Outdoor arts and events company Walk The Plank are celebrating after winning a grant worth nearly half a million pounds to build a new arts centre in Salford.
A 9,000+sq ft light-industrial warehouse under railway arches on Cobden Street will be converted into a hybrid warehouse-office-creative space, with production workshops, a training and education centre as well as a new head office.
Securing a huge £499,000 from the Arts Council means work can start this summer for completion in spring 2017, to coincide with Walk the Plank’s 25th anniversary.
Artist’s impression of the new Walk the Plank base in Salford
Laundry Street, Salford – Google Street View
The Cobden Street site – Google Street View
The Salford firm currently run their business from head offices around a mile away on Broad Street.
They also have production bases in Rossendale and Rawtenstall, one of which will stay open to deal with fireworks storage, but its other centres will close in the move to Cobden Street.
The company itself is in demand worldwide for its spectacular pyrotechnic and theatre shows.
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Founding business partners Liz Pugh and John Wassell are probably best known for buying the former Norweigan cargo ship the Fitzcarraldo in 1991 for £200,000 and turning it into a touring theatre, moored at the former Salford docks.
The Fitzcarraldo – © Anthony Appleyard/Wikipedia
Despite nearly going bust five times in its first six years Walk the Plank has now grown to a multi-million turnover business.
It now employs 13 paid staff and uses a bank of around 40 freelancers to create performance sets and props for huge outdoor shows, including a fireworks display at Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding and the opening and closing ceremonies for Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations.
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Walk the Plank looked to expand into at a number of sites in the North West but told SalfordOnline.com they wanted to remain in their ‘spiritual home city of Salford’.
They discovered the large 0.67acre site underneath railway arches at the junction of Cobden Street and Laundry Street and knew instantly they had found their new home.
In the plans are an unusual workflow-type arrangement on site, with each building leading onto the next stage of the creative process, to make the manufacturing process as efficient as possible.
The company’s new home has been designed by Liverpool-based Architectural Emporium who were commissioned to repurpose the existing industrial site which a mix of light industrial space and a railway viaduct around a large yard area.
The existing warehouse space will be refigured while a new-build ‘hub’ will be constructed for its new head office.
Commenting on the design, The Royal Institute of British Architects said: ‘’We found this to be a wonderful project on a number of different levels from the support of the local authority in endorsing a scheme such as this in an industrial area, to the re-use of the existing buildings and the addition of a well-considered office block.”
Liz Pugh said: “Arts Council England are already great supporters of our activities which see us making amazing events across the UK and internationally.
“We’re delighted that they’ve given a further endorsement of our work and have bought into our exciting vision for our new multi-purpose base in Salford.
“It will be great to see it open in our 25th anniversary year.”
