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RGT NEWS
ISSUE 7
MARCH 2012
PIPPS FORD LOCK
‘BEFORE RESTORATION’
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Firstly I should apologise for this Newsletter being a little later
than anticipated and I must also express my gratitude to Charles
Stride for undertaking the Editorship of this edition, strictly on a
one-off basis!
The Trust is continuing to raise public awareness in its plans and
intentions, and this is being reflected in our involvement in a number
of interesting, and possibly, far-reaching projects in addition to the
continuation of our existing Work Parties. Two examples of these may
be in assisting Bramford Parish Council with the plans for the re-
development of the old Fison’s site and the possibility of us being
able to host an IWA Trailboat Rally in the not too distant future. We
are also taking our forward planning a step further under the title of
‘Realising the Dream’.
The Work Parties are now splitting their time between Baylham and
Pipps Ford Locks, with the added work to be carried out renewing the
sluice gates at the former (See separate report).
In September last year, we were able to host a most successful Suffolk
Local History Council Day and also the next day to be able to
participate in the National Open Heritage Weekend, both events
centred around Baylham Lock .
The attempt to increase the number of bookings for our Powerpoint
Presentations by a suitable letter in the various local Newsletters, after
a slow start, is proving very successful with enquiries up to October
2013. This has proved to be on excellent method of extending our
public awareness and at the same time providing worthwhile funding –
if you know of any organisation who may be interested, please let me
know.
EDITORIAL
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We have recently recruited Les Howard to our
Executive Committee – it was Les’s Company,
Marriott and Howard, who were responsible for
designing and publishing our Vision Statement
Document and the associated Membership
Leaflet. Les is already proving a valuable
member of our Work Party and we wish him a
long and happy association with us.
We hope to see as many members as possible at our AGM which is
being held at Needham Market on Friday, 25th May 2012 when we
shall be welcoming local MP, David Ruffley. We will also be
attending , with our stand, at the Stowmarket Jubilee Event on June
4th – see you there!
Lewis Tyler
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FROM THE TREASURERS
COMPUTER
Doesn’t time fly! It’s nearly 9 months since
my last contribution to this newsletter and
the Trust is nearly 5 years old.
Our income is still exceeding our expenditure – we’ve had over £2000 in
donations and nearly £600 in membership income. Those nice people in the
Inland Revenue have given us £640 in Gift Aid, so keep paying your in-
come tax!
Sales of scrap metal continue to make a substantial contribution to our
funds - £725 in the last 9 months.
Unfortunately, with the Bank of England base rate at a measly 0.5% we
only got £81 in bank interest.
The largest single item of expenditure was for our insurance cover. With so
many people willing to sue when they trip over their own shoe laces we
need to be well covered for anything that could happen to members of the
public around our work sites. Public Liability insurance has cost us £409
this year.
We’ve spent over £1600 on restoration work, both at Baylham and latterly
at Pipps Ford. Sand, ballast, lime and cement between them cost us just
under £400. The ever upward rise in petrol and diesel prices meant that
we’ve spent £350 just to keep our various items of machinery running.
The next large restoration project we have will be restoring the sluice gates
behind the mill at Baylham. These gates were originally used to control the
flow of water to the mill, the lock and down the river. Although we are
supplying the manpower, the Onian’s Trust are providing the money so
that won’t be appearing as an expenditure item next time around.
Under the heading of restoration we’ve been out and bought a garage! Ac-
tually it’s a workshop for our use at Pipps Ford and the cost was covered
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by a legacy from an IWA member. We’ve spent £240 of our own
money to fit it out with all the necessities of life like kettles, a sink
and some comfy chairs!
That’s it this time around. I hope to meet many of you at our AGM on
the 25th May. Spencer
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Friday May 25th
7.30 pm Needham Market Community Centre
River Gipping Trust AGM
Monday June 4th
Stowmarket Jubillee
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RESTORATION REPORT
This winter has been much kinder to us than last year, with only
one workparty cancelled due to freezing temperatures, and two
others cut short by rain settling in on the day.
Our workload has been split between two projects, the repair and
maintenance of the over bridge at Pipps Ford Lock, and the continuing
work to the brickwork platform at Baylham.
Pipps Ford has progressed apace, and with a good turnout every week ,
including our youngest
member by far, Sam, who
is on temporary second-
ment from the North
West, and has been a
great help with the brick-
work.. We have achieved
a huge amount of pro-
gress here, with all the
overgrowth of scrub, in-
cluding two sizeable ash
trunks, removed, and the
accumulated earth
scraped from the bridge
deck. The deck itself is
in better condition than
we expected, but all four
retaining walls needed
cleaning down and par-
tially demolishing. At the time of writing, one has been completely
restored, a second is within a few courses of completion, and a third is
Second retaining wall under construction
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cleaned down and prepared for its rebuild. The fourth is presenting a
bit of a problem , in that historically the wall was used to prop up
the River Gipping Footpath. To properly repair the wall and create
space for a future balance beam will need more substantial work and
a further approval from the Environment Agency.
