Designed in 2023 and completed in 2024 by trusted local landscapers, the owners of this beautiful stone long cottage wanted a an outdoor space that would do it justice. 

The garden had previously been well cared for but, had lost some of its structure over the years.  We approached the design with a light touch in keeping with its rural village setting and established features which included an aged orchard, stone well, a beautiful old Mulberry tree and idyllic views to the meadow beyond.

The Brief

The Clients wanted to have more useable space immediately around the house and, as keen gardeners, make new spaces for planting.  Some elements of the garden still worked but had fallen into disrepair or needed updating.  It was critical to remain sympathetic to the cottage style of the property and its local village setting and while the Clients knew the look they wanted, they were struggling with how to achieve it. 

The Approach

There were several practical elements to cover off - the relocation of the oil tank and associated pipework from outside the back door and the removal of a couple of trees that were positioned too close to the property (for which the Client had already got permission for).  We also needed to ensure that any increase in run off from paving around the house did not affect the property itself. 

Once these were addressed, we were able to see how the space around the kitchen/utility door on the far side of the house could be brought back into use with a new dining patio, incorporating the stone well as a feature.  The wooden structure over the well was removed and, while it was originally planned to be taken to ground level with a toughened glass and decorative ironwork lid, the Clients decided to retain it at coffee table height.

To anchor this area within the space, Green Man Dry Stone Walling was commissioned to build a feature dry stone wall to tie in to the existing side wall along the back of the patio and pleached Hornbeam were added to increase privacy and a sense of seclusion from the neighbouring houses.

This new patio area links to the existing patio at the other end of the house with a widened path, more in proportion with the stature of the property.  This allows the Clients to enjoy the garden in sun or shade at both ends of the day.

We used yellow Limestone pavers, detailed with Limestone setts - a material sympathetic to the local Northamptonshire sandstone aesthetic which is very similar to that found in the Cotswolds.  Much improved steps now provide access to and from the driveway and, a new herb planting area was created to the end of the house in what was a previously dissued but, sunny corner.

Paving slabs removed from around the house were reused for casual, inset stepping stone paths between the orchard and the 'runway' (a straight grass walkway flanked by large planting beds running from the lawn to the end of the garden).  This path was cut into a gentle curve to create interest and to highlight some of the well established roses and shrubs.  The original, heavy wooden pergola was replaced with intermittent, elegant, curved steel 'staples' to punctuate the journey through the space and frame the views.

The Clients had invested in some good maintenance pruning of the aged orchard trees which are still producing and from a design perspective, the area was left broadly untouched.  Meadow flowers now grow through the grass which is left long aside from the odd path and there are some new beds for growing vegetable along the boundary wall. Several large compost bays were installed in preparation for the Client to start planting up their new garden!

Landscaping by Stamford Landscapes

Sustainability Considerations

• Reuse of materials from site, on site as paving or aggregate
• Use of Limestone paving (relatively low embodied carbon footprint compared to other options)
• Retention of as many established trees and shrubs on site as possible
• Retention of run off on site via soakaway (large roof surface and age of property / lack of foundations precluded use of rain garden type beds near the house)
• Large composting stations created to make the most of garden waste
• Stored water collection from garage roof