DO NOT ENTER FLOWER POT ENTRANCE.

Myself and Mark C went to Carlswark Flower Pot tonight to measure up and take pictures/notes of required work.

I descended into the small 6' high chamber between the 3rd and 4th barrels, but could not squeeze into 4th barrel due to being squashed out of shape.

On the way out, the 3rd barrel decided it had enough of being supported by loose infill and dropped by 4 inches, then by at least another foot into the small chamber.

Infill has fallen into the chamber, and the barrel is partly squashed out of shape.

The infill is very loose, as is the 3rd barrel.

DO NOT ENTER FLOWER POT ENTRANCE - ROCKS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE LID.

good work 

Flower Pot before - yours truly below the 3rd barrel:



And after emerging:


You can see the barrel has dropped, been squashed out of shape and infill has moved.

Martin

SamT said:

good work 

Click to expand...

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm there Sam?

:tease:

After todays look down Flower Pot and subsequent run in, its been suggested that we start a new thread for Flower Pots repairs.

After my -interesting- trip down Flower Pot to 'measure up' and photo around, we found that:

the top 3 barrels are 3' each = 9'

the little chamber is 6' high

are the 4th barrel is 3', but at an angle.

Underneath the 4th barrel is a slope to the floor - 4'?

Anyway, a big  to MarkC and the Pemberton Brothers for their help today. Cheers lads.

I'll sort photos out when I've figured how to sort flickr links..... :-\

martin, if you post 'em and they don't work, I can sort 'em. But.. r click on the big picture in flickr and choose 'save image location' if using Firefox - to get the URL

In Internet Explorer, right click the picture, select properties, and haflway down the box that pops up is 'Address:' -

then in either case just copy it and paste it into the image tags if you used the icon, or typed them it goes between the ] and the [

Ok, here goes with pics:

Looking up at top 3 barrels - notice how the 3rd barrel is kept in place........ :-\



Looking down at 4th barrel, gap is about 8 inches at its widest....



Looking down through 4th barrel into Carlswark....



And finally, the entrance, about 18" across with about 9" on either side working area.....snug!



Martin

I guess that last barrel looks  bit of a squeeze now.... 

haha good pics Martin..thats what SamP, Jams & myself had to push through!!! lolz.

one arm up one arm down, helmet through sideways and once you drop your feet under the barrel you can ease your way down using the wall!

Deffo needs sorting out then we can crack on pushing the dig beyond porth crawl.

JonP said:

haha good pics Martin..thats what SamP, Jams & myself had to push through!!! lolz.

one arm up one arm down, helmet through sideways and once you drop your feet under the barrel you can ease your way down using the wall!

Deffo needs sorting out then we can crack on pushing the dig beyond porth crawl.

Click to expand...

Even after meeting you, I still can't see how you got in there.....it's bl00dy tight!

I must have a fat @rse or big gonads!!

Anyway thanks for the haul up, I was feeling somewhat warm and dizzy in those barrels  :bow:

Martin

haha its alright...

its was tbh tight in all areas, I mean sometimes your helmet would get stuck on the sides and you'd just have to force it down (snake like perhaps.)

Sounds like a good trip

JB said:

Sounds like a good trip

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reassurance Jules!

It was fine 'till the 3rd barrel gave way.............

Right, so we've got a hole full of rubble held back by a bit of plastic, which is now partially run-in (thanks Martin!) and a number of sections of pipe waiting to be installed.  The 4th barrel looks very suspect, given that it has been partially squashed by a large boulder.

Chatting with the Pemberton brothers at Flower Pot on Friday Night, it seemed that the current 4th barrel could be by-passed through the loose sloping floor at the base of the small chamber and direct into the passage.  The best way of getting at this area, and indeed getting the surface barrels out is to excavate the lot from the surface (as suggested by Andy), and then put it all back in, neatly arranged around the piping and cemented in place.  It is proposed that the spoil is placed on tarpaulins to avoid damage to vegetation and that the footprint of the area affected is kept to a minimum. Refer to plan (as soon as I work out how to add it to the thread).

Four sections of the 6ft pipe would be needed.  Talking to David Webb prusiking in the pipe is not possible and cutting footholes might be a problem too.  We would need to drill and attach something to climb up inside the pipe. 

The Pemberton Brothers also suggested that something is done with the crawl boards in the passage, which are beginning to show their age.

Subject to Natural England consent, Dave Webb has said funding would be made available for materials.

Anything I've missed anyone?

Mark

If I were you, I'd excavate first, then see how the new pipe fits, no need to cut into sections if you dont need to.

I wouldnt expect folks to want to bother with the faff of prussiking here anyhow. Easier to just use a wire ladder.

or a knotted rope might do the trick just as well. We can cross that bridge when we get to it. If anyone could be arsed, an insitu iron ladder could be installed a la Hunger Hill Swallet.

Kind though the offer is, Im not sure what funding is needed really .

MarkC said:

Refer to plan (as soon as I work out how to add it to the thread).

Anything I've missed anyone?

Mark

Click to expand...

Here's the survey plan:



Can someone contact MarkC with the exact location of Flower Pot Entrance?

Messers Pemberton?

Martin

Just at the 'F' - shaped chamber at the end of falls chamber the lower branch off closer to the road is the start of the flat out crawl which leads for 5'ish metres where you then go parallel back on yourself and upwards at about a 65 degrees angle. Where the rock out crop is near that 'F' chamber probably at the south end of there, that being the hard wall of the rift?

Great, found it on the 1978 detailed cross section now thanks Jon

Mark

I think the first batch of pipe should land in Great Hucklow towards the end of next week. Is that going to be soon enough or do I need to make any special plans? Have you got a means to move it from here to Stoney Middleton Dale or do I need to provide a transport service?

Nick.

Is length of pipe heavy?

a few of us have roof racks on our cars if they'll hack the weight of the pipe!?