Background

As part of a new £15.7 million development of a remembrance centre at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, Marshalls was approached to supply a traditional-looking hard landscaping solution. The Arboretum, situated on the edge of the National Forest, is the UK’s year-round centre of Remembrance, with a maturing woodland landscape that is home to over 330 memorials.

In 2009, a £12 million appeal was launched by HRH the Duke of Cambridge, the Patron, to rebuild the visitor centre. The goal was to provide outstanding facilities for those visiting the Arboretum.

Solution

As part of the new development, a courtyard called Heroes’ Square was proposed. To help fund the project, an appeal offered a limited number of paving stones intricately inscribed with cap badges or crests of the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force, and City Livery Companies.

The new building’s Portland limestone facade was installed alongside Marshalls’ Scoutmoor Natural Stone paving, a timeless combination used throughout the streets of London. Scoutmoor Yorkstone is exceptionally hardwearing and has beautiful natural colour variation. The blue grey and brown hues of the stone integrated well with the surrounding landscape and perfectly coordinated with the larch timber used in the building’s structure.

Outcome

The collaboration resulted in a beautifully integrated landscape that not only met the aesthetic and functional requirements but also honoured the memory of those commemorated at the Arboretum.