Restoration Round-up
by Colin Greenall

In October we had a change from are usual bricklaying activity at Hulme Lock when we took part in the Mersey Basin Clean-up Week of events.

As in other years, our attentions turn to Penkford Bridge and the section of canal that passes beneath it. So with the assistance of St. Helens Ranger Service who kindly arranged for the area around the canal to be strimmed in the week prior to the event and also to supply us with a skip. Pictures of the Work Party's activities are in this newsletter.

Sunday October 12th was the day when 14 volunteers turned up at Penkford Bridge; the weather was dry and mild as work began. Our first task was to rake up all the grass strimmings and clear away any obvious rubbish into the skip, then we made a start on the vegetation growing in the canal. Once people got the hang of using muck rakes (kebs) and grappling hooks, work progressed in fine style on both sides of the bridge so that by mid afternoon the skip was full. During the day refreshments were available to volunteers via our mobile canteen (see photo) the cost of this extravagance was covered by a generous grant from the Mersey Basin Clean - up sponsors MWH (Montgomery Watson Harza) which also allowed us to buy in some new equipment to help with the project.

November 2nd saw us back at Hulme Lock Cottage to continue with the building of the rear wall. The early part of the morning was spent sitting in the tool trailer sheltering from the heavy rain, when the rain stopped work began and good progress was made. At the Dallam end the wall was completed and a retaining wall of sand stone blocks was constructed at right angles to link up to the wooden safety rail, while all this was taking place the area in front of the wall was levelled ready to accept a layer of gravel. Meanwhile at the opposite end of the wall good progress was being made. Only lack of time and materials prevented us from finishing the job.

During the winter month's designs for the interpretation boards will be worked on, this will show the past, present and future of Hulme Lock and Cottage. Below are pictures of the cottage prior to its demolition, and of our Work Party in action preserving its remains.

Sunday 16th had the Work Party engaged in dealing with a pile of soil and old bricks which had been delivered to the Newton Common Lock site the previous Thursday. Our small posse of volunteers sorted, cleaned and stock piled the bricks ready for the rebuilding of the foundations of the lock cottage in the new year. Unfortunately many of the bricks were in a poor condition and will not be suitable for the job, but we managed to clean and stockpile around 800 bricks of reasonable condition. This being the last work party report of 2003 may I take the opportunity to thank all the volunteers for doing so much good work over the past year. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

If anyone is interested in joining our work parties please contact Colin Greenall: Tel 01744 731746 (evenings) 01744 732031 (daytime) e-mail colin.greenall@btopenworld.com.

It is the same cottage in both views. Like most lock cottages, the front elevation, above, was lower than that to the rear, left.

Building a lock is like putting a step into a slope. It is placed at the top of the next change in level, so some of the earth from the lower ground is moved up the hill to form a level approach. This allows the chamber to be built, and gave the canal company the opportunity to reduce the cost of building the keeper's cottage.

The downstairs rooms will have been damp - just in view above are the wooden planks covering the byewash for the lock, which ran between the cottage and the lock. On some canals there was a rule that locks be left empty - to prevent the flooding of the lower rooms of the adjacent lock cottage.

A gantry for the electrified railway line behind the cottage can be seen stretching each side of the tree in the top picture.

Pictures: Brian Bennett

Above: Dave Smallshaw working on a section in the central area of the cottage.

Below: The rear wall of the cottage, looking in the direction from which the lower photograph on the previous page was taken. We have built upon the foundations we uncovered - so the kink in the wall on the right is a bit of a mystery.

Behind the trees is the West Coast Main Line between London and Glasgow.

In view on the far wall is the stone name plate for Hulme Lock. It was not actually visible on the cottage itself, being hidden by the life-buoy holder you can see in the view farther up this page.

Pictures: George Bruce

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