Restoration - Week 25

Rain at last! But back to clearing more of the running track this week, made easier by the moisture loosening up the impacted earth and again got lot's done this week, but heavy work as was mostly all digging and soil removal as we battled back along the overgrown terraces, removing some large and deep roots again, but cleared another large section.

The track has been useless for many years and it is heavy work levelling it out a couple of feet at a time but a large 20 x 10 foot section cleared this week and aiming to get the East track completed by the end of August 2018. Removing the tree stumps is proving difficult however!

But we are uncovering more of the pitch wall and cleaning that of moss as we go along in readiness for repainting white in coming weeks, but needing to repair the many breaks before we do so. We are doing this slowly and properly and despite accusations online elsewhere we ARE making progress!

This week some major weeding was carried out as well, returning this EAST TERRACE to it's former state and very pleased with the results of our labour these last few weeks. Over 100 days work now performed at Cathkin since mid-january and the ground is much improved.

Delighted this week to have finally dug out the enormous bushes that were growing wild in this section (above) and a HUGE tree root cut out and the terrace cleared of ash & rubbish & moss. We are inching along at present but have again cleaned and back-filled more steps with red blaes and

re-aligned another kerbstone which had been cracked and lifted by tree roots underneath.  Interesting also to compare this section of the ground to how it was in the background of the photo below, taken in 1904 c/o Charles Duncan, taken in november 1905, not long after the new ground opened up.

The East Terracing was a simple affair with wooden crush barriers erected on a grassed over shallow slope made of compacted earth. In 1946/47 the ground was closed for almost a season and a half as the rebuilding took place of all the terracing, including this very section as seen below as it was

in the 1950s. And in the background of this fab colour shop from our archives of Dave Hilley

taken in the 1960s. So, despite a bit of negativity from certain quarters this month we at CPL are very satisfied with the work we have carried out this week and I think the results speak for themselves!