Centre post back in place

The crew putting the centre post back had the best of the day because they were inside out of the rain.

Lowering the massive timber back onto its lower bearing caused a great deal of discussion. Colin, Headley and Max spent some time setting the bronze block in the right place and then had the problem of lowering the pin into the block. A lot of fiddly work with jacks and a certain amount of effort saw the pin safely located in the block. With all gearing disengaged it is quite easy to turn the centre post with one hand on the great spur gear in spite of the great weight of the wood.

At the front of the mill John resumed rebuilding the walls that had been damaged by tree roots over the last 80 years or so. He was surprised by the number of clean bricks he had available as he was on holiday when our Australian visitor helped out. (If you are reading this in Sydney, John says "Thank you").

After painting the few bits of the waterwheel that have been suitably cleaned, Richard joined Martyn and Dave in pouring the concrete slab that will form the roof over the tailrace. Once again we borrowed a cement mixer from the neighbouring builders and spent most of the day mixing and pouring concrete. We now have a sound base that will support the backfill and restore the roadway between the mill and the stable block. The next step is to build the arch that will support the brick facing to the backfill, all to be done with matching period bricks, of course.

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