HBG win £7.4 million Museum of Docklands contract

The Museum in Docklands has appointed HBG Construction as the main contractor for the museum project at West India Quay, London E14 in a contract worth £7.4 million.

The new museum will occupy 110,000 square feet of Warehouse No.1, London’s earliest surviving dock building, which today stands literally in the shadow of the Canary Wharf development on the Isle of Dogs. Begun in 1802, for the storage of rum, sugar, molasses, coffee and cotton, the warehouse is now Grade 1 Listed and was recently described by the Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England as being 'One of the greatest monuments of European economic power'.

Trustees were impressed by HBG’s track record of working on heritage sites including Windsor Castle and the National Gallery. Michael Oliver, Chairman of the Museum’s Trustees said 'HBG bring exactly the right qualities required for conversion of this important Georgian warehouse and I am confident that their addition to an already impressive professional team will secure the buildings longevity for the enjoyment of future generations'.

Once open, the Museums galleries will explore the story of London’s river, port and people from Roman times to recent regeneration. Artefacts, paintings, oral testimonies, photographs, film and archive material from the impressive collections of the Port of London Authority and the Museum of London will form the core of displays. A temporary exhibition gallery and an extensive library and archive, together with educational facilities, a shop and a restaurant will ensure the Museum becomes an important cultural and educational focal point for the region.

Building works will commence in May, with an opening to the public scheduled for September 2001.

The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Department of Environment, the Isle of Dogs Community Foundation, the Corporation of London and the Museum of London.


For further information contact:

Adrian Marsh and Lucie Culkin, Public Relations Department, HBG Construction Limited, telephone: 020 83382635.