Footway widening, Camberwell Green

Image: © Robin Stott Taken: 20 Jun 2013

Rich textures and patterns underfoot. Looked at another way the kerb on the right is narrowing the carriageway (a Red Route, ie, no stopping, indicated by road paint on bitmac) so that Camberwell Green approaches the light-controlled junction with Denmark Hill at more of a right angle. People on foot benefit from bags of room created on a busy corner. The old kerbs of smooth granite have been pitted to create a non-slip surface. Some likely sizes of materials are indicated below. Concrete paving blocks, top, 200x100mm (8x4 inches): small units handy for filling awkward shapes. Pressed concrete slabs, left, look to be pre-metric 18 inches square (450mm), easily handled by one worker. The staggered arrangement is judged to give a better appearance than slabs laid grid-wise, when the aligned and parallel longitudinal joints carry the eye into the distance. Pre-cast concrete kerbs, right, look about 6 inches wide, 3 feet long (150x900mm), hammered to produce both a non-slip surface and a suitable appearance for a 'historic' area. Granite kerbs look 12 inches wide and possibly up to 4 feet long here (300x1200mm). Lower left is a cast-iron inspection cover with a concrete infill, all worn smooth by decades of foot traffic. If memory serves, these things were 2 feet 6 inches x 2 feet (760x600mm). At lower right is cement infill at the junction of the old and new kerbs, and not really up to the job.

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