Steel Railings, Wollaton Park, Nottingham

Renowned for its stunning building and parkland, Wollaton Hall and Park in Nottinghamshire is the epitome of an English country estate featuring a spectacular Elizabethan mansion designed in the Renaissance style. Designed by Robert Smythson and built between 1580 and 1588 by Sir Francis Willoughby for his family, the Hall is a centerpiece of the estate. This Grade One Listed building is now owned by Nottingham City Council and is open for the public to experience a wealth of architecture, exhibitions and wildlife all set within dramatic natural landscapes. The estate includes fabulous gardens, a lake, golf course, stable block, courtyard, forest and spectacular deer park.

Having recently undergone a major restoration programme, careful consideration had to be given to the fencing around the deer park, which is home to herds of red and fallow deer that are allowed to roam freely. A full health & safety assessment had been carried out and it was decided that although the deer park required a clear perimeter boundary, the deer needed a safe way to pass from the park to the forest.

Landscape Architects HTLA Architects commissioned Alpha Rail to manufacture estate fencing with a stunning curved top to replicate the sympathetic style used on many country estates around the UK. This was installed around the forests and deer park in order to protect the deer.

Special “bolt holes” were incorporated into the design, which involved a single bar across the railings at 1m high, which allowed the deer to simply pass underneath at certain areas of the park adjacent to the forest, prevent them jumping the 1.8m fence and potentially injuring themselves or wandering into areas where they could come into immediate contact with the public and their dogs. The new railings, were supplied, installed and site painted by Alpha Rail in a dark green colour to mirror their stunning natural surroundings, providing the perfect complement.

Wollaton Park is the latest in a list of prestigious parks that Alpha Rail has supplied with new gates and railings. Other projects have included St Leonards Gardens Dorchester Gardens, Battersea Park in Wandsworth (winner of a Civic Trust Award), Roundhay Park in Leeds and Handsworth Park in Birmingham.