November News
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION - Report by Tony Nicholls - 25th November 2020
The canal basin is now completely covered in a scum of green pondweed which gives it the appearance of a well-manicured lawn rather than a body of water.
The canal basin is now completely covered in a scum of green pondweed which gives it the appearance of a well-manicured lawn rather than a body of water.
We continued to make good progress with the reconstruction of the lime kiln and laid several courses of stone during the day. We have another 3 – 4 feet of masonry left to complete this section which is now well stabilised. Once this is done we will turn our attention to the remaining section of the wall adjacent to the arch and the arch itself.
Our excavations at the tucking mill have now fully exposed the second flight of steps within the structure. We have also unearthed a lot of rusty ironwork in the area of the sluice/inlet from the canal basin. We think this may have been part of some mechanism which originally controlled the inflow of water to the mill but, as usual, this is pure conjecture at this point.
A rare shot of our correspondent Tony Nicholls at work. Tony is usually on the other side of the camera
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.
SEA LOCK RESTORATION - Report by Michael Elliott - 24th November 2020
With the newly cast coping stones in place, the task for the day was to set them in mortar. This involved a lot of precision adjustments with a giant crowbar. The last of the mortar was then used to build up a small section of the back of the wharf wall. Finally, the section was marked for posterity before it is buried in backfill.
With the newly cast coping stones in place, the task for the day was to set them in mortar. This involved a lot of precision adjustments with a giant crowbar. The last of the mortar was then used to build up a small section of the back of the wharf wall. Finally, the section was marked for posterity before it is buried in backfill.
ROLLE CANAL REPORT - TARKA TRAIL by Michael Elliott - 21st November 2020
Along the Tarka Trail there are some points of interest for the Rolle canal that most enthusiasts will know: the view point overlooking Sea Lock, the path down to the base of the inclined plane, the top of the plane, the aqueduct across to Beam House, the Furzebeam section and, after the Puffing Billy, the Rolle Road.
Along the Tarka Trail there are some points of interest for the Rolle canal that most enthusiasts will know: the view point overlooking Sea Lock, the path down to the base of the inclined plane, the top of the plane, the aqueduct across to Beam House, the Furzebeam section and, after the Puffing Billy, the Rolle Road.
So whilst walking from Bideford to the Puffing Billy and back, my wife and I looked out for these features, and any other evidence of the former canal by the main road. These features are largely obliterated by various road widening episodes, except for a couple of hundred metres near Yeo cottage, and marked Yeo on the Ordnance Survey Explorer map. Here a track from the cottage crosses the Tarka Trail and continues south across the road. This is where the Trail and road part company in the centre of the Google map extract below. Either side of the track there is clear evidence of the towpath and the damp canal bed where it runs beside the main road. Unfortunately, is does not photograph well, even in black and white. You will have to see it yourself.
Further on, the Rolle aqueduct has accumulated a few tree trunks, in contrast to Furzebeam, where the tree across the towpath has been removed.
SEA LOCK RESTORATION - Report by Adrian Wills - 24th November 2020
My long-suffering wife allows me, somewhat foolishly, to talk her into all sorts of things. Yesterday, I got her to act as my ‘banksman’ as I wanted to crane the most recently cast copers on to the wharf wall. This she did very competently which then allowed me to start to finally align them, in preparation to cementing them permanently into place which I hope to do today.
My long-suffering wife allows me, somewhat foolishly, to talk her into all sorts of things. Yesterday, I got her to act as my ‘banksman’ as I wanted to crane the most recently cast copers on to the wharf wall. This she did very competently which then allowed me to start to finally align them, in preparation to cementing them permanently into place which I hope to do today.
Further to my comments about the quantity of materials that have been consumed in wall building this year alone, I have found some more invoices which gives me much to think about. Assuming that there are no more current invoices lurking at home, the tally to date now stands at 57 bags of cement, 18 bags of hydraulic lime, 12 tons of grit sand and 2 tons of concrete ballast.
I really wonder if we can continue to self-fund this project especially when considering that the section of wall at present under reconstruction which has been completed, is less than ¼ of what needs to be done. A bit depressing! |
FIGHTING THE ODDS - Sea Lock Restoration Report by Adrian Wills - 20th November 2020
Inclement weather, high tides and Covid 19 have recently conspired together to deter work at Sea Lock. Never-the-less progress has been made.
Last Tuesday I cancelled working with Michael Elliot since the start of the day was grim but I did get a bit done later in the afternoon. Trevor is sensibly self-isolating so for much of last few days I have become ‘Johnny No-Mates’ once again. However, I have managed, between showers, to reconstruct a bit more of the wall by the newly reinstated outflow pipe. Water has been draining out of it non-stop since its repair at a considerable rate which is very satisfying. I have also managed to cast 2 more ‘coping stones’ which I am hoping to crane into position within the next few days.
Inclement weather, high tides and Covid 19 have recently conspired together to deter work at Sea Lock. Never-the-less progress has been made.
Last Tuesday I cancelled working with Michael Elliot since the start of the day was grim but I did get a bit done later in the afternoon. Trevor is sensibly self-isolating so for much of last few days I have become ‘Johnny No-Mates’ once again. However, I have managed, between showers, to reconstruct a bit more of the wall by the newly reinstated outflow pipe. Water has been draining out of it non-stop since its repair at a considerable rate which is very satisfying. I have also managed to cast 2 more ‘coping stones’ which I am hoping to crane into position within the next few days.
