February News
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT FROM TONY NICHOLLS - 11th February 2019
We were short on numbers this week so decided to concentrate our efforts on the lime kiln and its associated structure.
The south-west corner of the lime kiln is in a poor state of repair with many stones missing. We have planned for some time to rebuild this in order to stabilise the stonework and prevent further weather damage. This work requires good quality faced stone so one member of the team volunteered to forage for further supplies. Fortunately, there is still a quantity of stone to be had from the remains of the former tucking mill. Admittedly, this is an area where we hope to carry out some restoration in the future, but we feel the urgency of the remedial work to the lime kiln should take precedence. This stone will also be used to repair the archway on the south wall. We also made a start on repointing the stonework on the west wall where much of the old mortar has been eroded and washed out.
Elsewhere, further excavation was carried out on the outer foundation wall of the kiln. It seems this extends to the southern end of the kiln which would be consistent with old photos of the site. RHS Rosemoor intend to remove the piles of top soil and clay this week which will enable us to continue excavating this area.
Footnote: our two robins appear to be co-existing happily and appear as soon as we are on site in anticipation of food!
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. New volunteers are always welcome.
We were short on numbers this week so decided to concentrate our efforts on the lime kiln and its associated structure.
The south-west corner of the lime kiln is in a poor state of repair with many stones missing. We have planned for some time to rebuild this in order to stabilise the stonework and prevent further weather damage. This work requires good quality faced stone so one member of the team volunteered to forage for further supplies. Fortunately, there is still a quantity of stone to be had from the remains of the former tucking mill. Admittedly, this is an area where we hope to carry out some restoration in the future, but we feel the urgency of the remedial work to the lime kiln should take precedence. This stone will also be used to repair the archway on the south wall. We also made a start on repointing the stonework on the west wall where much of the old mortar has been eroded and washed out.
Elsewhere, further excavation was carried out on the outer foundation wall of the kiln. It seems this extends to the southern end of the kiln which would be consistent with old photos of the site. RHS Rosemoor intend to remove the piles of top soil and clay this week which will enable us to continue excavating this area.
Footnote: our two robins appear to be co-existing happily and appear as soon as we are on site in anticipation of food!
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. New volunteers are always welcome.
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GUIDED WALKS PROGRAMME FOR SUMMER 2019
Here's a list of our guided walks for this year. More information can be found in our
Guided Walks section.
Sunday 12th May Annery Kiln to Ridd Inclined Plane
Sunday 16th June Rosemoor: 'The Dark Weir' Canal Basin and Lime Kilns
Sunday 14th July Taddiport / Torrington Commons
Sunday 18th August Sea Lock and Canal Museum
Here's a list of our guided walks for this year. More information can be found in our
Guided Walks section.
Sunday 12th May Annery Kiln to Ridd Inclined Plane
Sunday 16th June Rosemoor: 'The Dark Weir' Canal Basin and Lime Kilns
Sunday 14th July Taddiport / Torrington Commons
Sunday 18th August Sea Lock and Canal Museum
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT FROM TONY NICHOLLS - 6th February 2019
We had enough volunteers to form two working parties this week.
The first team concentrated on erecting the wooden former for the reconstruction of the arch on the southern wall of the lime kiln. The former had been ably prefabricated by Brian Walters beforehand and was fixed in place with supports to provide the stonemasons with a working platform. Finding good quality stone on site is a challenge now but determined foraging yielded some decent pieces which we hope to cut to the required size for the arch stones.
We had enough volunteers to form two working parties this week.
The first team concentrated on erecting the wooden former for the reconstruction of the arch on the southern wall of the lime kiln. The former had been ably prefabricated by Brian Walters beforehand and was fixed in place with supports to provide the stonemasons with a working platform. Finding good quality stone on site is a challenge now but determined foraging yielded some decent pieces which we hope to cut to the required size for the arch stones.
The second team took on the more physically demanding task of breaking up the deposit of concrete adjacent to the foundation wall of the lime kiln. There seems to be no clear reason for this deposit which is unsightly and obscures the line of the wall. Breaking it up proved to be a harder job than we envisaged but, eventually – by using an angle grinder to make cuts in the surface - we were able to break up the deposit with pick axe and bar. RHS Rosemoor intend to clear the top soil and clay from the site next week which will allow us to further excavate the line of this foundation wall and build it up to match the northern foundation completed previously.
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. New volunteers are always welcome.
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. New volunteers are always welcome.
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