October News
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Tony Nicholls - 5th October 2022
The commitment of our volunteers was amply demonstrated this week with a full turnout in the most miserable conditions. We arrived on site in heavy drizzle which lasted for a couple of hours before the weather cleared.
As it was so wet, it was impossible to do any masonry work so we contented ourselves with doing some much-needed tidying up round the site. The tucking mill has now been largely cleared of weeds and is looking much better. We also tackled the vegetation growth around the lime kiln including the little chamber adjacent to the main arch. We opened this up a couple of years ago and were amazed to find that, in that time, a layer of earth about an inch thick had accumulated over the cobbled floor – further proof of the relentless march of Nature.
The commitment of our volunteers was amply demonstrated this week with a full turnout in the most miserable conditions. We arrived on site in heavy drizzle which lasted for a couple of hours before the weather cleared.
As it was so wet, it was impossible to do any masonry work so we contented ourselves with doing some much-needed tidying up round the site. The tucking mill has now been largely cleared of weeds and is looking much better. We also tackled the vegetation growth around the lime kiln including the little chamber adjacent to the main arch. We opened this up a couple of years ago and were amazed to find that, in that time, a layer of earth about an inch thick had accumulated over the cobbled floor – further proof of the relentless march of Nature.
General view of tucking mill
Strimming around lime kiln
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Lime kiln cleared of vegetation
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Chamber before clearing
Chamber after clearing
We continue to excavate the area around the furnace/smelting pit near the tow path revealing more stones which may be part of the original structure and did some further exploratory digging around the curious stone pillar above the bridge pier, the purpose of which is still unclear.
Excavating the smelting pit
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Work on the stone pillar
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Working parties are held every Wednesday morning, meeting in the main car park at RHS Rosemoor, Torrington at 9.30am. Please contact Project Manager, Ian Harrison (tel.01237- 475707) for more information.