---
title: "Charcoal block rear courtyard, Gloucester (2025) | Solid Ground Paving"
description: "Case study from Gloucester: an enclosed rear courtyard paved in charcoal blocks with a buff border, run between existing fence lines and an existing slab patio."
canonical: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/charcoal-block-courtyard-gloucester
url: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/charcoal-block-courtyard-gloucester.md
section: "Projects"
date_published: 2026-08-06
date_modified: 2026-08-06
author: Solid Ground Paving
robots: noindex
---

# Charcoal block rear courtyard, Gloucester

An enclosed rear courtyard paved in charcoal blocks with a buff border, run between existing fence lines and an existing slab patio. Recorded on site in Gloucester in 2025; the notes below describe how it was built rather than how it looks.

## Key facts

- **Town:** Gloucester
- **Year:** 2025
- **Surface:** Block paving
- **Record:** Site photograph, own work

## What was built here?

An enclosed rear courtyard paved in charcoal blocks with a buff border, run between existing fence lines and tied into the existing slab patio. The build-up under it follows the same specification we use on every job: excavate to formation, compacted sub-base, laying course, then the surface itself with edges restrained before any traffic goes on.

## How are the edges held?

Every edge is restrained on concrete haunching before the surface is compacted. Edge restraint is the single most common failure point on domestic paving, because once a border can move the field spreads and the joints open.

- Excavation to a firm formation, not just a skim off the topsoil
- Compacted sub-base in layers rather than one deep lift
- Edges haunched and left to cure before trafficking

## Where does the water go?

Falls are set away from the building and taken to a channel, soakaway or permeable surface, never toward the house. In Gloucester's clay-influenced ground, getting the fall right matters more than the surface material you choose.

## Questions and answers

Q: Is this your own work?
A: Yes. Every photograph and video on this site is a job we completed in or around Gloucester between 2021 and 2026. We do not use stock or manufacturer media.

---

Human-readable version of this page: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/charcoal-block-courtyard-gloucester


## Site records

- Photograph: A buff border frames the charcoal field and takes up the run-out against fences that are not quite parallel.
  - Description: Charcoal block paved rear courtyard with buff border between fence panels in Gloucester
  - File: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/__l5e/assets-v1/97727c61-7364-4cf3-93b1-7ed05c184ba2/charcoal-block-rear-courtyard.jpg