Groundbreaking Ceremony
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Members of the local community and pupils from Holy Trinity and St John's School, Margate joined Kent County Council's Mike Hill and Paul Carter with Thanet District Council Leader, Sandy Ezekiel to dig the first turf for the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate on Tuesday 25 November.
The ceremony also involved the schoolchildren displaying a quote from artist JMW Turner - "The Sun is God" to mark the major milestone in the development of the Turner Contemporary project. Pupils at the school have been taking part in activities with Turner Contemporary and are the most local to the site.
Contractors
Kent County Council has chosen R Durtnell and Sons Limited as the preferred contractor to build the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate.
The oldest building company in the UK which has been trading continuously for 400 years has traditionally worked in London and the southern counties and operates from a head office in Brasted, near Sevenoaks in Kent and from a regional office in Farnborough, Hampshire.
The company has wide experience in all types of private and publicly funded building contracts, and in addition to new building projects, has experience in the specialist restoration and renovation of historic buildings. Customers have included private clients, public companies, local authorities, The National Trust, hospitals, churches, schools and universities.
The company was selected through a formal tendering process and will begin work to create the landmark building designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
Kent County Council has also been developing ideas for the adjoining Rendezvous site and considering a range of options with the aim of securing a new development partner in the future to bring additional regeneration to the town and the area as a whole.