9158 Dinosaurs & Geological Court - Ground Investigations - AWARD

Descriptions

Consultants are required to carry out ground investigations using a handheld sampling rig to drill a minimum of 18 boreholes in various specific locations at Crystal Palace Park in southeast London. This will contribute important information to a wider project led by Historic England to gather information and consider what is causing the rapid deterioration of the grade I listed prehistoric animal sculptures and geological illustrations within their setting. They were placed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register in 2020. They are of considerable local and international interest and importance; previous specialist initiatives have failed to find long-term solutions. The overarching project is led by a multi-disciplinary team of Historic England specialists who are combining their expertise to interpret various studies undertaken internally and externally to offer a philosophy of approach and principles for the repair, conservation, maintenance and management of the various structures in their setting. The Dinosaur Islands are man-made. The underlying subsoil is known to be London Clay but there is a variable thickness of made ground on top of it. The nature of that ground is presumed to be re-worked London Clay, mixed with gravel and rubble but we have no details. There has been speculation that ground movement is at least in part responsible for some of the damage that the statues have suffered.