June News
WORKING PARTY AT SEA LOCK - Report by Michael Elliott - 29th June 2020
Once again a pile of rubble waiting to be sorted greeted the small working party. The corner of the wharf wall was just lacking a few courses of stone facing. With the platform put back in place, the wall was quickly built up ready for a curved coping stone to be cast in situ once the mortar has set.
Once again a pile of rubble waiting to be sorted greeted the small working party. The corner of the wharf wall was just lacking a few courses of stone facing. With the platform put back in place, the wall was quickly built up ready for a curved coping stone to be cast in situ once the mortar has set.
This week the larger working party will descend to help clear the soil and vegetation from the top of the wharf wall from the corner towards the causeway. |
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FEATHERED FRIENDS - SEA LOCK REPORT by Adrian Wills - 27th June 2020
Covid-19 may well be decimating the human population this year but wildlife seems to be doing very well.
For many years I have kept a few geese which free range around my propriety, the canal and even the meadows on the other side of the river from where I live. Although the geese have plenty of grass to crop I feed them each morning on a couple of ladles of whole wheat. This has always attracted the attention of other birds. The geese are regularly joined and compete with wild ducks rooks and sparrows but more recently have been joined by a number of pheasants. The female pheasants gobble up as much wheat as they can whilst the males strut around and squabble with each other, generally ending up with nothing.
This morning there were 9 ducks sitting on my front door step waiting for breakfast!
Covid-19 may well be decimating the human population this year but wildlife seems to be doing very well.
For many years I have kept a few geese which free range around my propriety, the canal and even the meadows on the other side of the river from where I live. Although the geese have plenty of grass to crop I feed them each morning on a couple of ladles of whole wheat. This has always attracted the attention of other birds. The geese are regularly joined and compete with wild ducks rooks and sparrows but more recently have been joined by a number of pheasants. The female pheasants gobble up as much wheat as they can whilst the males strut around and squabble with each other, generally ending up with nothing.
This morning there were 9 ducks sitting on my front door step waiting for breakfast!
Sparrows appear to be making a big come-back. These little birds were very common when I was a child but for whatever reasons went in to a serious decline, almost becoming rare. I am very pleased to see that the nesting boxes I have fixed to the side of my house are fully occupied and to the extent that two boxes are accommodating a second if not third batch of fledglings and the noise they make is almost deafening. Great!
WORKING PARTY AT BEAM - Report by Tony Nicholls - 24th June 2020
The team met again at Beam this week to complete our recent clearance work and to remove some of the vegetation from the canal bed on the south side of the roving bridge. It was an extremely hot day so the opportunity to work in any shaded areas was welcome.
We managed to clear a 30 metre stretch of the canal bed which has revealed that the retaining wall extends well beyond the bridge itself. Given its shaded location, most of the wall is covered in moss and many of the stones have become dislodged but the foundations seem reasonably secure as can be seen from the photos.
Prior to clearing
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After clearing
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We then turned our attention to the bank on the opposite side of the canal which has become very overgrown with a number of oak and sycamore saplings growing vigorously. We succeeded in clearing this completely which has further opened up the view of the bridge. Having restored this area to something like its original condition, we plan to carry out regular maintenance to keep growth under control.
The bank prior to clearing
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The bank prior to clearing
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View of the roving bridge after clearing
Working arrangements may vary in the immediate future as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) or Treasurer, Tony Barnes (tel. 01237-473801) for up-to-date information.
THREE SWANS A SWIMMING - SEA LOCK REPORT by Adrian Wills - 19th June 2020
On my regular early morning saunter down to Sea Lock which I do every day, this morning I was pleased to see just leaving the outer lock chamber, our resident swans and their cygnet. This pair have been nesting on the banks of the River Torridge just below my house for many years. Swans mate for life. This year they hatched 4 eggs but sadly within a very few days only one cygnet remained This is very strange since swans are very good parents, aggressively protecting their chicks and keeping them close-by for more than a year and often considerably longer.
On my regular early morning saunter down to Sea Lock which I do every day, this morning I was pleased to see just leaving the outer lock chamber, our resident swans and their cygnet. This pair have been nesting on the banks of the River Torridge just below my house for many years. Swans mate for life. This year they hatched 4 eggs but sadly within a very few days only one cygnet remained This is very strange since swans are very good parents, aggressively protecting their chicks and keeping them close-by for more than a year and often considerably longer.
