Chapter 11: From 1992 to the Present Day
2020: restoration of rear wall
Rear garden wall, South West view
2020 saw substantial work on the back wall that supports the cliff face. This was stimulated by a major piece of tree work by Steve Molyneux, namely the removal of all the ivy which for many years had enveloped the upper part of the wall, which revealed the poor structural state of the top of it, particularly at the end towards Exmouth Cottage. I therefore got Westoaks Builders to do a major reconstruction, involving scaffolding and a large amount of bricklaying, so that the wall is now absolutely pristine. They also did work on the front terrace, sealing all the leaking joints between the paving stones in an attempt to stop water getting into the garage, and they repaired the front steps. A year later, after Steve Molyneux had coppiced the sycamores, they cleared away the remains of the mesh fence which the Council had (rather unhelpfully) left in situ when they erected the metal railings in 2012. Then, in 2023, Westoaks repointed the garden wall towards Exmouth Cottage, replacing 35 spalled bricks in it, and carried out other minor works.