Slipper Mill Pond Preservation Association
Registered Charity No:277744

South Bank

East Section.

[SMPPA]

This section covers the pond bank from the East corner to the start of the engineering brick abutment of the Tidal Gates.

East Bank - sea side about 1920

[SMPPA]

East Bank sea side - 2005 looking along the line of the wall where the mill house once stood

General

The  bank was probably originally faced with boards on both sides and filled with clay from the Roundhouse Meadow brick-earth clay pit.

Outside face

Originally the Mill and Mill House were built over the sea to the South of the wall - and the "Slipper Mill" building was just the grain store. (for more details see the "Heritage" section)

By 1936 the old mill house had been demolished, the timberwork was precarious and subsequently in the 1940s the outer face of the bank was replaced with concrete. This proved inadequate and a toe was added to the wall. Even this toe was not adequate and it was protected from wave action and reinforced with plastic-encased gabions.

Inside face

At the East corner of the pond reeds (sea club rush) are forming a beach and protecting the bank. Further along towards the gate structure the bank is made up of old timbers (railway sleepers?) with a mass concrete fill behind. This is in a parlous condition in places and will need repair.

As the mill was defunct the intake channel was filled but by the 1980s this proved inadequate. The leaking channel was repaired by placing a polythene sheet on the pond bottom..
 

A kissing gate and adjacent cycle rack were installed on the bank in 2004 as part of the path improvement programme. The bank below the path was reinforced in the gate area with a galvanised wire gabion filled with stone.

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