Work to restore the Moot Hall’s iconic weather vane has taken another major step forward.
Years of neglect had left the instrument – a symbol of Keswick – in a parlous state, with its foundations all but rotted away and the vane itself badly corroded.
Repairing it has been a priority for the Battersby Hall Trust, the community-based charity which bought the Moot Hall from Allerdale Borough Council in 2018, as part of a major £100,000 refurbishment of the historic building’s exterior.
Now, under the expert guidance of craftsman Sheriff Brayton, of Keswick-based Packhorse Steel, the base has been restored and installed while the top section, fashioned from burnished copper and brass, will be added as soon as the rest of the exterior work is completed and scaffolding is removed from the building.
Workington-based firm Stobbarts Ltd is also working on the project.
“It’s a big step forward, and Sheriff has done a tremendous job,” said trust chairman Tony Lywood. “The top of the vane used to be painted black, but we will be leaving it open to the elements so the copper will eventually turn green. It will look absolutely splendid.”
The weather vane was thought to date back to the Moot Hall’s most recent reconstruction in 1813.
However the maker’s initials, discovered during the restoration process, belong to Jack McNeill, who worked as a smith in Keswick until the 1950s. “It was a bit of a surprise, because we all assumed it was much older,” said Tony.
The work is part of works to restore and upgrade the outside of the hall, which been in a state of gradual disrepair for more than 20 years. Other works include removing oil and polymer-based paint finishes from more than 100 years ago which have caused permanent damage to the original stonework underneath.
Repairs to the mortar pointing, based on traditional lime materials, are being instigated on the northern tower while a decayed roof purlin in the south-east corner is being replaced to restore structural integrity to the roof.
The hall was originally a Medieval courthouse, used by the manor of Castlerigg and Derwentwater, but over the centuries has been used as a storehouse, a market hall and a council chamber.
