FORGOTTEN CORNERS

[Cathy]

Oh it's the mortar, Yes I understand now and yes it does look untidy as if the workman couldn't be bothered to do it properly. Shame.

[PanBiker]

There a various ways of doing it right depending on whether the build is stone or brick. The pointing can be recessed, bucket or weathered and cut to name just a few methods. The example Stanley posted is none of them and just looks a mess.

[Stanley]

Ian is spot on Cathy. Tiz, that's strap pointing and an abomination.
Pointing is a much neglected craft. I have done a lot myself and also of course, commissioned a lot on chimneys and I was known to be a hard task master. If I had a full pointing contract on a stack I always got them to do a reference panel 3 feet square at ground level done properly and that was the standard for the whole stack. Keith Batley used to tell his men that they couldn't get away with shoddy work because I would be up there on the ladders each day inspecting what they had done!
The secret to good pointing is the cutting out, it has to be between 3/4" and 1", then there is the mix, it should always contain lime, finally there is the finish. It should never stick out above the surface and one of my favourites was 'bucket handle' pointing. This was finished with a curved piece of steel, often a section from an old bucket handle was used hence the name.



Here's Keith, manager at BEST steeplejacks, doing the reference panel at Masson in June 1995.

The worst pointing I have ever seen was on a house in Cobden Street where the 'expert' craftsman was simply smearing sand and cement compo into the badly weathered joints with his thumb!

[Whyperion]

Some of the pointing I have seen (and it might be more common further south than Lancashire, is a Black Pointing mix, dont know if it contained coal dust or black sand or clay.

Others we have over in South Yorkshire on a Red very smooth finished brick is an original narrow banded mortar that is yellow to white in colour, again I think the mix is different to a more common mortar mix. This tends to be a flat internal finish when repointed, rather than the rounded.

[Stanley]

There are three basic colours for mortar. White is lime/sand, dark Grey is ash/lime and light grey is modern sand/cement. Colours are added for 'fancy pointing' and in extreme cases sand/linseed mastic is used, always a mistake! This can be various colours depending on the original colour of the sand.
The 'bible' for pointing is still the book produced by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)

[Stanley]

I did this pic of the waterfall at Forty Steps during a moderate spate many years ago. It will be much worse at the moment. This is actually the silted up dam wall that held back the water for the Ouzledale Mill lodges.

[Tizer]

I well remember having to have baths in water that colour when attending courses at Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre!

[Stanley]

I think it's the peat on Whitemoor that gives it that colour Tiz.

[Stanley]

Toothing stones on a house on Rainhall Road. Mute testament to the time when the Barlick boom stopped in 1914. These stones were the key for the next house in the row but it never got built..... If you keep your eyes open you can see many examples.

[Stanley]

I spent a very happy four hours with my friend John Clayton yesterday. He brought the results of his preliminary work on the latest LIDAR scans of the area. Early days yet but from what I saw yesterday he is on the right track. The bottom line is that it is entirely possible that eventually he can produce a very convincing map of the extent of settlement 2,000 years ago. From what I have seen so far it all makes sense, light is being shed on small mysteries like the origin of Shitten Ginnel and the possible site of the Saxon church. As I say, early days and I am not going to pre-empt his work but I have a gut feeling he is on the right lines and the picture he is uncovering is very exciting. Possibly the largest set of forgotten corners I have ever seen.... Proper basic research!

[Stanley]

By the way, nothing in John's results damages my theory about the siting of the original church, it moves the location a bit possibly to the site of present day Higher Calf Hall Farm.

[Stanley]

I may have to revise my best guess about where the church was. I've always favoured this patch between Townhead and Calf Hall Lane....

[Stanley]

The 1892 25" OS of the area round Calf Hall.



The 1853 first edition OS of the same area.

If you have been reading Early Settlement you'll know why I am getting so interested in this part of Barlick. Click on them to enlarge and study them carefully!

