Contractor appointed for steel-framed Spitfire museum

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council to erect a new £5.4M extension for the city’s Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. Once complete, the new gallery will be used to house the iconic Spitfire RW388, following its removal from the public eye for restoration in 2018.

The site sits above former coalmine workings, and over the past five months, the team has worked to remove any obstructions from beneath the surface, as well as filling in any visible coal seams. Steel erection is set to begin in early autumn, when the external frame for the building will begin to take shape.

Morgan Sindall Construction was appointed to deliver the project through the SCAPE Regional Construction framework, which is aimed at facilitating high-quality projects across the Midlands and East of England.

Reginald J. Mitchell, the creator of the Spitfire plane, was born and educated locally in North Staffordshire before gaining fame for his invention, and its reintroduction to the museum will provide a key service in preserving local history.

Rob Cant, Scape Regional Construction Framework Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Throughout the turbulence of the past few months, we have seen more than ever the importance of our local communities. Stoke-on-Trent’s iconic Spitfire is emblematic of the city’s fighting spirit.

“We are proud to be involved in such an important scheme for both the city’s wider economic offering, and its own regional heritage, while also serving as a clear inspiration to the next generation of innovators and engineers.

“Work is progressing well thanks to a diverse and highly-skilled local supply chain we’re collaborating with on this project and we look forward to seeing it come out of the ground in the months ahead.”

Construction is expected to complete on the project in spring 2021.