May News
BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL!
Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 26th May 2022
We had a very productive day at Sea Lock on Tuesday (24.05.22) and were lucky with the weather. It had been dry, sunny and warm all day. The day before saw some very heavy down pours of rain and the day after was not much better.
Initially Steve and Nick dismantled a section of scaffolding no longer required and which was destined to be re-erected at the other end of the lift but Tony was working patiently there removing more loose masonry and crumbling mortar. He has had a lot of practise at this somewhat tedious but necessary task and is becoming quite good at it.
Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 26th May 2022
We had a very productive day at Sea Lock on Tuesday (24.05.22) and were lucky with the weather. It had been dry, sunny and warm all day. The day before saw some very heavy down pours of rain and the day after was not much better.
Initially Steve and Nick dismantled a section of scaffolding no longer required and which was destined to be re-erected at the other end of the lift but Tony was working patiently there removing more loose masonry and crumbling mortar. He has had a lot of practise at this somewhat tedious but necessary task and is becoming quite good at it.
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Steve next applied his attention to more rebuilding of the wall’s face. This was far from easy since he had very little good stone to use. My nearest quarry has no suitable stone in stock at the moment and another much further away has all its selected stone booked out to other builders. We are really scrabbling about at the moment.
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While Steve and Nick were dismantling scaffolding, I was putting together the shuttering for yet another coper which Nick and I subsequently filled. There are now six coping ‘stones’ waiting ready to be laid on top of the wall.
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Having finished casting that coper I got out the big petrol driven angle-grinder and set about disturbing the neighbours by noisily cutting stones into pieces which Steve could lay.
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Our stock of facing stone is now completely exhausted and even the piles of infill are looking very small. However, progress was made, and the rebuilt wall continues to creep towards the end of the middle wharf.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Michael Elliott - 18th May 2022
Last week Rosemoor staff turned up to remove ’the beast’ of a tree stump. Their head forester shinned high up a tree and attached a pulley to a strop round the trunk, with the rope round the beast and the other end to a tractor, which shot off, hoisting the stump into the air and out of the way. Unfortunately no cameras were there to record the event, but it did mean that work on exploring the strange step in the wall of the tucking mill could proceed without the beast in the way. Part of the back wall was also built up to stabilise the remains. Meanwhile, back at the arch of the limekiln the stones cut last week were quickly mortared into place. Attention then turned to the keystone(s). The keystone depth meant that it had to be made in two parts. Still, the job was finished and the chief mason could go on holiday happy.
Last week Rosemoor staff turned up to remove ’the beast’ of a tree stump. Their head forester shinned high up a tree and attached a pulley to a strop round the trunk, with the rope round the beast and the other end to a tractor, which shot off, hoisting the stump into the air and out of the way. Unfortunately no cameras were there to record the event, but it did mean that work on exploring the strange step in the wall of the tucking mill could proceed without the beast in the way. Part of the back wall was also built up to stabilise the remains. Meanwhile, back at the arch of the limekiln the stones cut last week were quickly mortared into place. Attention then turned to the keystone(s). The keystone depth meant that it had to be made in two parts. Still, the job was finished and the chief mason could go on holiday happy.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Michael Elliott - 11th May 2022
The balance of the Rosemoor team made great progress despite the rain. This ruled out any mortaring, so the stonemasons concentrated on cutting stone for the lime kiln arch. They now have enough to complete the arch up to the keystone, which can then be cut to fit.
The balance of the Rosemoor team made great progress despite the rain. This ruled out any mortaring, so the stonemasons concentrated on cutting stone for the lime kiln arch. They now have enough to complete the arch up to the keystone, which can then be cut to fit.
At the tucking mill, stones were moved from one place to another, no doubt only to be moved again, in order to expose the back of the wall on the side nearest the river, and a strange plastered step was revealed in the wall of the outer living quarters above a section of cobbled floor.
WALK PREPARATION AT RIDD - Report by Tony Nicholls - 11th May 2022
We split our working party into two teams this week. One team went to Rosemoor as usual. The second team went to Ridd to carry out some much-needed clearance work prior to the first guided walk of the year (Sunday 15th May, 2.30pm - Annery Kiln to Ridd).
We split our working party into two teams this week. One team went to Rosemoor as usual. The second team went to Ridd to carry out some much-needed clearance work prior to the first guided walk of the year (Sunday 15th May, 2.30pm - Annery Kiln to Ridd).
Arriving on site, we were unsurprised to see a great deal of vegetation growth. Nettles, in particular, and sedges have spread across much of the ground around the old stable block. However, we have reaped the benefits of the work we did at Ridd last year when we cut back a lot of the well established brambles and saplings with the result that most of the recent growth was young and ‘soft’. We spent the first session strimming the area around the stables and creating a path to the base of the inclined plane. Here, two volunteers tidied up the bottom of the plane itself to expose once again the top of the arch which originally carried the incline over the access road to Ridd. After a welcome coffee break, we then moved to the upper section of the incline and strimmed the area around the wheel pit and the upper docking bays. We have tried to define more clearly the line of the upper half of the plane (the visible section is barely half the width of the original structure) but, unfortunately, trees have grown in several places here. We would really like to remove these at some stage but this is a job for professional tree surgeons. Finally, we made a quick inspection of the remains of the Hunters Inn. Although the walls are still pretty much intact, substantial trees have grown up in the interior and threaten the integrity of this interesting building.
