Kugundako kunawononga msewu wa kumanda a tchalitchi. Zidutswa zazikulu za phula ndi matope zinali pa udzu wozungulira. Pafupi ndi msewu, ngati chidutswa chosweka cha chess, pali zotsalira za chipilala cha tchalitchi cha zaka 150. Maola angapo apitawo, iye anaima pamwamba penipeni pa tchalitchi, pamwamba pa bwalo la tchalitchi. Mwamwayi, nyumba ya Victorian inagwa pansi osati kudzera padenga la tchalitchi. Pazifukwa zomwe sizikudziwika tsopano, Tchalitchi cha St. Thomas ku Wells ndi chimodzi mwa matchalitchi ochepa aku England omwe ali ndi nsanja kumpoto chakum'mawa.
Mndandanda wa anthu oti muyimbire foni pakagwa ngoziyi ndi waufupi. Foniyo inayankhidwa ndi James Preston wazaka 37. Preston ndi womanga nyumba ndi nsanja yemwe ntchito yake imagwiridwa pafupifupi nyumba iliyonse yakale yomwe ili mu Ladybug Book of British History: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Longleat, Ladd Cliff Camera ndi Whitby Abbey, kungotchulapo ochepa chabe.
Mphepo yamkuntho inagwa pa kanema ndi mnansi wanga pa nthawi ya mphepo yamkuntho Eunice mu February. Patatha miyezi isanu ndi umodzi nditakumana ndi Preston, anandionetsa malo ogwirira ntchito komwe mphepo yatsopanoyi inkamangidwa ndipo ananditengera ku Tchalitchi cha St Thomas. Pambuyo poyendetsa makilomita 20, Preston, wofiirira komanso wofiirira, anandiuza za mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya miyala ku West Country. Kuchokera pamalingaliro a geology, tili pansi pa lamba wa miyala yamchere ya oolitic yomwe inkazungulira Oxford ndi Bath mpaka ku York ndipo idapangidwa nthawi ya Jurassic, pomwe ambiri a Cotswolds anali m'nyanja zotentha. Yang'anani nyumba yokongola ya ku Georgia ku Bath kapena nyumba yaying'ono ya woluka nsalu ku Gloucestershire, ndipo mudzawona zipolopolo zakale ndi mafupa a nsomba za nyenyezi. Mwala wa bafa ndi "laimu wofewa wa oolitic" - "oolites" amatanthauza "miyala yamwala", kutanthauza tinthu tozungulira tomwe timapanga - "koma tili ndi miyala ya Hamstone ndi Doulting kenako mumapeza miyala yosweka." Nyumba zakale m'madera amenewa nthawi zambiri zimakhala ndi miyala yamchere yofewa yokhala ndi miyala ya Bass komanso mwina makoma a zinyalala za Lias,” anatero Preston.
Mwala wa laimu ndi wofewa, wofooka komanso wofunda, wosiyana kwambiri ndi mwala wofewa wa Portland womwe timagwiritsa ntchito m'madera ambiri apakati pa London. Owonera nthawi zonse angazindikire mitundu iyi ya miyala, koma Preston ali ndi diso la katswiri. Pamene tinkayandikira Wells, analoza nyumba za mwala wa Dortin komwe St. Thomas anamangidwa. "Dulting ndi mwala wa laimu wa oolitic," anatero Preston, "koma ndi wa lalanje komanso wolimba kwambiri."
Iye anafotokoza za matope osiyanasiyana omwe amagwiritsidwa ntchito ku UK. Ankasiyana malinga ndi malo okhala, kenako pambuyo pa nkhondo anakonzedwa bwino, zomwe zinapangitsa kuti nyumba ziume ndi matope osalowa madzi otsekedwa ndi chinyezi. Preston ndi anzake ankayang'anitsitsa matope oyambirira, kuwachotsa kuti athe kudziwa kapangidwe kake panthawi yoyeserera. "Ngati muyenda kuzungulira London, mupeza nyumba zokhala ndi mipata yaying'ono yoyera [laimu]. Mudzapita kwina ndipo zidzakhala pinki, mchenga wa pinki, kapena zofiira."
