November News
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Michael Elliott - 24th November 2021
Today we cut out two sheets of heavy gauge ply using the lime kiln arch as a template. These will be the basis of the former we will use to rebuild the arch. Brian then put them in his (large) car for further assembly at home.
Other work concentrated on the tucking mill, including continuing to excavate and stabilise the mill race. All the cobbled section of flooring has now been exposed.
Today we cut out two sheets of heavy gauge ply using the lime kiln arch as a template. These will be the basis of the former we will use to rebuild the arch. Brian then put them in his (large) car for further assembly at home.
Other work concentrated on the tucking mill, including continuing to excavate and stabilise the mill race. All the cobbled section of flooring has now been exposed.
This floor has been repaired by bricks in the past, and includes a drain, and two wide missing sections, with the strip of floor in between having the cobbles at right angles to the rest of the floor.
WORKING OUR WAY ALONG - Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 24th November 2021
Despite a cold and frosty start to the day, Steve arrived bright and early on Tuesday, ready to get a move on. The initial plan was to extend the scaffolding in order to get up out of the glutinous mud in the bottom of the loading basin. Within a short while we were joined by Michael and Tony.
Despite a cold and frosty start to the day, Steve arrived bright and early on Tuesday, ready to get a move on. The initial plan was to extend the scaffolding in order to get up out of the glutinous mud in the bottom of the loading basin. Within a short while we were joined by Michael and Tony.
Maintaining social distancing at all times they provided Steve and me with poles and clips and good progress was made. Eventually we were easily able to access the face of the wall from a comfortable position and what a pleasure it was to stand on a firm surface and not have to keep struggling to extract our boots from the gloop.
Tony then gave his attention to clearing debris from along the top of the wall whilst Michael worked further along but down below. He managed to extract some very good facing stones which will very soon be rebuilt back on the wall. Both Tony and Michael had other commitments for the afternoon leaving Steve and me to continue without them. Now that the scaffold platform had been extended Steve and I were able to continue to clean back the damaged wall, removing invasive plants and accumulated soil in preparation for further rebuilding. As always it’s now just a case of finding the right shaped stones for the job. Still haven’t been back to the quarry yet but must do so soon. |
HIDING THE EVIDENCE - Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 22nd November 2021
Since my wife and I were recently found to have been infected with Covid it resulted in all voluntary work at Sea Lock last week being temporarily abandoned. Fortunately I was only inflicted with a chesty cough and feeling slightly more tired than usual but never-the-less work on site was not very appealing at the time. Now having come out of self-isolation I have begun continuing restoration activities. For some time I have been pondering the method with which I cast my ‘coping stone’ blocks. In the past I have filled the mould with a variety of constituents, ie, just concrete, concrete centres surrounded by sand and cement skins, as well as bricks and broken concrete blocks set in coarse sand and cement. All these mixes have worked well but consume a lot of material which could be better used elsewhere on the site. Yesterday I tried a different approach; I would use bottles otherwise designated to the recycle centre, to bulk out the mortar infill. In order to provide a measure of strength to the block I included a couple of off-cuts of heavy-duty weld mesh between the layers of bottles. It was surprising how many bottles were swallowed up and I had to ensure that the mortar mix was not too wet otherwise the bottles would attempt to float up. |
This morning I removed the shuttering from the block and, after distressing the still soft facing surfaces, was pleased with the end product. I shall be using this relatively cheap method again.
(I hasten to add that the contents of the many empty bottles were not all consumed by me but those that were, were very enjoyable. And, fortunately, a continued supply of more is not a problem!)
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 17th November 2021
Another good turnout this week combined with a dry day enabled us to maintain our progress across the site.
Another good turnout this week combined with a dry day enabled us to maintain our progress across the site.
