WEEK15 - Day 57 Final Preparations

As our Enabling Works draw to and end we received fresh deliveries for our Butterfly Garden this morning. 15 tons of soil improver were tipped at the entrance to the emerging garden. Sue Beesley and Isobel Brooke will distribute this through the flower beds tomorrow and make preparations to spread the top surface gravel onto the paths.



More details on the garden in tomorrow's posting.



The racking in our timber store has been filled with timbers from the dismantled Stove House 5. It is also holding our new front gates over night as the post holes are prepared for the concrete supports.
The framework to attach the wrapping sheets are almost completed. The green material gives the interior an unusual, and artistic light.

WEEK 14 - Day 54 More Cleaning, Digging and Dismantling

Having drafted in a hydraulic pick the base of Pan House 5 finally gave in and was broken up ready for removal. The last lorry movements carrying the debris will leave for the landfill site tomorrow.

The gable of Warehouse 1 is now being carefully dismantled with each section of brick being stored on separate pallets. The wall has been repaired over many years - it was part of the original works dating to 1894 but has been rebuilt and a loading doorway bricked up. Each part of its history can be read by looking carefully at the different bricks and mortar sections. The inner and outer bricks from each phase are being stacked separately so that they can be rebuilt in the full restoration phase later next year.

As the salt works expanded Henry Ingram Thompson constructed a new Pan House and Stove House along the edge of Ollershaw Lane, joining it to the earlier warehouse by cutting out a section of the roof on the south side. This image is taken from within the much larger Warehouse 3, looking north to the roof structure of Warehouse 1. The gable being dismantled is to the left, fronting Ollershaw Lane.

Further shot blasting to clean the salt pan removed from Pan House 5 took place using recycled glass pellets, so that it can be painted. The weather is fantastic with warm autumn sunshine, excellent for getting all these final jobs completed.
A careful evaluation of the whole site was also undertaken today to identify any further pockets of contamination that might still be on site.

WEEK 12 - Day 47 West Gable Stove House 1

The west gable of Stove House 1 fronts Ollershaw Lane. The different types of bricks show the endless repairs that has been necessary to this gable since it was built in 1894.

The south side (right) is a curved wall at its base which was built on the line of a garden wall which led into the Red Lion Hotel, after which the salt works was named. Salt Pan 1,which was to the left, was built in the coal yard of the Red Lion Hotel, between the Hotel and the Trent and Mersey Canal. The window at road level provided light into the stove area. The doorway was used to wheel salt from the warehouse floor to the Salt Store on the opposite side of Ollershaw Lane.

Ollershaw Lane becomes narrow here as it approaches the hump backed bridge over the canal, and there are no footpaths at the side of the road.

To provide safe access for the erection of a scaffold 'stop - go' boards had to be used to control the flow of traffic past the stove house.

The scaffolding will allow safe working as the brickwork is dismantled. Each rebuilding phase will be taken down in sequence and stored on separate pallets for re-use when this part is rebuilt.

A metal hoarding will be erected on the scaffold to keep the site safe and secure.

WEEK 9 - Day 35 Removing Scaffolding, Racking and Other Works

Having removed the last roof trusses all the scaffolding erected inside the roof space can now be taken down. On Monday all the scaffold tubes above the warehouse floor will have been removed. The tubes and boards will now be used to build walkways and props within the main core of the salt works.
Looking from the north east the main salt works buildings can be seen through the scaffold tubes. The hatches allowing salt blocks to be 'lofted from the stove (hothouse or 'otters'- see below)' to the warehouse floor are covered with plyboard to avoid anyone falling though. The floorboards of the warehouse floor will be removed next week when we can show you the detailed construction of the flues within the stove area.

The scaffold racking is now being built to store the truss elements, roof boards and other structural pieces. As each timber is put into storage a condition report is made grading it with a recommendation as to whether it is OK to be re-used, if it needs a repair or if it should be used as a pattern for a new piece to be made.

Within the main complex 110volt festoon lighting allows the other stove ('otters') areas to be cleared of debris and supports to be inserted to the warehouse floor above. Compare these areas with the dismantled section of Stove House 5 over the coming weeks.
The Enabling Works will allow safe access to the architects to inspect these parts of the salt works so that we can prepare a schedule of works and go out to tender for repairs to costed in Phase 2. The Stove House has flues and ditches where the salt blocks were dried.
Within these areas the decades of salt build up in the ditches and ash in the flues will be cleaned out. The condition of the cast iron columns, which have deteriorated in the salt are of particular interest to the overall stability of the buildings.
A video has been placed on the Cheshire Museums YouTube channel where the timelapse camera installation can be seen. click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt9TkGwrohY . This is continuing to record work to dismantle Stove House 5 and will form a special video compressing the work ove the past weeks to a few minutes.

WEEK 7 - Day 24 Asbestos Removal Begins

A1 Environmental Ltd started removal of the roofing cement asbestos sheeting this morning. The first target was the Loading Bay.
Using a cherry picker the operatives spray the sheets to prevent dust and cut the securing fastenings in order to remove the sheets in one piece, avoiding breakages.
Tomorrow work moves to the main roof of Stove House 5.
http://www.a1environmental.co.uk/

Manouvering the cherry picker beneath the Loading Bay roof.

Wearing protective suits, gloves and masks the sheets are sprayed before cutting through the fastenings.