Concrete Driveway History & Facts

Concrete has existed in various forms since classical times. There is an archaeological site in Israel dating back to 7000BC, which has uncovered an early form of concrete still in remarkably good condition.
The Romans were big users of concrete, in fact the very word ‘concrete’ is derived from the Latin concretus, meaning grown together or compounded. Most of the surviving roman structures, from the Colosseum to Hadrian’s Wall, were constructed using concrete. Techniques for making concrete have moved on from these early beginnings but the principle is still broadly the same, pieces of inert hard material such as gravel or crushed rock are mixed together with a paste of cement and water and this is left to harden over time.

Concrete is universally the most commonly used construction material for foundations, reinforced frames for buildings, bridge decks, retaining walls, roof tiles, in-situ and precast floors. However, although many countries have also adopted it for in-situ paving, this is not the case in the UK. The reason is that, despite concretes remarkable durability, a number of architects, designers and professional bodies such as English Heritage still regard it as a last resort – the cheapest and least desirable form of paving.

However, since it was introduced into this country 20 years ago the industry has developed from total obscurity to to a point where 1000,000 square metres are laid each year.

Places where pattern imprinted concrete is readily used in today’s environments:-
McDonald Drive Thru’s
KFC Drive Thru’s
Burger King Drive Thru’s
Southport Promenade
Euro Disney
Outlet villages throughout the UK
Domestic driveways & patios

click here to see our concrete history timeline