Restoration Blog

SDC Tuesday Team

by: Ian Moody

This week our Tuesday group was boosted by a group of 8 folks from Ecclesiastical Insurance and most welcome they were too.  We all headed over to Ryeford to continue the good work done by Wycliffe College last week.  The swing bridge was treated to a second coat of white paint and then attention moved to the black parts, including the bottom rail and the various bits of metalwork adjacent to the bridge.

Workboat Delilah was put to good use as a floating work platform to enable the painters to get the outside face of the bridge. 

Meanwhile a small team did some repairs to the concrete steps, the rest of the team attacked Ryeford Coal Pen and, in the afternoon, half of the painting team headed down the towpath to cut back the vegetation.

The coal pen threw up a few surprises including a couple of gas cylinders, a steel-tipped arrow, two chairs and a random assortment of car parts including a pair of doors, one piston with con rod, an exhaust and a few non-matching wheels.  If anyone wants to take on a unique vehicle restoration project just give me a shout.

So the bridge and towpath are now looking great and the coal pan is looking infinitely better. We need to have a major bonfire in there at some point but perhaps we’ll wait until the surrounding area is not quite so tinder-dry...

Thanks to everyone for working hard on a hot day and thanks to Ecclesiastical Insurance for joining us. Anytime you want to do it again you know where we are.  Team photo?  Of course we did.