April News
WOT, NO WATER FEATURE? - Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 25th April 2024
Tuesday April 23rd 2024 was another bright, dry and mostly sunny day and yet no building took place at Sea Lock. No mortar was mixed, no loose masonry removed and not a single stone was cemented into place. However, Steve, Nick and I managed to achieve a great deal and the site where we are working has undergone a considerable change.
As is so often the case where we wanted to continue building was cluttered with obstacles; piles of building stone, scaffold tubes, spoil heaps and invasive plants. We spend a great deal of time moving materials from one place to another, which invariably ends up getting in the way somewhere else and is very frustrating.
Some landscape gardening was required!
Tuesday April 23rd 2024 was another bright, dry and mostly sunny day and yet no building took place at Sea Lock. No mortar was mixed, no loose masonry removed and not a single stone was cemented into place. However, Steve, Nick and I managed to achieve a great deal and the site where we are working has undergone a considerable change.
As is so often the case where we wanted to continue building was cluttered with obstacles; piles of building stone, scaffold tubes, spoil heaps and invasive plants. We spend a great deal of time moving materials from one place to another, which invariably ends up getting in the way somewhere else and is very frustrating.
Some landscape gardening was required!
It was decided to spend the day clearing the top of the wall of all these obstacles so that we had an unobstructed run where we wanted to continue the restorative build next. A small tipping trailer was reversed up to the pile of building stones, which was then laboriously filled by hand. Once Steve had driven it away, towed by our little Grey Fergie tractor, Nick brought up the Kubota tractor and began removing spoils and rubble, using its front-end loader. In order to give us more room to move, we then set about clearing overhanging brambles, which had been doing a great job of snagging us whenever the opportunity arose, as well as removing some scruffy, self-seeded elderberry shrubs.
After a great deal of to-ing and fro-ing, we eventually succeeded in producing an area, which was unobstructed, level, and easy to move on.
The last task of the day was to dig out of the edge of the wall a substantial tree stump. It was anticipated that extracting it was going to dislodge a significant amount of surrounding masonry. Removing this stump necessitated the use of the Kubota’s back hoe but getting the machine close enough without tipping it into the canal proved to be a little problematic. However, whilst Nick operated the Kubota, with Steve and me directing operations, we finally managed to ‘oik’ the roots out without disturbing too much masonry which was very satisfying. Although no rebuilding had taken place during the day, we are now in a position to continue working safely, with a degree of comfort and efficiency.
The last task of the day was to dig out of the edge of the wall a substantial tree stump. It was anticipated that extracting it was going to dislodge a significant amount of surrounding masonry. Removing this stump necessitated the use of the Kubota’s back hoe but getting the machine close enough without tipping it into the canal proved to be a little problematic. However, whilst Nick operated the Kubota, with Steve and me directing operations, we finally managed to ‘oik’ the roots out without disturbing too much masonry which was very satisfying. Although no rebuilding had taken place during the day, we are now in a position to continue working safely, with a degree of comfort and efficiency.
|
|
RIDD RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 24th April 2024
We split the team again this week with a small group going to Rosemoor to adjust the scaffolding on the lime kiln while the rest went to Ridd to carry on scrub bashing.
After a dull start to the day, working conditions were once again very pleasant and we were able to make further good progress clearing vegetation around the back of the old stable block. This is a job well worth doing as it fully reveals the building as you approach it from the footpath from the Tarka Trail. We also completed the cutting back of the brambles overgrowing the boundary fence behind the stable block which has greatly improved the access. All this industry generated enough brash to keep two bonfires going!
(NB. We are taking great care during this clearance work to make sure no nesting birds are disturbed).
Working parties are currently being held at 9.30am every Wednesday morning at Ridd and at Rosemoor. Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237-475707) for more information.
We split the team again this week with a small group going to Rosemoor to adjust the scaffolding on the lime kiln while the rest went to Ridd to carry on scrub bashing.
After a dull start to the day, working conditions were once again very pleasant and we were able to make further good progress clearing vegetation around the back of the old stable block. This is a job well worth doing as it fully reveals the building as you approach it from the footpath from the Tarka Trail. We also completed the cutting back of the brambles overgrowing the boundary fence behind the stable block which has greatly improved the access. All this industry generated enough brash to keep two bonfires going!
(NB. We are taking great care during this clearance work to make sure no nesting birds are disturbed).
Working parties are currently being held at 9.30am every Wednesday morning at Ridd and at Rosemoor. Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237-475707) for more information.
Clearing around stable block
Cleared access path
Burning the waste
IT'S FINALLY SPRUNG? - Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 19th April 2024
Spring, that is! Despite a slightly chilly breeze, it was bright, sunny and DRY when Steve and Nick arrived ready to start work again at Sea Lock on Tuesday 16th April 2024, shortly joined by Michael and Tony.
