Ludlow Town Walls

The Brief

As part of investigation works of the existing Medieval City Wall of Ludlow Diacutt were requested to diamond drill through to full depth of the wall and extract core samples to show not only the depth but the materials in the wall and condition of the stonework.

There had to be no damage to the wall and the hole drilled in a preprepared location where a face stone had been removed to enable making good afterwards in the same stone.

The Solution

The required holes had to be hand drilled because the surface of the stone could not be damaged and the stone dating back to the 11th Century was not stable enough to mount a rig

A Hand Held Hydraulic Rig was used as this developed sufficient torque to diamond drill to an eventual depth of 2.2m  but at a lower speed to avoid the drill snatching and injuring the operative.

The hole through the stone varied in alignment, as the diamond drilling took place, due to the condition of the stone and the joints, but progress was maintained due to the power of the drill and the determination of the operative

He holds the record at the moment for the deepest hole diamond drilled by hand.