Restoration Round-up Part 1: Work Party Report by Colin Greenall

Since the last issue our work party volunteers have been busy at three locations: Hulme Lock, Newton Common Lock and Bradley Lock

1. Sunday 13th January 2008: Clearance work at Hulme Lock Cottage

It's raining and it's miserable when Arthur, Darren and I arrive at Winwick Yard to pick up the tools from the trailer. At the yard Ian, Peter and Paul joined us. The trailer is parked very close to a van and was almost impossible to pull out without touching it, but we managed to move it enough to allow us access to the back doors.

Once the tools had been selected for the day's project they were loaded into wheelbarrows and taken off down the towpath to Hulme Lock Cottage. The rest of us followed in the cars.

Bob Meadows hard at work clearing the block paving. Photo: Colin Greenall

On site Peter and Paul began cutting out all the brambles that had began to take a hold around the cottage walls. Arthur got to work in what we call the cesspit and cleared out the grass, brambles and a young tree.

The entrance path was one area where the brambles were beginning to restrict passage this was dealt with by Ian. I began scraping weeds and unwanted grass from the block paved areas at the rear of the cottage and was later joined by Bob.

Bob also cleaned the Sankey Valley Park Information board that had become almost unreadable with green algae. Darren was kept busy wheeling barrow loads of cut back vegetation to the tipping area.

When we had our break for dinner the site was beginning to look a lot tidier, it was at this point that Bob and Ian went home, and John and George joined us. John set to at scraping the block paving, and George paired up with Paul and began clearing out the workshop room. When Arthur had finished in the cesspit he moved over into the washhouse and cleared the floor of unwanted grass and weeds.

By mid afternoon most of the work on the cottage was complete so Peter, John and I began to clear some of the brambles and young trees that were growing in the wall of the lock chamber.

As the day went on the rain ceased and the wind grew stronger and by three o'clock we decide to call it a day.

Tools were cleaned and taken back the trailer in the yard and we all went home

Note, There has been some vandalism on site over the last year, the faggot oven has been damaged and the stone from it is now in the well, thrown there by the demolition gang just to make a big splash. Well, it's safe in there until we require it to do the repair job.

2. Sunday 17th February 2008: Clearance work at Newton Common Lock

It's a real frosty morning as I turn out and begin to scrape the ice of the car windscreen but the sun is shinning brightly in a clear blue sky and every thing looks set for a good day.

I pick up Darren and Arthur on the way to Winwick yard. There we pulled out the trailer and selected the tools we will need for the day's project.

Once the tools are selected and placed in the boot of my car it's off to Newton Common Lock where hopefully the rest of the volunteers will be waiting. We are a bit late getting to the work site (10-15am) and nearly everyone is there including three Rangers.

Chris Palin putting the final touches to his clearing off of the lock copings. Photo: Colin Greenall

The tools are unloaded and after the usual welcomes etc. work begins.

The three Rangers (Barry, Helen & John) plus Peter and Darren engage them selves in repairing the perimeter fence, the rest of us get to work on clearing the lock and cottage area of unwanted vegetation,Ian is busy pulling out young sapling, which have sprung up all over the cottage area. Arthur, Bob and Paul get stuck into the brambles, while I begin to move the cut down vegetation to the tipping site.

Peter Shepherd arrives and he sets to on clearing the coping stone of the lock, then Chris Palin turns up to complete the team and is soon is at work helping to clear the cottage area.

At dinner time Ian and Peter S went home, the Rangers went back to their base at Blackbrook, while the rest of us sat down and enjoyed our dinner in the lovely spring sunshine

After dinner it was just a case of finishing off clearing around the lock copingstone and cutting back the remaining vegetation on the site.

When we had almost finished two of the rangers came back to check that we were OK and talk over future work parties with them: i.e. Bradley lock, Bradley Swing Bridge, Penkford Bridge, and the New Double Locks in the town centre. Also discussed as was the possibility of digging out more of Newton Common lock.

The site was given a final check over before the tools were placed in the car boot then it was of to Winwick yard, Chris Palin came with us to give us a hand getting the tools back in the trailer and pushing it back in its place.

Then it was home time, another good day's work done.

3. Sunday 16th March 2008: Removing trees from the site of Bradley Lock Cottage

To save time on Sunday I had a trip out to Winwick to collect the tools on Saturday.

Sunday morning dawned dull and cold but no sign of any rain. I picked up Darren and Arthur on the way to Bradley swing bridge car park. We arrived early and waited for the rest to show up, eventually Peter K arrived followed by Andy and Ian... who said he'd been waiting at Hey Lock. The tools were unloaded from the car into the wheelbarrow and we all set off to walk the two hundred yard up the towpath to Bradley Lock.

As we were approaching Bradley Lock we could see the Rangers' pick-up truck and trailer parked nearby and Ranger Barry Fleetwood hard at work digging out the footpath, which at this point as deteriorated into nothing more than a muddy strip alongside the lock. Barry welcomed us and told us that he was on his own today and that he had brought some extra saws if we required them and the trailer was for the thick tree stumps that wouldn't go through the shredder.

The site was on the off-side of the lock where the lock cottage had once stood. By the top gate was a largish tree that had been blown over sometime ago. Towards the centre of the lock another largish tree that had become rotten at ground level was beginning to topple over. Intermingled with this tree were many smaller saplings that needed to be removed.

