Another problem,sort of

[Palustris]

Not sure where to post this, but here goes anyway

Quite some time ago I wrote about finding an old trough buried in the Wooded part of our garden. Well it has happened again.
When we first started clearing the land we stacked a mixture of turfs and all those things one is not supposed to put on Compost heaps, away in one corner of the garden. We covered the mound with plastic and left it for the last 5 years or so. The Compost bins were built in front of it. When we did the New Forest I needed top soil to cover the house foundations which we uncovered. I used the stuff from behind the Compost bins. And beautifully rich top soil it is too.
As I dug, as usual, the spade went Clang. In this garden clanging spade is always investigated. I uncovered a piece of stone about a metre by two thirds of a metre. When I dug down alongside it through many years of superb leaf mould, it went down about half a metre. The spade actually slipped under the 'stone' so I dug a little deeper and manged to get my hand underneath. The 'stone' is hollow. It is another trough, but huge. It must weigh a ton. So how do I get it turned over and moved? Or do I just cover it up again and leave it for a future generation to move?

[Palustris]

[Mrs Ava]

A winch?  I am still waiting for you to uncover a treasure chest full of Blackbeards booty!  ;D

[aquilegia]

I know it's annoying, but what a fabulous find! Offer the local rugby club a few pints and get them to shift it?

I'm thinking of the possibilities of what you can do with a gorgeous old stone trough. I'd love one! Much better than the rusty twisty metal we find when digging.

[Palustris]

It definitely is a trough, a beautiful hand carved one made from a single piece of sandstone. No treasure underneath, just an old milk bottle and lots of insects.
This is it after 2 turns and 18 feet of moving with scaffolding poles as levers, tree trunks as fulcums and lots of muscle power from Lucie and me. One small problem is that it is wider than the gap between the end of the Compost bin and the trellis fencing. But it can stay where it is for now until its final home is decided upon and made ready.

By the way, priced a similar one at a Reclamation Yard nearby. £450 PLUS Delivery!!!!!!!!!

[budgiebreeder]

                                             
That surely is one beautiful stone trough Eric.!!!!!!!!!

[aquilegia]

it's gorgeous Eric - what a fabulous find! Well worth the energy it took to move, I'm sure!

[Plocket]

Wow Eric! That trough is nearly as big as my garden!!! Green with envy.

[eileen]

Now I could do with finding one of those in my garden instead of all the old bricks, broken bottles, pieces of china and other detritous!!

When you get it into its final 'resting place' and planted up Eric please post another piccie!!! How I wish we had a drool or green with envy emoticon!!

Eileen.

[Val]

 ;DWhat a find, I never unearth anything useful, just old bits of concrete. Its beautiful. ;D

[Palustris]

Thank you all for your interest. I will indeed post a picture when we decide what to do with it. Water feature? or Alpine bed? or something else?
Thought you might like to see the 'harvest' from the same area where we found the trough. Always a bit worried when I find things like this as there are supposed to be Celtic remains in the area and I would hate to destroy accidently some valuable archaeology. However, careful digging has always, so far, uncovered modern materials underneath the rocks. So unless the Romans invented Lego I am safe

[Doris_Pinks]

That would make a lovely water feature Eric! I love bits of stone me....bit odd I guess ;D And as for your trough, absolutely fabulous, better than the butler sink I found in my garden! DP

[Palustris]

We have found half a dozen Belfast sinks ( the old fashioned white sinks of before stainless steel). Either paint them with Masonry paint or cover them with hypertufa and you have a wonderful trough.
Today I have found another dozen rocks like the ones in the photo above. Again modern stuff underneath them, even the Romans did not manage corrugated iron.
Beneath all this rubbish I have now found the original 'cobbled' path which led from the road to the demolished houses. The cobbles are not granite sets which are the true cobbles. These are the rounded stones rather like the ones found on beaches. The garden is full of them. At sometime someone has collected them up and made a path. Most of the path we have uncovered and repaired and made a feature out of it. This piece is going to have to be reburied and left for future generations.

[Shirley]

Hi Eric

They are throwing up  some very up market houses in this area and having a Belfast sink is a design feature!

[Palustris]

And here is the 'cobbled'path.

Now covered over again with top soil.

[Garden Manager]

Wow! I'd love to uncover something like that in my garden. Would make a great home for my alpines/rockplants.

Usual fare in this garden is nothing like as interesting. Either bricks or flints. At least i can use any whole or half bricks elsewhere (- a spade or fork clang is worth investigating for this reason). Flints just get bagged up to dispose of somewhere.

Once again Eric you are making a lot fo folks envyous of your garden.  ;D

[Wicker]

envy is a sin. envy is a sin.  envy is a sin.  ::)

Eric with all that heavy work you do you must be nothing like that scrawny chicken featured in your avatar  ;) ;D

[busy_lizzie]

You must be tempted to invite the "Time Team" to your garden Eric.  It is so fascinating to have uncovered such a collection.  It must be like being on an archaeological dig.  :D busy_lizzie