The Wall
The owners of Maplecroft Farmhouse, Bradford on Avon, Wilts recently decided to build a lean to shed.
Unfortunately, the wall against which it
was to lean, was lower than the shed development, so despite protests from their neighbours,
who own the wall, they unilateraly decided to increase the height of the wall.
Below are some photos of the mess they have created.
This is the wall that Nick built.
Points of interest:
- Top surface is not horizontal. Does he, or his 'cowboy' builder not possess a spirit level
- Odd bits of scrap stone poorly matched and laid
- Weak and crumbling mortar
- Mortar lines are not pointed in any way
- Absence of 'cock and hen' stones as were present on original wall
- Mortar topping is thin and incomplete
- Mortar would appear to be darker and more red in colour than that in the original wall which would indicate that
lime was not used in the mix, as one would expect in a 300year old property
Despite many attampts to appeal to messers South & Whittington to rectify the damage caused to the wall
it has remained in this state for 12 months when .............
One day in June 2003, a representative from Bath Mediation Services visits the owners of the wall, at
the request of Ms. Whittington, in the spirit of 'resolving the dispute' - we understand that they
wish to sell the farmhouse!
In talking with the mediator, the points of the dispute were made clear. This included repairing the wall
to a quality comenserate with the origninal build quality and in keeping with the standard of a grade II listed
building.
Again, when messers South and Whittington were confident the owners of the wall were away from the property,
an insergence team of cowboy builders were parachuted in to 'have another go' at the wall. Here is the
result.
A line of odd 'cock & hen' stones have been stuck onto the top of the wall into a thin skim of mortar of dubious mix and with no attention to finnish.
"Ear, Fred, that mortar mix we made!; was it 4 parts cement and one part sand, or 1 part cement and 4 parts sand?"
and "if we ain't got no cement left, can I use me fag ash instead?"
The observant reader will note the position of the cock & hen stones to be on the face of the wall presented
to Maplecroft Farmhouse, proving that ownership of the wall does no lie with them. The owner of a wall always has
the 'rough side' presentation.