The daffodils have come and gone but have been replaced by primroses which are flowering in glorious profusion. The strong winds blowing over the past few days, whilst being a nuisance and quite destructive in many places, have at least dried the surfaces where we were going to be busy.
Steve and Nick settled into their usual routine of moving and laying more copers whilst Michael and Tony cleared a pile of stones out of the way from the top of the wall where we will be working soon. These had been lifted out of the basin by the digger driver.
Spring, that is! Despite a slightly chilly breeze, it was bright, sunny and DRY when Steve and Nick arrived ready to start work again at Sea Lock on Tuesday 16th April 2024, shortly joined by Michael and Tony.
The daffodils have come and gone but have been replaced by primroses which are flowering in glorious profusion. The strong winds blowing over the past few days, whilst being a nuisance and quite destructive in many places, have at least dried the surfaces where we were going to be busy.
Steve and Nick settled into their usual routine of moving and laying more copers whilst Michael and Tony cleared a pile of stones out of the way from the top of the wall where we will be working soon. These had been lifted out of the basin by the digger driver.
|
|
|
Although still taking it easy, I actually got around to laying some stones. It was a great pleasure to be doing something useful and practical again but under the beady eyes of Steve, who was very considerately and conscientiously ensuring that I did nothing too strenuous. Having moved the pile of stones, Michael and Tony climbed down onto the end of the scaffold lift and continued clearing loose masonry and rubble from the wall. As always, stonework was coming down faster than it was going up and before long they had created quite a large cavity but at least they have reached a point of stability on which to rebuild. The next few metres are going to be really challenging since there is a large tree stump still growing out of the edge of the wall. It has to go but, doubtless, will put up a fight and take quite a bit of masonry with it before finally relinquishing its home place! Another 1.2 metres of wall has now been topped off and finished, apart from some repointing and hole filling lower down once the scaffolding is moved out of the way and the canal bed has dried out a bit more. Whilst there is still a long way to go, we have now rebuilt the best part of one third of the entire length of the upper wharf wall and all is going well. |
|
|
RIDD RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 17th April 2024
We split the team again this week with a small group going to Rosemoor to continue work on the lime kiln while the rest went to Ridd to carry on scrub bashing.
We were pleased to see that the Ridd site had dried out considerably since our previous visit which made working conditions much easier. The Torridge was also looking much calmer now the heavy rain of the last few weeks has abated.
We split the team again this week with a small group going to Rosemoor to continue work on the lime kiln while the rest went to Ridd to carry on scrub bashing.
We were pleased to see that the Ridd site had dried out considerably since our previous visit which made working conditions much easier. The Torridge was also looking much calmer now the heavy rain of the last few weeks has abated.
Placid Torridge
Our first task was to clear a large patch of brambles to the east of the stable block which has gradually encroached on the site in recent years. A determined assault by an energised team enabled us to complete this task by mid-morning. We then turned our attention to the huge mass of brambles to the north of the stables which has grown up over and completely obscured the line of the canal. This proved to be a sterner challenge – the vegetation extends for a good 50 metres towards the flood embankment and is about 7 metres thick in places. We decided to make an initial exploratory cut into the jungle to see if we could find any trace of the canal bed. After some determined hacking, we uncovered a patch of ground which was darker and damper than the surrounding area and filled with leaf mould. We are pretty confident that this is the bed of the canal which has been infilled with rotting matter in the decades since it closed. All this effort produced a huge amount of brash which was burned in a fire pit expertly constructed by two of the team. All in all, the site is now probably the tidiest it’s been for many years. A great morning’s work!
Site before clearing
Clearing under way
Site after clearing
Getting the bonfire going
Brambles on the line of the canal
Tackling the jungle
Starting the exploratory cut
Working parties are currently being held at 9.30am every Wednesday morning at Ridd and at Rosemoor. Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Mickey Reynolds - 17th April 2024
This week we, again, divided our resources between Ridd and Rosemoor.
At Rosemoor we continued work on the lime kiln buttress, the lower part of which is almost finished. It was decided to finish off the lower part with a capping of concrete similar to that used at the top of the kiln to give some protection from water ingress. As this part is a lot lower and radio seen it was decided to cover most of the concrete with stones in a similar way to what was done at the tucking mill, the stone was picked for this and set aside for next week.
This week we, again, divided our resources between Ridd and Rosemoor.
At Rosemoor we continued work on the lime kiln buttress, the lower part of which is almost finished. It was decided to finish off the lower part with a capping of concrete similar to that used at the top of the kiln to give some protection from water ingress. As this part is a lot lower and radio seen it was decided to cover most of the concrete with stones in a similar way to what was done at the tucking mill, the stone was picked for this and set aside for next week.
|
|
We had ideas of a longer coffee break as ‘the boss’ wasn’t around BUT the resident male Blackbird had other ideas and kept us at it.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 10th April 2024
|
The team arrived at Rosemoor in gloomy conditions with the site shrouded in a fine drizzle. Thankfully, this soon cleared so we were able to start work on the ongoing rebuild of the lime kiln buttress. We managed to lay another two courses of stone during the morning and have now reached a point where we need to raise the scaffolding to enable us to access the upper section of the wall. Getting stone up to the next level will be a challenge.
