Lincoln County Council

Lincoln County Council decided to re-turf the Lucy Tower motte at Lincoln Castle to improve its appearance and help stabilise the earth.

The 50 degree angle of the slope presented an enormous challenge and the work required an experienced installation team.

Simpson Contractors of Lough were responsible for preparing the land and laying the turf. Before work could start, 25 tonnes of dangerous trees and scrub had to removed from the slope. To ensure stability, very large stumps were cut sheer to the ground and left to slowly rot down.

“Lindum Grassfelt™ turf is an extraordinary product and it solved the problem of how to manage this difficult steep site at Lincoln Castle. It protected the steep bank and cut down maintenance whilst also looking attractive.”

Mary Powell, Programme Coordinator for the Historic Lincoln Projects at Lincolnshire County Council

It was not possible to use conventional turf, as it would have broken up during the laying process. Lindum’s Grassfelt™ – a soil-less grass growing in biodegradable felt – was chosen to combat this problem.

2,500m2 of Grassfelt™ were cut into 30 metre rolls using an angle grinder. It was winched up the slope and fixed with degradable fixing pegs. Rather than covering the tree stumps with turf, the turf was cut around them, creating a striking sculptural effect.

Response from the public was very positive and nobody could quite believe how well it worked.