Work has continued within the East Magazine although we were plagued with water problems again, both leaking through the roof and coming up again through the lift pit as we are below the water table level. The water table level is clearly shown on the 1891 Victorian drawings as “sitting water level” and there is evidence that the Victorians were up against this problem as well.
After digging out another section of the sand over the magazine roof we have now sealed the roof and after many different products have got the water in the lift pit down to a trickle. This combined with a sump and pump, we have started installing the lift.
We had the main mechanism of the lift which was stripped down and refurbished and other pieces of the lift including counter weight and uprights for the cradle to run in, the rest we are trying to figure out as we go along and have items made as we better understand how the “quick return lift” should work.
The heritage centre is also progressing with the first of the interpretation boards now installed.
