Coventry based plant hire company, Clements Plant & Access Hire were on hand to assist with the first phase of repairs to a well-known 400-year-old local landmark. 21st Century machinery was brought in to assist with the work to the building that has weathered the test of time for almost four centuries.
Built in 1632, Chesterton Windmill stands proud, overlooking the rolling Warwickshire countryside and is situated on a footpath route. Following a recent routine inspection, damage and rotten sections on one of the 9m timber sails were discovered. As the structure is regularly visited by walkers and sightseers, immediate action needed to be taken to repair the damage to ensure the safety of anyone visiting the windmill.
Arden Construction based in Alcester were the contractor appointed to carry out the careful removal work.
It was the first time since 2007 that it has been necessary to remove any of the sails to carry out repairs or maintenance work. The team in charge of carrying out the repairs took the decision, while they had the machines on site to have all four sails and timber stocks, onto which the sails were bolted, removed from the windmill. This allowed the team to inspect and assess the removed parts for signs of deterioration and then plan the repair work.
As the windmill stands on a raised site protected by a retaining wall and in the centre of a field, it was necessary for the contractors to hire a boom lift that could extend up to reach the sails and enable the contractors to safely unbolt and take down the damaged sail.
Arden Construction contacted Clements to hire a Dingli BT24ERT 24 metre lithium boom as it fulfilled all elements needed to complete the job. The telescopic boom was ideal for reaching the sails even though the machine had to be sited over ten metres away from the structure. The large basket capacity of 454kg also easily accommodates two operatives and the tools needed to complete the work. Additionally, the lithium powered machine can be run for up to 3 days from a full charge, eliminating the risk of the job not being completed before the machine ran out of power.
In addition to the Lithium Boom Lift, and due to the 500kg weight of each sail, Arden also hired a 60ton Demag Crane from ABA Crane Hire in Walsall. Between the two machines, the job was completed efficiently.
Each sail was held on with a series of bolts that needed to be removed. The crane was positioned with support wires attached to the sails to support the weight as the bolts were removed. When all bolts had been removed, each sail was detached and lowered to the ground.
Once all the sails had been detached, the centre stocks were removed to leave the structure sail-less for the foreseeable future.
The repair work is expecting to take place over the winter and the sails will be re-fitted to the windmill in the spring of 2022.
