On Thursday 18/4/19 we had a working party to assemble the walkway which Fred, Debra and Graeme made at The Maltings. This structure bridges the area in front of the water wheel to protect the fragile uneven floor below and avoid trip hazards, while keeping visitors a safe distance from the moving water wheel when we use the pump to turn it on open days.
The walkway parts were loaded on the trailer along with tools and taken to the mill. On site the frame was bolted together and the wooden treads were screwed on, then cut into sections and removed, covered with wire netting to give extra grip and replaced. The metal structure had been painted with blue primer, so we gave it a final coat of Bauxite, the original colour of the railway wagon which makes it blend in with the water wheel and surroundings. The walkway sits on the ground at the downstream end and on the wall which hides the feed pipe at the upstream end.
The railway wagon was rubbed down and given another coat of paint, and a new solar panel was fitted as the old one blew off the roof in a storm, this powers lights and a water pump for the kitchen tap.
Other work involved weeding and sweeping the brick floors and clearing out the small trench and hammer mill to prepare for Mills Weekend on 11 & 12 May, as well as cutting the grass.
A perspex panel has now been fitted to the walkway to prevent contact with the moving hub while keeping it visible.
Graham Bartlett Interactive Plan Volunteer Previous Next
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