Don't
forget you can CLICK on a photo to view a larger image.
Go to January 2007
16th November 2007
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Windshaft arrives from Essex and
curb ring. return to Latest News
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A bitterly cold day was 'chosen' to collect the windshaft from Vincent Pargeter's workshop in Essex.
(23rd November 2007) |
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Unloading the windshaft at Ockley.
(23rd November 2007) |
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The windshaft safely at Ockley.
(23rd November 2007) |
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Close-up of the neck journal which is clad with alternating strips of oak and wrought iron.
(23rd November 2007) |
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The curb pieces ready for assembly - there are 16 pieces of oak altogether which will form the ring at the top of the tower.
(16th November 2007) |
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11th
November 2007
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News update
back to top of page
Well what can I say except, what with being the
Project Manager, the Architect and carrying out a
lot of work on the brickwork
restoration I have had little time to update the website! So much has
happened as well and somewhat quicker than expected so please go to
May 2007
and don't forget that
you can click on the
pictures to enlarge them.
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Internal arch over the main door to spread the load to the brickwork either side of the door.
(2nd November 2007) |
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Some remains of the original timber infill were found at this point - just above the tape.
(2nd November 2007) |
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Much clearer in this view including the death watch beetle holes, which suggest this was oak.
(2nd November 2007) |
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Bricking up over the door with John (nearest), Eddie (left) and Andy.
(3rd November 2007) |
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Placing the new 'PJ 2007' date brick.
(3rd November 2007) |
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Almost to the top!
(4th November 2007) |
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The lower sill and top ring of the mill tower as assembled at the works of JHE with Anthony Hole.
(9th November 2007) |
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One of the sill joints showing the mortise for the corner or 'cant' post.
(9th November 2007) |
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Laying the final courses.
(10th November 2007) |
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Front to full height for the first time since 1944.
(11th November 2007) |
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Details of the date bricks above the door.
(11th November 2007) |
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October 2007
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Door, roof, more brickwork and work starts on tower!
back to top of page
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Flat roof of the corridor between the granary and the mill ready for covering.
(7th October 2007)
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Damaged bricks around the door removed ready for replacement.
(11th October 2007) |
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Badly infilled bricks adjacent to the door - these will be removed and replaced. Similar to the photo dated 6th September.
(11th October 2007) |
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David Archer assembling the main door frame - the top of the old frame was still in situ so we have been able to accuracy produce a replacement frame. |
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(13th October 2007) |
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All of the joints are draw-dowelled in the traditional way.
(13th October 2007) |
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John repairing the brickwork around the door - notice the flat cap!
(13th October 2007) |
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The first portion of the sill is repaired. This sill extends around the whole of the mill base and needs extensive repair.
(14th October 2007) |
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The timbers for the mill tower newly delivered at Jeremy Hole Engineering in Burgess Hill. The eight main posts are 10 inches square and 34 feet long! |
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(19th October 2007) |
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John from JHE cutting out the oak curb for the top of the tower.
(19th October 2007) |
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The curb sections cut and ready for planing; two layers of these make up the thickness of the curb.
(19th October 2007) |
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Tiles in place ready to fit.
(23rd October 2007) |
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Adrian tiling the granary.
(23rd October 2007) |
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Door and sill brickwork restored
(26th October 2007) |
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Compare this with the photo above.
(26th October 2007) |
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Close-up of the bonnet tiles all fitted very neetly.
(26th October 2007) |
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Looking back towards the mill base showing the rebuilt arch.
(26th October 2007) |
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A huge compass was made to mark out the formers for the arches - this being for the internal arch over the main door.
(27th October 2007) |
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Fitting the door frame.
(27th October 2007) |
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Starting the brickwork restoration over the door - this would include the re-instatement of the date bricks.
(27th October 2007) |
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Date bricks (including a new one) ready to go back in the wall.
(27th October 2007) |
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The initials 'R K 1803' were discovered on the end of one of the date bricks during cleaning. This will not be visible on completion though! |
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(27th October 2007) |
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The brickwork is now starting to move towards completion as can be seen in this view.
(31st October 2007) |
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go
to 11th November 2007
September 2007
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Brickwork restoration continues.
back to top of page
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All around the base halfway up there is a brick infill where timber beams once were - it is hollow behind the infill and hence needs replacing. |
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(6th September 2007) |
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To keep up with the Saturday bricklaying gang I had to clean bricks during the week.
(12th September 2007) |
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New oak lintels in place over the window.
(23rd September 2007) |
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Ready to rebuilt now the loose bricks have been removed.
(23rd September 2007) |
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Andy re-building the window arch.
(29th September 2007) |
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Showing the wooden former over which the new arch was built.
(29th September 2007) |
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Window arch complete.
(29th September 2007) |
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go
to October 2007
August 2007
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Granary frame and brickwork.
back to top of page
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Removing loose masonry.
(2nd August 2007) |
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Romoving the arch and rotten lintels above the door.
(2nd August 2007) |
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This gives an idea of just how many loose bricks had to be removed.
(2nd August 2007) |
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Granary framing taking shape.
(9th August 2007) |
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Granary roof framing.
(10th August 2007) |
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The brickwork looks very runious in this photo!
(10th August 2007) |
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Site view looking south.
(10th August 2007) |
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Bob and Des boarding the granary.
(17th August 2007) |
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I wanted to keep the roof space fairly open so I designed this steel tie system.
(17th August 2007) |
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The oak lintels in place over the door to the granary.
