This year, Brambledown have won a National BALI Award for “Hard Landscaping works under £300k” carried out at Segedunum Roman Fort. The BALI National Landscape Awards showcase the high levels of professionalism attained by members each year. The event is now in its 42nd year and is the largest landscaping awards scheme in Europe. Brambledown have now won an award in the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 2018.
Paul Curry, Brambledown Director said: “We are very happy to have won yet another BALI National Landscape Award for a record 5th successive decade. We deem the BALI Awards to be the most prestigious and highly contested awards in the Landscape Industry. As one of BALI’s founding members, we are very proud. “This award feels more special than ever before, given the intricacies of working on such an historic site. Our team successfully worked around a Roman Fort so large that it once housed 600 Roman Soldiers, and dates back to AD122.” Brambledown worked closely with principal designer Nick Wright from Place on Earth. We also work with Tyne and Wear Museums to enhance the customer experience to one of Britain’s most visited Roman ruins. BBC Breakfast anchor and sports journalist Dan Walker will host the ceremony at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London. This will be on Friday, 7 December when the winners of the Principal and Special Awards, and the coveted Grand Award, will be announced. Full details of the winning entries are available baliawards.co.uk
This was an incredibly delicate scheme. Segedunum (Meaning –Strong Fort) is situated in Wallsend, at the very end of Hadrians Wall. Brambledown Landscape Services Ltd were contracted to undertake a number of landscape improvement works to the ancient Roman fort site which was originally built in AD122. Today it is a major tourist site and THE most excavated Fort along Hadrian’s Wall. The Limited budget was carefully focused across a number of interventions that would bring about extensive positive change in the huge sites visual appeal, and restore its place as a hub for tourism and education. In doing this, the following elements were delivered by Brambledown:
- Construction of a new “fully accessible” access way from the Hadrian Cycleway route, which is an important coast to coast walking and cycling route. The previous access to the Fort had meant a “detour” of nearly half a mile.
- The introduction of new hard landscape elements within the existing car park areas to improve access for disabled visitors.
- The introduction of hard landscape paved elements to link three sections of the Branch wall and improve its legibility.
- The Construction of a Roman themed Play Area, for young preschool children.
- Refurbishment of the Roman kitchen garden and to broaden its appeal by adding a picnic garden area.
- A new entrance garden area to improve the pedestrian approach to the Museum site.
- The introduction of a wildflower meadow as part of a wider Newcastle and North Tyneside “Bee Line” strategy.
- Careful installation of new surface treatments across the entire Fort to make the excavated Fort stand out when viewed from both ground level, and the viewing tower.