Umthelela ucekele phansi umgwaqo emathuneni esonto.Izingxenye ezinkulu zetiyela nodaka zazilele otshanini obuzungezile.Eduze komgwaqo, njengesiqephu se-chess esiphukile, kulele izinsalela ze-spire yesonto elineminyaka engu-150 ubudala.Emahoreni ambalwa edlule, wema phezulu kakhulu esontweni, eqa igceke lesonto.Ngenhlanhla, isakhiwo seVictorian sawela phansi hhayi ngophahla lwesonto.Ngenxa yezizathu ezingaziwa manje, iSt. Thomas' Church in Wells ingelinye lamasonto ambalwa amaNgisi anemmango ekhoneni elisenyakatho-mpumalanga.
Uhlu lwabantu okumele ubashayele kulesi simo esiphuthumayo lufushane.Ucingo luphendulwe nguJames Preston oneminyaka engu-37 ubudala.UPreston ungumakhi wamatshe nombhoshongo omsebenzi wakhe ulenga cishe kuzo zonke izakhiwo zomlando eziku-Ladybug Book of British History: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Longleat, Ladd Cliff Camera kanye neWhitby Abbey, uma sibala ezimbalwa.
Ukuwa kwe-spire kwathathwa kuvidiyo ngumakhelwane endaweni ephakeme yeStorm Eunice ngoFebhuwari.Lapho ngihlangana noPreston ngemva kwezinyanga eziyisithupha, wangibonisa ishabhu lapho kwakwakhiwa khona i-spire entsha futhi wangiyisa eSontweni likaSt Thomas.Ngemva kokushayela amakhilomitha angu-20, u-Preston, bristly and tan, wangitshela ngezinhlobonhlobo zamatshe eZweni LaseNtshonalanga.Ngokombono we-geological, singaphansi kwebhande le-limestone e-olitic elazulazula e-Oxford nase-Bath laze lafika e-York futhi lakhiwa ngesikhathi se-Jurassic, lapho iningi lama-Cotswolds lalisolwandle olushisayo.Bheka indlu enhle yedolobha yase-Georgian e-Bath noma indlu encane yomeluki e-Gloucestershire, futhi uzobona amagobolondo asendulo nezinsalela ze-starfish.Itshe lokugeza “liyi-olitic limestone elithambile” - “oolites” lisho “amatshe amatshe”, kubhekiselwa ezinhlayiyeni eziyindilinga ezilenzayo - “kodwa sinetshe le-Hamstone ne-Doulting bese uthola itshe elichotshoziwe.”Izakhiwo zomlando kulezi zindawo ngokuvamile ziyi-limestone ethambile enezici zetshe le-Bass kanye nezindonga zemfucumfucu yase-Lias,” kusho u-Preston.
I-Limestone ithambile, iyashwabana futhi ifudumele ngephimbo, ikude kakhulu netshe lasePortland elinesizotha esilisebenzisa enkabeni yeLondon.Izibukeli ezivamile zingase ziqaphele lezi zinhlobo zamatshe, kodwa u-Preston uneso lesazi.Njengoba sisondela eWells, wakhomba izakhiwo zetshe laseDortin okwakwakhiwa ngalo iSt."I-Dulting iyi-limestone e-oolitic," kusho u-Preston, "kodwa inombala osawolintshi futhi ilukhuni."
Uchaze izinhlobo ezahlukene zodaka ezisetshenziswa e-UK.Zazivame ukuhluka ngokuya nge-geology yendawo, kwathi ngemuva kwempi zamiswa ngokuqinile, okwaholela ekudambiseni izakhiwo ngodaka olungenakunyakaziswa oluvalwe ngomswakama.U-Preston nozakwabo babeziqaphe ngeso lokhozi odakeni lwangempela, beluhlakaza ukuze bakwazi ukunquma ukwakheka kwalo phakathi nenqubo yokulingisa.“Uma uhambahamba eLondon, uzothola izakhiwo ezinemithungo emincane [enomcako].Uzoya kwenye indawo futhi azoba pink, isihlabathi esipinki, noma abomvu.