While all this has been going on, we have continued our Saturday
programme of work at Baylham, with the first area of bank re-
enforcement below the bridge now in place. Progress is naturally
slower here as we only work one day a month, but again the relative-
ly good weather and low water levels have helped us with this work.
Our next project will be the repair of the sluice at Baylham. This
structure controlled the water level above the mill, but over the years
it has lost its gates and the frame has degenerated badly. The Land-
owner, the Onians Trust, has asked us to replace the structure com-
pletely. Luckily, much of the mechanism to raise the gates was ei-
ther left on the bank or in the river, and Colin, with much patient
work has been able to restore all but the cast iron racks.
With the help of one of our newer members, we have located a
source of local oak at Glemham and this is being milled to size as I
Choosing Timber for the Sluice framework
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write this. The timbers will be prepared off-site and then assembled
at Baylham in the Autumn.
We have a number of other ideas we are working on for the future,
and as always any volunteers for either our Wednesday or Saturday
work parties will be warmly welcomed
Martin Bird
Restoration Manager
PIPPS FORD LOCK—UNDER RESTORATION
WORKING PARTY DATES
Working Parties are held by the River Gipping Trust from 0900 to 1700 every
Wednesday and on the first Saturday of each month, unless that Saturday is a Bank
Holiday in which case it will then be held on the second Saturday of that month.
For further information and to confirm dates contact Martin Bird
Tel: 01394 380765 Email: [email protected]
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River Gipping Trust shines at Suffolk
Local History Societies Day
Saturday 17th March 2012
Once again the Trust put on a display at the Suffolk Local History
Council’s bi-annual event when Suffolk History Societies get to-
gether to show what they are doing in the way of activities.
In a well packed Blackbourne Hall at Elmswell, there were displays by
many local societies, including the Workers Educational Association,
Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Field Group, Suffolk Lo-
cal History Council who were hosting the Day, the Suffolk Branch of
the Historical Association
and the Wickham Market
Area Archive Centre and
Photographic Club to name
but a few. All available
space along the Hall walls
was occupied with individu-
al displays and attracted a
great deal of interest from
the over 90 members of var-
ious societies who had at-
tended, in spite of the less
than spring like weather.
As well as the extensive RGT display, Spencer Greystrong had the fi-
nal afternoon spot in a well filled programme of lectures. He gave
(with support from Colin Turner) a Powerpoint presentation on the his-
tory of the River Gipping and its restoration so far. This, like all the
subjects during the day, was very well received. Among the other
speakers there were talks on such diverse subjects as Ancillary Build-
ings at Great Ashfield Airfield by a member of the Suffolk Industrial
Archaeology Society, a Record of 80 years of Southwold Museum, the
Early Years of the Gas industry in Suffolk and the Hidden Heritage
which was about fund raising for your society by running metal detec-
tion days. Altogether a fascinating range of talks, each one more inter-
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esting than the titles perhaps sug-
gested. The afternoon was rounded
off with tea and home made cakes.
Photographs show the audience in
the well filled Hall at Elmswell and
Spencer explaining a point to a
member of that audience.
We continue to be asked to give
talks to a wide range of organisa-
tions, as per the list on page 11.
Members will always be welcome on these occasions to support the
speaker of the day.
Mitzi Tyler
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TALKS DIARY 2012/13
Date/Time Organisation Place Wednesday
25/4
1930
Great Blakenham Parish
Council Parish Room
Gt. Blakenham
Sunday
29/4
East Anglian Waterways
Association AGM Best Western Hotel
Claydon Wednesday
2/5/12
7.30pm
Stowmarket Young
Farmers Limes Hotel
Needham Market
Friday
25/5/12
7.30pm
River Gipping Trust
AGM
Needham
Tuesday
10/07/12
Suffolk Family History
Stowmarket
Old Library
Red Gables
Stowmarket Wednesday
19/9/12
Boxted History Group Boxted
Tuesday
16/10/12
Catholic Womens League
of Ipswich
St Pancras Church
Hall
Ipswich Wednesday
17/10/12
Drinkstone Local History
Club
All Saints Church
Drinkstone Tuesday
8/1/13
Capel St Mary Countryside
Club Methodist Chapel
Capel St Mary Friday
15/2/13
Martlesham WI Richards Room
Martlesham
Community Hall Thursday
21/02/13
Woolpit History Group Woolpit
Monday
11/3/13
Woodbridge Methodist
Ladies Friendship
St Johns Road
Woodbridge Wednesday
09/10/13
Stour Valley U3A Constable Memorial
Hall
East Bergholt
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Editor: Lewis J. Tyler. Church Cottage, Capel St. Mary, Ipswich, IP9 2EL
(01473) 310381
Views that may be expressed in this Newsletter are not
necessarily the views of the River Gipping Trust or its Trustees