The Park Pale at Markenfield Hall - 5 March 2014

Back to the Pale wall with a team of eight  (Catriona, Chris, Graham, Paul, Richard H, Richard P, Roger and Tony).

At our mid-morning break we received a visit from Ian Curteis. He explained that the field behind us was used to create bunkers to train soldiers from the Ripon camp, before they headed out to fight on the front line in the First World War. 

With regard to progress on the wall, Chris explained that the aim was to finish rebuilding this current stretch and then move on to the group’s next project. A further return to the pale wall would be planned for in the future.  Ian thanked everyone for all the work they had done so far.

So come on everyone lets get started

  

      The view over to the "trench" field



      

 A "cheek end" is built to mark the finish of the current phase

Back next week to complete

The Park Pale at Markenfield Hall - 26 February 2014

Before commencing our outdoor duty, the morning started with the NAWG AGM held in the Undercroft of Markenfield Hall with 13 members attending.  After the meeting we were treated to a brief history talk by the owner Ian Curteis and a guided tour of the Great Hall and Chapel.

More information about the Hall can be found here http://www.markenfield.com/

Around midday, eight volunteers revisited the Pale wall to tackle a new stint.  

  

Everyone putting their backs into the task.

Richard has his eye on just the right stone.



Another stretch stripped out and partially rebuilt.

  
 

The Park Pale at Markenfield Hall - 19 February 2014

A team consisting of Catriona, Richard P, Richard H, Paul, Roger, Graham D and Tony completed topping out another length of the wall. 

 A visit from Chris (resting from the previous day's exertions whilst walling) to check on our progress.

  Big decision to be made by Chris whether to lift a stone or not.

 Paul did not hear the call for the lunch break.

 Nearly completed and Graham starts to tidy up.

The finished section

Is this the next section to rebuild  ??

Jenny Ruth Project

Here are the pictures showing the finished wall which was completed just before Christmas.

Updated by Tony H

Hello again!

Having been chastised about the lack of blogging this year I thought it was probably high time I logged back in to update the world on our comings and goings.

Well there have been stints at Markenfield Hall, a crack at the competition wall on the Pateley Showground (not to compete but complete!), a long slog down the hill in Hackfall, a short push out at Bramhope, some rather exciting dry (ish) stone wall boundary markers for the Aonb, we've been revisited by some old Friends, made new friends and very sadly said goodbye to a good friend.

I have been shamefully missing from the wallface but that's the gist of it, I'm sure there's more and as it comes to me I'll update the blog accordingly.

So fast forward to October 2013 and we find ourselves working a lovely project for the Jenny Ruth Workshops, find out more about the fantastic work they do here http://www.jennyruth.co.uk.  We are creating a new wall adjacent to the workshop to enhance an outdoor work space.  A challenging project with curves and steps, the spirit levels are out and heavy duty equipment is in place, a stone dressing table is in the offing, this is taking walling into the next century!! Wait.., we're already there!

Over the past few weeks we've sorted the stone, laid the foundations and we're just starting the first lift.  The going is muddy but we are adequately compensated with tea breaks, hot and cold running water and on site loos!

In short we're having a blast! 

Photos below, see you soon, Em.

Roger is learning to cope with the toppers.

Paul and the incredible horizontal foundation.

Oops looked at the foundations slightly funny and they're no longer horizontal!

Cope manufactioning facility.

Looks like a very small wall has sprung up between Roderick and Roger (I think I feel a Monty Python sketch coming on!)

Chris deminstrates the finer points of using the guillotine.

Paul at Richard gather at the guillotine to witness the stone decapitation!

A Happy New Year To All (Both) Our Readers

Brrrrr!!  Yeah, yeah, I know ... no blog in December but then, given the wide readership it attracts (not), who was going to miss it?  Still, duty calls and I promised to record activity so activity I shall record.

I think there was only one particularly wet Wednesday when we all agreed that nuff was nuff and stayed at home or at least found other drier things to occupy our time.  For the rest, the group has been plugging away at Hackfall Woods with good solid progress made in the direction of the river. 

Progress uphill has been halted by an inconsiderate birch which threw itself on the wall in a mad final bid to become a Woodland Trust tree rather than Swinton Estate firewood.  Thankfully, it fell on a bit of wall which neither we nor the Hackfall Volunteers had yet tackled.

(PS Photos - courtesy of Richard P - to follow when I've worked out why the blog system has changed since November and how to upload stuff from my steamdriven laptop).

Word on the street is that the Woodland Trust has finally agreed to the necessary funding and work on the funicular railway/chairlift from the car park to the river bank is expected to start ... not a moment too soon.  Creaking bodies can manage a few hours walling (with suitable breaks for refreshment) but the slog uphill to the car park afterwards is enough to leave stronger and younger folk weak at the knees.

The main partipants (masochists) of late have been the Richards, Graham, Paul and Roger with occasional visits from other members (apologies if I have forgotten anyone).  Phillip and Catriona are on 'temporary secondment) to the Bramhope Scout HQ project where I understand they are overwintering while Pete and Anita ply them with coffee and a warm hut in which to shelter.  Softies!

Next week?  Subject to snowfall and frost levels (we spent rather a lot of time today chipping stone out of the permafrost) it'll be Hackfall again..

Where does the time go?

Irrefutable evidence indicates that no-one has blogged since 17th October but don't let the pregnant pause fool you ... the group has been hard at work.

After our soggy sojourn on Greenhow, we decamped to Woodland Trust territory at Hackfall Woods.  It's a charming spot and our walling site has only two drawbacks - the midges got there first and have no intention of going quietly and the wall lies down near the River Ure (or Yore as I prefer to think of it) which is fine in a morning but quite hard work on the way back out after a day's walling.  Other than that, it's a nice home for us for at least the first part of winter.

The stone is variable and in short supply so we've already reduced the height of the wall to 40" below the copes which is still adequate.  After four weeks we have completed a rebuild on around 15 metres and are up to copes on a further five or so.  Quite rapid progress for us!

This week the Richards found themselves in company with Em, Graham, Roger and myself, Phillip and Catriona having decided to help move the scout centre wall forward at Bramhope with Pete and Anita.  Thanks to Richard for the photos below:

Richard happened to mention that he'd dropped a 50p piece
Suddenly no-one's interested in the wall any more