The Apollo Theatre

[Moo]

What's the betting that the cause will turn out to be rotten timber caused by a leaky roof?

 

[DJH]

Hmm...could be right Moo. That's my guess as well. It's reported in some papers that there was a cloudburst/torrential rain about the same time. The Fire Brigade were up there on a platform having a good look at the roof near what I suspect are the parapet gutters.

Thank goodness no one was killed but head injuries are very serious of course.

Doug

 

[middi]

What's the betting that the cause will turn out to be rotten timber caused by a leaky roof?

NAaahh ......Someone said " It's Christmas, let's go to town and get plastered"

(On the other hand it could have been rusted nails giving up the ghost)

Middi

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Interesting blog post about it here - it's the BBc journalist's assumptions that make for dispiriting reading
http://blog.ellenleslie.com/

 

[chuckey]

Its not exactly an advert for flat roofs is it? I wonder who was mean't to clear the leaves out of the gutters and gulleys?
Frank

 

[88v8]

Interesting blog post about it here - it's the BBC journalist's assumptions that make for dispiriting reading.

Fascinating website, bookmarked for later.

Yes, whether it's old cars or old buildings there are plenty of ignoramuses with or without Arts degrees ready to pronounce on their 'safety' and greenness.
The sort of people who think it clever to insert 'white space' interiors into Period buildings.
Unfortunately such folk seem to be disproportionately represented in the media.

Ivor

 

[Keith Bowman]

Apparently the big central chandelier and rose came down. One of the few pictures of the inside shows a fairly substantial piece of timber across the seats, yet one of the spokespeople said it was only plaster. I can't believe the chandelier and rose were just supported by a few laths, or that their supports relied on nails rather than joints. What are the chances of a cover up?

 

[Moo]

In this morning's news - talk of 'years of neglect', and Lloyd Webber's desire a few years ago to replace it with a nice new one.....

 

[DJH]

An overhead picture of the Apollo roof on the BBC news shows it covered with a continuous membrane, completely enveloping it in what is likely to be a waterproof non breathable substance, one of the many of the modern proprietary materials which have been used for many years.

Given that the roof structure could be some 110 years old it’s likely that ferrous fixings, nails, bolts and straps etc were used in its construction and completely sealing it off with the roof covering thus trapping heat and moisture given off by some 700 people attending maybe twice a day six days a week, will have a detrimental effect on these fixings causing them to rust. There’s an awful lot of weight in the decorative plaster suspended under these roofs held up with iron tacks fixing the lathes…

So many non-domestic buildings share the same type of roof coverings as I’m sure do many other theatres. Let’s hope that the investigations kick start a programme of work for our decorative plasterers ensuring that these beautiful ceilings are restored and maintained not taken down.

Doug

 

[plasticpigeon]

Let’s hope that the investigations kick start a programme of work for our decorative plasterers ensuring that these beautiful ceilings are restored and maintained not taken down.

Doug

Ha ha, you are such an optimist!!!! More likeley kick start the removal of all such ceilings in the name of health and safety and while they're at it adding insulation and abandoning the decoration on the grounds of excessive cost.

 

[MatthewC]

Let’s hope that the investigations kick start a programme of work for our decorative plasterers ensuring that these beautiful ceilings are restored and maintained not taken down.

Doug

Ha ha, you are such an optimist!!!! More likeley kick start the removal of all such ceilings in the name of health and safety and while they're at it adding insulation and abandoning the decoration on the grounds of excessive cost.

I'm with you on that one, PP, although they might instead grossly over-react by insisting on in-situ testing on all old ceilings which will of course cause more to fall down shortly after.

Reminds me of a story I heard in Network Rail when a signal gantry fell over. It turned out that the way they regularly tested for a sound metal post was to tap the base with a hammer - which of course caused damage to the surface finish thus promoting corrosion...

 

[Keithj]

We had a similar ceiling fall in the church (fortunately there was nobody beneath at the time).

The cause was traced to a slipped slate and rain getting to the plaster. The wet missed the roof timbers, although the laths in that area aren't as good as they might be.

 

[Willmatt]

Scarily common here in the New Town in Edinburgh with double pitched roofs with an internal enclosed pipe taking water from the central lead valley flat roof to the downpipe at the back of terraced houses. Beautiful Georgian design not matched by today's lack of maintenance and even checking for blockages etc! Viewed a flat last week and spotted beer bottles in the rear gutter so perhaps those and whisky bottles are often to blame though would imagine the alcohol has been drunk here in Scotland before being discarded.

A flat in a converted house on one side had his top floor bathroom ceiling collapse last year due to this (he was "pleased" to be in at the time so could attend to the devastation rather than thinking half an hour out on the roof each year might be a better use of time...) and one beyond recently had a bigger collapse this year as the valley roof was not draining so it filled up like a swimming pool during a massive downpour and water dropped through the roof and down 3 stories!