More on the Dogs Home
I felt the previous conversation had gone cold, so I'm starting a new one to report on my meeting today with the Forestry Commission's Warden, Mark. Many thanks, Mark for your time and support. Mark knows of the AR connections, and we had an interesting chat as we followed the purple route from Machell Coppice car park. We went anti-clockwise, which I haven't done before - I usually go up the rough track up from the gate near the two forestry houses. But the purple route is a lovely walk, and you suddenly come out onto the Dogs Home – it's quite stunning!
Mark identified one major problem: the roofing timbers are rotten which has caused the tiles to come off. Indeed we found a piece of rafter with some tiles still attached on the ground at the back! Looking inside, the main central beam isn't even attached to the eastern end gable. This could be rot, or could be indicative of a bigger problem: the end eastern gable wall is bowing outwards significantly and may have pulled clear of the central beam.This is clear on the Lakeland Cam photo too.
So we agreed that he will get the Forestry Commission (FC) building surveyor to assess the damage and estimate the costs of the works needed. It may be that the FC could help with such things as getting tools and equipment and materials up to the site, and even supply local timber for the rafters, battens etc, but otherwise they don't really have money for this sort of restoration project, but a dire warning that as the FC has a responsibility for public safety, it may be that the building would be declared unsafe and levelled. I did ask that it could be fenced off instead.
We did talk about bidding for grants for any works, and we agreed that working in partnership was a positive for this, as would be a package with an interpretative noticeboard at the car park explaining the Dogs home and encouraging families especially to walk to it (he said the FC has a workshop where such a sign might be constructed).
Other ideas we touched on were rebuilding a charcoal burners wigwam – the FC have a map with all features such as the stone base circle identified on it; and whether TARS could effectively adopt the route including doing some work on the path (it needs localised drainage) and generally just keeping an eye on it and the car park - the purple route could even become the Picts and Martyrs route! I have to say I found all this really exciting.
I will report further when the surveyor has done her work, and perhaps in the meantime the Board could consider how they feel TARS would be able to help with the project. I am happy to keep up my involvement and if necessary put in grant bids and maintain any partnership with the Forestry Commission.
This is sad but not unexpected news, Rob.
I thought we had established, on Peter Hyland's advice, that it was uncertain as to whether any Board members were reading this Forum.
It may be that the new Board is actually more connected with the Forum, but until we receive proof positive, it would be better to assume that there has been no change.
Therefore can you please copy this report and any future reports to the new secretary, Mike Glover, as well as posting on this Forum? Mike's AR email is secretary@arthur-ransome.org
This should ensure that the Board is apprised of developments. Also ask for the Dog's Home Funding to be an Agenda item at the next meeting, please.
Whilst fascinating, I suspect that building a replica burners’ wigwam should be held back until the Dogs Home has been rescued. Presumably the replica would be built on an old pitstead.
Owen -
prior to posting this I wrote to the Chair of TARS, Liz Haworth, with a slightly longer account. I'll copy this to Mike though. However the next Board meeting isn't until March, hopefully the survey will be done by then so that we know what is needed and the likely cost. I fear though that the cost might exceed what TARS is able to afford, though even some financial input from a group like TARS would be useful in winning funding bids. Has anyone experience of writing a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund? I might start looking into local funders as well.
The previous recreated wigwam was just south of Satterthwaite. I'm not sure these were built on old pitsteads rather than purpose built stone circles - can anyone confirm this? The charcoal burners would coppice an area, make the charcoal and move on, returning in perhaps 15 years and rebuild the wigwam on the old site.
I'd agree that the Dogs Home comes first, but I suspect we would have to work up a wider package to attract funding and a wigwam might be part of this.
Previously Owen Roberts wrote:
This is sad but not unexpected news, Rob.
I thought we had established, on Peter Hyland's advice, that it was uncertain as to whether any Board members were reading this Forum.
It may be that the new Board is actually more connected with the Forum, but until we receive proof positive, it would be better to assume that there has been no change.
