How Quarry Cranes Worked Animation by Ben and Mark Jenkinson January 2017
This computer model was shown at the Corsham Institute’s Bath Stone exhibition in autumn 2016. The crane Ben and Mark modelled worked at Box's Clift Quarry which, incidentally, was the crane pictured in the Dancey Family article.
How Ben and Mark Made the Video
Inspired by the stalwart stone-lifting machines of 19th century technology, Ben, my teenaged son, and I wanted to bring one back to life using 21st century technology. To that end, we surveyed one of the cranes and then set about modelling it using 3D computer graphics software. You can see the results in the video above. Not only can you see all around the virtual crane, as you can around the real one underground, but you can also see it in motion, which you cannot do in reality (the real cranes are either jammed or broken, or are in far too fragile a state to operate without significantly accelerating their deterioration).
We spent a considerable amount of time using a computer programme called Blender to create a 3D model of the crane. From this
we created two digital artefacts for the exhibition: a video and an interactive web model.[1] The crane is as accurate to the original as we could achieve in the time available, whereas the background setting in which we placed it was quickly assembled and is not modelled on any particular part of Clift Quarry.
How Ben and Mark Made the Video
Inspired by the stalwart stone-lifting machines of 19th century technology, Ben, my teenaged son, and I wanted to bring one back to life using 21st century technology. To that end, we surveyed one of the cranes and then set about modelling it using 3D computer graphics software. You can see the results in the video above. Not only can you see all around the virtual crane, as you can around the real one underground, but you can also see it in motion, which you cannot do in reality (the real cranes are either jammed or broken, or are in far too fragile a state to operate without significantly accelerating their deterioration).
We spent a considerable amount of time using a computer programme called Blender to create a 3D model of the crane. From this
we created two digital artefacts for the exhibition: a video and an interactive web model.[1] The crane is as accurate to the original as we could achieve in the time available, whereas the background setting in which we placed it was quickly assembled and is not modelled on any particular part of Clift Quarry.
Snapshot of the sort of modelling view that eventually gave rise to the video image.
Purpose of Cranes
From the Victorian times onwards, cranes were an essential part of the quarrying process in the underground Bath Stone quarries. They were used to lift the blocks of stone cut from the working face onto carts, which were then pulled to the surface by horse or donkey; or later, the transport was provided by small locomotives.
The main structure of the cranes was wooden, with metal gearing and fixings. They could lift blocks of around 5 tons. A crane would be erected in a new working area until all the stone within its reach had been quarried. Then it would be dismantled, moved along to a new area, and re-erected to continue working.
From the Victorian times onwards, cranes were an essential part of the quarrying process in the underground Bath Stone quarries. They were used to lift the blocks of stone cut from the working face onto carts, which were then pulled to the surface by horse or donkey; or later, the transport was provided by small locomotives.
The main structure of the cranes was wooden, with metal gearing and fixings. They could lift blocks of around 5 tons. A crane would be erected in a new working area until all the stone within its reach had been quarried. Then it would be dismantled, moved along to a new area, and re-erected to continue working.
References
[1] See further details of this amazing piece of work at: http://deltarectangle.com/artefacts.html
[1] See further details of this amazing piece of work at: http://deltarectangle.com/artefacts.html
Ben Jenkinson went to Box School and is now doing his A-levels at Corsham School. Ben, Mark and their family live in Box.