U-Preston wabona ubuqili bezakhiwo okungekho omunye owabona.“Sekunesikhathi eside ngikwenza lokhu,” kusho yena.Uqale ukusebenza kulo mkhakha kusukela eneminyaka engu-16, ngesikhathi eyeka isikole wajoyina inkampani asebenza kuyo iminyaka engu-20.
Hlobo luni lwengane eneminyaka engu-16 eyeka isikole ukuze ibe umakhi?'Anginalwazi!' Uthena.“Kuyaxaka.Wachaza ukuthi isikole “akusisona esami ngempela.Angiyena umuntu wezemfundo, kodwa angiyena umuntu ohlezi ngifunde ekilasini.yenza okuthile ngezandla zakho.
Wazithola ejabulela i-geometry ye-masonry kanye nemfuneko yayo yokunemba.Ngemva kokuphothula ekolishi njengomfundi e-Sally Strachey Historic Conservation (usasebenzela inkampani namuhla eyaziwa ngokuthi i-SSHC), wafunda ukuqopha abantu nezilwane, kanye nokusika itshe ngokunemba kwemilimitha.Lesi sinqumo saziwa ngokuthi yi-bank masonry.“Ukubekezelelana kuyimilimitha endaweni eyodwa ngoba uma usemude uyakwazi ukuyikhumula.Futhi uma ugoba phansi kakhulu, akukho ongakwenza.
Amakhono ka-Preston njengomashi amlingana kahle nelinye ikhono lakhe: ukugibela amatshe.Lapho esemusha, wayekuthanda ukuqwala izintaba.Eminyakeni yakhe yama-20, esebenzela i-SSHC eFarley Hungerford Castle, waqaphela ukuthi abasebenzi babeshiye ingubo phezu kodonga oluphakeme.Esikhundleni sokuphinda akhuphuke i-scaffolding, u-Preston wasebenzisa izintambo ukuze azikhuphukele.Umsebenzi wakhe njengombhoshongo wesimanje usuqalile - futhi kusukela lapho ubelokhu ehla eBuckingham Palace futhi ekhuphuka imibhoshongo nezinsipho.
Uthi ngendlela ecophelelayo, ukugibela izintambo kuphephile kunesikafula.Kodwa kusajabulisa.“Ngiyakuthanda ukuqwala izipayisi zesonto,” esho.“Njengoba uqwala umqansa wesonto isisindo salokhu osigibelayo siya ngokuya sincipha, ngakho uma usukuma uphumela obala.Yehlela ku-zero futhi ayiyeki ukukhathazeka abantu. ”.
Bese kuba khona ibhonasi phezulu.“Imibono ayifani nokunye, bambalwa abantu abayibonayo.Ukwenyuka ku-spire kuyinto engcono kakhulu ngokusebenza emotweni yekhebula noma esakhiweni esingokomlando.Umbono wakhe awukhonzile i-Wakefield Cathedral, enombono omude kunawo wonke emhlabeni.Yorkshire.
UPreston wajikela umgwaqo wasemaphandleni futhi safika endaweni yokusebenzela.Lesi yisakhiwo sepulazi esiguquliwe, esivulekele isimo sezulu.Ngaphandle kwakumi ama-minarets amabili: endala, empunga eyenziwe ngemfucumfucu enombala wolwelwesi, nentsha, ebushelelezi futhi inokhilimu.(U-Preston uthi yitshe le-Doulting; angiliboni eliwolintshi kakhulu ngeso lami elicacile, kodwa uthi izingqimba zetshe elifanayo zingaba nemibala ehlukene.)
I-Preston kwadingeka ihlanganise endala futhi ibuyisele izingxenye zayo endaweni yemikhumbi ukuze inqume ubukhulu bokushintshwa.“Sachitha izinsuku sinamathisela amadwala ambalwa ndawonye sizama ukuthola ukuthi kwakufanele abukeke kanjani,” esho njengoba sibuka lezi zinsumpa elangeni.
