The Brunel Engine Shed
Timber Engineering in High Wycombe
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Posted on 09.09.2021
In the nineteenth century, High Wycombe was known as the chair-making capital of the world. One hundred years later, it was home to mid-century classic brands such as Parker Knoll and Ercol.
The prevalent and historic use of timber in design, manufacturing and construction in High Wycombe comes from its location in the wooded valley of the River Wye nestled within the Chiltern Hills.
Outside High Wycombe train station stands the Grade II Listed Brunel Engine Shed which was built in phases from 1854- 1870. The shed had been left abandoned for decades and is now being preserved, refurbished, and extended for Buckinghamshire Council to provide a new flexible commercial space, as the first phase of their Wye North Regeneration Programme.
The shed has been listed by Historic England mainly on account of its widespan all-timber roof with large queen post trusses.
Studio Multi has an ongoing role as client’s architect, with Hawkins\Brown acting as novated architects to the specialist historic building contractor, Quinn.
A site visit in early August revealed the new carbon fibre strengthening rods to the joints between new and old timbers. Extensive work has been carried out to the roof, which was previously in a very poor condition with no waterproofing, rooflights or slates. Many of the purlins have been replaced, and strengthening has been added to the junctions between the trusses and column heads.
The timbers, old and new will be painted with a translucent white coating to soften the contrast in their colour and to retain the layers of the roof’s history.
In the adjoining ticket hall floorboards were pulled up then categorised and grouped, ready to be re-laid, with the lathe ceilings revealing the level of workmanship that went into the original construction.
The new extension will reflect the form of the existing shed but will be constructed with CLT and tapered Glulam beams, again providing a clear span and showcasing contemporary timber engineering methods.
Creative re-use is central to much of Studio Multi’s work, we have years of experience working on projects with large volume spaces that can flex over time with changes in use and occupancy.
Anecdotally, Quinn’s site manager has remarked that Brunel’s building is one of the most structurally efficient in terms of material use that he had seen in heritage buildings, with spans sized to timber lengths and evidence of minimum cutting and wastage of materials. It is rewarding to think that the office of one of Britain’s leading engineers was working to principles of efficiency that we seek today.
