# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 9 3500/24).' #/,5-.3 !LL CHANGE AT 3T 0ANCRAS 3TUART !RMITAGE DESCRIBES THE ENGINEERING CHALLENGE OF RELOCATING A TONNE BRICK WATER CONTAINER TO A NEW SITE ALONGSIDE 3T 0ANCRAS #ANAL "ASIN /N A COLD EVENING IN THE LATE AUTUMN LAST YEAR A METICULOUSLY PLANNED EXERCISE CAME TO FRUITION AS THE FIRST TONNE SECTION OF THE 3T 0ANCRAS 7ATERPOINT WAS LIFTED BY CRANE TO A SPECIALISED TRAILER READY FOR TRANSPORTATION TO A NEW LOCATION &ACED WITH THE PROSPECT OF THIS HISTORIC 'RADE )) LISTED STRUCTURE BEING DEMOLISHED UNDER THE #HANNEL 4UNNEL 2AIL ,INK !CT %NGLISH (ERITAGE HAD AGREED THAT RELOCATING IT WAS THE ONLY PRACTICAL WAY TO ENSURE ITS SURVIVAL 4HE 7ATERPOINT IS AN ORNATE PREDOMINANTLY BRICK STRUCTURE WHICH HOUSES A LITRE CAPACITY WATER TANK ORIGINALLY USED TO STORE WATER TO SUPPLY STEAM LOCOMOTIVES ON THE -IDLAND 2AILWAY $ESIGNED BY THE OFFICE OF 3IR 'EORGE 'ILBERT 3COTT ARCHITECT OF THE GOTHIC STATION BUILDINGS THE 7ATERPOINT INCORPORATES MANY FINELY DETAILED BRICK AND STONE FEATURES SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE TERMINUS COMPLEX )N PARTICULAR A SERIES OF GOTHIC ARCHES IS INCORPORATED INTO THE FRONT AND BACK ELEVATIONS OF THE NINE METRE WIDE BY FIVE METRE LONG RECTANGULAR BUILDING 4HE ARCHES RISE FROM THE FIRST FLOOR LEVEL TO THE BASE OF THE TANK SPANNING OVER RECESSED PANELS OF EXTREMELY FINELY POINTED HERRINGBONE BRICKWORK %NGLISH (ERITAGE DOES NOT GENERALLY ENDORSE THE RELOCATION OF LISTED BUILDINGS AS THIS CAUSES A BUILDING TO BE DISLOCATED FROM ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT "UT WITH RELOCATION A NECESSITY IN THIS CASE A SUITABLE RECEPTION SITE WAS IDENTIFIED SOME METRES TO THE NORTH ALONGSIDE 3T 0ANCRAS #ANAL "ASIN %NGLISH (ERITAGE APPROACHED (ERITAGE OF ,ONDON 4RUST /PERATIONS TO UNDERTAKE THE 7ATERPOINT RELOCATION AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE -ORTON 0ARTNERSHIP WAS APPOINTED AS ENGINEER "Y DECREE SET IN THE #HANNEL 4UNNEL 2AIL ,INK !CT NO WORK AT 3T 0ANCRAS COULD BEGIN UNTIL AFTER *ULY AND THE 7ATERPOINT HAD TO BE MOVED BY $ECEMBER OR IT WOULD BE DEMOLISHED 4HESE CONSTRAINTS DEFINED THE SIX MONTH WINDOW IN WHICH THE RELOCATION PROJECT HAD TO BE CARRIED OUT 4HE -ORTON 0ARTNERSHIP ASSESSED THE IMPACT OF RELOCATING THE BUILDING BRICK BY BRICK 7E CONCLUDED THAT THIS WOULD LEAD TO AN UNACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF DAMAGE BECAUSE OF THE HIGH STRENGTH OF THE ORIGINAL MORTAR RELATIVE TO THE STRENGTH OF THE BRICK AND STONE !CCORDINGLY IT WAS DECIDED TO CUT THE TONNE BUILDING INTO SECTIONS AND TRANSPORT THESE TO THE NEW SITE 3PECIALIST CONTRACTOR !BBEY 0YNFORD DEVELOPED THE PROPOSAL TO A FULL WORKING DESIGN !T THE SAME TIME ) BECAME INVOLVED AS PROJECT ENGINEER RESPONSIBLE FOR STRUCTURAL DESIGN AT THE RECEPTION SITE AND CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION ) HAD TO IDENTIFY AND SATISFY ALL OF THE STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY LIAISE WITH %NGLISH (ERITAGE ON THE METHODOLOGY FOR DISMANTLING AND REASSEMBLING THE 7ATERPOINT AND LIAISE WITH 2AIL ,INK %NGINEERING 2,% THE CONSORTIUM MANAGING THE #42, PROJECT 7ORK STARTED ON SITE AT THE BEGINNING OF *ULY ! VERY STRICT SAFETY AGREEMENT WITH 2AILTRACK PERMITTED A SITE COMPOUND AND OPERATIONS ADJACENT TO THE MAINLINE RAILWAY LINES 4HE AGREED PROCEDURE FOR MOVING THE 7ATERPOINT INVOLVED MAKING HORIZONTAL CUTS THROUGH THE SIX MILLIMETRE BED JOINTS AT TWO LEVELS USING A GUIDED MILLIMETRE LONG DIAMOND EDGED CHAINSAW TO SPLIT THE BUILDING INTO THREE SECTIONS 4HE UPPER SECTION CONTAINED THE IRON WATER TANK AND SURROUNDING BRICKWORK THE MIDDLE SECTION COMPRISED THE FIRST FLOOR AND FEATURE ARCHES AND THE LOWER SECTION COMPRISED THE RELATIVELY PLAIN BRICK PLINTH )T WAS DECIDED THAT DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE PLINTH AND BECAUSE IT WAS IN PART FORMED BY THE ADJOINING VIADUCT WALL OF THE 3T 0ANCRAS #ELLARS IT WOULD NOT BE MOVED )NSTEAD A REPLICA OF IT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED AT THE RECEPTION SITE !T EACH OF THE TWO CUTS A REINFORCED CONCRETE RING LIFTING BEAM WOULD BE CAST ! HEAVY LIFTING SPECIALIST *IM 0ARKINSON WOULD LIFT THE UPPER AND MIDDLE SECTIONS OF THE BUILDING ON TO TRAILERS AND TRANSPORT THEM TO THE NEW SITE 4HERE A SECOND TONNE CRANE WOULD REASSEMBLE THE BUILDING ON THE REPLICA PLINTH 4HE PLINTH S PURPOSE MADE PRESSED BRICKS WERE COMMISSIONED FROM A MANUFACTURER IN ,EICESTERSHIRE 4HE UPPER SECTION LIFT FROM THE TRANSPORT TRAILER AT THE RECEPTION SITE 4HE GUIDED DIAMOND EDGED MM MASONRY SAW CUTTING THROUGH THE JOINTS IN THE MM THICK BRICKWORK
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