Sorry for the delayed report. Saturday was a day of steady progress with 9 volunteers busy on a variety of tasks. The last section of Platform 1 continues to be built and I guess we are 2 more days work away from completing it. By then, in total the construction gang will have laid approximately 15000 bricks and 2000 blocks. Good going by any standard!Our concerns are now with building up a stock of blue bricks to build Platform 1A. Please continue to let me know of any possible sources. I know they're out there somewhere! In the meantime we are using all of our spare time to clean the bricks that our colleague Robin E extracted from thew Wisley Sewage Works. We have 5000 to clean and there is another 3500 on their way shortly but then that supply will be exhausted. We need 16000 blue bricks in total.
The challenge of Platform 1A is before us. Here you see the general profile(right) of the land concerned. and(left) the height require to keep the platform level.
More news next week!
11 comments:
Hi
Having had a look at the photos I think that you are in to timber/metal piles or cross walls. I know your liking for blue bricks but I do feel that this is more practical. Have you thought of cross walls with precast floor slabs on top similar to a local London station "West Ealing". I'm sure that a blue brick facing wall could be constructed in front if required.
Obviously you would have to purchase the concrete floor slabs though.
Regards
Keith Patterson
Why is it not possible to extend the platforms northward?
Keith/Andy
In finding solutions to all these "challenges", as a Volunteer organization with little money (at the moment) we try and find robust low maintenance solutions that the volunteers can carry out themselves. Modern building solutions (cross walls for example) require special off site fabrication which is well beyond our means.
We will carry on northwards when we have sorted out an unstable embankment adjacent to the next stretch of platform. This again will cost money that we do not yet have!
Thanks again for your comments and interest.
Bill
Maybe you ought to contact Tetbury Town Council and ask if you can acquire their goods shed. Its semi derelict and they have no idea what to do with it.
The rest of tetbury railway station site is littered with blue bricks. There is quite a lot still in situ around the demolished engine shed.
Did you know the station house is for sale?
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-18959244.html
Best regards,
Jo (from Belgium)
Hi Jo,
Yes new people are moving in shortly -hope to see you soon.
Bill
I will investigate the Tetbury source for bricks as soon as I can. Are you local and could you make some enquiries on our behalf?
A search on Google shows a number of hits for Tetbury, including a proposal to restore the Goods Shed, so I'm not sure how recent the restoration work being done on the goods shed is or was or whether it has since fallen into disuse as the webpage gives no date. Clearly if the building was available for reclamation it woulkd be a tremendous boost as it seems, from the photos, to be quite a massive structure. A shame if it was to go but at least its parts would be rebuilding a new GWR station.
I just love the estate agent's advertisement for the ex-Stn Master's House and cottages with regard to the distance to the nearest railway station. Oh the irony!
Im reasonably local to Tetbury (I live about 2 miles away). I dont really know anyone on the council to talk about it Im afraid, but there has been talk for donkeys years about restoring it as a community centre. But its poorly located, there is no money available and its slowly being ripped to shreds by vandals. Sustrains was talking about using the tetbury branch as a cycle route around 2007, but nothing came of that either, other than a general tidying up of the site at the tetbury end. I think that was the last hope for the building really. Its been set fire to once already.
TBH, Id prefer it to be used as a Goods shed, and presumably you would find one useful at Honeybourne at some point. OTOH, if its going to be destroyed (which is arguably only a matter of time) better its reused in rebuilding a GWR structure if possible I say.
Even if they dont let you that, I think looking around the site one can see a number of loose blue imperial bricks lying around, many of them up near the station end of the site. (A lot still in situ in the foundations of the 14xx engine shed) If you can get permission from the council there are a number of areas you might yield a useful number bricks, particularly the platform area. Also the cattle pens, though I suspect for various reasons (Not least the famous market) they would want to keep that.
Let me know if you have any luck. Im unemployed and as Its local Id be happy to give a hand.
One other suggestion, I notice the GWR station at winterbourne which was used as a garage is now empty. Im not sure if its on the market, or if they are compatible bricks however. Badminton (which looked very similar to Honeybourne at a glance) I think is still in use as a coal depot.
Stuart,
I will contact Tetbury Council this week to find out the status of the Good Shed and the bits and pieces around it. I will keep you posted.
Bill
The station at Winterbourne is no longer vacant - it has been taken over by some religious group, renovated and extended.
Post a Comment