The cost of repairing the wall on Briggate in Knaresborough is set to reach £200,000 — and require another 10 weeks of roadworks.
A section of the wall collapsed in September and was finally fixed this month after weeks of two-way traffic lights.
North Yorkshire Council had been warned by multiple residents about the state of the wall and Cllr Hannah Gostlow said last year it “could potentially be a risk to life”.
The collapsed wall
A structural report undertaken just two days before the wall collapsed said there was a seven-metre section that should be treated as “high priority”.
The section of wall between number 77 and The Wellington Inn is now due to be repaired in the new year.
It means roadworks, and two-way traffic lights, will recommence on January 8 and last for 10 weeks. This will enable work to take down and rebuild some sections of the wall, de-weed the wall and repoint it.
North Yorkshire Council has so far spent £35,000 repairing the collapsed section of wall and £15,000 on temporary traffic lights.
The latest details were revealed by Liberal Democrat councillors Hannah Gostlow and Matt Walker, who represent Knaresborough East and Knaresborough West respectively on the council. They were given the update by a council officer this week.
Councillors Gostlow and Walker
Cllrs Gostlow and Walker issued a joint press release saying there was a similar situation with a wall on Vicarage Lane that collapsed a few years ago down the side of Knaresborough House.
They blamed “years of under investment in basic infrastructure by the Conservative-led administration” at North Yorkshire Council.
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Cllr Walker said:
“I was absolutely disgusted that this appalling lack of neglect by the council will cost the local taxpayers just short of £200,000.
“It’s disappointing that the council didn’t use a local construction company. Having spoken to a local construction engineer and builder who told me they could do it for a third of the money, this would have represented much value for money.”
The councillors said they would ask for a meeting with the council’s head of highways to review this case and ensure a similar situation doesn’t happen again.
Call for BT to repair Ripon’s vandalised listed telephone kiosks
Telecoms giant BT is being called to repair a line of four grade II listed telephone kiosks in Ripon city centre that continue to suffer from attacks by vandals.
The classically designed kiosks, with their signature domed roofs, have been located on the eastern side of Market Square for decades and were listed in June 1987 by English Heritage.
They have fallen into a state of disrepair, with window panels broken and new evidence of recent vandal attacks. All four have been deliberately damaged.
Richard Taylor, co-chair of heritage watchdog Ripon Civic Society, who has taken a keen interest in the kiosks, reacted to the latest vandalism when he told the Stray Ferret:
“In the longer term, I hope that they can be re-purposed and vandal-proofed as they have been by councils in other towns and cities , but in the meantime, while they remain in BT’s ownership, they need to be repaired as soon as possible before they fall into a worse state of dilapidation.”
He added:
“It is rare to have a grouping of four telephone kiosks of this vintage – particularly in a city of Ripon’s size.”
Mr Taylor pointed out:
“They stand in close proximity to the cabmen’s shelter – another grade II listed building – and together they are part of Ripon’s heritage and are of special architectural interest.
“It would be great to eventually see the kiosks being used as something like an information hub, where local people and visitors to Ripon could find out more about the history of our ancient city.
“Ideally, one of the phones should be kept operational, as some people do not have mobiles.”
Designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935, the K6 kiosks are iconic structures still seen in many places across the UK,
A Harrogate village bridge is to fully close tomorrow for five weeks of repair work costing £60,000.
North Yorkshire Council closed the grade two listed Hampsthwaite Bridge suddenly on June 2.
It quickly re-opened to pedestrians and cyclists but has remained closed to vehicles.
Now it is expected to be fully inaccessible until September.
The bridge, on Church Lane, has three arches spanning the River Nidd.
Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said:
“On inspection of Hampsthwaite Bridge, our engineers found that the parapet has been pushed out over the edge of the bridge deck and this has damaged several of the corbels that support from beneath.
“These need to be repaired and 15 metres of the parapet taken down and rebuilt using hot mixed lime mortar.”
The bridge, which links Hampsthwaite with Clint, is popular with pedestrians, dog walkers, cyclists and runners.
Cllr Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Hampsthwaite on the council, said:
“We appreciate the disruption the closure is having on road users so please be assured that our engineers have been getting plans in motion to carry out the repairs as quickly as possible.
“We will keep the public updated on the works as they progress.”
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Harrogate church saves £20,000 on clock repairs with can of duck oil
A church near Harrogate has saved itself a £20,000 repair bill for its clock — by using a can of duck oil.
