Britbike forum Forums Projects started by Britbike forum members Monthly photo contest forum Canalside cottage

FFS!
Wrong again!!
I said I was tired and it shows.
Ackerdock is sort of local dialect/pronunciation for Aquaduct so Aquaduct Cottage it is and always was.
To misquote Kevin - my brain was puddled.

Why am I around at this time of morning? Because I woke needing the bathroom, mouth like the bottom of a parrot's cage, made tea and here I is.
Probably need bathroom again after another four or so hours. Oh the joys of a knackered old body

Whatever purpose that wooden thing serves I really have no idea. To the left it is short, mile & half, of preserved navigable canal. The rest is basically semi nature reserve.


Not a sluice either.
When I have the chance to talk to the people who look after the canal I will ask the question - what is it and what is it for?

There was lock there for reasons that go back into the mists of time, to do with local politics & land ownership.
All for naught for when the railways came along the canal got cut off a few hundred yards up from the cottage and abandoned to revert to nature. In fact now forms part of the adjacent Lea Wood nature reserve. The being no use for the l;ock it seems to have been removed and replaced with a solid dam joining the tow path to the cottage.



I mentioned earlier how restoration materials were moved to site.

Until tomorrow here is just one more pic - No 6 swing bridge

Final part

Chimneys rebuilt, roofs going on.
Slate to the hill side.


Traditional stone slabs to the front.


Volunteer work on terracing & planting.


Then last November (2021) unwellness struck with a vengeance, left me with diminished mobility. To walk from car parking to cottage was far beyond my ability, and still is.
Months passed by and then I had the loan of an all-terrain electric mobility scooter thing.
Off we went Marie and me along the towpath to see such progress. Though structurally complete much work remainsed on fitting the place out for visitors. The volunteers had finished the access stairs to the woodland, all of the adjacent terraced landscaping. Work is/was ongoing on the other side. Might well be finished now.






My tale finishes here -
From this

to


All I would like now is to once more go back to see the completely finished project, early next year maybe

Beautiful.
Kudos for being part of it.

That really is a storybook ending getting to see a grand old building restored to usefulness. It makes me think of historic steam railroad preservation. The volunteer effort must have been enormous.
How long ago did they start?

Hopefully the soft spot was not in 50 year old wireing.

Got the loan of an all terrain electric buggy last Sunday and so was able to go back, see how much had been done.
Answer - quite a lot!

The acqueduct carrying the canal over the River Derwnt has been cleared of all the reed & weed.


The garden has been mostly cleared & restored. The outhouses rebuilt & roofed


More tidying around the house.



I see work has started around the old pig sty



I understand the interior fitting out is almost complete ready for use as a visitor centre for the adjacent nature reserve.

Remember how it was three years ago?


There may be more in a few weeks.

beautiful pastoral peaceful

so, any local stories about multiple murders or crazy relatives locked up in the attic?

No Amityville horror here Kevin no banjos get played either

personally i can do without banjos

ill make an exception for steve martin

Me too. This one makes me laugh every time.

Glad you were able to get out there again Bryan.

Visitors centre .... That says a lot ... Probably the only way these old buildings get restored is by the local historical societies.. Although if I won the lottery , Id be restoring old neglected buildings too. A few bikes too...

I may have a chance on Monday to go have another look. Depends on Marie's situation.