Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Castle
Client
Ashlea Ltd
Project
Lancaster Castle
Location
Lancaster

Overview

We teamed up with our long-standing customer, Ashlea Ltd to beautify the grounds of Lancaster Castle, following multimillion-pound conservation works.

The Challenge 

We were asked to supply thousands of plants to help beautify the grounds of the building that dates back to the 11th century and has a varied history, having been used as a defensive fortress, a royal castle, a crown court, a civil court and even a prison.

The medieval castle forms part of the Duchy of Lancaster, a royal inheritance that began 750 years ago. The castle itself has had many royal visitors over the years including King John, Robert the Bruce, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Queen Victoria and, in 2015, the Queen, who is the current Duke of Lancaster.

The scheme has seen 5,000 sq ft restored to provide a new courtyard, café, gallery space, teaching suite and ticket office.

The landscaping and planting had to be reflective of its history and enhance the new and updated buildings.

The Solution

Over the last seven years, the duchy team has worked closely with heritage architects, archaeological specialists and structural engineers to complete this project.

Ashlea Ltd’s groundworks for the project included soiling to the new planters, tree pit construction, drainage and laying of artificial grass and trees, as well as planting hundreds of shrubs and herbaceous plants, provided by Johnsons.

Our plant supply comprised of hundreds of shrubs and herbaceous plants with varieties such as Buxus ‘suffruiticosa’, Euonymus fortunei, Hebe rakaiensis, Helleborous Anna’s Red’ and Heuchera Ruby Bells included in the project.

The supply also included four large Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’ trees with a girth of 30-35ins, in 100L pots.

 

 

The Result 

The castle grounds have now been beautified to enhance the multi-million-pound restoration of the new courtyard, gallery space, teaching suite and ticket office.

Ashlea Ltd’s contracts director, Wayne Dand, said: “We are delighted, as are the clients, with the outcome of the scheme, especially the excellent standard of trees and shrubs. Logistically the project was complicated to deliver, due to restricted access through the castles main gate.