Oxfordshire Woodland Group

As part of the new Gateway project at The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton, West Sussex an existing museum exhibit building - Sole Street had to be relocated elsewhere on the site.

Museum carpenter Joe Thompson ably assisted by his work partner Steve Turner undertook the task of dismantling, repair, relocation and raising of the building. These experienced timber framers were assisted by a number of craft apprentices sponsored by The Heritage Lottery Fund.

The new site for Sole Street posed a number of problems for structural engineer Alan Wood to solve with the main one being the oblique slope of the site which has required the use of a stepped block foundation that will be faced with flint.

The flints will be built on top of a 4 inch ledge left all around the foundation gradually removing the temporary concrete blocks currently supporting the sills and replacing same with flint.

Towards the end of the first day the main hall frame had been raised to a well deserved round of applause from the public as the last brace popped into place.

The frame takes shape.

A time lapse video of the first days rasing can be seen on Utube

Ken Hume OWG

By mid September 2016 good progress has been made in fixing wattle panels to the timber frame ready for daubing.

The timber-frame sills are now being underbuilt with flint & lime mortar.

The hand split roof lath made by Herbert L Russell is being applied to the roof

- ready to receive hand made clay tiles.

Ken Hume