Project: Victorian Sea Wall – Weston-super-Mare
Client: Birse Civils
Value: £300,000
Description:
As part of the new Sea Defence scheme in Weston-super-Mare, there was a 1300m length of the Victorian Sea wall required strengthening works.
The work required the coping stones to be removed, the seaward and landward skins to be taken down keeping the stone for reuse. The original core of the wall was also removed.
Both sides of the wall were reconstructed using the original stone as much as possible, we achieved this with great effect, less than 5% of new stone was required, with a further 5% of the original stone requiring on site repair. We used a natural hydrated lime mortar for the rebuild closely matching the original wall.
To compliment the traditional rebuilding methods and materials we used modern engineering to ensure the future life of the wall.
The cavity of the wall was completely filled with grout to create a solid wall; this had to be done in stages with great care as the cavity of the wall was up to 1200mm deep in sections.
The original coping stones where drilled and resin dowelled using marine grade stainless steel bars. Longer lengths of the steel bar where grouted in horizontally into the top of the wall. This would add further strength to the copings as they are exposed to the wave action of the sea.
Any areas of algae and moss growth were removed and the wall has been sympathetically pointed to retain its original character
