We have had a few wall collapses in Ludlow, as would befit any ancient town. The collapse of the town wall behind St Laurence’s church is in a league of its own for the procrastination over responsibility and costs. The collapse of the lower section of the boundary wall for Dinham House is a far more straightforward affair.
This is not, as some people have assumed, a section of the town wall. It is wall bounding the garden of Dinham House. The house is listed Grade II*. The wall is listed by virtue of being in the curtilage of the house.
The collapse is at the base of the wall and seems to have been triggered by the heavy rainfall over the last few weeks.
As soon as this fall was reported this morning, Shropshire Council’s highways team erected barriers. I like to thank the highways team and the residents who alerted highways and myself.
I spent a while at the site this afternoon. On this cursory inspection, it is clear that like so many historic walls it is not of a single build, though the upper part looks a single more modern construction. There are joints where one build abuts another. Over to Ludlow historians on the interpretation of this.
Overall, the wall looks in good condition. Except at the base where it is eroded. There could be several reasons for this but erosion from road grit (salt) is a common cause. Ironically, the grit bin may have protected one area of the wall base from further erosion.
There are no obvious cracks on the upper parts of the wall. To ensure public safety, I have asked Shropshire Council’s structural engineers to examine the wall.
This wall is privately owned. The repair is not complicated. The stone is on site and I hope a repair can be completed over the summer. The wall is held together by lime mortar which does not set below 5°C, so repair work cannot be done in the winter. There is no need for complicated consents. It is likely that the repair will be treated as an “as is” repair so it will not require listed building consent. But that is for council officers to decide.
As the area is of an ancient age (not just the wall) with its history going back to Medieval times. Off the top of my head could the repair be done by concrete as produced by the Romans? This concrete has in many places, not least Hadrians Wall stood for many years.Just a thought.