Carshalton Beeches

This picturesque home, complete with pool house and pool in need of renovation, backed onto parkland giving the illusion of a much larger landscape.

When I first visited, although the renovation of pool and surrounding surface was on the wish list and discussed, it wasn’t financially viable at that stage. Instead, we focused on the neglected central area of the garden.

This space had been left from previous owners of the property, and was more than likely waste from the pool excavation. It had also become home to a family of foxes. Original ideas included a new seating area that would make the most of the sunny aspect.

An existing greenhouse was to be removed, and this site proved the perfect spot for a cosy seating terrace. A route down to the lower part of the garden was also crucial to our new design. We settled on a long graded limestone pathway that would give safe, step free access. The main part of the design was still undecided until the idea of a pond was considered.

My client was keen to have Koi fish that could be viewed from the deck, so my time was then spent designing a water feature that was in keeping with the surrounding garden. The material chosen was Kentish ragstone, a product that was in abundance at a nearby quarry. This natural rock combined seamlessly with the antique limestone already chosen for the paved surfaces. The steep grade of this part of the garden allowed for a two-tier pond, linked by a series of waterfalls.

The quarry stonemasons were instructed to cut and flame individual mouths for these waterfalls. A limestone bridge linking steps into the children’s play area really completed the design and its accessibility.

The challenge of working with 15 tonnes of this beautiful stone proved a great success and the team and our clients were delighted with the result. The natural shapes of the stones provided numerous pockets where alpines could thrive and prostrate plants such as creeping rosemary and ceanothus repens could tumble down the retaining walls. A chalky subsoil and open sunny aspect were perfect for the combination of an alpine and coniferous planting scheme.

Mountain pines and Juniper sat alongside colourful herbaceous primula candelabra and other pond marginals. A great example of turning a disused area of the garden into its main focal point.