Some Working Party News for June

June saw more visits to Baldwin’s Knob Lock, where we finished off the raking out and re-grouting of the stone blocks of the entire lock chamber. This was a long job that we are pleased to say is now completed.

With the installation of the back pump having been finished, we fitted a post and rail fence and pedestrian gate on the non-towpath side of the lock at the top of the steps leading down to the pump chamber. Whilst there, we took the opportunity to rub down and repaint the white woodwork on the lock balance beams. We were also able to install more coir rolls on the formwork for the re-profiled bank where the towpath had eroded just downstream from the lock.

Having previously investigated a leak around the spillway into the field between Barnsill Bridge and Drungewick Slipway, we joined up with the Dredger Team to effect a repair. One of our team ‘waded in and got his hands dirty’ by puddling in four bulk bags of clay (kindly donated by Ewhurst Brickworks) on the canal bank alongside the spillway. This worked well and has markedly reduced the leakage at that spot.

The dry weather has enabled vehicle access across the fields to Lordings where we spent a day at the waterwheel, fitting eight prototype replacement buckets to assess their effectiveness in increasing the volume of water being lifted from the River Arun up into the aqueduct. A test of the wheel produced very pleasing results and work is continuing on producing a final design for full replacement of all the buckets.

One end of the stop plank shelter at Southland Lock was subsiding and so we took tools and materials to the site, using May Upton. After removing the stop planks, we raised and supported the shelter clear of the ground, dug out the soil, installed formwork and poured a new concrete footing. We shall return when the concrete has set and reposition the shelter.

Brian King

Website: weyarun.org.uk