Scaffolding is now in place for drainage improvements and abutment cleaning by the City Council. The outflow from the Bridge’s existing drainage channels will be improved by installing downpipes on the faces of the abutments and ducting the water across the pavements to the street gutters. This should stop water running down the abutments, corroding the ends of the arch beams and turning the walls green. The abutments will be cleaned by a water jetting process. This is not part of the full restoration that we are working towards, but it will minimise deterioration in the meantime and make the scene under the Bridge a lot less dank and dismal.
Posts published in “What We Have Been Doing And Event Reports”
Friends of Friar Gate Bridge became formally constituted in May 2015, we registered as a charity in August and we have been welcoming new members since November. The trustees have had meetings with the City Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and developers of sites adjoining the Bridge, and we have responded to relevant planning applications. And of course we did the boring stuff like the bank account and the membership database.
We are buzzing with ideas but have found that getting the organisation established has made us a little more inward-looking than we would have liked in the last few months – but we are keen to get going with the real work of Friends of Friar Gate Bridge. In outline, our plans include:
– Attracting lots of new members, to show the City Council and the Heritage Lottery Foundation that people really care about Friar Gate Bridge. Have you joined us yet?
– Developing practical ideas about the long-term use of the Bridge.
– Educating young and old about the Bridge, the Friar Gate Line and Handyside.
– Raising lots of money, and applying for Heritage Lottery Foundation funding to top it up.
It’s all about ensuring that the Bridge is fully restored and its future is assured.