We recently revisited our 2018 installation at Wakehurst Place, a 500-acre wild botanic garden in West Sussex managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. As a nationally important site for horticulture and conservation, any surface installed here must be both practical and sensitive to its surroundings.
We’re pleased to report that the resin bound surface remains in excellent condition five years on, standing up to heavy use while continuing to enhance the natural landscape.
It’s always rewarding to see our work hold its own in such a prestigious and high-profile setting — a true testament to the performance and longevity of Addagrip systems.
Details of the site and the full installation are below:
Wakehurst Place on the High Weald of West Sussex, owned by The National Trust, consists of over 500 acres of beautiful ornamental gardens, woodlands and a nature reserve. Funded and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the site is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild seed conservation project in the world.
As part of a scheme to renovate existing walkways and create new pathways at Wakehurst Place, VGC Construction was contracted by Graham Construction to excavate and re-build over 450 linear metres of footpaths in the Bethlehem Woods area of the gardens. The requirement was to provide surfacing that would be decorative, hard wearing, sympathetic to the woodland environment and porous enough to provide maximum drainage in this wooded area.
Addagrip’s ‘no-dig’ Terrabase Rustic Resin Bound porous surfacing was the perfect solution. Using a 6-10mm aggregate size in a Rustic Oak blend, the patented system provides a ‘rustic looking finish with excellent drainage. Addagrip approved contractor Limegate Ltd installed over 1300sqm of Terrabase Rustic Resin Bound porous surfacing onto a mix of different surfacing types including a cellular confinement system to minimize disruption to tree roots and deal with the lateral drainage requirements of this hillside location.
The finished pathways offer a decorative yet practical solution that deals with the drainage issues, providing a surface that is hard wearing, low maintenance, suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs to give all year access to the beautiful woodland area.
The Resin Bound surfacing was completed in May 2018.
