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A Confession !

I have a confession to make .
I lied to someone in authority to get what I wanted and guess what I blame the authority ! If they did not have such stupid rules I would not have broken them - they bring the law into disrepute not me !


Many years ago my father Arnold ( link here ) died . We had talked a lot and it was his wish that we erect a bench as a memorial to him on Tennyson's Down - a place he liked and a monument to a great writer . I duly contacted the National Trust who owned the land . They are a charity that my mother contributed to who protect and preserve land and property for the nation to enjoy .

Link Here http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/what-we-protect/for its preservation

They were pleased and did say that more benches would be welcome but only at the summit because they valued the openness of the down and did not want this compromised . There is an old bench from the 60's half way up the Alum Bay side which does stand out but is very welcome to rest and catch your breath . They also said that timber had to be from " green , sustainable " suppliers .

I set about researching such timber and what sizes it came in . I settled for Eroco which I was told was perfect due to its natural resistance to decay untreated and in fully exposed situations . It came from a certified source with labels to prove it . It came in thick short sections ( 6 x 3 ish as far as I remember ) I went to the Tank Museum that I am involved with and together we designed a thick galvanised box section steel frame to support this thickness timber ( seat and back rest .
I had them build it which they did at no charge as my father had been instrumental in saving the museum by purchasing the site when the bank got cold feet .

I got a surprise call from Robin Lang of the National Trust . He informed me that the national trust would not allow any timber that was " endangered " even if it came from accredited sources . He said they would get complaints from the public . Eroco was not allowed . He did seem a little embarrassed but was adamant . I said I would find out what timber was available and agree with him what timber I could use . We settled on American Oak which was far from perfect . It came in wider thinner planks , was not so long lasting and was much more expensive
I got the timber , took it up to the museum cut to size and bolted the pieces in place .

I arranged with Robin to pick it up in his land-rover and install it in place by the monument . Here it got really unbelievable . I was told that I could not use concrete to hold the bench in place for a reason so ridiculous that I have forgotten it .
I pointed out that it was to be against the monument which was surrounded by a wide concrete skirt .
I pointed out that it might fall over and hurt someone .
I pointed out that without protection the area under the bench might be eroded by the boots of thousands of walkers . He agreed with everything I said but his hands were tied - It was NT policy .
I had an idea . I now can not remember how it came to me but I asked Robin if I could use lime instead as the down is mainly composed of chalk and chalk is similar to lime ? Lime does become firm and would be easy to compact . He was persuaded and it was going to be lime or nothing so I agreed lime . Lime is white and I got two bags . I emptied both and replaced the contents with a mix of lime and white cement . I decided not to mention this to robin . The mix would be underground anyway and I challenge any of the rule makers to justify their rules and to explain to me why what I did was wrong .

Anyway the rest is history Robin and his co worker and me dug the holes and placed and levelled the bench ( in a blizzard I recall ) I poured in the " Lime " added water and covered it up .
The bench is still there . The back rest is too high ( the seat would have been thicker if I had been able to use the timber sizes it was designed for ) The ground in front is seriously eroded as I expected it would be , Also muddy in wet weather . The bench has not fallen over ( thanks to the White cement I am sure )

I am going to add pictures to this post after my next trip up there .

I may further break " the rules " by carrying up one or two slabs to protect the ground from the result of rules made by those empowered to protect the area !

More Tennyson's Down Pictures Here

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