St Cuthbert's Primary School - Sports Field Wall

We return with a team of six (Catriona, Graham, Matthew, Richard, Roderick and Tony) for further work on the sports field wall.

Work gets underway on the the middle gap around the tree

Catriona calls time for the lunch break

 

Meanwhile at the top gap, Graham assess how much of the wall will need to be taken down

and here is the result later in the day

The finished middle gap at close of play

 

At the top gap by close of play 

Tony

Soggy St. Cuthberts

We welcomed a new waller this week, a Tuesday volunteer convert, Mitch.
Mitch joined Barry, Graham, Roderick  and myself in trying to get a bit further with the middle section of walling at St. Cuthberts.
Thankfully we were reasonably well sheltered from the anticipated rain by the tree we're currently working under.
We managed a couple or 3 courses before calling it a day in the hope of avoiding any more rain.
We then had a lovely time sliding out of the now very slippery field.

 

The start of the day

By Lunch time

By mid afternoon

 The end of the day

Richard H.

Grid Ref: SE 15729 65925

Wallers: 5

St Cuthbert's Primary School - Sports Field Wall

The task here is to rebuild at least three collapsed sections of the boundary wall. The team today was Barry, Catriona, Graham, Richard and Tony.
 

Bottom gap

Middle gap

Top gap

 
It was decided to tackle the middle gap which had been caused by a very large sycamore tree. It was therefore necessary to strip down both sides of the wall to foundation level and rebuild a curved section to avoid the tree roots.

The first task is to separate the cemented toppers

The curve starts to take shape with a bridge across the tree roots

The work area was taped off as schoolchildren, teaching staff, and grounds maintenance staff may use the field while the work is ongoing.  Today there were no horses to worry about.

At close of play

Tony

Goodbye to Beauty at Spring Wood Top

Back for a final session to complete topping out the bottom wall and tidying up three gaps. With a crowd of three (Matthew, Richard and Tony) the hope was that we would be finished by lunch time.

A small collapse near the main gate before and after Richard and Matthew got at it - also showing the fine finished work by Tony (top right of right hand photo)

Protective measures in place whilst Beauty is around

The bottom wall is completed

and the corner wall as well

The final gap is nearly complete and Beauty is never far away from the action

The last topper is placed

The long view makes all the joints seem ever so good.

The other side!

The finished wall from last week showing the gate in place

 

 

Just one more stone to move - I don't think so

and goodbye to Beauty

Richard & Tony

Gate Wall finished

Three wallers turned up on a warm but misty morning at Wath. We met Tom Wheelwright at the Sportsman's Arms car park and he kindly offered to bring some more coping stone up to us.

Things got of to a flying start when Beauty the horse decided to pinch Roderick’s hat (again) and take it for a spin round the field with Roderick in pursuit. Hat retrieved Roderick, Matthew and I made reasonable progress.

We were joined by Richard III at lunch time. Who helped us crack on and we were able to put the, very heavy, toppers on by the end of the day.

But the fun did not end there. Having driven through think fog in the morning I had put my lights on, I did not however switch them off upon arrival. I returned from walling to one very dead battery. Thankfully the rest of the gang knew how to resolve the issue and I'm very grateful to them for pushing me slowly backward and then much faster forwards to give the battered old Polo a kick start.
Thank you very much Matthew, Rod, and Richard.

 

Richard.

No. Wallers - 4

Grid Ref: SE 14735 68149

Warm wet walling

Catriona, Graham, Barry, Matthew and I were joined by Matthews neighbour Richard (no sooner does one departs than another one turns up!) for a sunny and hot days walling at Spring Wood Top. Matthew (again) kindly ferried everyones kit to the top and we split into two groups, Catriona and Graham working on the lower section, the rest of us had a go at finishing the wall with the gate at the end. Richard and I were helped no end in our endeavours by the more than sufficient amount of very soggy mud underfoot. Matthew and Barry worked on the dry side.

Neither group succeeded in their aim to finish but Graham and Catriona were all but an unhelping hand from completion, with Barry and I doing a great job of dismantling parts they had already finished. Sorry.  

It must be noted that my call to arms prediction that we might finish this week was wildly optimistic, and we may indeed need another couple of weeks to finish off all the small gaps and falls that require attention. 

Lunch time up near the house

Mid afternoon at the gate section

The end of the day at the Gate end wall

The end of the day at the lower wall

 

Richard

No. Waller: 6

Grid Ref: SE 14735 68149