Bill Wright of Rothwell Haigh, Samuel Dunton of Reading, George Orton and J.Spooner of Burton upon Trent, Thomas Tong of Kearsley, H.E.Jones of Hereford, George Cox of Hereford, Walter Watts of Bridgwater, William Wheeler of Guildford,
F.J.Thomas of Chertsey, Thomas of Gloucester, Stubbs of Barrowden, Fuller of St Ives, C.H.King of Wisbech, Godbolt of Norwich, Elias Leonard of Soham, Albert & Theodore Fry of the Bristol Waggon and Carriage Works, W.Watson of Belpher,
Herbert Varney of Belpher, Hallard Howcroft of Hartlepool, Fred Hill of Swineflleet, Uriah Hurst of Woodlesford, R.W.Hodgson of Halifax, John Hardman of the Radcliffe Waggon Works
ROOF, WEATHERBOARDS & CROWNBOARDS
ROOF
Reskinning the Roof
Clearing the moss and assessing for any damage on the roof began in November 2019. The new skin would eventually be laid down a year later in November 2020, when the final coat on gloss would be applied (a total of seven coats altogether). The weather boards on the front and back were renewed, the original ones being quite rotten on the ends. It was good to see the waggon again when the scaffold surrounding it was removed in March 2021.
BEFORE
The mossy carpet on the roof 2019 - many years of built up debris taking it's toll
AFTER
Nov 2021 - the roof newly reskinned with calico canvas & 7 coats of gloss to protect it
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FRONT & REAR WEATHERBOARDS
Renewing the Weatherboards
Courtesy of the traditional British weather over the many decades, as the waggon stood outside, the front & rear weather boards had become rotten on the ends and along the top edges and needed to be replaced. Patterns were made and hard wood was marked out, cut, scalloped and shaped to create the new ones.
BEFORE
Old Front weatherboard removed as rotten on ends and along the top
Old Rear weatherboard, rotten on ends and along the top
AFTER
New Front weatherboard fitted, painted and lined out
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CROWNBOARD CARVINGS
Removal of Crownboard carvings
A decision not taken lightly as it would add extra time to the restoration but I couldn't see a way not to remove them if the crownboards themselves were to be painted and the carvings on them repaired.
The front crownboard had not been on the waggon when it arrived, it had been stored inside. The carving still fitted to it but loose and I managed to remove it in only 3 pieces. So there were repairs to do but not many.
The rear crownboard however, had been varnished at some point and the weather had caused this to flake dramatically. It was peeling badly across all the paintwork underneath, including across the top of the carving which I found to be in an exceedingly delicate state. It was impossible to remove without it breaking up into many pieces. I ended up with a jigsaw that would take some time to piece back together, repair and recarve some of the fragile acanthus scrollwork.
BEFORE
AFTER
Front crownboard carving gingerly removed for stripping
Rear crownboard carving which would end up as a jigsaw once removed
Front crownboard carving fitted with the attachments of a shell and some roses
Rear crownboard carving fitted after piecing back together & finished in gold.
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