Tashin hankalin ya lalata hanyar da ke makabartar cocin. Manyan guntun kwalta da turmi sun kwanta a kan ciyawar da ke kewaye. Kusa da titin, kamar fashewar dara, akwai ragowar wani tsohon coci mai shekaru 150. 'Yan awanni da suka gabata, ya tsaya a saman cocin, yana kan farfajiyar cocin. Abin farin ciki, ginin Victorian ya faɗi ƙasa ba ta rufin cocin ba. Saboda dalilan da ba a sani ba yanzu, Cocin St. Thomas da ke Wells yana ɗaya daga cikin majami'un Ingila kaɗan da ke da babban dutse a kusurwar arewa maso gabas.
Jerin mutanen da za a kira a wannan gaggawa ya yi gajeru. James Preston mai shekaru 37 ne ya amsa kiran. Preston wani mai gini ne mai gini da hasumiya wanda aikinsa ya dogara ne akan kusan kowace gini mai tarihi da ke cikin Littafin Tarihin Birtaniya na Ladybug: Fadar Buckingham, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Longleat, Ladd Cliff Camera da Whitby Abbey, kaɗan daga cikinsu.
Wani maƙwabci ya ɗauki faɗuwar spire a bidiyo a lokacin da guguwar Eunice ta yi tsanani a watan Fabrairu. Lokacin da na haɗu da Preston watanni shida bayan haka, ya nuna mini wurin aiki inda ake gina sabon spire ɗin kuma ya kai ni Cocin St Thomas. Bayan na yi tafiyar mil 20, Preston, mai ƙarfi da launin ruwan kasa, ya gaya mini game da nau'ikan duwatsu a Yammacin Ƙasar. Daga mahangar ƙasa, muna ƙasan bel ɗin dutse mai laushi wanda ya ratsa Oxford da Bath har zuwa York kuma an samar da shi a lokacin Jurassic, lokacin da yawancin Cotswolds suna cikin tekuna masu zafi. Kalli wani kyakkyawan gidan garin Georgian a Bath ko ƙaramin gidan masu saƙa a Gloucestershire, kuma za ku ga tsoffin harsashi da burbushin kifin starfish. Dutse wanka "launin dutse mai laushi" - "oolites" yana nufin "duwatsu", yana nufin ƙwayoyin zagaye da suka samar da shi - "amma muna da dutsen Hamstone da Doulting sannan ku sami dutse da aka niƙa." Gine-ginen tarihi a waɗannan yankunan galibi suna da laushin dutse mai siffar dutse na Bass da kuma wataƙila bangon tarkacen Lias,” in ji Preston.
Dutsen dutse mai laushi ne, mai rauni kuma mai ɗumi, ya yi kama da ƙaramin dutse na Portland da muke amfani da shi a tsakiyar London. Masu kallo na yau da kullun na iya lura da irin waɗannan duwatsun, amma Preston yana da idon sani. Yayin da muka kusanci Wells, ya nuna gine-ginen dutsen Dortin da aka gina St. Thomas daga gare shi. "Dulting dutse ne mai laushi," in ji Preston, "amma ya fi launin lemu da kauri."
Ya bayyana nau'ikan turmi-tumatur da ake amfani da su a Burtaniya. Sun saba bambanta bisa ga ilimin ƙasa na gida, sannan a lokacin bayan yaƙin an daidaita su sosai, wanda ya haifar da danshi a gine-gine da turmi mai hana ruwa shiga da aka rufe da danshi. Preston da abokan aikinsa sun sa ido sosai kan turmi na asali, suna wargaza su don su iya tantance abin da ke cikinsu yayin aikin kwaikwayon. "Idan ka yi yawo a Landan, za ka ga gine-gine masu ƙananan fararen dinki [lime]. Za ka je wani wuri kuma za su kasance ruwan hoda, yashi mai ruwan hoda, ko ja."
Preston ya ga ƙananan kayan gine-gine da babu wanda ya gani. "Na daɗe ina yin wannan," in ji shi. Yana aiki a wannan fanni tun yana ɗan shekara 16, lokacin da ya bar makaranta don shiga wannan kamfani inda ya yi aiki na tsawon shekaru 20.
Wane irin yaro ɗan shekara 16 ne ya daina makaranta ya zama mai yin bulo? 'Ban sani ba!' Ya ce. "Abin mamaki ne. Ya bayyana cewa makaranta "ba ta dace da ni ba. Ni ba mai ilimi ba ce, amma ni ma ba ni da zan zauna ina karatu a aji. Yi wani abu da hannunka."
Ya sami kansa yana jin daɗin tsarin ginin da kuma buƙatarsa ​​ta daidaito. Bayan kammala karatunsa daga kwaleji a matsayin mai koyon aiki a Sally Strachey Historic Conservation (har yanzu yana aiki a kamfanin da aka sani da SSHC a yau), ya koyi yadda ake sassaka mutane da dabbobi, da kuma yadda ake sassaka dutse da daidaiton milimita. Wannan fanni ana kiransa da ginin banki. "Haƙuri yana da milimita ɗaya a hanya ɗaya domin idan har yanzu kana da tsayi sosai za ka iya cire shi. Kuma idan ka sunkuya ƙasa sosai, ba za ka iya yin komai ba."
Kwarewar Preston a matsayin mai gini ya dace da sauran ƙwarewarsa: hawan dutse. Tun yana matashi, yana son hawan dutse. A cikin shekarunsa na 20, yana aiki a SSHC a Farley Hungerford Castle, ya fahimci cewa ma'aikatan jirgin sun bar bargo a saman wani babban bango. Maimakon sake hawa dutsen, Preston ya yi amfani da igiyoyi don hawa kansa. Aikinsa na hasumiya ta zamani ya riga ya fara - kuma tun daga lokacin yana saukowa Fadar Buckingham yana hawa hasumiyai da masu leƙen asiri.
