The Society tackled jobs in various locations over the winter – the common theme of them being that they were preparation for future planned restoration works.
The main centre of activity was the Crickheath to Schoolhouse Bridge section. The main task was a ground investigation along the whole length. This was done under the supervision of the consulting engineers and involved digging, recording, photographing and collecting soil samples from two dozen trial holes. Analysis of these samples will play a large part in determining the subsequent channel design. Also, at Crickheath a structural and historic survey of the old tramway wharf was made and a plan of work for restoration of this established. The final job was further vegetation clearance on the offside bank at Crickheath Wharf. Amazingly, during the work, remains of old tramway were exposed – over one hundred years after its closure. This area promises to be a fascinating restoration job.
The other two tasks were of the more mundane variety. The last of the IBCs, which have served us so well loading the ’subsidence banks’, were collected from site. Finally, a number of trees were removed from the vicinity of a culvert in Waen Wen basin so as to prevent any further damage to the structure caused by their roots.
Restoration work on Pryces to Crickheath will recommence in March with a planned completion at the end of the year. The section from Crickheath to Schoolhouse Bridge now has the status of a CRT project and off-site work on this will ramp up through the coming months. A busy year beckons!