One job has dominated the first three months of 2018, namely continuation of bricklaying on the Sand Wharf. This has been delayed by the terrible weather – three days of work were lost due to freezing conditions and heavy rain.
Having completed replacement of the courses of old bricks (photo1) we are now completing the capping courses of ‘blue’ bricks, some new, some reclaimed by the Queens Croft lads and lasses, as seen in the Greens news pages. I say ‘blue’ bricks because although being of a blue colour these are nothing like the Staffordshire Blues we all know and love. Rick Walters re-levelled the wall top and gave valuable guidance on how to assemble the capping, which is quite an art, involving creating a set of precisely- spaced monuments at 2m intervals then filling in ‘battlements’ on the wall top then filling in the gaps. I expect you’ve heard about all of this before, but it’s new to us. I think we’re getting quite good at it!
Praise must go to Ian Heathcock, Mick McKie and Bill McDougall (photos 2,3,4). As mentioned elsewhere the Greens have cut and laid the hawthorn hedges along the towpath and have just planted hundreds of whips to reinstate the hedge. (photo 5)
Tony C and the seat gang have installed two more benches on the towpath, together with associated memorial trees and plants. One was donated by the Horton family, and has been placed by the Sand Wharf, (photo 6) the other is in memory of Stan and Beryl Budd, founder members of Walsall Spinners, and is on the embankment with a distant view of the aqueduct. (photo 7) I regret that I did not have the presence of mind to photograph the inauguration party – I had my head down below the parapet.
And finally, we have some new neighbours. (photo 8) We are hoping that as (if?) summer warms up, their perfume is not going to permeate the site. The perfume of bacon, that’s another matter, but that’s some way off yet!
Phil Cheesewright
