November 2012: Toynbee House is taking shape

Toynbee House has been a hive of activity since the Society purchased it in August, in order to provide extension space for the library and office space for the Society’s conservation and digitisation projects as well as a base for its new education initiatives. Most of the rooms have now been decorated and all the windows, insulation and lighting have been upgraded as needs be, while much tidying up has taken place outside, especially the removal of extensive overgrown ivy around the boundaries. The state-of-the-art Bruynzeel compactor units are being installed currently, and will provide 1.5km of shelving for the Society’s lesser-used journals and books. The 400 or so boxes of journals and books that we have already decanted from the east basement of Burlington House should be on the new shelving before the end of November – only 1.4km-worth to go! Toynbee House will also provide a refuge for all the staff displaced by the noise of the demolition and building of the lift and new staircase that begins in December.