Arch sadness (From Evesham Journal)

Arch sadness

12:00pm Thursday 9th August 2012 in Letters

 I WAS very saddened to read the recent article regarding the removal of the whalebone arch from Workman Gardens in Evesham.

I was inspired by that wonderful historical relic to find and photograph 15 examples throughout the UK.

The arch would stand comparison with any for size and setting.

When they were last taken down in 2005, I offered to put Wychavon District Council in touch with the people who restored the arch at Bragar, Isle of Lewis.

Those bones were expertly restored in 2001 at a cost of £8,000-£10,000 and are still in pristine condition, despite having to face Atlantic storms. It was funded partly by grants, partly by public donations.

Wychavon replied that they had consulted experts and repairs had been authorised. I believe that funding came out of a £4,000 national award for the riverside regeneration programme.

The project included landscaping so I do not know how much was spent on the restoration.

The bones soon started to deteriorate, not due to the weather but due to a poor repair job consistent with a lack of funding.

A heavy filler was used which pulled away the underlying bone.

The people of the tiny village of Bragar cared enough to save their arch.

What about us?

BRIAN SMITH, Aldington