(18th August 2007) |
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Bricking up above the new lintels.
(27th August 2007) |
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Complete and ready to attach the corridor framing.
(27th August 2007) |
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The window arch had 'collapsed' and needs replacing.
(27th August 2007) |
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go
to September 2007
July 2007
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Brickwork and staddles.
back to top of page
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Starting to rake out the mortar joints ready for pointing with the hardcore in place in the foreground.
(8th July 2007)
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John Capstick of Wimlands Building Company starting the pointing - only 850 metres to go!
(14th July 2007) |
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Ready to pour the concrete.
(14th July 2007) |
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Details showing the pointing removed - it is amazing how the appearance of the brickwork is suddenly transformed.
(14th July 2007) |
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Pointing and frost eroded bricks cut-out ready for repair.
(15th July 2007) |
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Andy and John building the granary sleeper walls; the concrete base for the staddles is complete in the background.
(21st July 2007) |
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First staddle in position - most granaries were raised on these to prevent rats climbing up to get the grain.
(22nd July 2007) |
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John pointing the staddles.
(24th July 2007) |
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Walls and staddles complete and ready for the timber frame.
(28th July 2007) |
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Rob & Des from B&C Carpentry laying the oak sole plates.
(30th July 2007) |
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Sole plates complete.
(30th July 2007) |
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Starting the granary framework.
(31st July 2007) |
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Removing decayed masonry - water from the rotten oak lintels had over the years washed out the lime from the mortar either side of the door.
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(31st July 2007) |
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go
to August 2007
June 2007
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Brickwork and foundations.
back to top of page
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Cutting through the 600mm thick wall for the door to the granary.
(2nd June 2007) |
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Door halfway down with Bridget posing for the camera.
(3rd June 2007) |
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My turn to pose!
(3rd June 2007) |
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Installing the drains.
(8th June2007) |
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Door finished at last!
(8th June 2007) |
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What the best dressed women is wearing this year!
(8th June 2007) |
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Blocks were used below ground for the lower courses of the granary walls.
(15th June 2007) |
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Blocks all finished; the far end is where the staddles will go hence there are no walls.
(15th June 2007) |
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A small retaining line of bricks is built to retain the hardcore for the concrete base.
(18th June 2007) |
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The waste treatment plant being delivered and unloaded in a rather precarious fashion, although it is fibreglass and not very heavy.
(30th June 2007) |
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go
to July 2007
May 2007
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Work starts in earnest.
back to top of page
The first job to do was to pressure wash the
entire base inside and out - a very wet exercise!
This though was very necessary
to remove 200 years of algae and moss growth so that I could
see in detail the
exact state of the individual bricks and mortar beds. Interestingly this
revealed
many drips of tar on the brickwork thus proving the tower was tarred.
The brickwork restoration is arguably the most
difficult and time consuming part of the project
and for these reasons I had
decided to do all of the preparation work myself. This entails cutting
out all
of the frost eroded bricks (approx 300 in all); running out 850 metres of mortar
joints to a
depth of 25mm ready for pointing using a diamond blade in an angle
grinder amid clouds of dust;
removing brick courses where the mortar has
failed; cutting a door through the 600mm thick wall
for access to the granary;
obtaining and preparing all of the new lintels (none of the original ones
could
be re-used due to extensive rot), and finally cleaning at least 1000 bricks removed during the
above operations so that they could be re-used in the
restoration. Contractors would be employed
to re-lay the brickwork and do all of
the pointing in addition to building the granary.
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The door to the granary was marked by cutting slots with an angle grinder.
(18th May 2007) |
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All of the brickwork was pressure washed and here you can see the contrast.
(18th May 2007) |
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Marking out the granary
(19th May 2007) |
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The top soil has been removed - you can see the frames or 'profiles' from which the marking out lines are run.
(22nd May 2007) |
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Foundations dug out to one metre deep as viewed from the top of the base.
(25th May 2007) |
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The trench revealed the full dept of the mill's foundations - these were found to be 970mm from the sill and 900mm wide; predominantly of sandstone.
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(25th May 2007) |
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Wimlands Building Company pouring the concrete.
(25th May 2007) |
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The changing aspect as seen from the mill base.
(25th May 2007) |
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go
to June 2007
3rd April 2007
-
Building Regulation approval!
back to top of page
I am very pleased to be able to say that my
detailed plans have been passed thus allowing me to
start the build.
The
approval in the end only took three weeks, but I had lost more than that because
the Council
sent the first
reply to the windmill and hence it never arrived. By
the time I chased for a reply several weeks had
been lost!
19th March 2007
-
Track complete and building work to start soon!
I bet you have all wondered what has been
happening since the last update! Well firstly the track was
finished back in
August, but not before a change of contractor - such is life! Since then I have
been
extremely busy at home producing 16 sheets of A2 drawings for the Building
Regulations. This has
entailed a crash course in construction together with
design help from a number of sources not least
of all the Essex Millwright
Vincent Pargeter. The drawings were submitted on February 19th and I have
since
had a reply requesting some changes which I am currently working through. In
parallel with this
I am working on the tendering process with the aim of
starting building work sometime in April.
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Excavating the turning area August 10th 2006 |
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Crushed concrete being levelled |
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Crushed concrete being poured on top of the geotextile matting (stops the concrete migrating into the subsoil) |
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Ready for the finished surface to be applied 14th August |
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The finished track on 11th March |
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As viewed from the top of the base |
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go to
3rd April 2007
return to Latest News
