Wednesday, 12 February 2025

COLDEN: Cool times on Hot Lane

 Colden: Hot 'Lane' - the work continues.

On a cold, finger-freezing day Jan and Frank H continued the work from last week by installing the pedestrian gate section of a stile/gate combination at the end of the narrow, sunken, partly-blocked, muddy path named as Hot Lane (see map).

1. The blue 'pin' marks the worksite.

This is how the task ended last week.

2. The new two-step stile from last week . . .
 but now a gate is needed in the gap to the right.

The above picture is misleading. The right-hand stile post is exactly vertical but the older post to the right (by the wall) has a significant lean into the picture and is completely rotten at the base. 

The detail

The new gate had already been constructed (last Friday) in CROWS' workshop so the plan for the day was to : 

i)   Hang the gate from the stile post

ii)  Remove the old post, dig out its rotten stump and replace it with a new closure post correctly aligned so the gate closes against the post (i.e. the gate will only open one-way).

iii) Add a bracing post, closure spring, closure chain and short cross-rails (to bridge the gap to the wall).

 Here's how the work went:

3. Gate hung. The new closure post is a work in progress.

4. The closure post is in place with cross-rails
to the wall. A closure chain that loops over
a gate paling is being fixed to the closure post.
A closure spring has been fitted and the hinge
 post has been diagonally braced (just visible)



5. The end result: Two-step stile with separate side-gate.
If required, a chain and padlock could be fitted to the gate.

Following some tidying-up and one or two minor adjustments we could stand back and admire! The overall outcome is pleasing - the structure is safe, secure, durable, neat and a big improvement on the original.

More next week . . .  but it's boardwalks at Blackshaw Head.