LAND & WATER STARTS WORK ON BLENHEIM’S GRAND CASCADE APRON AS PART OF A LARGER RESTORATION PROJECT

Civil and environmental engineering experts Land & Water is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract to carry out essential maintenance works on the lakes at Blenheim.

With the lakes being fed by the River Glyme, Land & Water is currently undertaking essential works which involve the demolition and assessment of the Grand Cascade Apron which forms the lakes from the river. The work will allow Land & Water to create a new resin injection curtain wall, which is also currently the largest resin injection works undertaken in the UK to date.

A final step will include the construction of a new concrete apron and stone faced walls. This will help mitigate any further wash over and across the length of the apron works, in addition to the replacement of an existing wave wall which will ensure the protection of the pool which was built over 300 years ago.

The works are part of the large restoration projects taking place at Blenheim Palace that aims to future-proof the grounds of the World Heritage site. Land & Water is extremely proud to be supporting these works and ensuring that the iconic landscape created by one of England’s most renowned landscape designers, Capability Brown, is preserved.

Discussing the project, Blenheim Estates Director Roy Cox says: “Whilst for obvious reasons we have delayed the main dredge for a year, we have been able to start work with Land & Water to go ahead with the essential repairs to the cascade at the bottom of our lakes. The craftmanship employed by Capability Brown nearly 300 years ago is remarkable and it’s a credit to them that we are only now following in their footsteps to make sure we can preserve such important landscapes at Blenheim.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Kirkland, Construction Director at Land & Water, says: “We are extremely proud to be working on this prestigious project and look forward to working alongside the team at Blenheim. We have ensured that our team are aware of all safe practices on site during the current health pandemic and will continue to ensure that our client’s needs are met whilst following Government guidelines.”

This prestigious project, starting with the apron works and culminating in one of the largest inland dredges, will protect Blenheim Palace’s grounds for decades to come, maintaining the estate’s wonderful, historic lake. Works will continue as restrictions ease and all health and safety recommendations will be carefully followed.