Therefore can you please copy this report and any future reports to the new secretary, Mike Glover, as well as posting on this Forum? Mike's AR email is secretary@arthur-ransome.org
This should ensure that the Board is apprised of developments. Also ask for the Dog's Home Funding to be an Agenda item at the next meeting, please.
Whilst fascinating, I suspect that building a replica burners’ wigwam should be held back until the Dogs Home has been rescued. Presumably the replica would be built on an old pitstead.
Thank you very much Rob.
I suspect the quickest and easiest way to produced funds would be an appeal to all lovers of AR’s work. Subject to what the surveyor may say, from a distance it would appear to need attention if it is to substantially survive a hard winter.
If the wall movement is critical, perhaps temporary scaffolding could be erected to stabilise the situation.
To my mind, it is the only positively identified building in AR’s Lakeland novels, other than background artefacts such as the station and the steamer pier – also Bank Ground Farm which appears to be thriving.
Regarding lottery funding, once you have prepared and submitted a case (say 2 months) it will take at least 3 months for a decision. Not really suitable for a possibly critical project such as this.
Regarding a possible site for a charcoal burners’ replica hut, it should be on an old pitstead. These were characterised by being on an area of ground that had be levelled. From the picture you kindly provided of Satterthwaite – it looks like the location for a bark peelers hut as no level ground is evident in the picture.
Thank you very much for all the time and energy you have spent on this so far, Rob, I am sure it is much appreciated by all those who care about the Dogs home.
Yes, I second that (the thanks). I hope the surveyor can have a look soon, then we can find out how urgent the work is.
What is a pitstead?
A pitstead is a cleared area of level ground on which the charcoal burners would build their large earth covered mound. Their hut would be close by the mound so that the burn could be supervised properly.
Space would also be needed to prepare the wood prior to stacking in the mound and also to store the turves prior to using them as covering for the mound. AR describes the process in PP.
As the site was not often level, part of it would be cut into the hillside and the earth removed carefully dumped to enlarge the level space available.
The FC Building Surveyor has now visited - sneaked past me and the FC Warden to do their own thing - and the news is slightly better. The stonework is mainly OK apart from the tops of both gables which need rebuilding, while the roof need some replacement timbers but would be better to be rebuilt completely. The FC might provide timbers for this, and the slates probably could largely be reused.
The FC Land Agent is getting a couple of quotes, so when these are available, we can assess the funding options. I suspect it's most likely going to be a mix of donations and grant applications, unless TARS wants to claim all the credit and fund it all!
Hopefully more news fairly soon
Back to pitsteads. One thing that confuses me is, if the wigwam is built on an old pitstead, and they also need one to make charcoal, why don't they come in pairs? My best answer is that the pitsteads were used when they were making industrial quantities of charcoal to smelt iron ore, before the industrial revolution and the use of coke instead. There is a suggestion that the S&A charcoal burners were making artists' charcoal - Titty says this - so maybe by then a simple earth mound would be sufficient for two men to manage.
I think you will find that the old pitsteads were quite large, Rob.
There was enough space to incorporate both the charcoal mound and wigwam on the one site. Indeed the wigwam needed to be close at hand whilst tending the mound to prevent fire breaking through the turf covering overnight.
AR knew the charcoal burners well, his descriptions in both SA and SD merit careful reading as they are contemporaneous with the burns being carried out. There is more background in his auto biography.
This link to a painting by Alfred Heaton Cooper, in 1908, gives a good idea of the burning process with the wigwams or huts to the background.
http://www.heatoncooper.co.uk/product.php?xProd=1708&xSec=193
As the painting commentary points out, charcoal was also used in the production of gunpowder at this time.
Back to the Dogs Home, thank you for the futher work work carried out. It appears that the building should survive the winter and we can await the outcome of the quotation process before decidiing on funding.
Damn good work Rob, I'm so pleased you are on the spot and taking an active interest in things. I hope we will soon see the Dog's Home safe for another decade. I'd be very sad to lose this tangible link to Picts & Martyrs.
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January 2012 Signals from TARSUS and North Pole News Now available online
