For the WWII Pickett-Hamilton retractable fort in Kings Hill Linear Park, Gransden Construction was appointed to lift, conserve and reinstate the surviving structure and refresh its setting so the community can better understand and enjoy this rare defence feature. The brief combines precision heavy lifting, metals conservation, concrete repair and new brick/stone landscaping around the fort.
What we delivered
- Engineered lifting & temporary works: remote-controlled jacking to raise the central insert, then craned out to prepared supports for conservation—planned and coordinated as specialist temporary works.
- Conservation & repair: removal and reinstatement of internal plant for treatment; concrete repairs under specialist specification; application of a protective industrial wax to metalwork.
- Reinstatement & setting: return of the conserved elements and construction of a durable paved and stone-flag surround to present the fort as a legible park feature.
- Archaeology: topsoil clearance to a controlled depth with an archaeological watching brief.
Our approach
This project sits in a live public park bordered by new housing, so our plan balanced conservation craft with unobtrusive delivery: hoarded work zone, footpath diversions, banksman-led logistics through the neighbouring development, and sequencing that avoided peak public use—allowing visitors to keep enjoying the park while works progressed. The result is a robust, low-maintenance presentation of the fort, repaired to perform and interpreted within a new hard-landscaped setting.
Project Partnership
We’re grateful to Prologis and RPS for the opportunity to deliver this rare piece of defence heritage. Our team’s heavy-lift planning with Hockley & Dawson, and conservation input alongside CFA Archaeology, Orion Heritage and Ian Clark Restoration, made the scheme both robust and respectful. We value these relationships and are keen to collaborate again on public-realm conservation and specialist lifting projects across the South East.
Planning a park-side conservation project or specialist lifting operation? We’re happy to review buildability and methodology early, so design intent and public access both win