Ian Hornby gets to grips with cutting down the tree growth. Photo: Colin Greenall

Work commence on the tree near the top gates. The cut branches were carried across to the towpath side and stacked ready for the shredder when it comes on site next Wednesday. (I must point out that the canal is filled in above the top gates so ferrying the trees across was no problem.)

By 11-00am Chris and the other Peter S had arrived and it wasn't long after that John appeared.

Now with the full work force things really got going with four cutting and five carrying the first tree disappeared leaving only the thick roots and stump which Barry promised would be removed by chain saw in the coming week. What a difference it made to the site, opening it up to allow in the light.

Next it was time to start on the next group of trees. These were cut down and stacked in the space left where the other tree had stood. Again the stumps were left to be removed with a chain saw.

By now it was dinnertime, and the chance to relax in the sunshine, which had managed to break through even though it was still very cold. Ian and Peter S went home to leave seven of us to carry on. Barry the Ranger left us soon after, as he had to get the trailer back for 2pm. The date of the next work party was arranged, when we would be back here to clear away the ground cover to see if we can locate the site of the lock cottage.

This aerial view of the Sankey Sugar Works, thought to date from around 1929, is full of interest and history. Very little in view is still as it was then. Most obviously, of course, the Sugar Works has gone. So also has Vitriol Square - and the lock cottage beside Bradley Lock, seen on the far right of the shot, with the lay-by upstream of the lock, in which sit two barges. The Mucky Mountains are still there, however!

After dinner the coping stones of the lock were cleared of vegetation and the entrance to the lock from the large basin that existed above the lock was traced (See photo right). Further clearance work took place in the basin, revealing a large portion of wall made up of sandstone blocks. A quick survey with the divining rods revealed a large rectangle of ground approximately were the cottage had stood.

It was now mid afternoon and everyone was beginning to droop so we decided to call it a day and gather up the tools and go home. The tools were cleaned and put back in the car ready to be taken back to Winwick. Chris came along to give us a hand pulling out the trailer so that the tools could be stored away.

4. Sunday 13th April 2008: More work at Bradley Lock

Once again I had a trip out to Winwick on Saturday afternoon to pick up the tools for Sunday.

Sunday morning, and its been raining heavily all night, and it was still raining as I set off to pick up Darren and Arthur, but by the time we reached Bradley Swing Bridge car park the sun had come out and remained out all day, apart from a shower of hail stones around lunch time.

People began to arrive - first Peter Keen, then Peter Shepherd, followed by Bob and Ian. The tools were unloaded from my car into the wheelbarrow and we then set off to walk up the towpath to Bradley Lock. On site we set up a shelter to keep things dry if it rained again and sorted out the tools. Paul arrived on his bike and then work began.

The first task was to clear away and stack the thick tree branches that had not gone through the chipper. Then the site was raked clear of debris and any loose vegetation. After an hour or so the site became quite bare except for the sawn off stumps of trees. Chris arrived. followed soon after by Dave with his metal detector.

Peter Keen our "Time Team" expert writing up the measurement of the cottage. Photo: Colin Greenall

Under the guidance of Peter Keen (right), our "archaeologist", we turned our attention to finding the remains of the lock cottage.

The first thing we did to give us a starting point was to dig a trench from an area where we had got a reading with the divining rods. (See Peter Keen's article) Soon an area of red shale was uncovered and various digs along the lock side indicated that this covered the whole of the area in front of the cottage. Then we extended the trench away from the lock. This led to the finding of sandstone blocks and, beyond that, a flat area of flooring. The sandstone blocks were traced to reveal the shape of the cottage (see drawing of plan of cottage, below).

Further investigation proved difficult because of the root growth over the site. However, the two gable end walls were found, thus giving us an idea of the size of the cottage.

After much deliberation on our findings, and the taking of measurements, the whole area of the cottage was filled in and left for further investigation at a future date.

The tools were then gathered together and taken back to the car to be put back in the trailer and shed at Winwick yard.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who turned out during this period, Thank you.

For more details on our work party activities visit SCARS website, or contact Work Party Organiser Colin Greenall Tel. 01744 731746 (evenings) 01744 732031 (day time).

Restoration Round-up Part 2: Restoration News in the Three Boroughs
by Colin Greenall

1. Spike Island Locks, Halton Borough

Photo 1 Lock gates being removed	Photo 2 Silt in lock chamber

During March and April Halton BC brought in contractors to refurbish the bottom gates and de-silt the lock chamber. The gates were removed on Tuesday 11th March and refurbishment carried out on site. This work involved the replacement of planking and the strengthening of the joints etc. While the gates were out the lock chamber was cleared of silt. The gates were replaced on Thursday the 24th April.

2. Bewsey Lock, Warrington Borough

Photo 1 Block paving	Photo 2 Trees removed from lock overflow

Further work has been undertaken by Warrington BC on the Bewsey Lock site. Block paving has been put in on the towpath side of the lock and the large trees that obscured the view of the lock overflow have been cut down.

3. Bradley Swing Bridge, St Helens MBC

Photo 1 Bridge during work	Photo 2 Bridge after completion of work

During March & April St.Helens MBC have been at work refurbishing Bradley Swing Bridge, the work has involved the removal of some of the badly rusted railings and a complete new paint job in green.

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