I know that come next year Ulverston will have a great new facility for our community. It just feels like the end of an era, that's all.
Recently we acquired funding to refurbish the coach house, build an extension and make a cafe downstairs. This means that for six months the building will be taken over by contractors to carry out the work, and today we started to clear all the equipment out of the building in readiness for the work to begin in one weeks time.
It's the strangest of feelings, because although we're going to end up with an amazing facility here inside of a year it feels like the end of an era. The coach house has seen lots of bands come and go over the years, and they came here because there was a certain rock n roll vibe to the place. That vibe has been etched into the walls of the building by some great bands who have grown their music here, Murry and the Skankers, The Mooncats, Streams of Whiskey and recently Bad Transmission along with countless others.
Over the years we've also used the building for intimate gigs, and audience and bands alike have agreed that we had a special little venue, a bit rough and ready, but one that had that had the x factor.
So now we are about to build on the success of the past and break a few eggs to make ourselves an omelet, as the saying goes. By this time next year we'll have a fantastic small venue upstairs, and a cafe downstairs with a new extension with offices and toilet facilities. The room upstairs will still be available for band rehearsals and we'll have the recording facilities, albeit in a smaller control room.
But as I unwired all the equipment, took down the old posters and carried all the stuff out and over to its temporary home in Ford House I had those pangs you feel when you move house. The nostalgia of what had been some great sessions, knowing that what comes next will be altogether different.
Once the new coach house is up and running the group will be able to sell the main house, which will allow it to pay off the loan that they took out to buy the park and the future of Ford Park will be secure. That's why we all got involved in this project back in 1998, although I didn't get on board till 2002. In fact I walked passed this building when it was all boarded up in 1998 and thought it would make a great place for a studio/ venue and here we are thirteen years on about to see that daydream realised.
It's been a long and winding road to get to this point, and as I said it felt kinda strange to have to vacate the building today but I know that come next year Ulverston will have a great new facility for our community. It just feels like the end of an era, that's all.
Colin, I'm not clear.
ReplyDeleteI understand you to be saying that the size of the new venue is to be smaller hence your emotions and sense of loss.
No that wasn't really what I meant, the community room will be bigger, I think I was just feeling that sense of the world changing. We'll still have a room for bands to rehearse and record but it will be a multi use space instead of just a dedicated place for bands.
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