Brief

Compton Verney, a beautiful 120 acre estate famous for its art installations and long history, contacted RA Marine in May 2022. Alongside their exhibitions, ice houses and various meadows and gardens, the estate wanted to introduce a new experience for their visitors; boat trips around the idyllic central lake.

They had been granted permission for a temporary structure, and wanted something that would give patrons access to the little rowing boats, but that would also be in-keeping with the historical surroundings and have as little impact on the view as possible.

Solution

For this job we prioritised flexibility. The final jetty was installed in four pieces, all of which could be taken apart and rearranged, so that in the future, if granted planning permission again, Compton Verney could re-use the structure for a wide variety of applications. We make our jetties to last, and while the client only had a few weeks in which to use it this time around, we wanted to provide them with something that can be brought out and repurposed again and again.

The aluminium frame was powder coated in Banbury, using a colour chosen by the client to blend in with the shallow water around the edge of the lake, a subtle tan reminiscent of the rushes by the shore. They were topped with GRP grid to provide the non-slip surface essential to providing boat access to the public. The jetty was built low, as close to the surface of the water as possible, reducing its profile and therefore its impact on the view of this beautiful environment.

Challenges

Although the turnaround time for this project was only a couple of months so that Compton Verney could provide this new service for their summer visitors, there were many changes that had to be made to the plans. Initially Chris added a ramp for wheelchair access to specialised boats, but when these boats became unavailable, the plans had to be changed. Instead, basic rowing boats were brought in and the jetty was simplified.

Installation was a careful event - the banks had to undergo as little disruption as possible due to resident waterfowl. There was no vehicle access either. Everything had to be carried from the car park and completed in a single day, while the estate was shut to the public. The team took this in their stride as always, put the jetty in quickly and quietly, and left the birds in peace once more.

The final product proved popular, judging by the photos sent to us by Compton Verney afterwards which showed queues of people waiting to take the rowing boats out. The jetty is a modest little structure that blends into the margins of water and bank, just peeking out above the surface of the lake and, as we hoped, drawing no attention away from its beautiful surroundings.