Westgate, Canterbury

Westgate is one of the main routes into Canterbury’s historic centre, carrying a constant flow of pedestrians alongside regular vehicle traffic throughout the day. As part of wider public realm improvements, Canterbury City Council required a paving solution that could cope with heavy use while still feeling appropriate within the city’s historic setting.

Working with contractor T Loughman, CED Stone Group supplied a coordinated natural stone package that combined durability, safety and a more traditional appearance.

The scheme had to meet a number of practical demands without losing sight of the character of the surrounding streetscape. The surfaces needed to perform under both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, provide reliable slip resistance in exposed conditions and sit comfortably within one of Canterbury’s most sensitive historic areas. Another key part of the brief was creating a clear distinction between footways and carriageways without introducing materials that felt overly modern or visually harsh.

For the pedestrian areas, CED Stone Group supplied Tudor Sandstone paving. The paving was supplied sawn for consistency and finished with a shotblasted surface. This provided dependable slip resistance while maintaining a clean and natural appearance. The sandstone’s subtle colour variation worked particularly well within the surrounding environment, complementing existing yorkstone paving already found throughout Canterbury. Rather than appearing too uniform or engineered, the finished footways feel settled within the historic setting.

To cope with vehicle loading, the carriageway and shared-use areas were constructed using a blend of granite setts.

Two sett types were used throughout the scheme:

• Temple Setts (tumbled) — selected for their softer edges and more traditional character
• Imperial Setts (sawn and textured) — used to provide sharper definition and tighter dimensional control

Using a combination of finishes introduced subtle variation across the surface and avoided the appearance of an overly uniform streetscape. Alongside their visual qualities, the granite setts provide the strength and durability needed for a busy city-centre environment.

Silver granite kerbs from Portugal were installed throughout the project to provide robust edge restraint and define the transition between pedestrian and vehicular areas. The kerbs help organise the space clearly while complementing the wider natural stone palette used across the scheme.

The completed Westgate scheme delivers a durable public realm surface capable of supporting both heavy pedestrian use and regular vehicle traffic, while remaining in keeping with Canterbury’s historic character. By combining sandstone paving, blended granite setts and robust granite kerbing, the project achieves a balance between long-term performance and a more established, traditional appearance.

Products used:
Sovereign Paving - Tudor Sandstone