Slipper Mill Pond Preservation Association
Registered Charity No:277744

Footbridge, Gates and Sluice

[SMPPA]

Gate and footbridge - 2003 prior to the strengthening of the West wall

Early photographs of the pond  have a brick structure which appear to date from the 1800's. The structures were upgraded in 1936 when the mill was finally abandoned.

Gates

The gates are operated by the tide - opening when the tide is higher than their crest level, and closing by themselves as the tide drops. The structure is substantial as the retained water is some 2 m. deep and in addition it has to cope with the dynamic loads as they close.

(Unfortunately some years ago a boy was swimming upstream as the tide was dropping.  He got his foot trapped in the gates as they closed and was drowned)

In 1976 the then dilapidated gates were rebuilt and the crest level lowered by some 30cm at the request of the National Rivers Agency.

The gates have been regularly checked and repaired - overhaul being needed about every five years. The barnacle growth and worm casts cover the gates, restraining chains and the frame are regularly removed to ensure that the seals and mechanisms function freely.

Flanking Walls

The blue engineering brick flanking walls are in reasonable condition generally at present though specific problems have been experienced with the West sea frontage.

In 1997 stainless steel wires were cut into the brickwork to try to stop movement in a significant diagonal crack. This crack continues to be monitored and so far there has been no significant variation in its size.
 

In 2004 it was discovered that the foundations of the West frontage were exposed and that the sea was eroding them.  A concrete plinth was installed to both replace the foundation and to strengthen the toe of the wall. 

Sill

The original timber floor downstream  of the gates was replaced by a concrete slab in 1999

Footbridge

[SMPPA]

When the gates were refurbished a concrete slab bridge was constructed. The section deteriorated and was reinforced in 1989 by casting a second layer on a 150mm "Bison" precast concrete plank. The lower slab continues to show obvious signs of deterioration in a marine environment - the cement matrix is being worn away; aggregate is now being exposed and the reinforcement is rusting and spalling.

The earlier tubular section handrails and balustrade were replaced in 1993 and now are made up of 100m square larch timbers placed at 45 deg. to discourage the young from using it as a diving platform.

There was no sluice structure in the bank when the mill was functioning - and it was constructed in 1936 by Louch & Co., local builders.

Wave erosion affects the seaward face particularly at the junction between the gabions of the Western section of the wall and the brickwork..  Holes that have appeared in the bank have been filled with mass concrete.

The wooden sluice was renovated in 2004 and it is anticipated that a full check will be needed in a few years' time.