WEEK 13 - Day 48 Stove House 1 and Stove House 5

Activities today involve dismantling three areas - the gable of Warehouse 1, salt from within Stove 1 and the stove area of Stove House 5.

To carry out the work safely external cladding has been erected along the side of the building.

Portable conveyor belting was installed to easy the manual handling of the salt debris from the stove area.

You can now really see that the stove area ran off from the Pan House at the first floor level. The machine tearing up the ash and cinders is really working hard because salt and brine has soaked into the fabric of the brickwork and the cinder base, setting like concrete in the high heat of the salt making process.

WEEK 12 - Day 46 Dismantling Furnace to Pan 5

This is getting to look like an archaeological site. With most of the superstructure dismantled we can see the flues underneath the salt pan.

The first photograph is looking east from the Stove house end looking towards the furnace front, but from the interior. The collapsed brick flue walls have been cleared to show the flue walls where they are infilled with flue ash, sand and cinder deposits. This a deliberate part of the construction to reduce the amount of bricks used in the furnace.The were four firing positions, with two 'dead-draft' flues along the outer walls to prevent the salt crystals from burning on the bottom of the pan as the crystals were drawn to the side. At the end of the pan (bottom of picture) the flue arrangement changes as the flue gasses were ducted underneath a walkway between the end of the pan and the front wall of the Stove House. The flue chamber is the wider infilled channel, with an ash filled space between each flue.

This second picture of Pan 5 furnace is taken looking west from the front of the furnace looking towards the Stove House 5. There is a clearer space within the flue at the fire end. Pan 5 was originally fired with coal or coke and later altered to burn recycled oil.

WEEK 12 - Day 44 Preparations for Lifting Pan 5

Whilst also continuing to dismantle the brickwork of Stove House 5 final preparations were made to lift the salt pan No.5 off the furnace. Packing wedges were inserted between the iron beams and the underside of the salt pan so that the weight of the pan is evenly distributed and there are no unsupported areas. Paul and Simon spent a couple of hours in the cramped space underneath the pan inserting the wedges. Like many salt pans the sustained heating the brine over a long period of time causes the iron plates of the pan to distort and buckle making each position an individual fit. You can see the rows of rivets which join each of the pan plates.

Lifting eyes have been attached to the ends of the main beams. It is to these that the hooks will be attached to the crane's lifting chains tomorrow. The crane is arriving at 8am with the lift taking place about 10.30am. The operation will be uploaded tomorrow afternoon.









See uploaded time lapse video, which shows the dismantling of the roof trusses of Stove House 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW4g1xKlfmQ This took place on Thursday 16 September, 2009 and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2--23 September, 2009.

WEEK 11 - Day 43 Salt Pan 5, Laserscan and Pan House-Warehouse 4

The team is rapidly dismantling the Stove House 5 and preparing to lift the salt pan off the furnace so that it can be shot blasted and given a protective paint. H&E Scaffolding are now taking down scaffolding and removing it from site, so we can really see that the contract is getting close to completion.



A magnetic drill was used to drill the holes in the lifting beams below Pan 5. This type of drill clamps itself to the iron beam by an induction magnet so that the steel can be drilled. Galvanised bolts were then tightened to clamp the two girders together. Wooden packing pieces will be inserted between the girders and the underside of the pan in preparation for lifting the pan off the furnace base on Tuesday, next week.

APR services returned today to fill in gaps in the laser scan survey. Parts of the stove house areas of Stove House 1 and Stove House 2 were inaccessible when the main scan was carried out earlier in the work programme.

Decayed floor beams, and the collapsed roof structures which had fallen on top of it have now been removed and props inserted below the floor beams. This is one of the older areas of the Lion Salt Works dating to about 1894.
Walkways (left) have been inserted from the Loading Bay / Packing Area to provide safe access for the architects and engineers to prepare the Phase 2 schedule of works and cost plan, prior to going out to tender for the main restoration work.
Moving south from the Packing Area you move into Warehouse 4 which has a huge crushing mill (right) used to convert dried blocks of salt back to loose crystal salt and pack them into sacks.

Moving past the crushing mill to the south end of Warehouse 4 (left) you can see that this warehouse is unusual in having an iron frame. The floor has the same hatches used to 'loft' salt from Stove 4 on the floor below. From the end of this warehouse you can look down into Pan 4 (right). Pan House 4 was built by Alan Thompson.

WEEK 11 - Day 41 Inserting Lifting Beams Below Pan 5

The end girders were introduced below the east and west ends of Salt Pan 5 this morning. These rest on the two lifting girders put in place on the north and south sides of the pan yesterday.

These cross beams will support each end of the pan and stop it collapsing as the internal flue walls are taken so that the other steel beams can be inserted to spread the weight.

Today was the first wet day for weeks and added to the difficulty of inserting the beams.

WEEK 11 - Day 40 Preparing Pan 5 and Recording Stove 5 Flues

The two long 'I' beams were installed today along the north and south sides of the salt pan No.5. Each beam weighs one ton. Five lighter 'I' beams will be inserted underneath the pan and will be clamped to each of these lifting beams. The pan base is buckled through use and will have packing pieces inserted between the steels and the under surface so that the weight is carried evenly. Only when we are sure the pan can be carried safely will it be lifted. This might be later this week, or early next week, so keep logging on to see developments.

