2 C O N T E X T 8 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 4 Context Editor Robert Cowan Editorial Coordinator Nigel Barker, 65Worplesdon Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 9RT. Tel 01483 562 851 email [email protected] Editorial Board Nigel Barker (chair) Susan Brook (treasurer and IT) Nigel Crowe (main features) Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Julia Smith (IHBC branches) Michael Taylor (main features) Cartoons by Robert Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2004 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Published for the Institute of Historic Building Conservation by Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury,Wiltshire, England SP3 6HA Tel 01747 871717 Fax 01747 871718 email [email protected] www.buildingconservation.com Non-member subscriptions to Context Context is available to non-members of the IHBC at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom £50.00 Elsewhere £75.00 Subscription orders, together with remittances payable to Institute of Historic Building Conservation, should be sent to the IHBC Business Office at Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA. The views expressed in Context are not necessarily those held by the IHBC nor the publisher. Neither the publisher nor the IHBC shall be under any liability whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication.While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this issue of Context is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. Briefing Copy deadlines Context is published five times a year, in March, May, July, September and November. Copy deadlines in 2005 are: Issue Date March, Issue 88 14 January May, Issue 89 18 March July, Issue 90 20 May September, Issue 91 15 July November, Issue 92 16 September British Waterways saves ‘at risk’ bridge with council funding In 2002 BritishWaterways conducted a survey to assess which of its great stock of historic waterway structures were included on local authority building-atrisk registers. Tamworth Borough Council reported a number of ‘at risk’ canal bridges along the Coventry Canal, including Kettlebrook Barn Bridge in Tamworth. This brick-arched accommodation bridge, built in soft red non-engineering brick, spans the canal to the south of Fazeley Junction. Built between 1785 and 1790, it is Grade II listed. The structure is well used by the local community as a footpath from the housing estate on the off-side of the canal to an open path on the towingpath side. In 2003 representatives from Tamworth Council and British Waterways walked along this section of the Coventry Canal to discuss the factors which contributed to these bridges being designated ‘at risk’. Kettlebrook Barn Bridge had the worst risk category of those on the council’s register. Its category status was designated 3A, largely due to problems such as localised structural settlement and inappropriate repairs undertaken in the past. Earlier repair work and repeated vandalism had resulted in sandstone copings missing along the bridge and a widespread need for repointing. Inappropriate maintenance and random modern-brick replacement, coupled with hard cement pointing, had further deteriorated the integrity of the bridge’s fabric. Tamworth Council was concerned that, if left untreated, problems such as penetrating cracks to the southern side and cracking and deflection on the arch of the bridge would deteriorate further if accelerated by cold weather and vandalism. As part of BritishWaterways’ own principal inspection process, Kettlebrook Barn Bridge had already been assessed to ensure it met safety obligations. The bridge was given a Grade D condition category, which meant that the structure was functioning but had problems due to ‘significant structural cracking, perishing, spalling and deformation’. The structure’s low condition category, coupled with the inclusion of the bridge on a buildings-at-risk register meant there was greater scope to secure funding for repairs both from within BritishWaterways and from the council’s Historic Buildings Grant fund. Tamworth Council provides grant assistance to help owners repair and refurbish historic buildings within the borough, including all statutorily listed and locally listed buildings, and all historic buildings within Tamworth’s seven conservation areas. Grants are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Fortunately for Kettlebrook Barn Bridge, the council had funding available in the conservation grant budget and was prepared to offer 30 per cent of the full cost of the works, which totalled over £50,000. In order to progress the grant application, the council required further information on costs, including a schedule of works and two tenders/ estimates from separate contractors. The conservation-led works involved a significant amount of traditional repair techniques. Replacement bricks were chosen from a local reclamation yard. Prior to the works beginning, a test panel was built next to the bridge to assess the specifications’ suitability for the full works. These specifications also had to be agreed with the council’s conservation planner. The test panel also demonstrated the suitability of the specified mortar mix for the works (a 1:3 mix of moderately hydraulic lime with two parts well-graded sand, half soft sand and half brick aggregate). Lime mortar was used for localised repointing. The corner buttresses were repointed and refaced at the base. The parapet of the bridge was removed and rebuilt, and missing voussoirs were replaced. New sandstone copings were chosen, with stone matched from other canal bridges in Tamworth. During the works, vandals tried to remove the copings by scraping out the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=