While work continued on the lime kiln, further progress was made clearing the floor of the adjacent chamber which we have succeeded in restoring to the condition it was in some four years ago! As has been pointed out on many occasions, maintaining the various sites under our control is a never-ending task and requires huge commitment from all our volunteers. Staff at RHS Rosemoor have kindly done further work on the towpath along the upper basin and have laid and compacted another layer of hard core. This will eventually be dressed with a layer of finer chippings to provide a safe access along the canal and allow the public to view the tucking mill. Working parties are currently being held at 9.30am every Wednesday morning at Ridd and at Rosemoor. Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information. 
Clearing the chamber
|
Working on the buttress
|
Towpath adjacent to upper basin
ONLY FIRING ON TWO CYLINDERS - Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 4th April 2024
A minor health issue is preventing me from participating in any strenuous physical activity for a while but that did not deter Steve and Nick from turning up for work on Tuesday 2nd April 2024, and getting on without me. Michael and Tony were otherwise engaged, so Sea Lock saw a greatly reduced workforce operating that day.
A minor health issue is preventing me from participating in any strenuous physical activity for a while but that did not deter Steve and Nick from turning up for work on Tuesday 2nd April 2024, and getting on without me. Michael and Tony were otherwise engaged, so Sea Lock saw a greatly reduced workforce operating that day.
Before any serious rebuilding began, we decided to pay some attention to the cement mixer, which had not been running very well previously: making some very unpleasant ‘graunching’ noises when the mixing drum rotated and occasionally actually stopping. The drum was not meshing fully with the gear wheel, which connected it to the electric motor. We discovered that we could improve this by removing some spacing shims, which brought the drum and gear wheel closer together. Problem solved!
Falling into their usual working practice, Nick soon got a load of mortar mixed while Steven organised stone to be laid. I stood around taking digital images whilst generally being in the way and feeling frustrated by being unable to lend a hand. At least I was able to point out some suitable stones for particular places and to put on the kettle at the appropriate times. Not intentionally setting out to make me feel unwanted or unnecessary (I hope!), Steve and Nick got on very well without my involvement. 
|
|
At the finish, the restored wall had not extended very much since the start of the day mostly because of the enormous cavity behind this section and the amount of time and effort it required to backfill it. Nevertheless, by the time we used up the batch of mortar Nick had mixed, covered over all the new masonry and put all the tools away, it was clear to see how much wall was newly repaired and looking good.
It is hoped that next week, two coping blocks which are waiting patiently where they were cast, will be moved to the wall and permanently laid in place.
The rain forecast to fall during the day did arrive but didn’t start until we were leaving the site, heading for home. Good timing!
Despite being very short-staffed, this proved to be another very productive and satisfying day’s achievements. Well done to Steve and Nick!
It is hoped that next week, two coping blocks which are waiting patiently where they were cast, will be moved to the wall and permanently laid in place.
The rain forecast to fall during the day did arrive but didn’t start until we were leaving the site, heading for home. Good timing!
Despite being very short-staffed, this proved to be another very productive and satisfying day’s achievements. Well done to Steve and Nick!
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 3rd April 2024
We were shorthanded this week so it was all hands on deck at Rosemoor to continue the restoration of the lime kiln.
We were shorthanded this week so it was all hands on deck at Rosemoor to continue the restoration of the lime kiln.
Repointing damaged masonry
Rebuilding the buttress
The re-build of the buttress is progressing well although the work is challenging. We are using pretty substantial stones on the lower section of the buttress as these are load bearing and, given their weight, we can only lay a few courses at a time to ensure the structure remains stable. |
Work on the buttress
|
North wall of kiln
|
Wall after repointing
|
Wall after raking out
The masonry on the north wall of the kiln is also in a poor condition and last week the team spent some time raking out degraded mortar and loose stone around the archway. This week we made a start filling in and repointing the damaged areas. On closer examination, it is apparent that the entire wall is in a poor state and badly in need of remedial work. The question, as ever, is where do we stop?
We also spent some time cleaning out the floor of the adjacent chamber which had become clogged with leaf mould and earth. It was pleasing to see the lovely cobbled floor exposed once more.
We also spent some time cleaning out the floor of the adjacent chamber which had become clogged with leaf mould and earth. It was pleasing to see the lovely cobbled floor exposed once more.
Wall after repointing
Working parties are currently being held at 9.30am every Wednesday morning at Ridd and at Rosemoor. Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information.