Myers Tree Care engaged by the Mellor Archaeological Trust

A local Stockport tree surgeon, Myers Tree Care was approached by the Mellor Archaeological Trust to undertake a safety assessment of trees on the site of the former Mellor Mill, located close to the famous ‘Roman Lakes’ on the outskirts of Marple and Mellor in Stockport.

The Mellor Mill site is of great historical importance and the Mellor Archaeological Trust has been charged with the task of maintaining the site and improving access for the public to view parts of the mill’s footprint and its former workings.

There are many underground tunnels that were once used for access, drive shafts and also for water to flow through and these played a vital part in the workings of the mill during its heyday, when there were three working wheels and the central Wellington wheel was the largest of its kind in the world at that time.

The main area needing our tree surgeon services was around the top of the Waterloo Wheel pit, which goes approx 10 meters below ground level.

There were self-sewn trees within the masonry and we were appointed to assess and make recommendations for the surrounding trees to ensure that no further damage was done to the remaining fabric of the pit and tunnels.

Tree Surgeon services at historic Mellor Mill site

The findings and recommendations of our tree surgeon survey included the sectional felling of approximately 10 trees that had compromised root systems and posed a threat to the safety and the surroundings.

On the day when the tree work was carried out, there were two tree surgeon teams undertaking this delicate work, which involved the sectional felling of the trees in a very controlled manner.

All cut material had to be handled with great care using our specialist lowering equipment as there were tunnels right under some of the trees and any shock loading to the ground could compromise the condition and preservation of the site.

All large material was stacked for extraction from the site by the landowner; all other material was chipped, using our 8” tracked machine, which has extremely low ground pressure and is the ideal plant machinery for a sensitive site such as Mellor Mill.

Once the trees were cut as low to the ground/walls, they were treated to prevent re-growth and further problems in the future.

David Myers said after completing the job that “it was an absolute privilege and pleasure to be part of this historic project and, given the challenges that we faced, it has reinforced our ability as a specialist tree surgery company and we were proud to go beyond the expectations of the Mellor Archaeological Trust.”