We repaired more of the stone work on the lime kiln wall as well as re-building the buttress adjacent to the main arch. Because of the size of the stones, we can only lay a limited number of courses here before the weight of masonry on the wet mortar becomes unstable. Next week we hope to construct the wooden former to enable us to start the repair to the arch itself. |
In the upper basin, we managed to complete the retaining wall around the electricity pole – something we were keen to do before the winter sets in. This has been re-enforced with concrete to provide strong support for the pole (although our preferred solution would be to have it completely removed!) The entire wall is now pretty much finished apart from the final capping off. |
Excavations in the tucking mill are continuing apace. Further removal of earth has revealed a little more of the cobbled floor in the lower chamber. We have also exposed several interesting drainage channels which appear to flow into the mill race. It may be that these were linked to the fulling process and allowed effluent to drain into the leat but, as usual, this is pure speculation. We are continuing to dig away at the base of the main channel in an effort to understand how the feed for the water wheel was constructed and connected to the main building.
Tucking mill viewed from lower chamber
Excavations at the tucking mill
Possible lip of waterwheel feed
We were very pleased to see the return of our resident robin during coffee break. We think it must be the same bird as he exhibits the same taste for bread, cheese and the occasional piece of cake!
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. (.NB. Arrangements may vary during Covid restrictions). Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information.
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. (.NB. Arrangements may vary during Covid restrictions). Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 10th November 2021
A grey, overcast day for our working party this week but the gloom was relieved by the wonderful Autumn tints on the trees at Rosemoor. The colours – from deep reds on the acers to the yellow and gold on the beeches – are dazzling. Rosemoor is certainly well worth a visit at this time of year. Although the day was dull, it was dry so we were able to press on with our various projects.
A grey, overcast day for our working party this week but the gloom was relieved by the wonderful Autumn tints on the trees at Rosemoor. The colours – from deep reds on the acers to the yellow and gold on the beeches – are dazzling. Rosemoor is certainly well worth a visit at this time of year. Although the day was dull, it was dry so we were able to press on with our various projects.
View of the lower basin
On the lime kiln, we continued to repair the wall at the base of the arch. The photo clearly shows the beginning of the new curved stonework. This is as far as we can safely go at this stage before constructing the wooden former to support further work. We are also rebuilding the left hand buttress (originally an external wall) to provide a secure platform for the scaffolding which needs to be extended to cover the entire span of the archway. Once this is done, we can then install the former and supporting framework.
RHS Rosemoor had kindly drained the upper basin prior to our arrival so we were able to lay two more courses of stone around the electricity pole. The draining of the canal has left a thick layer of pondweed over everything which has made for rather sticky (but colourful!) working conditions. Weather permitting, we hope to complete this task in another two to three weeks.
Our archaeologists have made astonishing progress with the excavation of the lower chamber of the tucking mill. All the earth has now been removed and the floor exposed. We have uncovered a strange channel which runs across the chamber towards the mill race. It is not clear if this was part of the original design or whether it is simply degradation of the floor over time. As ever, the tucking mill poses more questions than answers but it is really encouraging to see the site finally taking shape.
Lower chamber of tucking mill
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. (.NB. Arrangements may vary during Covid restrictions). Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 3rd November 2021
Recontructing the buttress
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We were fortunate to have a fine, sunny day for this week’s working party. Sadly, because of the heavy rain during the week, the water level in the upper basin had risen to a point where we were unable to work on the wall around the electricity pole. We hope that RHS Rosemoor will be able to pump most of the water out prior to next week’s working party to enable this work to continue.
On the lime kiln, we continued to repair the damaged section of the wall concentrating this week on rebuilding the main buttress. It is only when viewed from the towpath (see photo) that one appreciates how much of the wall we have now repaired. Soon we will be in a position to start work on the arch. When seen from close up, the extent of the damage (and the challenge of the re-build!) becomes all too clear. |
The damaged arch
We have thrown a lot of manpower at the tucking mill over recent weeks with spectacular results. Large sections of the foundation walls have been rebuilt and repairs to the wall of the mill race are progressing well. We have been digging two exploratory trenches through the lower chamber and this week these produced an exciting find – two sections of the original iron gearing which would have been attached to the old water wheel. In due course we will clean these and add them to our growing collection of artefacts.
A busy team at work
In order to help drain the upper pound we removed the stop board from the sluice and it was interesting to see – even with the canal at a low level - how strongly the water flowed down through the mill race. It gives one an idea of how powerful the race would have been when in full flow and how noisy the area must have been when the machinery of the water wheel was operating at full speed.
Generally, working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. (.NB. Arrangements may vary during Covid restrictions). Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information