Thank you to everyone who has replied. All the winches and the motors with them have serial numbers, but no inspection paperwork. They do still operate, however, and the technician claims they were regularly serviced. The building has been shut for a few years, and the new owners don't apparently have any interest in the theatre & apparently wouldn't mind being rid of them. Trying to be circumspect about the exact details, as they don't want the publicity. Our FOH bar is quite high up; motorising it would potentially make servicing equipment easier, without having to drag the tallescope out FoH or get the rope/pulley out when we want to swap something. Also, people keep wanting to dangle things from the bar, for weddings etc. In the medium/long term, we are wondering how long traditional halogen lanterns will last in an era where LED/moving light technology is moving rapidly. We already have some moving lights (Strand Pirouttes) and they still work pretty well, but are becoming a bit old and occasionally rather tetchy. I am keen, however, not to get sucked into a situation where something that looks nice and shiny ends up being more trouble and more expensive than it is worth (having been caught by digital lighting consoles that weren't necessariy as good an upgrade as they appeared to be). I shall consult a professional rigging company and an insurer, to see what their views would be on costs.
