The spaces form a spine from the Cathedral southwards for several hundred metres through the Greenmarket, past the Town Hall and Guildhall and into the Market Square. Natural Dimensions designs aimed to help regenerate these spaces as interlinked commercial and cultural destinations, respecting the city’s history while adopting an aesthetic of a forward-looking, cosmopolitan city. They combine high-quality planting and materials and carefully detailed bespoke furniture to encourage a diversity of user types in versatile and attractive urban spaces.
The Greenmarket is remodelled as an event space with a permanent stage encircled by a sculpted seat wall, which also serves as the gateway to the historic quarter. Views to the stage are from the seat wall and from a seat edge along the inside of a large, raised stone planter, which allows people to nestle into a 16m long raised planting bed. The raised bed arcs across the back of the event space and provides colour, structure and seasonal bloomings throughout the year. It also creates a green pedestrian street along its back, facing the Guildhall. Each side of the stage is flanked by a high-quality multi-stem tree, under which you can sit. One of the unique features of the design is a rain garden integrated into the end of the main planter, which absorbs water from Castle Street. The main planter creates a wonderful green backdrop to the Greenmarket and Market Square spaces and a setting for the historic Guildhall and Town Hall. The main planter wall details are cropped stone, sensitively integrating with the historic urban setting. The urban tree planting strategy was a significant challenge due to preexisting underground services, some of which were Victorian. In spite of this, the tree arrangement frames the Market Square, captures important views and creates an avenue along the western part of the main square.
The Market Square was envisaged as a flexible market and community space, allowing for outdoor restaurant space amongst the criss-crossing footfall of shoppers. A great amount of thought was given to the choice of materials for the paving. Combinations of colours and sizes in the Market Square floorscape sought to create a market-aesthetic colour mosaic with random variability in length. The colours were intended to create a muted warmth, allowing the quality of the building’s features to be revealed. The awkward building angles were blended into the spaces using a sett pattern that arched across the square. In the Greenmarket, arcing fantail patterns blended into the market square arc language. Local Cumbrian red sandstone created an apron around all areas adjacent to the shop frontage.
A very sensitive part of the scheme was the relocation of the Natural Dimensions. Carlisle’s history is strongly linked to military defence over centuries, and there are still military barracks within the castle grounds.
The moving of the memorial was a repositioning in a literal sense, but also in terms of elevated importance. Its new position, moved from a corner of the Greenmarket, is now in a central position in the main market square. It now stands on a central axis in line with the town hall, visible along a much longer view. The memorial has been elevated onto a new second plinth, into which Victoria Cross stone plaques have been positioned, moved from their original position in the paving next to it.
Overall, the scheme delivers benefits that extend beyond the physical improvement of the town centre. Socially, it creates high-quality, versatile, and inclusive public spaces that attract a wide diversity of age groups. Economically, it has increased footfall significantly and attracts community activity, which supports local businesses. Environmentally, the green spaces have introduced diverse plantings, sustainable green infrastructure, and canopy cover, which help reduce the urban heat island effect, create a more comfortable microclimate, and provide psychological benefits and ecological value. The scheme also strengthens Carlisle’s regional and national profile, attracting visitors and international events, including the 2027 Tour de France.
Natural Dimensions developed concept drawings and technical designs for the regeneration of three interconnected historic spaces at the centre of Carlisle.
Carlisle Castle Street, Greenmarket and Market Square
Landscape Architect: Natural Dimensions
Client: Cumberland Council
Civil Engineering: Curtins
Lighting Engineers: Staintons,
Greenmarket Furniture design: Urban Concepts
Artist(for glass panel imagery): Kirsty Brooks
Main Contractor: Eric Wright Group
Setting out engineer: Peacock Precision
Glass panel fabrication: Proto Glass
Paving supplier: Hardscape
Market Square furniture: Streetlife
Planting: VanDenBerk and JAJones
Images: Natural Dimensions
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