Preston anaona zinthu zobisika za zomangamanga zomwe palibe wina aliyense anaziona. “Ndakhala ndikuchita izi kwa nthawi yayitali,” anatero. Wakhala akugwira ntchito imeneyi kuyambira ali ndi zaka 16, pamene anasiya sukulu kuti akalowe nawo kampani yomweyi komwe anagwira ntchito kwa zaka 20.
Ndi mwana wanji wazaka 16 amene anasiya sukulu kuti akhale womanga nyumba? 'Sindikudziwa!' Iye anati. "Ndi zachilendo pang'ono. Anafotokoza kuti sukulu "si yanga kwenikweni. Sindine munthu wophunzira, koma sindine munthu wokhala pansi ndikuphunzira mkalasi. Chitanipo kanthu ndi manja anu."
Anapeza kuti akusangalala ndi kapangidwe ka miyala yamtengo wapatali komanso kufunika kwake kuti ikhale yolondola. Atamaliza maphunziro ake ku koleji monga wophunzira ku Sally Strachey Historic Conservation (akugwirabe ntchito ku kampani yomwe imadziwika kuti SSHC masiku ano), anaphunzira kugaya anthu ndi nyama, komanso kudula miyala ndi millimeter molondola. Ntchito imeneyi imadziwika kuti bank masonry. "Kulekerera ndi millimeter imodzi mbali imodzi chifukwa ngati uli wamtali kwambiri ukhoza kuichotsa. Ndipo ngati utsika kwambiri, sungachite chilichonse."
Luso la Preston monga mmisiri wa miyala likugwirizana bwino ndi luso lake lina: kukwera miyala. Ali wachinyamata, ankakonda kukwera mapiri. Ali ndi zaka za m'ma 20, akugwira ntchito ku SSHC ku Farley Hungerford Castle, anazindikira kuti gulu la ogwira ntchito linasiya bulangeti pamwamba pa khoma lalitali. M'malo mokweranso scaffolding, Preston anagwiritsa ntchito zingwe kuti akwere yekha. Ntchito yake monga nsanja yamakono yayamba kale - ndipo kuyambira pamenepo wakhala akutsika ku Buckingham Palace ndikukwera nsanja ndi zipilala zokongola.
Iye akunena kuti mukachita zinthu mosamala, kukwera chingwe n’kotetezeka kuposa kukwera masikweya. Koma n’kosangalatsabe. “Ndimakonda kukwera zipilala za tchalitchi,” iye anatero. “Mukakwera nsanja ya tchalitchi, kuchuluka kwa zomwe mukukwera kumachepa pang’onopang’ono, kotero mukakwera mumayamba kuwonekera kwambiri. Sizikutha ndipo sizikusiya kuda nkhawa ndi anthu.”
Kenako palinso chinthu chabwino kwambiri pamwamba pake. "Maonekedwe ake ndi ofanana ndi china chilichonse, anthu ochepa amawaona. Kukwera chipilala ndi chinthu chabwino kwambiri chogwira ntchito pa galimoto ya chingwe kapena m'nyumba yakale. Malo omwe amakonda kwambiri ndi Wakefield Cathedral, yomwe ili ndi chipilala chachitali kwambiri padziko lonse lapansi." Yorkshire.
Preston anatembenukira ku msewu wakumidzi ndipo tinafika pa malo ogwirira ntchito. Iyi ndi nyumba yomangidwa pafamu yosinthidwa, yotseguka kwa nyengo. Panja panali minarets ziwiri: yakale, yotuwa yopangidwa ndi zinyalala za mtundu wa moss, ndi yatsopano, yosalala komanso yofewa. (Preston akunena kuti ndi mwala wa Doulting; sindimawona lalanje wambiri ndi diso langa loyera, koma akunena kuti zigawo zosiyanasiyana za mwala womwewo zimatha kukhala ndi mitundu yosiyanasiyana.)
