Restoration Round-up
by Colin Greenall

5th January: Hulme Lock Cottage

The first work party of the year started cold and frosty with hazy sunshine beginning to melt away the early morning mist. We soon began to warm up as we set about unloading tools from the trailer. Once on site we set to and finished off the safety barrier between the cottage and the by-wash. Then the revetment alongside the entrance path was realigned and areas which were to be filled with crushed road stone were made level.

2nd February: Hulme Lock Cottage and Winwick Dry Dock

On our next visit the road stone had been delivered, but had been left by the gate near Winwick Dry Dock. However, since then contractors had been at work erecting a fence alongside the nearby West Coast Main Line Railway and had been driving heavy lorries up and down the path to the cottage resulting in it becoming an almost impassable quagmire, this meant that we could not transport the road stone to the cottage, so other plans had to be made.

It was decided to do some preparation work for the building of a low wall along the ditch, this involved cutting out old brickwork to a firm base. Then some time was spent discussing the safety of the area around the well, because the block paving round its edge is uneven. The final decision was to erect a wooden knee-high safety barrier.

After dinner we moved back down the path to Winwick Dry Dock. Here we cleared out almost all of the unwanted rubbish and vegetation. As the day progressed, the weather deteriorated - and we decided to call it a day and go home when the rain turned to a freezing snow-sleet storm, which left everywhere white and slushy.

9th March: Hulme Lock Cottage

With assurances from Warrington Rangers that the path to Hulme Lock had been repaired we duly turned up, only to find Ranger Steve's van and trailer well and truly stuck in the mud along the said path. With the aid of my Land Rover, we pulled the van clear of the mud and then returned for the trailer. Finally, our tool trailer was brought on site and work commenced. Our task for the day was to install the knee-high safety barrier around the well and alongside the entrance pathway. This was done in the usual way: post hole dug, post inserted and rail leveled before being cemented in. When the barrier was finished the block paving that had been removed was reinstated and the site brushed clean and left tidy. Thanks to everyone who has turned out on these cold and sometimes wet days - I hope you all enjoyed it.

We still have the load of crushed road stone waiting to be transported up to Hulme Lock, but this will have to wait until the path as been repaired - hopefully by the 11th May, which is the date of our next Work Party at this site

For dates of future Work Parties and further details contact Colin Greenall: Tel. 01744 731746 (evening) 01744 732031 (daytime), e-mailcolin.greenall@btopenworld.com

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