A design for an updated Victorian cottage in Sixpenny Handley on the Cranborne Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
I was invited to redesign the rear and front gardens of this house. The rear garden, which was laid to lawn, has been sub-divided into 'rooms' using pleached trees, espalier fruit trees and low brick walls of brick and flint, the latter reflecting the garden's old cob walls. As well as creating privacy from neighbours they provide subtle screening that entices exploration. A pool has been inserted into the shadier side of the garden and a beautiful hand crafted pot has been trasformed into a simple water feature that lights up at night. The lawn wraps around the more structured central area and provides open space that balances all the vertical elements.
In the front garden edge around the driveway have been tidied up and raised ground retained with simple brick walls, using machine made bricks that have an authentic handmade look. Large swathes of lavender and a box hedge conceal areas behind for a cut flower collection. Over the wider entrance path two trees have interlocking branches trained into an archway whilst out branches are allowed to grow normally.