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| Chalford Village Walls Project |
Following the successful completion of Phase 1 of the project, we looked for funding for Phase 2.
We applied to the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust for a grant to repair the walls along Rack Hill. We estimated that the cost of the work needed to put the majority of the walls into good condition was about £120,000. We decided to apply for a grant for what we judged to be the highest priority walls and this work would have required a grant of £40,000. We reached agreement with the owners that they would contribute 20% towards the cost of this work. We took several months to prepare a detailed proposal and submitted the application. We then heard nothing for many weeks and then a single paragraph rejection without any reasons. We followed this up with the Trust and found that the reason we were rejected was that the walls were in private ownership and hence not eligible. It would have been useful, if this point had been made clear from the start. We had hoped that the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust would have been a good source of funding for the larger walling projects in the village, but this seems not to be possible. This means that there are difficulties in funding the repair of some walls in the village.
We also applied for a second grant from the Local Heritage Initiative and this was successful. We have been given a grant of £11000 to continue with a similar style of project to that of Phase 1 (ie, grants, a larger walling task and training). In addition, we added the concept of community walling, whereby those who have received training are asked to help with a walling task. We are currently working on the wall that borders Middle Hill, by Middle Hill Farm. This is being rebuilt partly with community effort and partly by a waller. We hope the horses kept in the field there can be persuaded not to re-damage the repaired wall. The value of work that will be done during Phase 2 will be approximately £20000, which includes the grant, owner contributions and voluntary effort. We also intend repairing a wall on Rack Hill during this project. We hope to show what can be achieved there and then try for funding there again.
Nigel Paterson
Old Duke of York Inn
Chalford Hill
This project is now nearing the completion of its planned activities. We have provided grants to 21 individuals within France Lynch, Chalford Hill and Chalford Valley to help them with the repair of their dry stone walls. Grants were provided up to a maximum of £500, with a limit of 50% of the cost of the work. The rebuilding of a major section of wall on the footpath that leads from Commercial Road to Marle Hill (the lower section) has been completed with the majority funding by the project. A section of wall has been rebuilt on the road leading from the end of Roseberry Terrace to Coppice Hill by a waller on a job placement scheme. Training has also been provided to individuals so that they could repair their own walls themselves and several sections of wall are known to have been repaired following attendance at the course.
The walls within the villages were surveyed as part of the project, so we now have a record of where they are currently damaged and what features they contain (such as gate posts pig holes, etc). A photographic survey of the villages has been produced as it looked in 1999. Both survey and photographic record will be given to the County Records office in Gloucester. A booklet has been written giving some background information on the villages and also detail on aspects of ownership, liability and repair of dry stone walls. Copies have been delivered to all houses in the villages. Grants were also given to each school to encourage the development of projects associated with the walls, with the intention of developing an appreciation of the value.
The total value of the work done on the walls within the villages as part of the project has been approximately £24,000 (Local Heritage Initiative grant money, plus individual contributions). This equates to the rebuilding/repair of in excess of 350m of wall. We hope you will see that the money has been well spent and that a significant contribution has been made by the Local Heritage Initiative to enhancing the remaining character of the villages.
A lot of walling has been repaired, but it represents a small proportion of the walling present. There are possibliy about 20 miles of walling in the villages, so there is plenty to do! We are considering whether to continue with a second phase of the project. This would involve a further grant scheme and perhaps major works on another footpath. Our ability to do this will depend on another application to the LHI and another organisation that provides grants for work related to the environment. We will let you know what progress we make with raising funds for a further project. In the meantime you can make a contribution by removing ivy and weed trees from walls around your property. This will help to minimise further deterioration.
Nigel Paterson
Chalford Walls Win the Lottery!
The dry stone walls of Chalford and France Lynch are one of the unique features of the village. But many are in a poor condition and some are deteriorating fast. Frost, ivy, trees, landslips, animals, impact by vehicles, vandalism, building work and neglect all play a part.
But now these walls are the focus of a new community venture. This will raise people's awareness of the importance of walls to our village scene and take practical steps to encourage their repair and restoration.
The Chalford Village Walls Project has recently been formed by local people concerned about the poor state of local walls. They have applied for and successfully secured funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund who are working with the Countryside Commission. These funds will enable some real and visible improvements to be made to some village walls during the next year.
There is scope for many more people to get involved in planning and organising.
Over the next year the project will:
Interested in learning a new skill of dry stone walling: Please call Janet Gaskell on 882635 for more information.
We would also like to hear from professional wallers who are used to working to Dry Stone Walling Association standards and who wish to have their names included on a list of approved contractors.
Contacts - Chalford Village Walls Project
If you would like to know more, if you've got suggestions for restoring walls, or if you want to find out how to get involved please contact one of the following people:-
Dry Stone Walls in the Chalford Area - Notes on the History, Repair, Maintenance and Ownership of Walls
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