May News
RIDD RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 13th May 2025
The Ridd restoration project took a huge step forward this week. After a few delays, our contactor, Ryan, got to site on Tuesday to start the planned work on the incline and the upper canal bed.
The Ridd restoration project took a huge step forward this week. After a few delays, our contactor, Ryan, got to site on Tuesday to start the planned work on the incline and the upper canal bed.
Reprofiling access
The first task was to lay two 6 metre sections of 225mm plastic pipe in the culvert along the edge of the Tarka Trail to facilitate drainage. We then covered this to open up the access to the picnic area which, in turn, will improve access to the canal and the entrance to the wheel pit inspection chamber. We then turned our attention to clearing and scraping the upper canal bed back to its original level. This work is actually outside the scope of the original project but it has been well worth the effort as it has defined the route of the canal for a further 50 metres beyond the top of the incline as it gently curves southwards back towards the Tarka Trail.
With this element of the work complete, we moved onto the incline itself. Over the course of many decades the incline had become badly overgrown to the point where only about a third was still visible. It has been a long held ambition of the Society to restore this - as far as practicable - to its original dimensions. We started by excavating a huge pile of earth at the top of the incline (possibly deposited there when the railway was constructed) and scraping this back down the incline. During this process, we unearthed a lot of stone which we salvaged as this will provide useful material to continue the rebuild of the boundary wall and to reconstruct the upper docking bays. After a solid eight hours of effort, the work of extending and regrading the incline was completed. Ryan has executed the project brief superbly. The work has transformed the site and will undoubtedly enhance the public’s appreciation of the incline and how it operated.
Starting work on the incline
Regraded incline looking down
Regraded incline looking up
Starting work on the canal bed
Scraping the canal bed
Levelled canal bed
Finished site
SEA LOCK RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 6th May 2025
A 'Cap-ital' Day at Sea Lock
This week marked a momentous occasion at Sea Lock with the laying of the last two copers on the wharf wall. The last two copers needed to be cast with precision to fit the gap in the capping and the team breathed a huge sigh of relief when they slotted into place with a few millimetres to spare. The task of lifting the copers into place was complicated by the presence of a large tree growing close to the wharf wall. This required some delicate manoeuvring by Nick, our Kubota operator, to enable the rear arm of the machine to be sufficiently extended to lower the copers onto the wall. The experience gained from much practice certainly came into play and, with a little persuasion, the final two copers were eased into position and cemented in place. This was a moment for a small celebration although, sadly, we had no champagne to mark the occasion!
The final task of the day was to dismantle the scaffolding which revealed the wall in its full, impressive length. We will carry out some final pointing over the next week or two and the project will then be virtually complete – the culmination of many months of hard work by a small team of dedicated volunteers.
A 'Cap-ital' Day at Sea Lock
This week marked a momentous occasion at Sea Lock with the laying of the last two copers on the wharf wall. The last two copers needed to be cast with precision to fit the gap in the capping and the team breathed a huge sigh of relief when they slotted into place with a few millimetres to spare. The task of lifting the copers into place was complicated by the presence of a large tree growing close to the wharf wall. This required some delicate manoeuvring by Nick, our Kubota operator, to enable the rear arm of the machine to be sufficiently extended to lower the copers onto the wall. The experience gained from much practice certainly came into play and, with a little persuasion, the final two copers were eased into position and cemented in place. This was a moment for a small celebration although, sadly, we had no champagne to mark the occasion!
The final task of the day was to dismantle the scaffolding which revealed the wall in its full, impressive length. We will carry out some final pointing over the next week or two and the project will then be virtually complete – the culmination of many months of hard work by a small team of dedicated volunteers.
Negotiating the tree
Easing the coper into place
Perfect positioning
Final copers cemented in place
The team celebrate