SMALL GARDEN

Royal Windsor Elegance

The Brief:

A long-neglected garden on a grand crescent in the heart of Royal Windsor. The clients stunning Grade 1 period house certainly demanded a complimentary sympathetic frontage to set off this beautiful property.

This crescent in Windsor had a common elegant style and many features were strictly protected within the Grade 1 listing regulations which challenged the design process. It is always desirable of course to reflect the house architecture in the garden design, repeating materials and colours not only of the property but of the look of the terrace as a whole as the uniform look of the terrace is one of its abiding characteristics.

This garden had never been developed leaving the owners to walk down a bumpy narrow sloping path to the front door past tired old standard roses and a lumpy threadbare lawn.

The Solution

Because of its strict listed status, the front garden of this beautiful home needed very careful and time-consuming planning.

Whilst it needed to echo the house and the character of the crescent, it had to function for modern times so the tired old standard roses, sloping narrow path and rough lawn were replaced by shallow border terracing and a generous wide path through the terracing to a little sunny courtyard facing the front doorway.

Successful applications were made to install an extra wide gate and generous wide path, these take their proportions from the house allowing space for the carrying of shopping bags and dog walking. The site has been terraced with low London stock brick walling and sawn York-stone slabs, the shallow over generous steps for ease of use.

The Outcome:

As can be seen from the photos the house now sits within a beautiful sea of flowers – flowers that are very much enjoyed when walking to the front door. The clients are presented with a soft colourful scheme that tones in with the stunning sawn York-stone steps and stock brick retaining walls.

Using simple geometry, the planting gently steps down with the site gradient to the front door where a beautiful half circle York-stone step greets the visitor and frames the elegant Georgian doorway. Night time is a delight with low subtle lighting that highlights individual plants like clipped yew topiary and flowering perennials whilst step lights lead the way safely in and out of the property.

"We are delighted with the outcome of John’s work and how our new garden has transformed our home.

John was great to work with throughout the project. He is extremely knowledgeable, considered, patient and customer-focused. He really listened to our needs and paid attention to our intended use for the garden, the walk-through experience and overall flow. His designs were sympathetic to the property and surroundings.

His Illustrations allowed us to see his vision in advance so we knew what to expect.

He worked with our feedback, not just his ideas. We have learned the hard way that not all landscape gardeners are created equally. John is brilliant, we highly recommend partnering with him."

"We are delighted with the outcome of John’s work and how our new garden has transformed our home.

His Illustrations allowed us to see his vision in advance so we knew what to expect. He worked with our feedback, not just his ideas.

We have learned the hard way that not all landscape gardeners are created equally. John is brilliant, we highly recommend partnering with him."