PROJECT
TITANIC DISTILLERS, BELFAST
JPM CONTRACTS USED ARTISANAL METHODS AND GREAT CARE TO PROTECT THE FABRIC OF THE HISTORIC BUILDING DURING THE RENOVATION OF THE THOMPSON PUMP HOUSE, THE WORLD’S ONLY AUTHENTIC TITANIC LANDMARK AND WHICH NOW HOUSES A NEW WHISKEY DISTILLERY… BELFAST’S HERITAGE IN HIGH SPIRITS
I n a city that lives and breathes for the Titanic heritage, JPM Contracts took on the very special mission to transform the Thompson Pump House in the Titanic Quarter, Belfast, into the first distillery in town since 1935. The listed building, first opened in 1911, is the world’s only authentic Titanic landmark. The Pump House is located close to the historic Thompson Dry Dock and the HMS Caroline. Works included refurbishment and fit-out of the existing engine room to house the new Titanic Distillers and renovation of the existing café and mezzanine area to create a new visitors centre, along with associated mechanical, electrical and lift installations and site work and drainage
installations. The boiler house was reconfigured to receive a platform lift and stairs that lead to the mezzanine floor, and a central pod for stores, reception, and serveries to limit the interaction with the existing fabric of the historic building. This section of the Pump House was also fitted with new fixed stairs, a steel structure and accessible toilets. A GENTLE PROCESS One of the first items on JPM’s agenda was to conduct the restoration while the exterior of the Pump House needed to remain largely untouched to maintain its fascinating Belfast heritage. “We needed to protect the fabric of the historical building as much as possible,”
commented Contracts Manager James McNicholl. The original light blue colour was kept throughout the interior of the building, and the roof was brushed instead of receiving a new lick of paint to contribute to the original character of the Pump House. A free-standing scaffold was erected to avoid damaging the walls and, when the hydraulic plant room required a new opening, the team first surveyed, photographed and referenced every single tile and brick in the area. “We had to make some openings in the walls to get the equipment in and the bricks were removed by hand to then be cleaned and reused. Lime mortar was used to keep the renovation work in line with the
“The Thompson Pump House was genuinely enjoyable work and a very prestigious project.”
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