Imininingwane yokuhlobisa izobekwa phakathi kwe-spire kanye ne-vane yesimo sezulu: i-capstone.Ifomu layo lembali elinezinhlangothi ezintathu ladalwa nguPreston, othembekile kowangempela ophukile, phakathi kwezinsuku ezine.Namuhla lihlezi ebhentshini lokusebenza, lilungele uhambo oluya indlela eyodwa oluya e-St. Thomas.
Ngaphambi kokuthi sihambe, uPreston wangikhombisa amabhawodi ensimbi amade egcekeni ayefakwe ku-spire maphakathi nawo-1990.Inhloso kwakuwukugcina i-spire iqinile, kodwa onjiniyela abazange bacabange ukuthi umoya wawunamandla njengo-Eunice.Ibhawodi eliwugqinsi wepayipi eligotshwe libe wumumo ongu-C njengoba liwa.U-Preston nethimba lakhe bekuzodingeka bashiye ngemuva i-capstan enamandla kunaleyo abayitholile, ngenxa yengxenye engcono yensimbi engagqwali yokubopha izinduku.“Besingahlosile ukuwenza kabusha umsebenzi sisaphila,” usho kanje.
Endleleni eya e-St. Thomas sadlula i-Wells Cathedral, enye iphrojekthi ye-Preston nethimba lakhe e-SSHC.Ngaphezu kwewashi elidumile lezinkanyezi enyakatho ye-transept, u-Preston nethimba lakhe bafake izileti ezimbalwa ezihlanzekile.
Ama-Freemasons athanda ukukhononda ngokuhweba kwawo.Bacaphuna umehluko phakathi kwamaholo aphansi, ukuhamba amabanga amade, osonkontileka abaxhamazelayo, nabamashi besikhathi esigcwele, abaseyidlanzana.Naphezu kokushiyeka komsebenzi wakhe, u-Preston uzibheka njengelungelo.Ophahleni lwesonto lombhishobhi, wabona izinto ezihlasimulisayo zilungiselelwe ukujabulisa uNkulunkulu, hhayi ezokuzijabulisa zabanye abantu.Ukumbona egibela i-spire njengohlobo oluthile lomfanekiso kuyajabulisa futhi kujabulise indodana yakhe eneminyaka emihlanu uBlake.“Ngicabanga ukuthi sibe nenhlanhla,” esho.“Ngiyafuna ngempela.”
Kuyohlale kunomsebenzi omningi.Izidumbu eziyiphutha zangemva kwempi zithatha abamashi.Izakhiwo ezindala zingakwazi ukumelana nokushisa kahle, kodwa uma i-Bureau of Meteorology ibikezela ngokunembile ukuthi ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu kuzoholela eziphephweni ezivamile, umonakalo obangelwe iStorm Eunice uzophindaphindwa izikhathi eziningana kuleli khulu leminyaka.
Sasihlezi odongeni oluphansi emngceleni wamathuna kaSt. Thomas.Lapho isandla sami sihlezi onqenqemeni olungaphezulu kodonga, ngizwa itshe elibhidlikayo esenziwa ngalo.Savula izintamo zethu ukuze sibone i-spire engenakhanda.Ngesinye isikhathi emasontweni azayo – i-SSHC ayilukhiphi usuku oluqondile ukuze izibukeli zingaphazamisi abaqwala izintaba – uPreston nabasebenzi bakhe bazofaka i-spire entsha.
Bazokwenza ngama-cranes amakhulu futhi bathemba ukuthi izindlela zabo zesimanje zizohlala amakhulu eminyaka.Njengoba u-Preston ecabanga eshabhu, eminyakeni engu-200 kusukela manje, ama-masons azobe eqalekisa okhokho babo (“izilima zekhulu lama-21”) nomaphi lapho befaka khona insimbi engagqwali ezakhiweni zethu zasendulo.