London’s Exhibition Road, which runs from South Kensington to Hyde Park, joins some of the most important visitor attractions in the country – the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and Imperial College London. Since the Great Exhibition of 1851 from which it takes its name, Exhibition Road and the neighbouring Thurloe Street have been a major destination, these days attracting more than 11million visitors a year.

But the road itself did not add much to the experience, so the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea decided to spend £28million to spruce it up. And they have done it in exemplary fashion, creating a ‘shared-space’ of kerb-free, single surface paving with no barriers. It was designed by Dixon Jones, with the Chinese granite and York stone that create the diagrid criss-cross paving pattern supplied by Marshalls Natural stone. The contractor was Balfour Beatty, which was responsible for the construction detail of the road slab, edge restraints and expansion and movement joints.

The area is now one of the finest examples of hard landscaping in the capital, evidenced in March by it winning first the Institute of Civil Engineers ‘Community Award’, which recognises projects that improve public space and enhance the living and working environment for the local community, and then the London Transport Award for ‘Excellence in Walking and Public Realm’.

To create the distinctive paving, black G684 and pink G663 setts were laid diagonally to create the bold diamond motif. A designated footway area in Thurloe Street has York stone paving with other footway and carriageway sections paved with mid-grey G654. And as Marshalls is a full member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, all the granites are guaranteed to be ethically sourced. The stone is bonded on to fibre reinforced concrete road slab using Steintec bedding, bonding and jointing mortars.

On winning the London Transport Award, Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, said: “The project to transform the area was a lengthy one, but by thinking imaginatively… we have not only transformed the road but improved the quality of life for people living and working nearby and will offer the millions of visitors expected this year a welcoming and enjoyable experience.”

The Royal Borough's former director of Transportation and Highways, Graeme Swinburne, was honoured at the ceremony receiving an award for `Lifetime Contribution to Transport in London'.

Mr Swinburne worked for the Council for 16 years, in 2006 becoming joint director for Transportation & Highways for the Royal Borough and Hammersmith & Fulham. He retired in June last year.

For a full list of winners go to www.transporttimesevents.co.uk