Ya ce da tsari mai kyau, hawan igiya ya fi aminci fiye da gina ginshiƙai. Amma har yanzu yana da ban sha'awa. "Ina son hawa masu leƙen asiri na coci," in ji shi. "Yayin da kake hawa dutsen coci, yawan abin da kake hawa yana raguwa, don haka lokacin da ka tashi za ka ƙara bayyana. Yana raguwa zuwa sifili kuma ba ya daina damuwa da mutane." .
Sai kuma ƙarin da ke sama. "Ra'ayoyin ba su da wani tasiri, mutane kaɗan ne ke ganinsu. Hawan dutsen shine mafi kyawun abu game da aiki a kan motar kebul ko a cikin ginin tarihi. Wurin da ya fi so shine Cathedral na Wakefield, wanda ke da mafi tsayin dutsen a duniya." Yorkshire.
Preston ya juya zuwa kan titin karkara kuma muka isa wurin bitar. Wannan ginin gona ne da aka canza, wanda aka buɗe don yanayi. A waje akwai minarets guda biyu: wani tsohon dutse mai launin toka wanda aka yi da tarkace mai launin gansakuka, da kuma wani sabo, mai santsi da kirim. (Preston ya ce dutse ne mai launin Doulting; Ban ga lemu sosai da idona mai haske ba, amma ya ce launuka daban-daban na dutse ɗaya na iya samun launuka daban-daban.)
Dole ne Preston ya haɗa tsohon jirgin ya mayar da kayan aikinsa zuwa wurin jigilar kaya domin tantance girman da za a maye gurbinsa. "Mun shafe kwanaki muna haɗa wasu duwatsu tare muna ƙoƙarin gano yadda ake tsammanin zai kasance," in ji shi yayin da muke kallon mashigin biyu a rana.
Za a sanya wani abu mai ado tsakanin spire da kuma lighten yanayi: dutse mai kauri. Preston ne ya ƙirƙiri siffar fure mai girma uku, mai aminci ga asalin da ya karye, cikin kwana huɗu. A yau yana kan benci, a shirye yake don tafiya ta hanya ɗaya zuwa St. Thomas.
Kafin mu tafi, Preston ya nuna min ƙusoshin ƙarfe masu tsayin yadi waɗanda aka saka a cikin ƙusoshin a tsakiyar shekarun 1990. Manufar ita ce a ci gaba da ƙusoshin, amma injiniyoyin ba su yi la'akari da cewa iska tana da ƙarfi kamar ta Eunice ba. Ƙofar da ke kauri da bututun hayaki ta lanƙwasa zuwa siffar C yayin da take faɗuwa. Preston da ma'aikatansa za su bar wani babban kamfas mai ƙarfi fiye da yadda suka samu, godiya ga mafi kyawun sandunan jingina na bakin ƙarfe. "Ba mu yi niyyar sake yin aikin ba yayin da muke raye," in ji shi.
A kan hanyarmu ta zuwa St. Thomas mun wuce Wells Cathedral, wani aikin Preston da tawagarsa a SSHC. A saman sanannen agogon ilmin taurari a arewacin transept, Preston da tawagarsa sun sanya wasu allo masu tsabta.
'Yan Freemasons suna son yin korafi game da sana'arsu. Suna ambaton bambanci tsakanin ƙarancin albashi, tafiye-tafiye na nesa, 'yan kwangila masu gaggawa, da kuma masu aikin gini na cikakken lokaci, waɗanda har yanzu tsiraru ne. Duk da gazawar aikinsa, Preston yana ɗaukar kansa a matsayin wanda ya cancanci hakan. A kan rufin cocin, ya ga abubuwa masu ban tsoro da aka shirya don nishaɗin Allah, ba don nishaɗin wasu mutane ba. Ganin yana hawa kan tudu kamar wani irin mutum-mutumi yana faranta masa rai kuma yana burge ɗansa Blake mai shekaru biyar. "Ina tsammanin mun yi sa'a," in ji shi. "Ina so da gaske."
Za a ci gaba da samun aiki mai yawa. Turmi bayan yaƙi ba daidai ba suna mamaye gine-ginen gini. Tsoffin gine-gine na iya jure zafi sosai, amma idan Ofishin Kula da Yanayi ya annabta daidai cewa sauyin yanayi zai haifar da guguwa mai yawa, lalacewar da guguwar Eunice ta haifar za ta sake faruwa sau da yawa a wannan ƙarnin.
Muna zaune a ƙaramin bango da ke kan iyaka da makabartar St. Thomas. Lokacin da hannuna ya ɗora a saman bangon, sai na ji dutsen da ya ruguje wanda aka yi shi da shi. Mun yi ta manne da wuyanmu don ganin spire ɗin da ba shi da kai. Wani lokaci a cikin makonni masu zuwa - SSHC ba ta fitar da takamaiman rana don masu kallo kada su ɗauke hankalin masu hawa dutse - Preston da ma'aikatansa za su sanya sabon spire.
Za su yi hakan da manyan kekunan hawa kuma suna fatan hanyoyin zamani za su daɗe tsawon ƙarni. Kamar yadda Preston ke tunani a cikin bitar, shekaru 200 daga yanzu, masu ginin dutse za su yi ta la'antar kakanninsu ("wawayen ƙarni na 21") duk inda suka saka bakin ƙarfe a cikin tsoffin gine-ginenmu.