Everyone working on this project is a hero in my eyes, historical buildings like this are so important and to see that there are people that still care warms my heart.
I went there last year they had a huge dragon named lucy that crashed throught the castle wall and the I'll never forget how kind and informative the staff were at the entrance . Lincolnshire was one of my favorite days out the cathedral is spectacular and their is a coffee shop on the high road that is decorated in 1940s memorabilia and even the waitresses are in costume , with 1940s music playing . They had one of the most delicious coffees i have ever tasted and the vibe was everything i felt like i was in a different era in time .. 🥰
Beautiful! I don't pretend to know a single thing specifically about a project designed to keep stonework intact, but... Somehow placing heavy sod that will send down roots into the spaces between stones and even weaker spots within stones, perhaps where the surface has chipped, seems like another of those ideas where the "fix" will turn out to be worse for the structure than the original problem. It's frightening to envision the roots breaking apart the stones, opening fissures to allow additional water incursion whilst placing a heavy weight on top to help drive those fissures open, causing the whole thing to crumble. Oh, and holding the water on the stone as opposed to allowing it to wick its way out and evaporate. Perhaps this is a rare case where common sense is counter to the truth?
I had the same initial thoughts as you; surely the roots would break apart the stone? But according to that research report, soft capping has many benefits such as it is good at thermal protection, mixed results on how much better it is at dealing with internal moisture than hard capping (hard capping; ’the use of stone and mortar to consolidate the wall head’ according to a google search), definitely better at external moisture reduction though, and in reference to the potential roots problem: ‘… Another concern is that soft capping might lead to the deterioration of underlying stonework by plant roots. This too is unlikely. Grass and sedum do not produce woody roots, and so even if the roots reach through the soil and connect with underlying stonework, they will not cause serious deterioration.’ ‘… Furthermore, it is easy to eliminate the potential for damage any woody plants might pose: simply remove them if they establish themselves in the soft capping.’
I love that you are saving space for the bats so they can continue to live here. Wonderful job!
Everyone working on this project is a hero in my eyes, historical buildings like this are so important and to see that there are people that still care warms my heart.
I've visited Bishops Palace many years ago during the Christmas Market. It's so nice to see it being preserved!
I went there last year they had a huge dragon named lucy that crashed throught the castle wall and the I'll never forget how kind and informative the staff were at the entrance . Lincolnshire was one of my favorite days out the cathedral is spectacular and their is a coffee shop on the high road that is decorated in 1940s memorabilia and even the waitresses are in costume , with 1940s music playing . They had one of the most delicious coffees i have ever tasted and the vibe was everything i felt like i was in a different era in time .. 🥰
I want my Mrs.Crocombe at once!!!
I want both!
Beautiful! I don't pretend to know a single thing specifically about a project designed to keep stonework intact, but... Somehow placing heavy sod that will send down roots into the spaces between stones and even weaker spots within stones, perhaps where the surface has chipped, seems like another of those ideas where the "fix" will turn out to be worse for the structure than the original problem. It's frightening to envision the roots breaking apart the stones, opening fissures to allow additional water incursion whilst placing a heavy weight on top to help drive those fissures open, causing the whole thing to crumble. Oh, and holding the water on the stone as opposed to allowing it to wick its way out and evaporate. Perhaps this is a rare case where common sense is counter to the truth?
Hi Lucinda, you can read more about the conservation technique of soft capping here: historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/88-2018
I had the same initial thoughts as you; surely the roots would break apart the stone? But according to that research report, soft capping has many benefits such as it is good at thermal protection, mixed results on how much better it is at dealing with internal moisture than hard capping (hard capping; ’the use of stone and mortar to consolidate the wall head’ according to a google search), definitely better at external moisture reduction though, and in reference to the potential roots problem: ‘… Another concern is that soft capping might lead to the deterioration of underlying stonework by plant roots. This too is unlikely. Grass and sedum do not produce woody roots, and so even if the roots reach through the soil and connect with underlying stonework, they will not cause serious deterioration.’
‘… Furthermore, it is easy to eliminate
the potential for damage any woody plants might pose: simply remove them if they establish themselves in the soft capping.’
Where I live it's 2am and then I was like why but then I remembered time zones turns I'm a idiot