Challenge

Lincolnshire County Council decided to re-turf the Lucy Tower motte at Lincoln Castle to improve its appearance and help stabilise the earth. The 50° angle of the slope presented an enormous challenge and the work required an experienced installation team.

Solution

Simpson Contractors of Lough were responsible for preparing the land and laying the turf. Before work could start, 25 tonnes of dangerous trees and scrub had to be removed from the slope. To ensure stability, very large stumps were cut sheer to the ground and left to slowly rot down.

It was not possible to use conventional turf, as it would have broken up during the laying process. Lindum’s Grassfelt™ - a soil-less grass growing in biodegradable felt - was chosen to address this problem.

2,500m² of Grassfelt™ were cut into 30 metre rolls using an angle grinder. It was winched up the slope and fixed with biodegradable fixing pegs. Rather than covering the tree stumps with turf, the turf was cut around them, creating a striking sculptural effect.

Outcome

Mary Powell, Programme Coordinator for the Historic Lincoln Projects at Lincolnshire County Council said, “Lindum Grassfelt™ turf is an extraordinary product and it solved the problem of how to manage this difficult steep site at Lincoln Castle. It protected the steep bank and cut down on maintenance whilst also looking attractive.

Response from the public was very positive and nobody could quite believe how well it worked.