Remains of canal wall
Site of lower docking bays
Bottom of incline
The inclined plane and its associated features merit further investigation. When our work on the Rosemoor project is complete (target date summer 2023), we plan to spend more time on the restoration and interpretation of this area which we hope will enhance public understanding of this fascinating part of the canal.
Entrance to wheelpit inspection chamber
Top of wheel pit
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Top of incline
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Entrance to Hunters Inn
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.
HIT ROCK BOTTOM!
Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 10th May 2022
By the end of the working day on Tuesday (10.04.22) not only were Steve and Nick exhausted from working on rebuilding the face of the middle wharf wall at Sea Lock so was the stock pile of facing stone. The pile of infill is still quite healthy but without anything to use it on that’s not terribly helpful.
Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 10th May 2022
By the end of the working day on Tuesday (10.04.22) not only were Steve and Nick exhausted from working on rebuilding the face of the middle wharf wall at Sea Lock so was the stock pile of facing stone. The pile of infill is still quite healthy but without anything to use it on that’s not terribly helpful.
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Tony and Michael spent more time on removing loose masonry and crumbling mortar. Whilst Tony employed the use of a pointing trowel and brush Michael resorted to using a stick! The majority of tools used on a building site are generally not exactly very 21st century technology but this was certainly a different approach!
Due to other commitments they were only able to stay for a short while but achieved a lot while they were there.
Due to other commitments they were only able to stay for a short while but achieved a lot while they were there.
Whilst all this was going on, I used the Priestman crane to lift the 3 previously cast coping blocks from where they were made and stack them in another place in preparation for laying on the wall. I then reassembled the shuttering for another cast but didn’t get round to filling it.
Later on I completed levelling the remaining spoils from where the Marland bricks had previously been laid and tidied up a few things around the site.
It had been another bright, sunny and warm day and despite the shortage of stone, progress once again is clear to see.
It had been another bright, sunny and warm day and despite the shortage of stone, progress once again is clear to see.
ROSEMOOR RESTORATION REPORT by Michael Elliott - 4th May 2022
A good turnout and warm weather allowed the Rosemoor team to work on several fronts. The gap in the lime kiln arch was reduced from 1000mm to 600mm using stones prepared previously. By a miracle (I mean thanks to skilful preparation) no further trimming with the stone cutter was required. The arch stones were mortared in place using wire tie-backs into the surrounding wall to strengthen the structure. Next week a new set of stones will have to be cut so progress will be slower.
A good turnout and warm weather allowed the Rosemoor team to work on several fronts. The gap in the lime kiln arch was reduced from 1000mm to 600mm using stones prepared previously. By a miracle (I mean thanks to skilful preparation) no further trimming with the stone cutter was required. The arch stones were mortared in place using wire tie-backs into the surrounding wall to strengthen the structure. Next week a new set of stones will have to be cut so progress will be slower.
The tucking mill team focussed on the giant tree stump and exploring the end wall nearest the river. Removing ’the beast’ will need machinery in view of its weight! The end wall is well defined at one end but then becomes a muddle towards the cobbles. Some re-building to define and stabilise the wall also took place, and yours truly mixed a lot of mortar that mostly disappeared behind the arch.
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APPROACHING ROCK BOTTOM Sea Lock report by Adrian Wills - 4th May 2022 While Steve was rooting about in the very small pile of facing stone looking for something suitable to build with (Tuesday 03.05.22), Nick and I were filling the mould I had already prepared to cast another coping stone block. Michael and Tony set to work on wire-brushing off excess mortar from the bricks I had laid over the previous few days. I had begun filling the spaces between them with a mortar mixed with black dye to make the ‘lettering’ stand out. Unfortunately, I ran out of the cement dye and was unable to fill the last couple of gaps. Having cleaned off the bricks as best they could, they then turned their attention to bringing up the ground levels around the wording using the soil which had been dug out when preparing the base. Part of my intention for ‘writing these words’ where they are is so that they could be read from the viewing platform on the Tarka Trail which overlooks the site. The platform had been erected as part of the ‘Life’s Journey’ project started in 2014 under the umbrella of the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere. The platform was situated where users of the Tarka Trail were able to look out over Sea Lock and see the on-going restoration as well as wonderful views down the River Torridge valley. |
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When the platform was first constructed a number of trees below it were felled to open out the view. Sadly, maintenance on this aspect of the Trail has not been regularly undertaken and the view is now obstructed by a new growth of saplings which are coming into full leaf, obscuring the view further. An attempt will be made to remedy this soon.
In the meantime Nick put time into levelling more spoils along the back of the newly completed wharf wall. Steve has rebuilt a considerable area of facing, working under trying conditions. A very large piece of stone has been pushed out of its original alignment. We debated removing it from the wall and replacing it but it proved to be firmly fixed in place and we concluded that it would only create more problems if we disturbed it. Steve managed to stabilize all the masonry around it with minimal disruption, despite the very limited choice of unused facing stone he had to work with. Nick later joined him and spent the last part of the afternoon repointing gaps in the wall. Having completed casting the most recent coper that morning, I spent the rest of the day mixing and transporting mortar, moving a few stones about and frequently standing around looking handsome (as always!). More stone is now desperately needed and soon another section of scaffolding will need to be erected, but otherwise very good progress is being made and the end is nigh! (No thanks to Mr Putin). |
