Sometimes, even we at Northern Cobblestoneare surprised at how good pattern imprinted concrete can look and how durable it can be when installed correctly.
The photos below show a driveway installed by us over 12 years ago and recently resealed.
Satisfied Customer
Both our Blackpool customer and ourselves were amazed at how good it looked. Like new after 12 years of use and the weather of the Lancashire coast!
You could easily be forgiven for thinking the above driveway in ashlar slate style was laid yesterday.
And all after a quick resealing.
Imprinted Concrete Resealing
As with the initial cost of an imprinted driveway, the cost of resealing
is a fraction of the cost of resanding and / or resetting block paving or indian stone.
And barring excessively heavy impact damage or extreme localised subsidence, resealing should be the only maintenance a properly laid pattern imprinted driveway, path or patio should need.
Aside from occasionally sweeping and washing it obviously!
Third Party Repair and Resealing
If you have a stamped concrete driveway installed by a third party that you're not happy with or that is starting to look tired or worn, we may be able to help.
Spot the racetrack! Aerial view of what was Brooklands.
The world's first ever purpose built motor racing track was Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey, England.
Organised racing of vehicles fitted with an internal combustion engine
(motor cars) had been taking place from as early as the 1880s, but they
were along existing road networks or hastily converted (or not) horse
race courses.
In Britain however, there was a strictly imposed 20mph speed limit on the roads, leading Hugh Locke-King to devise and build Brooklands.
Birth of the Motor Racing Circuit
Completed in 1907 at a cost of £16 million at today's prices, the initial intention was to build a simple road circuit.
However, the prospect of achieving ever higher speeds, whilst maintaining the greatest possible safety levels, led to the birth of the motor racing track as we know it.
It was quickly determined that the 2¾ mile pear-shaped circuit at Brooklands would need to be provided with two huge banked sections at nearly 30ft high and an additional finishing straight, thus increasing the total length of the track to 3¼ miles.
Concrete Race Track
The expense of an asphalt track and the complications involved in laying tarmacadam on the high banking made concrete the material of choice.
The construction method for the track surface, which was made up of 10ft wide strips of concrete, involved pouring Portland Cement over a six-inch bed of gravel.
During construction, diverting the River Wey became necessary and this led to another world first, namely the construction of a seven-arch bridge of reinforced concrete to carry the new track across the river.
British Grand Prix
The first official race was held on the 6th July 1907 and attracted
thousands of spectators.
With Britain's 20mph
speed limit on all roads, no doubt the thrill of watching cars driven at high
speed was very new and it became increasingly popular over the years.
Closed to racing during World War I, it became a centre
for the construction, testing and supply of military aeroplanes.
Motor
racing resumed in1920 and by 1926 Brooklands became the home of
the British Grand Prix.
These two videos provide a fascinating insight into those early days of motorsport.
During World War II, the site was again used for military aircraft production and motor racing ceased for good.
Today,
four major sections of the original concrete circuit still survive and there is now a museum telling the history of this unique heritage site.
Cowboy Builders?
As the above videos show (especially the reference to flying stones in the second one), over time the track suffered from uneven settlement along its entire
length which led to a very bumpy ride.
Racing at speed not only
involved steering a safe course round the cracks, but became a battle against the violent
vibrations when crossing the increasingly uneven concrete joins.
One thing you can be sure of with an installation from Northern Cobblestone is that there won't be any cracks or subsidence.
All our pattern imprinted concrete driveways are laid on a suitable hardcore base and have fibre-mesh reinforcement, making them 25% harder than standard concrete.
In
2015, it was announced that Brooklands would receive a multi-million
pound facelift to include restoration of the finishing straight. Let's hope their techniques have improved over the last century!
