WEEK 3 - Day 12 Scaffolding Loading Bay and Preparing Pan No5

At the end of the third week preparations are well advanced to prepare the site and buildings for the main works schedule. The grounds have been cleared of vegetation and is ready to be 'stoned up' to give a stable working surface. The old security fence has been removed and scaffolding is starting to arrive on site.

Next week the ground surface will be surveyed, and a laserscan survey will be completed in the stove areas of Pan House 1, 3, 4 and 5 and around Pan No 5.

Scaffolding has started to be erected at the north end of the Loading Bay to allow working access to the overhead walkway between Stove House 5 and the main salt works complex. The scaffold will allow safe working for survey work prior to elements being labelled and dismantled.

Pan House 5 was the last pan house to be constructed and used at the Lion Salt Works. It was built in 1965. The roof structure over the pan collapsed some time ago and was removed, but the hurdles either side of the pan remained, collapsed beside the pan at 45 degrees.

The decayed planks were first removed to reveal the supporting joists. Excess brine would seep from the salt that had been raked from the salt pan to drip into the drainage gulley below the hurdles.

Holding the 2m ranging rod is Gareth Wilkes, pupil at The Grange School, Hartford who spent this week helping at the site as part of a work experience placement. The hurdle platform would have extended from the side of the salt pan (on the right) to the outside wall which sat on top of the dwarf wall to be seen on the left. The hurdle would have enabled salt blocks to be wheeled into the brick Stove House through the door that can be seen above Gareth's head.
You can see the roof line of the Pan House where it joined the Stove House. The SE corner of the stove house has collapsed but this enables you to see the warehouse floor where the salt blocks were stored after they had been dried in the stove house (also caled a hot house - or te 'otters)

Gareth helped catalogue some of the finds that are being made during these enabling works. A variety of artefacts have been found. On the left, a milk bottle was found in the Loading Bay area, possibly dating to the 1950's. It came from Horner's Creamery at Cuddington.

Heavier and more substantial are a group of railway 'chairs found around the Brine Pump. Probably lifted from the private railway siding they are cast with the letters LMSR.

WEEK 3 - Day 11 Scaffolding arrives

Scaffolding arrived this morning to begin supporting the outside of Stove House 5 and to provide a working platform from which to survey and dismantle the link walkway between Stove House 5 the main complex of Stove House 1 and 2. The first wagon of poles was waiting outside the site on Ollershaw Lane at 7am, ready for off loading. You can see the Salt Store on the opposite side of the road to the Lion Salt Works.

On site the first set of poles and planks are off loaded and moved to the Loading Bay area.

The first area to be scaffolded is this area at the north end of the Loading Bay to allow safe access to the overhead walkway which provides access from the warehouse floor of Stove House 5 to the main complex of earlier pan houses. This link walkway will be first building element to be dismantled, prior to the later dismantling of the whole of Stove House 5.

An asbestos survey is being undertaken to identify remaining asbestos on site and to prepare a method statement for safe removal.

Also being labelled is the collapsed headstock from over the first brine shaft of 1894.

WEEK 3 - Day 10 - Stacking and Wrapping

Watched by a local, semi-resident we began wrapping an storing bricks and timber from the buildings being prepared for scaffolding support prior to dismantling. Pallets of materials are being labeled and protected from the elements by being shrink wrapped in plastic.

WEEK 3 - Day 9 Dismantling the section of a flue

Another damp day in our variable summer. Work continued with site preparations. Our former galvanised fencing is now inside the contractors' site boundary, so it is being dismantled.

The area around Stove House 5 is also being cleaned to allow access for the scaffolding team. They will erect their scaffold around the walls of the stove house, strengthening and supporting the walls to allow working access for dismantling the building later in the schedule of works. This will be the most dramatic part of the works.

Stove House 5 utilised an older chimney to carry away fumes from the fires lit below the salt pan. However, because the chimney was originally built for use with a fishery salt pan it is some way from Stove House 5 and required the construction of an overground flue. The smoke and fumes were drawn to the chimney by the use of an electric fan. A section of this flue has been dismantled today to provide clear access to the SW corner of the building. The materials have been stored on pallets and stored for re-erecting when Stove House 5 is rebuilt next year.

Removing the brick walls from the overground flue between the SW corner of Stove House 5 and the chimney. The metal plates forming the base of the flue are heavily corroded with the effects of salt transfer through the flue. The metal feature attached to the wall is a damper to regulate the flow of hot air through the flue. The pipe work bottom right is the brine pipe carrying brine from the pump to the brine storage tank located on the north side of Stove House 5.