A team of busy volunteers supports the marvellous First World War trench experience at Park Hall Countryside Experience and lockdowns have not stopped them from working hard to develop new features for the site.
During the first lockdown, volunteers at the Park hall Countryside Experience worked on the completion of a new entrance hall featuring exhibits and during 2021 they have been busily attempting to create a full-size replica of an 18-pounder Artillery Gun from the First World War, which will add the existing impressive selection of replica arms and militia on display.
The began with two cartwheels – which were over 100 years old and then work then began to build a dimensionally correct chassis and gun barrel.
Volunteer, Andrew Field, said:
“During the latest lockdown, the team have been busy in their home workshops and garages building various elements of the gun. The wheels were disassembled, repaired, and brought back to life by retired master carpenter Eddie Constable.
The barrel construction was entrusted to Nigel Lowe, who spent more than 300 hours constructing an exact replica of the barrel assembly from original dimensions drawing and photographs using little more than some plastic soil pipe, a scaffold pole, some wood, fibreglass and filler. Meanwhile, retired engineer, Barry Mills, used original drawings and photographs, along with an immense amount of ingenuity, to transform scrap metal into the chassis to mount the gun on, as seen in our pictures.”
As the final pieces are put into place the team is looking forward to the complete lifting of lockdown restrictions to move the gun to its new home at Park Hall.
Find out more about the history of the Park Hall Trenches.