Located on a private estate in Moor Park, a prestigious new house was designed requiring a landscape and garden design that was creative, holistic and complimentary to the setting and architecture.
The rear garden space is surrounded by mature tree’s and Rhododendron bushes which formed the back drop and enclosure to the garden. An extensive sloping lawn meant any recreational games or entertainment was generally hindered by the topography. To alleviate and improve on this condition the favoured design solution meant excavating and carving a large flat area into the garden. This created a useable lawn space but the technical and artistic challenge required careful consideration of the mature tree’s within the garden. The additional benefit of this design enabled the sculpting of magnificent grass steps into the newly formed bank. – thus creating an informal amphitheatre and performance space to enclose part of the new lawn.
A York Stone terrace for dining and entertaining has modern plant pots with clipped box balls to softened and create rhythm. The terrace weaves around the house and garden and then flows into a staircase to a sunken courtyard paved in granite. This sunken area centres onto a water feature that is carved from a curved retaining wall with water cascading onto a tiled surface.
The front garden design has an arrival and drop off space where two water features are located and are linked from the upper and lower terrace. These features help to animate the space and provide a pleasant environment for visitors. Two modern curved benches were specially commissioned to fit the lower terrace space and enable use and enjoyment of the front garden.
The front sitting area is defined with modern landscape and block planting. An aerial hedge of clipped Tilia (lime) trees, squared box and yew hedges provide the structure to the soft landscape design. The York stone paving reflects the traditional style of the house but also complements and enhances this contemporary and modern landscape design. (Project with Philip Cave Associates).
