The hidden Winchcombe stream

Saturday 28 September

More vegetation management today, this time at the opposite end of Winchcombe yard. The driver for this job is the take over of Churchward House and working out how the stream that runs along the down side of the yard gets under the end of what was the builders yard.

Winchcombe yard has a piped cess drain on the up side that runs to the River Isbourne, it's shown below as the top line on the picture. This carries the flow from Greet Tunnel and picks up a couple of field ditches on the way. On the down side, there's an open ditch running half way along into a pipe and then reappearing in the wooded area leading to the Isbourne. (bottom line on the picture).

Winchcombe Station to the Isbourne 

The ditch on the down side of the yard was cleared in January 2017, it should be an easy job to cut back a few brambles, blackthorns and elders someone said; If only things were that simple.

Winchcombe Yard down side stream, 13 January 2017 

Winchcombe Yard down side stream, 28 Sept 2019 

Trouble is, now the vegetation is over 12ft high in places, and it's thick!

Starting point, at the west end 

Stuart up on top of the bund
(Photo: Alastair) 

Michael working around the ash tree 

Alastair fighting with brambles 

After an easy start the going got harder

Michael down in the ditch 

More ditch operations
(Photo: Alastair) 

Once we'd uncovered the end of the pipe that runs down the what was the builder's yard we should have packed up, but when the going gets tough, fools carry on 😃

Pipe outlet into the ditch 

Pipe internal view 

The blue sections in the pipe beg more questions, if it's lining, why line just bits, if it's replaced concrete sections, why just odd ones? Who knows! The small pipe at the 11 o'clock position runs under the concrete platform in the new yard, Alastair rodded in for 20 yards and hit a blockage, that may be why it's dry. There's no sign of a gully to feed into the pipe, another puzzle to solve.

For the rest of the day, Michael worked eastwards down the ditch, while Stuart worked west along the top of the bund from the C&M building, eventually passing like jungle explorers.

Michael heading down the with the flow
(Photo: Alastair) 

Path along the top of the bund 

Stream opened to let the light in 

Michael and Alastair clearing out the brash 

Just in case anyone has forgotten the summer, here's a compilation of the Culvert 11A works. We may use this in a recruiting campaign 😉