Two things stood out as I approached the castle this morning. First, a new stairway now rises from the area just in front of the main entrance right the way up to the sixth and highest 'lift' of the scaffolding. This makes getting to each of the scaffolding lifts so much easier and safer, both for visitors and workmen.
The second change is that, peeping above the battlements, a new roof-line has appeared.
This picture looks in the opposite direction, from the south battlements across to the front elevation of the north range....
....while this is the view looking along the new roof towards the east, with Ben Hiant in the distance. It's a very neat job indeed, typical of the work of chief scaffolder John Forsyth of
JRandM Scaffolding.
The last time there was a roof on this building was nearly 200 years ago.
Here we're looking vertically upwards from the ground floor into the apex of the roof. As can be seen, the whole roof structure is built on a scaffolding frame across which have been fixed scaffold boards which hold 8' x 4' plywood sheets. On top of these is a layer of breathable felt, fixed on with wooden battens.
Up in the roof space, where one imagines that the servants once lived, it can be seen that the new roof runs clear of the gables. This means that they can be worked on under cover, in readiness for the new roof to go on when this temporary one is removed.
The men working up here today were in their shirtsleeves. With a warm, if damp day outside, the warmth collects under the roof. Builder John-Paul Ashley of
Ashley Thompson will be firing up some large heaters shortly so that he can start to dry out the walls. But what's most important is that his men will be able to work on the building right through the winter, in some.... luxury.
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