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The wet weather has put a temporary hold on rebuilding at Sea Lock but has had the advantage of replenishing the falling water levels in the upper stretches of the canal which only a few days ago was reduced to a mere trickle. Whilst building is on hold I have been spending time on removing old mortar from a pile of used bricks that I have managed to acquire. This is a somewhat laborious activity but bizarrely quite satisfying. The bricks will be used to rebuild the back of the wharf wall. |
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WORKING PARTY AT BEAM - Report by Tony Nicholls - 17th June 2020
Under an overcast sky, we assembled at Beam again this week with the target of completing the clearance of vegetation from the canal bank adjacent to the roving bridge. (Many thanks to Chris Hassall who spent some time last week mowing the bed of the canal and the approach to the towpath).
Under an overcast sky, we assembled at Beam again this week with the target of completing the clearance of vegetation from the canal bank adjacent to the roving bridge. (Many thanks to Chris Hassall who spent some time last week mowing the bed of the canal and the approach to the towpath).
Fortunately, the rain held off so we were able to make good progress and by mid-morning had removed all the remaining brambles and small saplings. Cutting down the more established young trees, some of which had grown to over twenty feet in height was more of a challenge but was eventually accomplished with some careful lumber-jacking work. The net result of our efforts was a huge pile of cut material which we have stored under the bridge to dry before burning – the only practicable method of disposal. Ideally, we would like to dig out the roots of the brambles and young saplings growing in the bank to prevent future re-growth. However, the site is now vastly improved and the whole aspect of the bridge has been pleasingly revealed.
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We have decided that the repairs to the stonework on the parapet of the bridge are too dangerous to be undertaken by volunteers given the steepness of the bank at this point. To create a safe and stable platform to undertake this work would require a lot of scaffolding which would have to be professionally erected. A future project perhaps? We also started to remove some of the growth from the coping stones on the canal wall under the bridge. We have noticed that some of these have become displaced and clear 'bulges' in the stonework can be seen at either side of the bridge. At some point, we will need to carry out repairs to stabilise these sections.
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Working arrangements may vary in the immediate future as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) or Treasurer, Tony Barnes (tel. 01237-473801) for up-to-date information.
THE LATEST FROM SEA LOCK by Adrian Wills - 13th June 2020
Yesterday I continued working on the wharf wall, mortaring into place the stones I had dry-laid earlier. All was going reasonably well although the sky looked a little ominous and as I was about half way through a second wheelbarrow full of wet mortar it began to rain. Initially it was quite gentle and not a problem.
Yesterday I continued working on the wharf wall, mortaring into place the stones I had dry-laid earlier. All was going reasonably well although the sky looked a little ominous and as I was about half way through a second wheelbarrow full of wet mortar it began to rain. Initially it was quite gentle and not a problem.
Recently I have had trouble with mortar going off too quickly because of the hot and dry weather but this was turning into something rather different! Before long it was absolutely teeming down and I had to try to finish what I had started before the new mortar was washed out from between the stone work. Eventually I had to give up and rushed to cover up the wall with a plastic sheet. By this time some of the mortar had become very liquid and was running down the face of the wall. I finally managed to get everything covered up but then still had to clean the mixer and tools, and store everything away in the shed. By this time I was soaked, wet to the skin. I couldn’t have got any wetter than if I had jumped into the river! Home for a shower and change into dry clothes.
Today I first set about wire-brushing the dribbles of mortal left from the previous day’s downpour. Fortunately not too much damage and easily rectified. I then moved scaffolding and blocks of concrete around with the help of the big crane. I finished by laying another ‘coping stone’ block onto the wall, levelling it up and finding slivers of stone to fill the remaining gaps. Tomorrow I will fill all the gaps with mortar, subject to dry weather hopefully! |
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THE LATEST FROM SEA LOCK by Adrian Wills - 11th June 2020
I am slowly going round the bend! Fortunately this is not in the manner of losing my mental stability although some may dispute that.
During the Covid19 lock down my wife has spent some of her time working on quite complex jigsaw puzzles. Down at Sea Lock I have been employing myself in a somewhat similar exercise. The difference being that my wife’s jigsaws are made of small pieces of cardboard whereas mine is made of frequently large, heavy and awkward lumps of stone. Today I spent some time sorting and dry-laying stone on the section of the wharf wall where it was widened and extended in the past.
I am slowly going round the bend! Fortunately this is not in the manner of losing my mental stability although some may dispute that.
During the Covid19 lock down my wife has spent some of her time working on quite complex jigsaw puzzles. Down at Sea Lock I have been employing myself in a somewhat similar exercise. The difference being that my wife’s jigsaws are made of small pieces of cardboard whereas mine is made of frequently large, heavy and awkward lumps of stone. Today I spent some time sorting and dry-laying stone on the section of the wharf wall where it was widened and extended in the past.
