Accessible Pathways, Gunby Estate, Hall and Gardens

The existing gravel pathways were heavily compacted which prevented ground water draining away during heavy rainfall. This resulted in significant ponding and puddling surfaces throughout the gardens, impacting the Gardens team and volunteers, along with visitor enjoyment. In addition, some of the paths had narrowed over time, and changes in levels around the gardens restricted access for visitors with mobility issues.

Gunby Hall is a Grade I listed country house within the Lincolnshire Wolds. With construction completed in 1700, it was home to the Massingberd family for over 250 years. The Hall, Gardens and Estate were gifted to the National Trust in 1944 and the Hall and surrounding gardens was leased to private tenants until 2012. In 2012, the National Trust made the decision to take the Hall back in-hand, opening to visitors. Since opening, Gunby has gradually grown its visitors numbers which has had detrimental impacts to the gardens which were not designed for such footfall.

This led to the National Trust developing a proposal to re-surface the pathways to the walled garden and orchard which are within the listing of the Grade II registered park and garden. Working with an engineer to develop the scheme, the National Trust successfully obtained planning and listed building consent to undertake this work to replace the loose gravel with resin bound  gravel, as well as address the drainage issues. There were a number of conditions which were required to be discharged and approved by the Local Authority before works could commence.

Due to internal capacity, Evans & James were asked to take over the project management of the scheme. This included developing a schedule of works and tender package, and undertaking a tender analysis once tenders were received. Evans & James then worked with the selected contractor to develop a detailed method statement for undertaking the works and along with this, a written scheme of investigation completed by Allen Archaeology, we prepared and submitted the discharge of conditions application.

Once conditions had been successfully discharged, we commenced works on site in January 2025. Evans & James conducted weekly site inspections to review and report on progress. The works involved carefully excavating the pathways by hand and around stone flags running centrally down the pathways. Deteriorated brick edging was replaced where necessary with reclaimed bricks from the Estate and the contractors worked closely with the Gardens team to ensure that no damage was caused to specimen plants and the planted borders. All excavation works were undertaken under an archaeological watching brief and contractors uncovered lost brick details at gate thresholds and stone flags which had been covered by soil and gravel. We were able to reintegrate these details into the scheme.

Upon completion, we undertook several further inspections to ensure that all defects and unsatisfactory workmanship was successfully resolved and.

The works have been a huge success and will support the Gunby team, and volunteers in enjoying the walled garden and orchard in all-seasons.

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