Preston anayenera kusonkhanitsa yakaleyo ndikubwezera zida zake ku malo osungiramo zombo kuti adziwe kukula kwa chosinthiracho. "Tinakhala masiku ambiri tikulumikiza miyala ingapo pamodzi kuti tidziwe momwe iyenera kuonekera," adatero pamene tinkawona zipilala ziwiri padzuwa.
Pakati pa chipilala ndi chotchingira nyengo padzaikidwa chinthu chokongoletsera: mwala wapamutu. Maluwa ake okhala ndi miyeso itatu adapangidwa ndi Preston, wokhulupirika ku choyambirira chosweka, mkati mwa masiku anayi. Lero lili pa benchi yogwirira ntchito, lokonzeka ulendo wopita ku St. Thomas.
Tisananyamuke, Preston anandionetsa mabotolo achitsulo otalika bwalo omwe anaikidwa mu spire pakati pa zaka za m'ma 1990. Cholinga chake chinali kusunga spireyo, koma mainjiniya sanaganizire kuti mphepo inali yamphamvu ngati ya Eunice. Botolo lokhuthala ngati payipi yotulutsa utsi linapinda kukhala mawonekedwe a C pamene likugwa. Preston ndi gulu lake akanayenera kusiya chitsulo cholimba kuposa chomwe adapeza, chifukwa cha ndodo zabwino zomangira zitsulo zosapanga dzimbiri. "Sitinkafuna kubwezeretsanso ntchitoyo tili ndi moyo," adatero.
Paulendo wopita ku St. Thomas tinadutsa Wells Cathedral, ntchito ina ya Preston ndi gulu lake ku SSHC. Pamwamba pa wotchi yotchuka ya zakuthambo kumpoto kwa transept, Preston ndi gulu lake anaika ma slate angapo oyera.
A Freemason amakonda kudandaula za ntchito yawo. Amatchula kusiyana pakati pa malipiro ochepa, kuyenda mtunda wautali, makontrakitala ofulumira, ndi amisiri omanga omwe amagwira ntchito nthawi zonse momasuka, omwe akadali ochepa. Ngakhale kuti ntchito yake inali yofooka, Preston amadziona kuti ndi wapadera. Padenga la tchalitchi chachikulu, adawona zinthu zoopsa zitakonzedwa kuti zisangalatse Mulungu, osati kuti zisangalatse anthu ena. Kumuona akukwera pa phiri ngati chifaniziro china kumasangalatsa komanso kumasangalatsa mwana wake wamwamuna wazaka zisanu Blake. "Ndikuganiza kuti tinali ndi mwayi," adatero. "Ndikufunadi."
Padzakhala ntchito yambiri nthawi zonse. Ma stori olakwika a pambuyo pa nkhondo amakhala m'nyumba zomangira. Nyumba zakale zimatha kupirira kutentha bwino, koma ngati Bureau of Meteorology ikuneneratu molondola kuti kusintha kwa nyengo kudzabweretsa mphepo zamkuntho zambiri, kuwonongeka komwe kudachitika chifukwa cha Mphepo Yamkuntho Eunice kudzabwerezedwa kangapo m'zaka za zana lino.
Tinali titakhala pakhoma lochepa lomwe lili m'mphepete mwa manda a St. Thomas. Dzanja langa likaima pamwamba pa khoma, ndimamva mwala wosweka womwe unapangidwa. Tinakweza makosi athu kuti tiwone chipilala chopanda mutu. Nthawi ina m'masabata akubwerawa - SSHC siitulutsa tsiku lenileni kuti owonera asasokoneze okwera - Preston ndi antchito ake adzayika chipilala chatsopano.
Adzachita izi ndi ma crane akuluakulu ndipo akuyembekeza kuti njira zawo zamakono zidzakhalapo kwa zaka mazana ambiri. Pamene Preston akuganizira mu workshop, patatha zaka 200 kuchokera pano, omanga nyumba adzakhala akutemberera makolo awo ("zitsiru za m'zaka za m'ma 2000") kulikonse komwe angayike chitsulo chosapanga dzimbiri m'nyumba zathu zakale.