Cast stone cobbles frame eye-catching paving network

The Erinvale Estate Hotel and Spa in Somerset West has undergone an extensive landscaping makeover. In addition to re-planting large tracts of the estate’s gardens, a major component of the project entailed replacing the existing clay brick paving with cast-stone cobbles, manufactured by Concrete Manufacturing Association member, Revelstone.

Surrounded by the majestic Hottentots Holland Mountains, this five-star sanctuary rubs shoulders with some of the Cape’s top wine farms and includes three restaurants, two swimming pools, on-site spa, and access to the adjacent Gary Player-designed Erinvale golf course. The full landscaping and paving layout was curated and designed by Alan Dawson Gardens. One of the Western Cape’s leading paving contractors, Progressive Paving, was appointed by Alan Dawson to do the paving installation, which entailed repaving the old paths and adding some new ones.

Progressive Paving managing director, Adrien Desmarais, said the project was far from simple and the design and actual laying required careful planning and detailing.

“The paving forms an intricate web of interlinked paths, tree circles and fountain circles that are interspersed among the estate’s extensive indigenous gardens and Cape Dutch architecture,” said Adrien.

Kent Cobble paver and Jura Cobble edging paver

Approximately 3,500 m² of Revelstone’s 50 mm Kent Cobble paver and its Jura Cobble edging paver was specified for the paving. “After a three-week period of steady rain and muddy conditions, the project was completed in November 2020. Once the old brick paving layer had been removed, approximately 400 m³ of soil and sub-base material was excavated from the existing walkways and we saved the old sub-base material for the new project. Some of it was too sandy for proper sub-base construction but we were able to use it as a base-course on some of the paths. What’s more, its high and absorbent sand content assists in keeping the estate’s high water table in check.

“The remaining material was good enough to be used for the sub-base layers and this meant we only had to import about 60 m³ of G5 aggregate to complete the project. Our total sub-base layer depth was 150 mm and once the cobbles had been laid on a 50 mm layer of bedding sand, they were compacted some 5-6 mm and then grouted. All the paths, tree surrounds and the two fountain surrounds were edged with Revelstone’s Jura paver. We dug 120 mm channels on either side of the cobbles that were filled with a high-strength concrete onto which the Jura Cobbles were laid,” concluded Adrien.

Revelstone’s Kent Cobbles can handle light vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic. They are slightly tapered towards the top and this facilitates easy grouting.

Text: David Beer