With the east gable dismantled and the brick wall removed from below it we can see how the stove area is constructed. Hot gases from below the salt pan are drawn along flues within the Stove House to dry the salt. The lower part of the flue is set within ash and cinders, lined with brick but due to the heat and fumes the bricks are very badly corroded and decayed. Many bricks have turned to powder, some are heavily impregnated with white salt crystals. The flues are carried above the ash and cinders with brick upstands to create 'ditches' between the flues. There has been a build up of salt within the ditches which is over 20 centimeters thick.
A bag wall slows the passage of gases as they pass from the the pan house into the flue system. There is a thick layer of fly ash throughout the whole structure.
Metal plates sit over the flues so that salt blocks can be placed directly over them. These metal plates have corroded heavily after twenty years in a now cold, damp unheated building covered in salt.

The inner surface of the flues have suffered the most and with e mortar having broken down many walls have simply collapsed into the ditches and flues.

Most of the dismantled timbers have now been assigned racking space within the timber store and are being graded for condition and re-use when the structure is rebuilt. Some pencil marks were seen when the trusses were dismantled, but today we found some carpenters marks cut into a beam which had been re-used as a supporting joist within the Loading Bay. There are carpenters marks in other re-used timbers in Stove House 3.

WEEK 10 - Day 39 Dismantling Brickwork

The east gable brick work is being taken down today. This supported the east gable timber framing which was removed earlier in the programme. This wall is three bricks thick, unlike the other three walls which are only two bricks thick. Also the mortar comprises a hard concrete mix, so it is taking longer to remove.
Another sunny day, after a cloudy start. Excellent for getting on with the work in hand.

The removal of the wall provides easier and safer access to work around the salt pan and to have easier access inside the remains of the stove house. The interior is really poor condition, mostly the depredation has been caused by vandalism by intruders over the years in which the site was abandoned.
Four scaffold towers are being constructed at the east end of the salt pan. These will hold the pan temporarily whilst it is shot blasted and painted.
During next week steel girders, delivered yesterday will be inserted under the pan and the whole structure will be lifted and turned through 90 degrees.
The remains of the furnace will be dismantled and recorded before the pan can be returned to its original location, but replaced at ground level.

WEEK 7 - Day 25 Loading Bay Roof Dismantling

Dismantling of the high Loading Bay roof was carried out today, whilst the scaffolding team erected the final tier of working floors inside Stove House 5.

There will be a short video posted here in the next few days showing this operation.

Concrete pads were prepared to take scaffold tower that wil support the salt pan when it is removed from the furnace. We jope to have a time lapse sequence showing this process, weater permitting.

Ground clearing was also completed around the perimeter of the site to enable access for the fencing team to erect the boundary fence.

A large section of the south west area, backing onto our neighbours' gardens is marked out as a 'butterfly' garden in partnership with Butterfly Conservation. This work helps us look forward to when the site ceases to be a building site, but is fully renovated and open for visitors. More on this in later entries. The exhibition was opened by volunteers during the Enabling Works - Monday to Thursday 1.30 to 4.30.

 Check for more recent updates to opening times.

WEEK 4 - Day 16 Visit by Henry Lloyd Thompson

The former owner of the Lion Salt Works, Henry Lloyd Thompson visited the site today to see how our restoration works were proceeding.

Henry built Stove House 5 in 1965 and we wanted to show him the plans to dismantle the building and re-erect it on a new foundation. This will preserve the impressive roof construction which was built by a local company from Pickmere, Curbishleys.

Ground works continued to grade and clear the site. Contaminated soil and rubble has been taken from the site to designated landfill sites following our waste management plan. Cement asbestos sheeting from the roof areas has been contained and bagged for safe, controlled removal and disposal.

Scaffolding has been completed up to the eaves on the south and east elevations of Stove House5.
This provides a safe working platform around the walls, but also braces and supports the walls. This will be essential when dismantling begins. The building will begin to loose strength as the roof structure is removed. Follow the dismantling process during Septemember and October.

WEEK 4 - Day 14 Laserscan Survey

A team from APR Services started a two day programme of laser scanning today. Tony Rogers carried out the first laser scan of the salt works, which was used to produce the cad drawings for our Conservation Plan.

Luke Cable and Tom Avery with Tony Rogers (right) in front of the salt pan to Pan House 5. Warehouse 5 behind.

Video link to see laser scan survey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fygt3cswvOI

Link to report of the initial survey -http://www.ceg.ncl.ac.uk/heritage3d/casestudies.htm.

APR Services http://www.aprservices.net/index.htmlex.html

Also today we removed an oil storage tank weighing 3 tons, which stored oil for burning under Pan No.5

The tank was empty of oil but had to be disposed of as a contaminated container.

WEEK 4 - Day 13 Preparing Stove House 5 and Ground Works

Work continued on preparing Stove House 5 for a laserscan survey, which starts tomorrow - and on investingating the ground strength for the car park surface.

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.