Case Study: Eden Camp Entrance

Upon been approached by Eden Camp Modern History Museum to update the entrance area, we worked alongside them and an architect to design an area that would recreate a WW2 themed airfield, complete with a spitfire sitting on it. It was a unusually shaped space to work with as it included two lane for in and out traffic, and also a Coach/HGV entrance to the other side.

As well as the central spitfire area, behind the Coach/HGV lane we created a display area for some of the museum’s showpiece artillery that are carefully preserved to be enjoyed by visitors when they first arrive.

Lots of raised planters were incorporated in to the design to increase biodiversity, and a gate house was erected for admissions and safety purposes. Most of the area which included the runway, artillery area, and the foot paths, were constructed using block paving for increased accessibility and a clean finish.

After surveying the site and marking out the areas, the construction begun.

To do this we excavated down to a suitable sub-base layer in order to build up the area using suitable aggregates. We then compacted the aggregates using sharp sand and screed for a perfectly flat foundation to then lay the block paving.

*TOP TIP* I like to make the sand approx. 5mm too high then when the blocks are compacted with the Wacker plate at the end to settle down to the correct height.

Concrete footings were poured to build the brick raised planters on to, and the areas between the paving and planters were filled up with soil to have either turf or wild flowers planted.

Once the planters were built and filled with soil, these were planted with some attractive, seasonal and diverse plants and shrubs to offer a pleasant welcome for visitors to the museum. Some of the plants were chosen as they had a connected history and relevance to the prisoners of war which were housed at Eden Camp during WW2.