Spring cleaning on a grand scale
While many people are contemplating the daunting task ahead of them as they embark on their annual spring clean, spare a thought for two men in Southport who face a challenge on a much larger scale.
Colin Core and Peter Hughes are the caretakers at the Grade II listed Wayfarers Shopping Arcade on Lord Street, a Victorian building that can definitely be described as ‘high maintenance’. With its cast iron and glass domed roof, traditional mahogany shopfronts and features, a new terrazzo floor and a lot of brasswork, there’s always something to be polished or cleaned to keep the arcade looking at its best.
Each year the caretakers polish almost 61 kilometres of mahogany – that’s about the same as a trip from Southport to Goodison Park and back. When it comes to the floor, they have swept and cleaned over 400,000 square metres, including downstairs the balcony floor – that’s bigger than 58 Anfield–sized football pitches!
The annual spring clean will see a concentrated effort on their part to make the arcade gleam like it has never gleamed before, paying extra special attention to its original features and even using a toothbrush to clean the intricate details on the carvings and brasswork.
Colin said: "Wayfarers Arcade is steeped in history and Peter and I recognise that we have a big responsibility to the people of the North West to maintain its original glory. When people visit the arcade, they are often impressed by how beautiful the building is considering it’s a busy shopping centre, and that gives me a real sense of achievement.
"There are plenty of jobs to be done every day between the two of us – we both work full time from 8am until 6pm and are constantly busy. It’s great because we’re working in the arcade during its opening hours so we get firsthand feedback from the customers. It gives real job satisfaction when someone stops you just to comment on what a good job you’re doing."
With over 780 square metres of floor that needs to be cleaned twice a day and approximately 1172 metres of mahogany woodwork that needs to polished and kept in prime condition, its little wonder that the caretakers are so busy.
Peter added: "The annual spring clean is when we really focus on sprucing up Wayfarers Arcade for the summer. The mahogany and brasswork are two of the arcade’s most striking features, but they don’t get that way on their own! The woodwork runs all the way from the front to the back of the arcade, including the large shopfronts, as well as up the stairs and around the balcony. It has to be polished every day to make sure it keeps its character and quality.
"Meanwhile, there’s a lot of brass throughout the arcade – anyone that has brass at home will know how easily it gets marked after being polished to a shine, so you can imagine how often we have to polish ours to keep it gleaming. That’s the job I take most pride in, because I can stand back and admire my work once it’s done."
Yvonne Burns, the arcade manager, is full of praise for the caretakers. She said: "I don’t envy the size of the job that Colin and Peter have to undertake when it comes to cleaning Wayfarers – they do a fantastic job and are a credit to the arcade. They ensure that it’s always in immaculate condition and treat it with great care to preserve as many of its original features as possible. Wayfarers Arcade is a beautiful building that Southport residents can take great pride in, so its important that we keep it that way so it can be appreciated and enjoyed by future generations for many years to come."
Colin Core and Peter Hughes are the caretakers at the Grade II listed Wayfarers Shopping Arcade on Lord Street, a Victorian building that can definitely be described as ‘high maintenance’. With its cast iron and glass domed roof, traditional mahogany shopfronts and features, a new terrazzo floor and a lot of brasswork, there’s always something to be polished or cleaned to keep the arcade looking at its best.
Each year the caretakers polish almost 61 kilometres of mahogany – that’s about the same as a trip from Southport to Goodison Park and back. When it comes to the floor, they have swept and cleaned over 400,000 square metres, including downstairs the balcony floor – that’s bigger than 58 Anfield–sized football pitches!
The annual spring clean will see a concentrated effort on their part to make the arcade gleam like it has never gleamed before, paying extra special attention to its original features and even using a toothbrush to clean the intricate details on the carvings and brasswork.
Colin said: "Wayfarers Arcade is steeped in history and Peter and I recognise that we have a big responsibility to the people of the North West to maintain its original glory. When people visit the arcade, they are often impressed by how beautiful the building is considering it’s a busy shopping centre, and that gives me a real sense of achievement.
"There are plenty of jobs to be done every day between the two of us – we both work full time from 8am until 6pm and are constantly busy. It’s great because we’re working in the arcade during its opening hours so we get firsthand feedback from the customers. It gives real job satisfaction when someone stops you just to comment on what a good job you’re doing."
With over 780 square metres of floor that needs to be cleaned twice a day and approximately 1172 metres of mahogany woodwork that needs to polished and kept in prime condition, its little wonder that the caretakers are so busy.
Peter added: "The annual spring clean is when we really focus on sprucing up Wayfarers Arcade for the summer. The mahogany and brasswork are two of the arcade’s most striking features, but they don’t get that way on their own! The woodwork runs all the way from the front to the back of the arcade, including the large shopfronts, as well as up the stairs and around the balcony. It has to be polished every day to make sure it keeps its character and quality.
"Meanwhile, there’s a lot of brass throughout the arcade – anyone that has brass at home will know how easily it gets marked after being polished to a shine, so you can imagine how often we have to polish ours to keep it gleaming. That’s the job I take most pride in, because I can stand back and admire my work once it’s done."
Yvonne Burns, the arcade manager, is full of praise for the caretakers. She said: "I don’t envy the size of the job that Colin and Peter have to undertake when it comes to cleaning Wayfarers – they do a fantastic job and are a credit to the arcade. They ensure that it’s always in immaculate condition and treat it with great care to preserve as many of its original features as possible. Wayfarers Arcade is a beautiful building that Southport residents can take great pride in, so its important that we keep it that way so it can be appreciated and enjoyed by future generations for many years to come."
