Listed Buildings Insurance - Claim update

[Penners]

trees... can live perfectly well ( some) for a few thousand years without the help of an arboriculturalistically minded help.

The world's oldest tree is probably the General Sherman giant sequoia in California's Sequoia National Park. It is said to be 2200 years old.

No photograph can really do it justice. To stand at the foot of it is a breathtaking experience.

 

[Nemesis]

This one is British and said to be pretty ancient:

http://www.sacredconnections.co.uk/holyland/fortingallyew.htm

http://www.cvni.org/stories/yew/yew.html

Quite how ancient is another matter.

 

[MdB]

Sequoia are not the oldest, tallest or widest trees. Their claim to fame is having the largest volume. They really are something else to look at though, well worth a trip to see.

Google gave the following as the oldest tree:
http://home.austarnet.com.au/davekimble/bristlecone.htm

 

[Nemesis]

Well, the yew in Scotland is claimed to be even older!


http://www.ancient-yew.org/home.shtml

The yews in our garden are not terribly ancient but this one is in our locality:


http://www.ancient-yew.org/sacredyew.shtml

http://www.docspics.co.uk/northeast/nutpage07.htm

http://www.docspics.co.uk/northeast/nutpage08.htm

 

[Penners]

Sequoia are not the oldest, tallest or widest trees. Their claim to fame is having the largest volume.

You're quite right, MdB. I thought I remembered reading that General Sherman is the oldest tree in the world, but having checked again it is largest (in terms of volume of timber) - 1487 m^3.

When we visited Sequoia National Park (about 15 years ago) there was a wildfire burning in the forest. A ranger explained that they make no attempt to extinguish such fires, because they're part of the natural cycle of the forest. The heat causes the sequoia cones to open and drop their seeds.

The trees themselves aren't harmed because they have a massively thick, heat-resistant bark.

Ain't nature amazing?

 

[Pford75]

Having now loaded some pics....here is a taster of the damage to the wall.View attachment 2

View attachment 1

 

[Pford75]

View attachment 1



Will try to take some 'after' pics and post the new flint wall

 

[Flyfisher]

Thanks for the photos; it certainly helps puts the whole saga into perspective. Still a frightening price tag though :shock:

 

[Pford75]

Here is a view of the finished flintwork.

Bear in mind that the core of the wall is brick (not block) and that they are laid in header detail, not stretcher...which takes a lot longer. In total, we have 8 panels of flint. To the right of the pic, there is a pier then a 5-bar gate. The biggest improvement is the reduced height (the previous wall was apx. this height, but with another 6-7ft of rendered clay lump on top...making the wall apx. 13ft in total. This made for a very private garden, but was horrible to look at for our neighbours....reducing the height has been much more in keeping.

 

[Ian Bond]

Lovely job that - especially the flint and those attractive copings.

 

[Penners]

Gorgeous!

 

[Pford75]

Gorgeous!

Me or the wall?

 

[Penners]

Well, I suppose I actually meant the insurance company who paid for it. :wink: