What we’ve been doing: 

June 2009

Schools out for summer

Kells infants school hop, skip and jump along the wagonway to the candlestick. Remenants of old industry providing the setting for an inspiring day out spotting the native wildlife and helping to ensure its survival in the future. 

In addition to the ongoing meadow management and habitat improvements that have already taken place this year the school have helped coastal heath to spread. 

Coastal Heath is a valueable habitat of low growing shrubs featuring heather and gorse, both of which are a great food source for pollinating insects and in turn larger animals such as small mammals, reptiles and birds which feed on the insects and make their homes there. As an Island Nation with an expansive coastline the United Kingdom supports much of the coastal heath habitat for the European continental area making it a habitat of international importance for its communities of plants and animals.

The children planted their own pots of heather they had potted up in November. The contrast can be seen between those heather plants which were planted directly out on site in Autumn and those which were grown on in pots.

Everyone involved had a great day spotting Bacon and Eggs, seen above (a plant so called after the pink/orange and yellow colour of its flowers, also known as birds foot trefoil), shells of bird eggs and snails, reptiles such as slow worms, giant mole hills (King pit) and Castles (Wellington lodge and the Candlestick).

Flower focus

 

This picture shows the multiple layers of vegetation typical of the coast at this time of year. From the bottom up is

Silver weed, its silvery leafs give it its name

Red clover, nectar rich wildflower, very important food source for pollinating insects, member of the pea family, its roots house bacteria which fix nitrogen in the soil, a natural soil enricher which benefits leafy growth of other plants.

Buttercup, the yellow flowers, supposedly the means by which butter eating tendancies can be reveiled. Its beautiful flowers are held high in the meadow, it speads by runners which produce roots and new plants, this plant is actually poisonous. 

Sorrel, a splash of red, high above the rest, good food source for birds when the seeds are set. This acidic plant tastes a bit like lemons and is used by the Lapps in scandinavia for curdling milk to make cheese.

Our meadow management techniques mean much of the coast looks very overgrown but by cutting certain areas after July this allows maximum growth and setting of seed. By removing all the cuttings nutrients are removed from the site which benefits wildflowers by reducing the dominance of grasses which in turn helps wildlife such as insects, birds, mammals etc which are higher up in the food chain. 

The more variety of plants, the more variety of animals and this is something the whole of Europe is trying to achieve. This is known as biodiversity which is currently in decline and needs to be halted before more species become extinct.  

Clean and tidy

Regular maintainance of fixtures and fitting continues along side regular grass cutting and litter picking.

These pictures show benches being oiled and the new railings in the bottom left hand corner as well as the cut grass

May 2009

Vandals strike

Despite the obvious efforts of local volunteers and staff to improve the appearance and visitor enjoyment of the Whitehaven coast the recent warm weather and school holidays resulted in senseless acts of destruction.

A sapling planted on Wellington Terrace was broken in two. After years of nurturing, careful transportaion and planting this was a horrible end for the tree, planted to brighten the terrace with its foliage and berries.

The Saltom interpretation panel was stoned causing holes, fracturing and bubbling of the protective covering, here it is after being repaired.

As always there were plenty of rude drawing scratched into the red sandstone this is the only decent image I could show.

A whole host of litter spread around the site too.

Damage caused by skaters along memory walk.

Saltom suffers

Saltom pit, a scheduled ancient monument, first undersea coal mine in England, gem of the Whitehaven coast, once the pride of Whitehaven. Recently consolidated for all to enjoy, now suffers at the hands of revellers who carelessly set fires within its walls, burning tents, go-carts etc and smashing countless bottles, spoiling the magic for all.

Safety railings guarding a learge drop from Saltoms sea walls have been ripped off and burned.

April 2009

Bloomin marvelous

As the weather warmed up the Whitehaven coast has burst into bloom with both planted and natural flowers. One of the first to show was Snowdrop, planted on Wellington Terrace, then Coltsfoot a yellow flower easily mistaken for a Dandelion but it appears without leaves, these come later. This vigorous weed thrives in mineral rich deposits such as those of old mine workings and was traditionally used as a cure for breathing problems. Next came the Lesser celendines, delicate starry yellow flowers. Then more yellow in the form of planted minature Daffodils.

