The DSWAC held a special bridge building course July 29 through to August 6th at Karlo Estates near Wellington in Prince Edward County Ontario 2007. Over the 9 day period, men and women of various backgrounds coming from as far away as Texas, Alberta and Quebec attended this special hands-on workshop.
The property where the course was held accommodated camping, gourmet meals were served to the students every evening, and a special celebration extravaganza was organized for the last day.
This stunning bridge, which has a width of 8 feet and extends a distance of 40 feet in length, spans an opening of 12 feet over a small creek that runs through the vineyard estate.
This 38 ton bridge structure was completed by 5 students and 3 labourers, guided by one instructor in less than 9 days, working with simple tools using the traditional dry stone method. It was constructed without using cement, structural adhesives, steel fasteners and except for a tractor, (to bring materials closer) did not involve the use any heavy machinery
Participants learned elements of bridge design, site preparation and stone shaping & fitting.
The Hubb Creek Bridge is primarily a foot bridge, with sufficient width for a small all ATV vehicle. Except for the below grade foundation, the entire structure was built by the students out of a random quarried limestone obtained from Upper Canada Minerals, similar to the material used to construct the Farley Mowat boat- roofed Pre-Viking Dwelling built during the 2006 Northumberland Dry Stone Wall Festival.
This bridge, as far as we know, is only the third of its kind to be built in Canada, and represents a significant achievement in terms of the standard of dry stone craftsmanship that can be imparted to a group of individuals processing the right mix of enthusiasm for dry stone walling, dedication to the project, willingness to work hard and the capacity to implement the basic principles of structure.