Anyone who drives through Yate will be familiar with the Lozenge roundabout outside B and Q and Morrisons. For many years a black truck has stood on the circular roundabout - donated by Bad Salzdetfurth, Yate’s German twin town. Bad Salzdetfurth is a salt mining town, and this was a salt truck. But the remains of Yate’s coal or spar (celestine) have only been available to the public on Oldwood Open Days.
John Gawn, one of the instigators of the scheme at the B & Q roundabout.
A meeting between South Glos open spaces team, Yate Town Council estates manager and two Councillors, John Gawn and Chris Willmore earlier this spring is changing all that. The meeting was set up to discuss the state of weeds on the roundabout and its generally poor state. As ideas emerged, Chris suggested we might do something about celestine to compliment the salt truck. A few years ago Yate Town Council and SGMRG had rescued a large kibble from Yate Common, where it had sat for many years. This was identical to one shown in a photo of celestine extraction in Yate. Owned by Yate Town Council, as landowners, SGMRG had done some restoration work. We wondered could we use that.
The cylindrical kibble with its triangular swivel hoist, pictured in use in Yate.
(Yate Heritage Centre Photo)
Within days the Yate and South Glos staff, together with Chris, Roger Gosling and Dave Hardwick were at Oldwood, discussing what should be done. Two options emerged - the round kibble or a v shaped tipper truck used for Celestine, owned by Dave, stored at Oldwood, like one in a picture of Celestine.
A v shaped tipper truck shown in action in Yate (Photo from cover of Dave Hardwicke and Harry Lane’s Celestine book)
Never have a group of people dithered so much. In the end it was decided to take both and put one each end of the long lozenge section of the roundabout, replacing the weed beds.
The amazing S Glos open spaces team started designing a scheme. Mike Drew a Yate Councillor agreed to chip in £2,200 from Member Allocated Funding to getting the two items fully restored and the landscaping done. South Gloucestershire open spaces team found the rest of the cost. Loan forms have been produced so the ownership of the artefacts remains with SGRMG and the Town Council respectively.
A plan emerged for the two items to be sandblasted and then given protective paint, and having white stones coming out of the tipper truck as an imitation of Celestine. On hearing this John Ford, another local councillor wondered if Barretts, who are carrying out a massive development north of Yate had any Celestine going spare. Within 12 hours Barretts had very kindly said yes, loads, take as much as we wanted. So South Glos staff were dispatched to liberate loads for this project and some for Oldwood.
One of the celestine samples donated by Barretts
Work has been completed on the restorations and they are in the workshop at South Glos Council ready to go.
Photo of the items in the workshop at S Glos, ready to install.
In the final scheme we will keep the salt truck where it is and add the two Celestine items at each end of the lozenge, securely fixed to the ground. An interpretation board is being designed, which will go on the pavement overlooking the roundabout.
Until COVID-19 stopped work, this amazing project had gone from nothing, to being ready to implement in just 5 weeks. My thanks to Phil Jones from Yate TC, Lee Cowle at South Glos, Mark Rooney at Barretts, Councillors Mike Drew, John Gawn and John Ford and David Hardwicke, Roger Gosling and Jenni Humprhis.
At the very least this will get people talking about Yate’s history as the world’s leading producer of celestine for many years.
