After several weeks of slightly stressful organisation. Having to synchronise all the materials and machinery on site in order to begin work. I was surprised by how smoothly everything ran throughout the entire process with only a couple of minor hiccups.
However, throughout this journey I have nothing but praise for all the companies and industrial contacts I have made. Everyone involved has been so supportive offering advice donating materials and showing a genuine interest in seeing this project through.
It took a couple of days for the concrete to dry before the bricks could be laid which gave me a little more time to transport all the bricks from Ibstock in Bristol to Oxford. There were five palettes in total and the overall weight was approx 4 tonnes more than i had expected despite having done my calculations before the firing. This resulted in two separate journeys from Ibstock spread across three days.
Once all the bricks had arrived safely they needed to be placed in order of layer and number. This made the process alot easier when it came to laying the bricks. If you imagine every brick is completely different in size and shape it was very much like a life size jigsaw puzzle.
Darren, Pete and Dan of Creative Brickwork Oxford www.creativebrickwork.net
Monday 7th August
It was good to have a few days rest in order to allow the mortar to dry properly before adding more weight.
As I anticipated the open seating was fairly straight forward it was the secluded space that proved to as difficult to put back together as it was to build in the first place.
There are several bricks in the right hand curve with barely any base to support itself. Therefore a mini scaffolding system comprising of stacked bricks and little help from wire and mesh to hold these pieces in place long enough to dry.
It's a strange feeling I have lived with this project for over two years now it's finally reached it's destination and no one has seen it yet. It feels like a large scale secret waiting to be discovered!
