Storm Austen struck Alderney on Thursday and Friday, 22 / 23 October, with winds gusting up to 80 mph at times, ripping the plastic sheeting away from Telegraph Tower after conservation work was well under way. Undaunted, stonemason Stephen Phelan and his assistants have been able to replace the protective covering and, by working on the leeward side of the tower in strong winds – depending on the direction – have been able to maintain their progress.
They have been working round the tower from ground level, and from three scaffolding stages to access the upper wall surfaces. While the tower was exposed after Storm Austen, and before the sheeting was fully replaced, Stephen was gallantly visiting the site at 4-hour intervals in order to spray the surfaces with water where fresh lime mortar had been applied during the working day. This was necessary in order to ensure that the wind did not dry out the fresh mortar overnight before it had properly set.
Such attention to detail has produced stunning results with some fifty per cent of the outer walls completed. The jointing to the granite work is now properly detailed after removal of the old cement pointing, and with the brushing of the stone face now looks as good as the day it was built. The eventual removal of the sheeting and scaffolding will truly be a revelation that Stephen and his team can be justly proud of. We are now keeping all fingers crossed that work can be completed without any further storm intervention.
With the protective sheeting fully restored in the background, Stephen Phelan prepares the next lime mortar mix using specially selected sand.
Stephen cleans out the jointing between the granite blocks prior to applying the new lime mortar as seen here on the right.