1st Stop Diy in Court

[lifeboat1721]

1st Stop Diy have lost a court case and have been fined for allowing a member of staff to carry a Bath upstairs on his own they have lost out to the sum of £8,000.

That was the old Odeon\Classic Cinema and the report in the Visitor says that he was going upstairs to the store room.

The Only place in that building up stairs is the Balcony, and the space at the top of the stairs as the rest of it is a suspend ceiling,

The only place's down stairs that could be used for storage were the 4 old exits by the toilets, Gents on left ladies on right.

I spent two years there as a Projectionist shortly before it closed

Ian

[trevnhil]

In The DIY area, there were a few steps up and then a few steps down to the window area where the baths were.

I wonder who made the complaint. And if it was the worker concerned, if he still works there. Most baths now are fibreglass or acrylic.

Regards. Trev..

[accykeef]

allowing a member of staff to carry a Bath upstairs on his own

It might have been at a customer's house.

Modern fibre glass bath - no problem, they are very light.
Old fashioned cast iron bath, I couldn't even move ours, never mind carry it anywhere.

It is H&S law now that the maximum weight an individual can lift is 25kg (half a cwt in old money). Tell that to the window sill I took down from the bathroom last year.

[trevnhil]

The last cast iron bath that I had to move was when I revamped the bathroom at our Bolton -le- sands house. I bashed it into smaller pieces, but what a noise it made. But at least I didn't get a strained back.

Re... "It is H&S law now that the maximum weight an individual can lift is 25kg (half a cwt in old money). Tell that to the window sill I took down from the bathroom last year."

I can well understand this, and for a long while now cement has been in 25kg bags.

However when I was last working a little over 2 years ago we still had boxes of frozen meat well over 40 kgs. I wonder how the wholesale meat merchants go on with a beef carcase.

And what about the large oxygen and acetylene bottles. Although we did try not to actually LIFT them. They are well over a 50kg.

But I must in the main agree with H&S.

PS. Who remembers Barry Bucknell showing how to carry a bath upstairs on your own??

Regards. Trev..

[lifeboat1721]

When it was a Cinema, you went in through the Glass front doors and up some steps to a ticket booth, which was re-located to the main counter, then you turn either left for the Stalls or right for the Balcony.

In the Visitor it says that he was carrying the bath upstairs to the store room, and he fell and had to phone his manager in the office on his mobile, because no one could hear him shouting for help.

I only wish I'd kept my keys to the back door of the projection suite which you entered via the side of the car park. I would love to have a look aroud my old work place.
Ian

[trevnhil]

Hi Ian. Why don't you go and have a very polite word with the manager. Tell him that you were the projectionist there, and how much you would like to have a look around upstairs for old times sake.

And don't forget your camera. ;D

Good luck. Trev..

[lifeboat1721]

Hi Trev, I tried that last year and I was told to Go Away

Ian

[WillowTheWhisp]

Oh that was a bit mean of them wasn’t it Ian?

I remember Barry Bucknell and his DIY shows. Don't remember him showing you how to carry a bath though.

[accykeef]

Jan 14, 2009 19:53:17 GMT lifeboat1721 said:

Hi Trev, I tried that last year and I was told to Go Away

Ian

I have always found them to be more than helpful when dealing with them. Maybe you caught them on a bad day or spoke to the wrong person, they are open 7 days and usually busy.

Do you have any pictures of the entrance when it was a cinema?
If so maybe you could take some with you and ask if you could do some then and now piccies for their notice board.

[lifeboat1721]

I don't have any pics of the Old times BUT this site does pity we can't down load

viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=840&form=advanced&monumentTopTerm=LEISURE&monumentType=CINEMA

One taken in the 70's and scanned from a pick, No digital then..


Ian

[WillowTheWhisp]

Oh Ian, thanks for that link. Look how beautiful it was!

[lifeboat1721]

I can remember going to the kiddies mat in the morning when it had the screen on the back wall and the Stage, When I worked as a Projectionist the Screen had been widened and brought forward as the speakers were behind it,

The lighting panels on the side were still there and they were a pain to change the bulbs, As were the Roof lights as well, crawling along a gantry on your hands and knees changing the roof lights was not very comfy and it was done During a show, But you got to see some interesting sites

Ian

[trevnhil]

I used to take our kids to the Saturday morning films. It was very enjoyable as well.

Trev..

[accykeef]

Ist stop is just round the corner from us so is a regular stop for this keen DIY'er. I must say that I recognise the outside but the inside is nothing like what it used to be. I am having trouble working out where the 4 steps are in the building now. Perhaps you could help. I am going there at some point over this weekend so I will view it in a different light from previous visits.

[lifeboat1721]

I presume you mean the for on the right in the B/W image 3605 ?

As you went in the front doors you went up a couple of steps then you got on the flat floor.. The steps are to your right and opposite where you walk right through from the car par. You have to remember that they have Narrowed the foyer and also built a suspended ceiling as well.

B/w image 3603 on the side shows a vertical row if windows that go up the stairs and also at the back of those stairs. Everything has been narrowed in the building, The Toilets and exits to the left and right of the screen are hidden as are the ones at the main doors.

As you used to go into the auditorium from the foyer you went through double doors with a slight incline down towards the screen, that is still there. Also in the foyer there was a managers office on the left and a Power intake's room on the right, as I say it has been Narrowed.

Ian