West Vale Branch
Projects
Steppingstone Lane Bridge Restoration

With good progress made at the preceding couple of work-parties only one corner, the south-eastern, of the bridge needed excavating. The thin scrub was removed and then the digger got to work.

Partially exposed bricks indicated where to dig

The final corner of the bridge starts to emerge

  
A large tree stump may cause us problems. Judging by its size it must have been growing long before the bridge was collapsed

The thick tree roots had to hacked through with axe, pick and shovel to allow the digger to continue excavating

While Chris was busy excavating, the pumps were busy draining the water from around the bridge. We also started to fly our warning flag (an ex-MOD range flag) to tell horse riders from a distance that we were on site.

Two pumps in full flow. We don't have sufficient plumbing to run all three simultaneously. Temperamental to say the least - but quite effective if you can keep them going.

Our mini-digger has proved invaluable (if a little unreliable) and would seem to be ideally suited to this type of work

A general view of work in progress showing all four excavation sites

By the end of the day considerable progress had been made. Although the tree stump is inconvenient, it does not seem to have caused quite as much damage to the bridge remains as we had first feared - the buttress at end of the bridge can be seen to be in very good condition in the pictures below. It will, however, need a great deal of careful work to remove it with out causing further damage to the bridge - parts of it, indeed, may have to be left in situ.

  
Views of the excavated south-east corner show the end abutment and the start of the arch

We have now done initial excavations at all four corners of the bridge site and already people are taking a great deal of interest in what we have done. The remains are, in general, more substantial and in a much better state than we had dared to hope. All involved are very much looking to forward to what lies ahead.