     

Tulipa silvestris                                           Cowslip

Tulips and Fritilaries follwed, now plantains, daisies, buttercups bluebells, gorse, stitchwort and cookoo flower are all joining the party. Keep your eyes peeled to spot these lovely flowers.

Frililaries                                                     Tulips and Dafodils

      

Easter trail a cracking success

Despite the poor weather families still turned out to the Whitehaven coast on Good Friday to enjoy the Easter trail laid out by the National Trust. The trail drew attention to the sites historic and landscape features as well as natural history with multiple choice questions spelling out the final answer to win an Easter egg prize. We found people taking a closer look at what Whitehaven has to offer.

     

    

Those who attended were then able to explore Haig mining museum and do craft activities such as badge, mask and key ring making, as well as Easter cards and egg painting. 84% of those who came rated it very enjoyable. Many thanks to all those who volunteered to make this event such a sucess.

March 2009

New path opens around Birkhams Quarry offering stunning views North along the coast. Due to quarry operations expanding the public right of way has had to be diverted as it will soon be excavated for its fine red sandstone. As such the Quarry operators have created a new route which runs to the seaward side of the excavations. This opened on the 29th of March and will make another unique and interesting feature on the already fantastic coastal route from St Bee’s to Whitehaven.

Volunteers working to improve access.

   

Ravenhill track has recieved some much needed attention of late from a large group of enthusiastic local volunteers. They provided much of the hard labour needed to resurface the track, making it level, cleaner, wider and therefore accessable to all, however the track is a public footpath so cycling is not permitted.

It all began in February with the scraping of the old vegetation which had covered the hard surface restricting the width and resulting in a narrow muddy track, mired by dog fouling and litter.

Then came tha materials, some 32 tonnes of limestone chippings were delivered, followed by a top coating of limestone dust to bind the surface together.

Then the working party, some 20 volunteers from neighbouring estates mustered their strength to get the job done in glorious March weather.

The completion of this track offers a clean safe off road route to the coastal path network from Solway Road linking Kells to Whitehaven via a high quality path along this stunning coastline.

Keeping up apperances

Volunteers removing redundant fencing enclosing scrub opposite the Haig Enterprise buisness park. This fencing and posts will be reused and it is hoped that by opening access to this strip of vegetation there will be less incidents of fly tipping. This is yet another improvement to the image of the area surrounding Haig intended to encourage people to use and explore the coast and value the wildlife and beauty of the site.

February 2009

New seats, specially designed and built for the site have been installed against the curved sandstone walls along the coastal path. This part of a multistage commision of public art works from Scartworks including the metal works seen around Saltom pit and the keenly anticipated mosaic planned for the gravelled area near the candlestick.

Designer and engineer Stephen Charnwood said the curved design is intended to reflect the shapes found along the sea shore (as can be seen below). They are made from Galvanised steel and hardwood and these materials are intended to be representative of the sites industrial past.

January 2009

Cycletrack alterations have been ongoing since October 2008 with various sections being completed, gradients have been reduced, corners widened, drainage installed, all intended to make the track more user freindly. Pictured above is a new sleeper chicane to slow cyclists on their decent along the new course of the track, pictured below being rerouted.

December 2008

Saltom on the Telly

The Whitehaven News and Border TV talked to representatives from Copeland Borough Council, West Lakes Renaissance and The National Trust at Saltom Pit.

Everyone was pleased that Saltom is open to the public once more.  The buildings will always be ruined, and will eventually be engulfed by the Fairy Rock Landslip, but the access track makes it much easier for people to get down to Saltom bay, and the Sea Wall is repaired to last.

NT volunteer researcher Ted Reed was interviewed by border TV:  See the pages he and his fellow researcher Wendy have posted on this website.

Click this link to read the article on the Whitehaven News website:  www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/news/1.282887

 

Saltom Opens

The scaffolding is down and Saltom is open to the public again, thanks to generous funding from the European Regional Development Fund and English Heritage, who advised on the building work done to make this ancient scheduled monument safe to access again.

Pages of new research on Saltoms unique place in British History have been posted on this website.  It was Englands first under-sea coal mine, and its stones are full of stories. To dig deeper into Saltoms past click here

Now the contractors have left the next stage is to make the top more accessible.  We plan to level the ground to join the access track up to existing paths on the cliffs.  We will remove the fencing, although the gate will stay to prevent cars driving down to the bay.  We will also replace the intrusive safety signs with signs much more in keeping with the surrounding environment.

