Guildhall Lift installation

Published: 13 September 2010

Alan Birch Clerk of the Swinfen Broun Trust (right) hands over the cheque to Lichfield City Council Clerk, Peter Young.

The Lichfield Swinfen Broun Trust has provided a grant of £500 towards the cost of installing a new lift in the Guildhall in Bore Street. Works were completed earlier this year and mean that almost all areas of the building are now accessible to wheelchair users.

The lift has been created by building a new lift shaft outside the building, which has enabled a much larger lift to be provided than previously whilst causing minimal interference to the historic fabric of the building. The new DDA compliant lift provides access to all floor levels in the Guildhall, including the Ashmole Room floor level, which was previously only accessible by a flight of stairs.

When the original lift was installed in 1989 it was with financial assistance from the Swinfen Broun Trust; and when approached with details of the Council's new proposal the Trust was once again willing to make an important contribution.

Alan Birch, Clerk to the Swinfen Broun Charitable Trust said, "The Trustees were delighted to make a contribution towards the new lift which greatly enhances the Guildhall as an important local public facility. The City Council is to be congratulated on the completion of a most worthwhile project".

Town Clerk, Peter Young, said, "We are very grateful to the Swinfen Broun Trust for the supporting of this project. The new lift is a vast improvement on the old one which was too small for many wheelchairs, and very slow and unreliable."