Tenders for demolition and enabling work out in April

Demolition and enabling contractors have been given until the middle of next month to send in interest for the first major phase of construction work planned at the new Museum of London site in Farringdon.

The £40m scheme will involve enabling, demolition and structural alteration works at the site in West Smithfield.

smithfield market museum of london

How the new Museum of London will look

The winning contractor will also complete design works including steelwork and timber connections, plus precast wall, floor and stair units.

Works are expected to be completed in sections and will be carried out on two buildings, the Victorian General Market and the 1960s Poultry Market.

One bidder said: “We’ve been tracking this for a while. There’s a lot of work at this job.”

Work is expected to start this October and run until the following November.

Bidders have until 17 March to express interest with the estimated date for invitations to tender 17 April.

The £332m Museum of London project is being designed by Stanton Williams, Asif Khan and Julian Harrap Architects, while Atelier Bruckner has been chosen to design a large subterranean gallery beneath the new Smithfield building.

The museum is moving to the market in 2024 so that its existing Powell & Moya building can be demolished to make way for a concert hall designed by US practice Diller Scofidio & Renfro.

Smithfield Market, along with Billingsgate and New Spitalfields markets, will all leave their existing sites and move into a combined market at Dagenham Dock in east London drawn up by Chetwoods.

west smithfield

The museum will be built at the Smithfield market site