Wordsworth House, Cockermouth

John Strong, foreman mason based at our sister yard Bowe Barn in Keswick, had occasion recently to attend Wordsworth House to carry out roof repairs. 

Here we see John using a "cherry picker" to carry out the repairs to stop water ingress.

The chimney stack and ridge needed attention after which John used some lime wash on the gable end.

Permission from the local authority to close the road was also necessary. 

New gates at Sizergh Castle

The direct labour team here at Thwaite Yard were recently asked to construct replacement gates for Sizergh Castle, http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sizergh-castle.  These were to be made from oak and were to replace gates installed approximately 40 years ago.  What made this project more interesting was that Debbie Williams, assistant producer National Treasures, of RDF Television West, wanted to film the making and hanging of the gates for a television programme.  This programme, to be shown later in the year, is following the "back room" men and women of the National Trust.

 Bill looks on while Russ prepares the second gate for hanging.

Russ in front of the almost finished gates.

BAE apprentice, Denver, was given the honour of fitting the "king plank" - the final piece in the jigsaw.

The joints between the decking is "caulked" with cotton twine which is hammered tightly into place using a specialist "caulking iron".

The caulking process is completed by filling the joints with a waterproof sealant which is sanded down when fully cured.  One of the biggest problems Bill and Russ encountered was the low temperatures experiences during the refit.  The adhesive and the sealant needed temperatures of 5 degrees and rising over a sustained period.  Due to the fact they can only carry out major repairs when Gondola is out of the water for the winter it makes the work more challenging.

The planks are drilled then bolted onto the steelwork and the holes plugged.  The Iroko plugs are planed flat prior to sanding.



 











Gondola refit continued

Winter seems a long time ago now, especially since we seem to have actually had some summer but Bill and Russ worked throughout the winter months to complete the refit on SY Gondola.  Below are some photographs with captions explaining the work they carried out.



This is the start of replacing the deck. Having previously machined the Iroko timber into decking planks Bill and Russ start to lay out and fit the cover boards to create the frame of the new aft deck. The staggered effect seen on the outside of the cover boards is known as "juggling".

Once the cover boards are in place, the decking planks are then fitted.

It's a busy work area as not only are Bill and Russ laying the new deck, but the Gondola crew were preparing the engine and boiler space for installation of a new prop shaft and bearings assisted by two of BAE's engineering apprentices.


Works in October and into November

At High Close Youth Hostel, our joiner has made an oak gate to their main entrance being partly funded by the hostel itself.

Our builders at present are working at High Ground farm relining a chimney flue so the tenant can install his multi-fuel stove but we found that the stone work to the three chimney stacks is perished and so we will have to rebuild the stacks with fresh stone acquired from Burlington quarries.

The stone comes with sawn edges so we have to dress the stone to make them look more in keeping with the age of the property - a labourious task.

The stack, with two flues, is beginning to take shape.  When we have completed this one, we move onto Slack Cottage at Wray to reline and fit a multi-fuel stove for the tenants.

SY Gondola Revisited

It's that time of year again when the Steam Yacht Gondola will be coming out of the water here at Coniston and we will be undertaking the annual maintenance work. The last sailing of the season will be Sunday 4 November 2012. In preparation, Bill and Russ have been replacing the keel blocks. 

                    

What is a keel block? you ask.  The above photographs show you that they are what the boat sits on as it comes out of the water.  These oak and metal ones are replacing the old ones that were made of larch.  More photographs to follow as work progresses.

"Hot Works" for Croft Farmhouse

This is to show the process of lead being welded to create the apron at the bottom of a chimney stack for Croft Farmhouse.  The work was carried out at Bowe Barn, Keswick and not on site as we are not allowed to use anything that can cause a fire in our properties so this reduces the risk of fire damage.  A permit needs to be obtained from the property's General Manager.  The process of lead welding has been developed instead of beating the lead into the shape required.  Oxygen and acetylene is used to get the lead up to the correct temperature to enable it to be shaped.