A few items that the builders have pulled from the walls recently during the re-build...
Any information about when they date from or what they are very welcome!
Topics: 'antiquities' 'archaeology' 'blade' 'bottle' 'carving' 'finds' 'graffiti' 'stirrup' 'vintage cigarette packet'
Excavations continue as the external drains are put in, I never though I'd become so preoccupied with holes in the ground (unlike a group of Slade MA students who I recently met at the Merz barn) but the cost of digging trenches and holes out of the bedrock means this aspect of the redevelopment is getting quite alot of my attention.
Needless to say it was a bit of a nasty surprise to find the two giant concrete rings that have just arrived onsite need a hole 3m deep, to provide an inspection pit for the ground source heat system, it all seemed so simple on paper..
Topics: 'biodisc' 'excavations' 'ground source heat'
Thats a spicy meatball
This pic by Nina Pope shows Adam, Karen & Lisa outside the Grand Designs exhibition in London last week. Behind them is Kevin's 'real' eco-house by the Thames, and we can confirm he was on site in a hard hat.
The show itself was a mixed bag indeed, it would have benefitted from a tighter selection (there was 4 or 5 'live' painters churning out landscapes, for example) but we all agreed on the joys of sparkly tiles.
Topics: 'grand designs'
I love sparkly titles too
Although we are all enjoying the fantastic weather it feels a bit like Butlins for plant equipment today at Lawson Park, they're sitting everywhere soaking up the sun, things are strangely quiet and although its a relief to be able to hear yourself think for a change, I am concerned there is so little activity on site with projected delays to the programme mounting up.
Work began yesterday on the undergrounding for the overhead power supply but has already been halted by repairs needed to their equipment, the ground source drilling crew were hoping to be finished on Friday but broke the head of their rig on the sixth hole tbc...meanwhile the two stonemasons quietly work away and Barry our site manager continues to make a valiant effort, I think I've seen him in nearly every machine on site today, but there is only so much one man can do! It seems, to the untrained eye (see webcam) that there’s plenty to do so I’m hoping the last few days have been a lull which will soon be followed by a mass of skilled labour flooding onsite to start rebuilding the new and improved Lawson Park (well maybe not a mass, we’re not in China now)
Topics: 'building' 'delays' 'machinery' 'progress'
They do look like little men?
Visiting the site last week were Joyce Nicholson (left) and Nancy Nicholson-Sheffield, two sisters now living in Canada. Joyce had been born in Lawson Park, during her father's farming tenure here in the immediate postwar era.
Topics: 'history'
We also had a visit last week from Jane Bayley and her husband Rob, Jayne and her brother Martin Hallam have both contacted us recently to share their memories and photographs of Lawson Park when their family had it as a holiday home from 1920-1937.
Last week the Grizedale team visited Grand Designs Live to seek out interesting products and materials for Lawson Park (more on this soon) While we were there we visited the eco house in the grand village they've been building in Royal Victoria Square as part of the show. Although they were trying to complete the house in a week they still had time to take advantage of the onsite masseuse! Not sure if I should post this picture in case we start getting requests for similar ‘facilities’ at Lawson Park.
Topics: 'building' 'eco' 'grand designs' 'materials'
The giant bright orange sewage treatment plant that has been sitting on the turning circle at Lawson Park has now been installed. Seems to fit quite snugly into the giant hole that had to be made for it.
Topics: 'building' 'sewage treatment'
come on the right hand men
View of the North elevation taken last week with Leck in the foreground measuring the levels for the new drainage system.
It looks like there is a lot more of the building still there than it does from the webcam view.
yeah the majority of the building is intact the webcam gives quite a distorted view of the demolitions as you can see a large section of the south elevation which has been taken down and all of the internal demolitions, all of this will start to be rebuilt relatively soon.
Despite being surrounded by heaps of builders materials, the Honesty Stall makes a bold return for 2008 Bank Holiday weekend, sporting a fine selection of forced rhubarb, wallflowers and sprouted kale.
Topics: 'honesty shop' 'honesty stall' 'vegetables for sale'
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