Kiln working bee whacks weeds
Palmerston North’s historic Hoffman Kiln has been given a shave, with plans afoot to keep it fresh-faced for the foreseeable future.
Dozens of volunteers descended on the category one-listed heritage building on Sunday, braving strong winds and chilly temperatures, to give the kiln a cleanup.
People armed with rakes, scrapers, weed eaters and spades took to the weeds without mercy in an effort to give the kiln a facelift.
The working bee comes on the back of the Featherston St kiln being gifted to a community trust, and the impending opening of the Kauri Health Centre next door.
Interim trustee Cliff Wilson said Sunday was primarily about removing weeds that grew between bricks.
Pulling the weeds out from the cracks was a no-go, as that would also remove the mortar that held the bricks together, he said.
Instead, volunteers scraped the weeds off the surface, before someone sprayed the affected areas to kill off the roots and seeds.
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The recent addition of a new roof, replaced in a $100,000 project by former owners Higgins, and grilles to keep vandals out had taken care of other big issues, he said.
Co-trustee and conservation architect David Chapple was chuffed to see so many people out in the bad weather.
‘‘You sometimes think things like ‘is it worth it?’... but then you get days like this, and it’s all worthwhile.
The past six months had also seen work done to the inside of the kiln, with wooden stabilising structures inserted where vandals had previously taken to the brickwork, he said.
With the kiln looking good, attention could turn to other nearby buildings on the site.
Chapple said he would like to see one building turned into a place where people could learn how important the kiln was to the city.