Nidd Church spent £1,500 trying in vain to fix its erratic tower clock but it kept stopping after a day or two.
It was finally quoted £20,000 for the clock to be dismantled and taken to a workshop in Derby for repair.
The church feared the prohibitive cost spelled the end for the two train flatbed clock made by Potts of Leeds, which was installed as a prestige item to show Nidd’s importance in 1880.
The church, photographed by Jane Page
But Knaresborough man Martin Lightfoot, a former engineering lecturer who along with his wife Sue take monthly Mattins services at Nidd, wasn’t convinced.
He reckoned the difficult to reach pulleys needed oiling and volunteered to do the job himself.
A conventional 12ft ladder would not negotiate the tight spiral steps from the ground so Martin volunteered to go up to the clock level, above the pulleys, lie on his front and drip some duck oil through the floorboards and beams onto the pulleys.
The clock was installed in 1880.
Martin said:
“The clock mechanism looked OK but I was suspicious of the pulleys. They looked very dry.
“The clock seems OK now. I’m just hoping that it keeps going.”
The grade two listed Church of St Paul and St Margaret, which is adjacent to Nidd Hall, dates back to 1866.
David Andrews, treasurer, lay reader and organist at the church, said:
“For five weeks now the clock has run and kept good time. For how long we can’t tell, but it’s doing better than ever before.”
Read more:
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Harrogate district churches win grants for repairs
Two churches in the Harrogate district have been awarded grants worth a total of more than £9,000 for repairs.
Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust gave grants totalling £78,000 to 19 churches for repairs, conservation and maintenance work in its latest funding round.
Successful Harrogate district applicants were St Mary’s in Great Ouseburn, which was awarded £6,000 for boundary wall repairs and St John’s in Minskip, near Boroughbridge, which received £3,300 to tackle damp.
Robert Beaumont, churchwarden at St John’s, said the grant “means the world to our little church”,
Mr Beaumont said damp threatened the structure of the church, and was also damaging the interior. He added:
“Specifically, faulty drains and a broken bell tower are causing peeling walls and discolouration inside, as well as a damp exterior.
“In addition, a couple of windows are broken and the floor is uneven in places. Whilst we are able to hold and enjoy our services, the structure of the church has been worrying us for some time.
“We have undertaken some serious fundraising which, together with this grant, will enable us to pay for the whole regeneration project. We have a very strong and committed church council and we have already raised £3,000 towards this specific project.
He added work carried out by local builder Tim Wilkinson will begin in January.
Read more:
- Ex-Timble Inn chef moves to Wild Swan at Minskip
- 150-year-old Harrogate church could be turned into house
Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust provides funds for churches, chapels and meeting houses of all Christian denominations within the county of Yorkshire.
Trust chairman Tom Ramsden said:
“Our latest grant awards support a wide variety of churches and projects.
“They range from helping to repair the roof of the Grade II listed St James in Slaithwaite built in 1796, through to helping make watertight Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic chapel in Headingley, built in the 1930s
“We are also delighted to support St John’s Church in Minskip, which is a lovely little church that serves its community so well. It is very rewarding to see at first hand the structural problems that will be tackled and solved, thanks in part to our grant.”
Full list of churches receiving grants
Great Ouseburn, St Mary, £6000 for boundary wall repairs
Minskip, St John, £3300 for bell tower repairs
Leeds, All Hallows, £10,000 for roof repairs
Leeds, Our Lady of Lourdes, £3000 for roof repairs
Leeds, Cathedral Church of St Anne, £3000 for stonework repairs
Leeds, Holy Rosary, £1500 for roof repairs
Clifford, St Edward King and Confessor, £3500 for roof repairs
Baildon, St James £2000, for tower repairs
Bierley, St John the Evangelist, £5000 for clock repairs
Skipwith, St Helen, £7000 for drainage works
Golcar, Providence Methodist, £3500 for window repairs
Slaithwaite, St James, £5000 for roof repairs
Ripponden, Stones Methodist, £5000 for roof repairs
Thornaby, St Peter, £1000 for stonework repairs
Gargrave, St Andrew £1358 for clock repairs
Golcar, St John the Evangelist, £5000 for internal decorations
Goole, St John £4500, for roof repairs
Harome, St Saviour, £3000 for bell turret repairs
Slingsby, All Saints, £4500 for window repairs