Fixing the River Gardens Monastic Pond 'Issues'
In the Spring closed season in 2010 Carl had the problem solving task of fixing once and for all the water exit from the two monastic ponds in the River Garden section in the Abbey House Gardens. The problem of exiting water had increased in previous years as the water had begun to push under the main rocks of the small waterfall and not over it. This had obvious aesthetic ramifications for this area of the gardens.
The first big challenge was to to lower the water level of the feeding ponds to stop the flow of water over the rocks. A couple of pumps were
used to do this, and the water was redirected back into the river avon. One of the ponds is fed by a natural spring, maybe we should start bottling it!
used to do this, and the water was redirected back into the river avon. One of the ponds is fed by a natural spring, maybe we should start bottling it!
A hydraulic jack was used to move the main rock upwards to create a block for the water, no mean challenge as the rock weighed close to 3 tonnes.
Once the rock was in place Carl began to reposition the main stepping rocks either side of the expected water flow to enable visitors to step over the water fall. Extreme care was taken in arranging the rocks to create a solid platform that looked good and was extremely safe to cross.
After much anticipation the pumps were removed from the ponds and the waterfall turned back on. Overnight the ponds refilled and the water level increased. A few nerves were apparent the next morning as the gardens re opened the next day! Thankfully the water flowed just right over the main stone recreating this feature of the river gardens to its former glory.