TODMORDEN: West of Dobroyd

 West of Dobroyd Castle - stile preservation continues!

The day started warm with light drizzle but, in a neat example of inverse proportion, as the temperature dropped the drizzle increased! Undeterred, but increasingly damp, Mick and Frank H did further work on the repair that was started last week.

The original situation: The stile is distressed!

Last week the existing step, the cross-rails and the field edge side-upright were judged to be sound but the other upright needed replacing.

This upright consists of two posts coach-bolted together with cross-rails fixed in an unorthodox fashion in order to maintain alignment with the adjacent field gate (just out of picture). 

Unfortunately the double post had rotted at ground level and sagged as shown.

The plan was to separate the double post into two, re-embed the longer of the two as a support post and fix the two together as before to maintain the original alignment.

Mmm! After an hour of little progress we wished we had opted for the more expensive option of a  complete re-build! However, in the interests of economy we persevered (volunteer labour has its advantages - it's really cheap!)

Work in progress:

*Double post now separated.

 

*The section with the cross-rails attached is still in place but cut off at step-level.

*Once the remains of the stump have been dug out, the other section will be aligned so it can be re-attached to its twin and then re-embedded.

*Simultaneously all posts will be adjusted so the cross-rails are horizontal and alignment with the field gate is restored.

Sound tricky? It certainly was!

End of the session:

A three-step stile with horizontal cross-rails, vertical side-uprights and a gate that closes.

The left-hand side-upright was not in the best of condition - it had more rot below ground than expected - so a diagonal brace was fitted to enhance stability. 

The whole structure is now much safer and feels secure enough to withstand South Pennine weather, back-scratching livestock and walkers of all weights!

Today's work was funded by Todmorden Town Council.