Kentish Express Ashford & District
It IS like painting the Forth Bridge
Painters using tougher coating on metal fence
The painting of a mile of fencing in the grounds of a historic mansion on the outskirts of Ashford has been compared to the mammoth task involved in giving the Forth Rail Bridge a makeover.
Traditionally it was said that no sooner had painters finished painting the bridge over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh than it was time for them to turn round and start the job again.
And now a painting team at Godinton House and gardens are starting to feel the same as they take on the lengthy job of brushing up the mile-long metal fence.
But luckily there is no chance of them being asked to do a four minute mile as the repainting is being done in sections – the first just 200 yards long.
Godinton’s old park fence was renewed with traditional iron railings in 1999 that now need painting, especially under the lime trees where the sticky sap that drips from the leaves corrodes the paint quickly.
Having read about the new paint being used on the Forth Bridge, Nick Sandford, Godinton’s estate manager, tracked down the suppliers, whose coating is supposed to last for 25 years or more.
Applying it involves a lot of hard preparation work and the paint itself is in two parts, so involves mixing a special hardening agent that sets the paint on the metal.
Mr Sandford said: “Hopefully this will mean the fence will not need repainting for many years. The elegant fencing protects the famous yew hedges from the stock grazing in the park and allows visitors to have lovely views from the beautiful gardens to the countryside beyond.”