[Stanley]

Thanks to Harry Widdup for this pic of workers at West Marton Dairies in 1950. Those were the days, I could never understand how we managed to lose such an obviously viable local factory.....

[Stanley]

A forgotten personal corner. Driving this tanker for the dairy was a lovely job. Clean, a good motor, off early in the morning and home early! No wonder my internal clock is still happiest when I am up early in the morning.....

[Stanley]

It struck me today looking at the Mercury tanker that it had just come out of the paint shop, the Associated Dairies lettering on the name board over the cab hasn't been painted.
Another small thing, take note of the number plate. JEH 28 was one of a block of numbers bought by J E Hall of Lancaster who were a private dairy. Associated Dairies bought them out and we got JEH 28 and JEH 29, two almost new AEC Mercury tankers with very expensive Darham tanks which held about 2,000 gallons. Danny Pateman got the other one. Good motors and we both liked them.



Danny on a visit to the engine house after I jumped ship from the dairy. A good mate and we never had a wrong word. He died and I still miss him.

[Stanley]

Danny's tanker had a power take off on the gearbox which drove a cargo pump. Very handy at times. However, he had a day off one day and when the spare driver came in he complained that the overdrive on the transmission wasn't working. We were puzzled and investigated because it didn't have an overdrive fitted. We found that the expert spare driver had been repeatedly trying to engage the PTO while he was moving. This was fatal! That was the end of the PTO and we had to wash all the bits of metal out of the gearbox..... Danny was not pleased....

[Stanley]

Another long forgotten corner has popped up. I have seen very convincing evidence for a water power site just below the site of the present Springs Dam. It is perfectly feasible and John Clayton has found traces of a water course and a building on the site using LIDAR. He and I are going to have to walk the ground as soon as we have some decent weather. What I like about the evidence is that, if it correct, it explains some puzzling features about the dam which I am certain existed long before it was improved to its present form. Sorry to tease you but watch this space.....

[Stanley]

Probably the biggest forgotten corner at this time of the year when so many people are totally engrossed in pandering to themselves and their families are those who are worse off than us. I wish I could wave a magic wand and cure the world's ills but there is very little I can do beyond being as nice as possible to everyone I come in contact with. I kid myself that the main thing is to recognise that this need exists. So, if there is anything you can do the affect one small corner, do it!

[Tizer]

Yes, and the spin off is that they are then more likely to be nice to you. Win, win! In helping a relative we had to deal with estate agents from two businesses this morning. We were polite and friendly, chatted with them a lot, gave them a chance to show their knowledge of the local houses and area, and thanked them for their time and effort. In return they were very helpful and opened up more, giving us extra information. It's what makes the world go round!

[Stanley]

So Tue Tiz, far more productive than confrontation and anger.

But we are straying slightly off piste....



I don't know where I harvested this image from but it is very reminiscent of days gone by..... We often forget how much things have improved over the last half century...

[Stanley]

I was thinking about pointing yesterday and I remembered the Westmorland style buildings built with slate. They have no pointing but open joints. Despite the wet weather they are always dry because the pointing is protected from the weather by the overhung slate and the fact that all the stones are laid with a slight inclination downwards, in cut stone masonry this can be seen occasionally round here and is called 'watershot'.

[Stanley]

Standridge Farm on Folly Lane in 1977. The Border Collie is my old cattle dog, Fly. This where John Clayton wanted to go this morning..... I used to deliver groceries there when I was 'open all hours' at Sough. John Robinson was a great believer in getting the most out of his wife. She used to carry their daily milk down to the kit on the milk stand at the Bottom of Folly in a back kit and bring back the hen grub that Hoyle's use to leave there. It was in 28lb bags because John said that his wife couldn't manage any more.....

[Cathy]

Charming chap then ...

[chinatyke]

It was in 28lb bags because John said that his wife couldn't manage any more.....

Charming chap then ...

What a wonderful, thoughtful chap. So caring to his wife. But you've got to look after the beasts of burden.