Sunderland Granite Benches

Project year: 2017
Posted: 28 Oct, 2019

Materials:

Bespoke Granite Benches

Details:

The UK is a nation of shoppers, with high street brands and independent retail businesses occupying a large and vital part of the UK economy. In Sunderland, High Street West is a pedestrianised street lined with small shops and cafés which recently benefited from a renovation with some new natural stone benches by CED Stone Group.

Sunderland City Council wanted to include seating into the scheme that would not only have a visual impact, but also generate a sense of identity that the local community could connect and engage with. The resulting free-formed benches are now a key feature in the street, all made from different igneous and metamorphic rocks; mainly granites from China and some from Europe, including a Scottish Grampian Granite.

The intended variations in colour and shape are what makes the collection of 2m curved benches so interesting and distinctive. People can choose their favourite bench to rest on after a morning of running errands, children can sit on 'their special seat' when out shopping with parents and friends can arrange to 'meet at the green one' before heading off for afternoon tea. As each bench is unique in its own way, it subtly generates a personal connection to the space. Coloured lighting installed under the benches transforms the space as the evenings close in, making the street a fun and enjoyable route to walk down.

Expertly managing the delivery and logistics for the council, CED Stone Group arranged for all of the benches to be honed in the same UK factory to ensure uniformity in the quality and finish of the different natural stone materials. Sunderland City Council were delighted with the finished outcome and the changes in High Street West have been very popular with the public, giving High Street West a new presence and reconnecting it to the wider Sunderland area.