October 2008

Saltom Pit -  Scaffolding has gone up around the remains of the Engine House. The aim is to stabilise the remaining stonework to make it safe for people to explore. 

The Sea Wall - Preparations are being made for concrete to be poured in at the base of the wall.  The plan is for gabions to rest on top of this, with boulders to act as a breakwater before the sea gets to the wall.  Workers are all warned to watch out for the tide which comes in quickly at Saltom.

  

The Access Track - has been repaired.  At the moment it's extremely wide to ennable large machinery to get down to work on the sea wall.  Once work has finished, drainage will be put in to keep the track from being eroded, and vegetation will be allowed to grow back to narrow the trackway down and make it blend in with the cliff.  
 
When all the work is completed, the fencing can be taken away, and Saltom Bay will be free for Whitehaven residents and locals to use again.

 

 

July 2008

New signage has now been added to the improved pathway system along the coast, featuring some of the designs produced by local children, which can be viewed in full in the gallery section of the website.

        

Already the new features along the coastal path are beginning to enhance the appearance of the area. Seating has now been installed around the condlestick, and finishing touches are being made to pathways and paving. The contractors hope to have all works completed in the next few weeks, after which time the National Trust will begin management of the area and continue with the landscaping and day to day maintenance of the site. 

 

June 2008

The spell of dry weather has enabled the contractors to make excellent progress to the works on the coast. The sinuous sandstone walls have now been completed and topped with beautiful polished sandstone slabs.  Sandstone posts have also been positioned ready to accommodate signage.

The access road to Haig Colliery Mining museum is nearing completion.

The old paving slabs have been removed from the candlestick terrace and new paving is being laid. The overgrown circular planting area has been concreted over ready to house a specially designed mosaic.

 

May 2008

A series of small curved sandstone-clad walls now adorn the footpath leading up from the candlestick towards the Haig mining museum. Some of the walls will support bespoke seating, others will wrap around areas of planting.

 

Reconstruction and widening of the access road leading to the Haig Colliery Mining museum is now well underway.    

April 2008

The railings around the Candlestick terrace have now been removed, and a sandstone-clad wall is being built in their stead. The 'Memory Wall', which will follow the new wider path from the Candlestick down to South Shore car park is under construction.

Below: New steps now in place leading up to the Candlestick and sandstone cladding has been added to the memory wall. A new flight of steps has been added at the far end of the Candlestick terrace, leading up to the Jonathan Swift house, to create a circular route for people to follow.

    

 

March 2008

Mid March saw the start of works to improve drainage and access to the Haig Mining Museum. The Mining Museum has recently been succesful in its bid for Heritage Lottery Funding. Click here to visit the Mining Museum website and find out more.

 

 

February 2008

Building contractors Carillion have now established a site office at South Beach Car Park and have started work.  To date there has largely involved marking out and the use of plant to excavate and install new access. The position of the new flight of steps below the Candlestick terrace can clearly be seen in the photograph below. The pathway connecting the Candlestick terrace to South Beach is temporarily closed while work is undertaken in this area.

 

 Work has also begun to remove the render from the existing wall around the candlestick terrace. The iron railaings will be replaced with a new stone wall. The photo below shows two of the stone samples considered for the new wall.  After consultation with Copeland Borough Council the new construction will use St Bees sandstone, extracted from Birkhams Quarry near to St Bees Head.

The spell of fine weather through most of February has enabled work to continue apace. The existing path from South Beach to the Candlestick has had the surface removed and has been widened to accomodate the dual use footpath/cycle path.

 

A new path route has been dug at the junction of the Coastguard Station and the Candlestick and also around the perimeter of the Candlestick.  The existing set of wooden steps adjacent to the Jonathon Swift house have been removed which has resulted in a temporary closure of that footpath, an improved flight of steps will be built to replace these.   

 

December 2007

Emergency conservation work has begun to safeguard the historically important Saltom Pit building.

The fabric of the building, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, has deteriorated to the point that it's very future was in doubt. However with funding provided by Copeland Borough Council work has started to shore up and support the crumbling door and window lintels and restrict access into the building in the short term. 

It is hoped that further funding may be obtained to carry out repair work on the sea wall that protects the pit structure.