Frequent fliers to this site will recall that we reported on the state of the village War Memorial back in May, when we “noticed” that there appeared to be movement in the retaining wall, though we do not know how long such signs have been there – we maybe just never noticed them before!
Since May, we have taken advice from DMBC and also a private stone mason. Both report that, yes, there has obviously been some movement in the past, as well as some evidence of repointing being done some time ago, though, unfortunately, the wrong kind of mortar was used, which probably did not help!
The concensus, though, is that it is not going anywhere soon!
There are several options open to us, ranging from completely dismantling and rebuilding, to “patch pointing” some small areas. The costs of implementing such repairs is very high, ranging from £2000 for “patching” to £8000 for a complete rebuild, plus additional costs of traffic management systems being put in place to safeguard the operators, which could easily double the eventual bill.
However, there is an alternative short-term course of action! We can obtain items called “tell-tales”, which are attached to the wall in strategic places and measurements taken between each stud. These can then be re-measured at intervals to record if there has been any movement.
So, if you do see such studs in place, please do not tamper with them – the wall’s future could be in your hands!!