With reference to Michael’s comment in his last report on working at Sea Lock about the prodigious amounts of material required to construct even a modest bit of wall, I estimate that in this year alone the section of wharf wall from the bend / extension has consumed about 15 tons of assorted building materials. Each cubic metre of wall equates approximately to 1 ton of masonry.
Just think about the task of my nearly name sake – Hadrian or even more mind blowing – the Great Wall of China!
Following on with this thought process I checked up on some of the invoices I have received for materials this year. I know that a few are missing but the ones accounted for show that my wall so far has consumed at least 38 x 25Kg bags of cement, 9 x 25Kg bags of hydraulic lime and 8 tons of grit sand. This is scary especially when considering the pressure on my bank account!
Just think about the task of my nearly name sake – Hadrian or even more mind blowing – the Great Wall of China!
Following on with this thought process I checked up on some of the invoices I have received for materials this year. I know that a few are missing but the ones accounted for show that my wall so far has consumed at least 38 x 25Kg bags of cement, 9 x 25Kg bags of hydraulic lime and 8 tons of grit sand. This is scary especially when considering the pressure on my bank account!
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION - Report by Tony Nicholls - 18th November 2020
The early morning drizzle quickly cleared on arrival on site today so we were able to make good progress on our current projects.
The early morning drizzle quickly cleared on arrival on site today so we were able to make good progress on our current projects.
Repairs to the lime kiln wall are taking shape nicely. We are having to exercise great care when removing the loose stone as much of this is very precarious. There are a number of well established ivy plants which have grown into crevices and these are proving difficult to remove without bringing down a lot of the old masonry. We also discovered a small niche in the stonework containing an old bird's nest, something we will try to replicate elsewhere to encourage wildlife. Our intention is to stabilise this entire section of the wall before moving onto the main arch.
On the tucking mill, while we wait for our colleagues from RHS Rosemoor to whittle away the giant tree stump, we carried on with our excavation of what we believe to be a second flight of internal steps. As noted in previous reports, this flight appears to be the mirror image of the flight we discovered many months ago. We have also started to expose a mass of rusty ironwork just behind the steps, which appears to connect to the inlet or sluice from the canal. The purpose of this is not clear but it may have been a mechanism to control flow of water into the mill. Unfortunately, there is another tree stump here which we will have to remove before we can fully explore this area – a familiar pattern unfortunately!
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.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION - Report by Tony Nicholls - 11th November 2020
A very pleasant day today – cool and dry which made for ideal working conditions. Fortunately, RHS Rosemoor is staying open during Lockdown 2 so we are able to continue working on site.
The scaffolding on the lime kiln has been raised allowing us to work at a higher level and to continue the restoration of the western wall. It is only by making a close up inspection that the extent of the damage becomes clear. However, provided our supply of stone does not dry up, we are confident that we can make an effective repair almost to the top of the existing wall. We are hoping that RHS Rosemoor will give the lime kiln its annual 'haircut' before the Spring as the top of the structure is becoming badly overgrown again.
A very pleasant day today – cool and dry which made for ideal working conditions. Fortunately, RHS Rosemoor is staying open during Lockdown 2 so we are able to continue working on site.
The scaffolding on the lime kiln has been raised allowing us to work at a higher level and to continue the restoration of the western wall. It is only by making a close up inspection that the extent of the damage becomes clear. However, provided our supply of stone does not dry up, we are confident that we can make an effective repair almost to the top of the existing wall. We are hoping that RHS Rosemoor will give the lime kiln its annual 'haircut' before the Spring as the top of the structure is becoming badly overgrown again.
Our exploration of the tucking mill continues apace with the discovery of another wall running south from the recently exposed brickwork. This does seem to confirm the existence of a third room beyond the area we have uncovered so far which, while exciting, raises the prospect of a lot more digging! Our colleagues from RHS Rosemoor arrived with two industrial chain saws and provided some much-needed assistance with the removal of the huge tree stump. They proceeded to 'slice and dice' this and have greatly reduced it in size. It is worth noting that this work blunted the chains on both saws which gives an indication of the toughness of the wood! We are very grateful for their help as it is now clear that this task is well beyond our limited resources.
The reduced tree stump
As it was Armistice Day, the team observed a socially-distanced two minutes' silence at 11.00 am. It was good to share a quiet moment together as part of the national commemoration of this important day.
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.
SEA LOCK RESTORATION - Report by Michael Elliott - 10th November 2020
Work at Sea Lock on Tuesday focussed on building up the wharf wall. A good section had been cleared since my last report, and after a cool and damp morning, the wall was raised about a metre for a similar length along the wall. Even this apparently modest achievement still took a
prodigious quantities of stone, back-fill and eight wheel barrow loads of mortar.
Work at Sea Lock on Tuesday focussed on building up the wharf wall. A good section had been cleared since my last report, and after a cool and damp morning, the wall was raised about a metre for a similar length along the wall. Even this apparently modest achievement still took a
prodigious quantities of stone, back-fill and eight wheel barrow loads of mortar.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION - Report by Michael Elliott - 4th November 2020
The team arrived at Rosemoor on a cold but bright morning. Since the previous week, Rosemoor had kindly arranged for the scaffolding platform to be raised, so we could work safely on a higher section of the lime kiln wall.
The team arrived at Rosemoor on a cold but bright morning. Since the previous week, Rosemoor had kindly arranged for the scaffolding platform to be raised, so we could work safely on a higher section of the lime kiln wall.
Meanwhile, excavations continued in the area of the giant tree stump, including a possible floor leading to the waters edge. As a final action, the tree stump was sluiced down, in the hope that Rosemoor will whittle it down with a chainsaw if they get the chance.