A mammoth effort was made this weekend to clear the site of the piles of planks and waste wood on the site. Piles were rationalised and restacked, leaving the site looking clear and tidy.
In addition clearance work began to make a new camping area, just outside of the pallisade.
Additionally, the woodworkers prepared planks to cover, and create a frame for, the last gable end of the hall, and a steady stream of shingles were added to the roof.
A complete seven days were spent at the site, in order to ready it for the first official show that is to be held at the site this coming June. More work was done to further the land clearance that was started in March, as the new camping area was rendered habitable, and strimming,raking, burning of rubbish and removal of stumps took place throughout the burgh. Work was begun to clear a new access route to the site, and to maintain the trees that form a screen for the burgh. This will eventually allow us the ability to rejuvenate capability to provide managed and sustainable supply of indigenous timber for the project.
A massive amount of plastering was also completed, as the team got through almost all of the two tonnes of lime plaster that was delivered at the beginning of the week, and slated to last at least another month. A second coat of plaster was applied to the front of the hall and the back gable end. A crucial first coat was applied to the front gable end, protecting the daub in that particularly vulberable area from weathering.
The woodworkers and palisaders were also working hard. 17 planks were rebated and fitted to the gable ends of the hall, and the first of the triple arched frames that will grace it were constructed.
Another delivery that was swiftly used up was the shigles - the 2000 that were delivered at the start of the week had all been put up by the end, leaving roughly a weekend of work before the shingling of the longhall is complete.