The Background

Nestled between the Minster and bustling town centre, St James’ Square in Grimsby has long been a tranquil spot for locals to sit and enjoy. And thanks to support from both the Humber LEP and Local Growth Fund initiative, this well used public space has benefitted from a £1.8m facelift to improve its role as a heritage and arts destination.

The newly transformed scheme forms part of a vibrant mixed-use space that will cater for daily users, visitors and community events alike. St James’ now also signposts the starting point of the Heritage Trail, linking the town centre to the docks.

Project managed by ENGIE and constructed by CR Reynolds, this inspiring landscape transformation featured new planting, lighting, street furniture and custom paving elements in Marshall’s Scoutmoor Yorkstone natural stone. Existing site materials - such as old stone pavers - were reused on the project to reduce environmental impacts.

With extensive expertise in creating tailored spaces, Marshalls were ideally placed to support the project with CAD design, engineering and feasibility for the different bespoke elements; this included customised engraved paving, benches, a bronze inlaid labyrinth and sweeping pathways.

Bespoke Design

The ‘magnum opus’ of the new square is its central feature labyrinth, crafted from locally sourced Scoutmoor natural stone cobbles. These individually designed and precision cut stone pieces were produced to an exacting specification, developed for ease of installation on site.

To further support the contractor during the build, the delivery of each part of the labyrinth was meticulously planned and phased, to ensure all hand finished masonry was installed in the correct sequence and to prevent any risk of misalignment.

The curved pathways in the overall design add a belted extension to the circular labyrinth, each divided up between green spaces, perfect for picnics or relaxation.

The core pathways and benches include custom engraved words and phrases, adding a historic localised narrative to the scheme. Each individually etched stone was manufactured using our advanced water jet cutting technology, with diamond sawn finishing to give a contemporary aesthetic.

This is complemented by textured Yorkstone masonry leading back to the Minster itself, to marry both old and new in perfect juxtaposition.