Exeter, Almshouses

Materials:

Porphyry, CEDEC Red Footpath Gravel, Hand-selected cobbles, Portuguese Granite Paving, Bespoke Bench

Details:

The restoration of the almshouses and their surroundings was‚ for us‚ one of those projects that seemed to take forever. A long time in the gestation and also in the execution but when one sees what was done and understands the importance of this small but delightful area right in the middle of town‚ it was well worth the wait.

There are many lovely details‚ including the artistic engraving of the porphyry plaques. Of course for this‚ the Italian porphyry had to be sawn and textured to achieve the necessary surface quality.

CEDEC Red footpath gravel‚ with its porous nature avoided the need to drain the paths. Local round cobbles were found in a disused quarry and specially hand-selected. In the adjoining open public space‚ the granite paving is Portuguese‚ chosen for its likeness to the original Devon granites with their large crystals‚ especially evident in the old street kerbs around the city. One very long‚ polished black bench completed the scene.