April 2008

Many local people may not know that the old iron Gatward Trough which stands in the market square was acquired and preserved by the Society many years ago. After cleaning it up we placed it in the square where it has been used as a plant trough ever since. Now we have acquired a second iron trough, this time a Perkins-made one.

Our eagle-eyed member Scilla Douglas recently spotted it being used as a plant trough in the garden of Molly Wilson. After some discussion Molly generously promised it to the Society after her death so that it could be preserved and put on display in the town like the Gatward trough. So when Molly died earlier this year her executors kindly agreed to release it to the Society.

Scilla’s supervised the shot-blasting of this iron Perkins Trough but, because it’s been used for plants and regularly-watered for many years, it's now in a rather delicate condition. Likewise the Gatward Trough in the Market Place, which has now sprung a leak.

We are anxious to put both the Perkins Trough and the Gatward Trough on display somewhere in the town centre, but as they are in too-delicate a state to be used for plants any more, and as they need to be protected in some measure from the weather, we are looking for suggestions as to how they can be used and where they might they be placed where they are both visible and protected? Suggestions please!

This page was last updated 5 April 2008