Old Street Cobbles

When choosing a type of paving there are two main considerations;  the style or atmosphere that we are trying to create and the type of usage.  In some locations we require our paved areas to be as flat as possible.  The majority of householders prefer their driveways to be relatively smooth and low maintenance.  These are areas where young children play, shopping is unloaded from cars, grandparents arrive bearing Christmas gifts or disable access is a major consideration.  Block pavers and calibrated stone setts are a very popular choice being reminiscent of victorian cobbled streets but having a flat surface – but they are not a cobble.

Street cobbles have a different surface profile to a paving sett.  After many generations of trafficking and wear, the surface of a street cobble is a smooth curve best described as like the top of a bread loaf.  Street cobbles are important in some areas for reasons of heritage, preservation and local distinctiveness.  Street paving with cobbles not only produces a hard-wearing surface which can be reinstated after road works, produces a surface with good grip but can also be used as a traffic calming measure.

Good quality second-hand traditional cobblestones are becoming hard to source.  When suitable supplies can be found, they are also slow and expensive to install (cobblestones are of varying depth and have to be installed individually – expensive, labour intensive and painfully slow).

New RocBloc Cobblestone Paving Launched at Ecobuild.

RocBloc Cobbles

RocBloc Cobblestones are produced with a surface profile which closely mimics a traditional cobble.  Aged using the Company’s tumbling process it is about as close as it is possible to get to “the real thing”!

There are two major advantages of using RocBloc Cobblestones instead of reclaimed cobbles:  They are of uniform depth and have the advantage of the combed locking edges, increasing joint bonding.  RocBloc Cobblestones are produced in both the Airedale and Wharfedale Ranges to any depth specified by the customer (50mm – 100mm).   Special sizes can also be supplied to order.

Natural stone RocBloc Cobbles are available in either Yorkstone or Gritstone.

RocBloc Cobblestone Paving

Featured at Stand SZ4 in the Stone Zone at Ecobuild 2009.

Simon Grew.