On the Tiles

 

Next open gardens: 

We have an open garden weekend coming up in October on the 8^th and 9^th. The gardens will be open from 1pm until the gates close at 4.30pm. £5 pp (pay on the gate) children under 12 free. Grab a free hot drink in the visitors’ hub while you're there. Nigel and I will be on hand to chat about the gardens.

There's a definite chill in the air in the grounds of Betley Court. We’ve had the first air frosts of the season, and leaves are beginning to crisp up. The dahlias are doing well, their colourful blooms so welcome at his time of year. Unfortunately, they are being nibbled at by some subterranean beasties. I’ve installed sonic deterrents which, the manufacturers assure me will move them on without harming them. First results are promising, and the dahlias are looking a little happier.

Conical roof section, as seen from above (photo: NW Brown)

There’s been great progress on the tiling of the roof. We now have a bat license, so the stripping and retiling of Royds House’s roof will start soon, under proper supervision. The conical roof sections are coming along too. There’s been a bit of experimentation on how to position the Vermont green tiles. It's proved quite a challenge as the tilers from Attleys have no blueprints to work from for this complex design. It’s a case of working out a method that looks right and doesn't cause the courses to 'droop'.

The tiles vary in size between each course and also within each course, making these sections of roof highly complex to make (photo: NW Brown)

The challenge comes from the fact that tiles not only vary in size on each course, but they also differ from the edges of the cones to the centre, thus ensuring each course sits correctly. Every single tile is cut by hand and the craftsmanship is stunning! Nigel and I have had a sneak preview, and the end result is going look spectacular for (hopefully) centuries to come.

Smart new guttering, along the 'factory' section of Betley Court

Tonnes of specially cast-iron guttering is being installed around the perimeter of the roofs, fitted to smart white, molded soffits. It has all been individually cast, in heritage style to suit the building's age and is unique in dimension, fitting Betley Court's particular bay windows.

New windows, awaiting installation (photo: NW Brown)

The first of our new windows have been installed too. Although Philip Bailey, the joiner resident at Betley Court Farm has been refurbishing some of the salvageable windows, dozens more need to be made to replace those destroyed in the fire. Ninety-nine windows are needed in total. For this we have used the services of a specialist heritage window fabricator, High Performance Windows. The windows come to site ready painted, complete with draft excluding fittings. It feels very exciting to be getting to this stage as another winter approaches!

All best wishes

Ladybird Su