Being ushered out of this iconic venue definitely ruffled the feathers of these long-standing members. Penniless and without a shirt on their back between them, they departed one by one, looking for a new roost in Brighton.
Sergeant Yorke’s, opened in 1971 as a casino in a building built in 1908 as a garage. Sadly, it has been closed now for some years and planning permission has apparently been granted for a hotel on the site, including the disused antiques warehouse it backs onto on Frederick Place.
With the site now in the hands of administrators, it needed some heavy site clearance and in a fit state for viewings by prospective purchasers. However, when we arrived on site we were greeted with dozens of pigeons that had obviously been nesting in this disused building for many years. Broken windows had enabled access into the vast roof voids and, as you can imagine, their guano was everywhere.
Seeing this as a nice challenge, our experienced team set to work, firstly acting as live scarecrows to encourage the birds out of the building, before boarding up their access with galvanised steel screens to prevent any return. Next the team embarked on the clearing of every combustible item within the casino and the warehouse, in accordance with insurer’s requirements, to ensure the buildings were safe and reduce the risk of fire hazards.
You wouldn’t recognise the place now. It’s not quite back up to the state it was in its heyday, but it’s now free of pigeons, mess and rubbish – and secure. With our own experienced site clearance and installation teams – willing to tackle jobs of any size and any state – we are increasingly asked by administrators to take on such clearances.
