A minor rockfall from the cliff face at Dunluce Castle, in 2002, alerted the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to the perilous state of the cliff face, upon which the magnificent Castle of Dunluce stands.
Stronghold Preservation were employed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to do a tactile inspection of the cliff face, identify the areas of concern, and design the solution, in order to stabilise the rock face and castle foundations. It was decided that the cliff face needed to be diamond core drilled (to avoid vibration close to the foundations), and a series of 7 metre length Cintec anchors installed; with over 1200 metres of Cintec anchors installed in total. Stronghold Preservation carried out four separate phases of stabilisation works over 5 years.
This challenging contract was made more difficult due to the impossible access (access was restricted to vehicles by the access arch), 150ft high cliff face which drops into the sea, and the proximity of the Castle walls to the edge of the cliff. All of this necessitated that all work would have to be done by rope access (abseiling).
Stronghold Preservation formed its own IRATA trained rope access team to successfully stabilise the cliff face and the castle foundations. Rock fall netting and underpinning works were also completed to the clients satisfaction.
Stronghold Preservation are approved installers of Cintec anchors.
Further Information
Dunluce Castle is one of our most majestic castles, for its
setting, history, and views. It is an important heritage and
tourism site, and a protected national monument within state care.
The Castle sits upon a dark basalt outcrop, out of which it appears
to grow, connected to the mainland by an arched walkway. Dunluce
Castle is thought to have originated in the Anglo-Norman period in
Ireland, around the 13th Century.