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I have built up the back of the curved section using second-hand bricks salvaged from a pile of rubble delivered to make up ground levels but a shortage of suitable facing stone is now becoming a problem.
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Yesterday I was joined by Norman who drove his vintage Massey Ferguson 35 Tractor from South Molton to Sea Lock. The intention was for him to use his finger-bar mower to mow the edges of the tow path and the riverside meadow. He managed to cut quite a large area but the onslaught of heavy rain brought an early stop to proceedings.
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WORKING PARTY AT BEAM - Report by Tony Nicholls - 10th June 2020
A team assembled at Beam again this week to continue with the clearance of vegetation from the canal bank and removal of ivy from the bridge.
The main difficulty with this work is the steepness of the bank at either side of the bridge. To reach the ivy growing on the face of the bridge involved cutting steps into the earth to gain access to the higher growth and even then the topmost tendrils proved to be just out of reach – from below and from above. However, most of the infestation was removed and the bridge is now looking much cleaner. In the course of this work, we revealed some worrying damage to the stonework at the end of the parapet. This needs to be repaired to prevent further degradation of the structure but establishing a working platform will not be easy.
A team assembled at Beam again this week to continue with the clearance of vegetation from the canal bank and removal of ivy from the bridge.
The main difficulty with this work is the steepness of the bank at either side of the bridge. To reach the ivy growing on the face of the bridge involved cutting steps into the earth to gain access to the higher growth and even then the topmost tendrils proved to be just out of reach – from below and from above. However, most of the infestation was removed and the bridge is now looking much cleaner. In the course of this work, we revealed some worrying damage to the stonework at the end of the parapet. This needs to be repaired to prevent further degradation of the structure but establishing a working platform will not be easy.
The last few strands.
On the other side of the bridge, we concentrated on cutting back several years' worth of brambles and Russian vine which has substantially opened up this aspect of the bridge as viewed from the towpath.
Working arrangements may vary in the immediate future as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) or Treasurer, Tony Barnes (tel. 01237-473801) for up-to-date information. |
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WORKING PARTY AT SEA LOCK - Report by Michael Elliott - 9th June 2020
This week a high tide greeted us at Sealock, with the causeway rocks now in place and further work done on the corner of the wharf.
This week a high tide greeted us at Sealock, with the causeway rocks now in place and further work done on the corner of the wharf.
The first task was to sort through a pile of rubble and separate rock, paving slabs, insulation block and general debris, this last being used as backfill on the wharf corner. Then the small crane was moved to allow the large crane access. With the working platform lowered into place, further rebuilding of the corner of the wharf could start.
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WORKING PARTY AT BEAM - Report by Tony Nicholls - 3rd June 2020
In light drizzle, a small group of volunteers reconvened at Beam today to continue work around the roving bridge. We decided to concentrate our efforts on the bridge itself which has become badly overgrown in recent years. It is revealing to see how the bridge looked ten years ago compared with today (see photos). It really is difficult to compete with the inexorable advance of Mother Nature.
In light drizzle, a small group of volunteers reconvened at Beam today to continue work around the roving bridge. We decided to concentrate our efforts on the bridge itself which has become badly overgrown in recent years. It is revealing to see how the bridge looked ten years ago compared with today (see photos). It really is difficult to compete with the inexorable advance of Mother Nature.
.The top of the roving bridge - before.
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The top of the roving bridge - after.
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Our main concern was with the ivy which had established itself in a number of places and whose tendrils were growing vigorously into the masonry of the bridge and causing damage to the stonework. Some sections of the structure were difficult to reach without a ladder but we managed to clear most of the ivy from one face of the bridge and removed a great deal of the vegetation encroaching from both sides of the canal bed.
This was how the bridge looked in 2009.
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More before and after pictures.
Next week we plan to tackle the other side of the bridge which also has a serious infestation of ivy. Hopefully, by then we will have restored the bridge to something like it was ten years ago!
Working arrangements may vary in the immediate future as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) or Treasurer, Tony Barnes (tel. 01237-473801) for up-to-date information.
Working arrangements may vary in the immediate future as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) or Treasurer, Tony Barnes (tel. 01237-473801) for up-to-date information.
WORKING PARTY AT SEA LOCK - Report by Michael Elliott - 2nd June 2020
This week the tide was low and the section of wall looking good in the heat.
This week the tide was low and the section of wall looking good in the heat.
The task today was to retrieve the large rocks from the canal bed for use at the causeway. This was very hot work in the slimy mud, manoeuvring the rocks for lifting by the crane, and then wheelbarrowing them one by one to the causeway.
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