Our garden and estate work encompasses both traditional and contemporary design, informed by our skills in historic landscape conservation, and has been consistently well received. We like to work closely with our clients to ensure that we achieve their aspirations, and provide gardens that will suit both their home and their lifestyle. This relationship can extend from the simple agreement of materials and plants, to a greater involvement in style, colour and concepts, depending on each persons aspirations. Such an approach can be an intense, but very enjoyable process, and is perhaps the most demanding area of design, particularly as we relish the opportunity to develop individualistic and bespoke gardens. This aspect of innovative and bespoke design has also found its expression through the advent of houses and estates under the provision of Paragraph 55 of the NPPF. We are currently involved in several schemes for houses of original and exceptional modern design for which landscapes that are no less innovative are required; landscapes that respect context and ecology while providing a foil to the architectural design. LA GRANDE MAISON LONGCROSS ESTATE HORTON COUNTRY HOUSE COUNTRY HOUSE NEAR BRIXWORTH SUDELEY LAWN BARN WINGROVE HOUSE
La Grande Maison required the planning and design of a series of romantic and naturalistic gardens for a new country house in the Channel Islands. As the gardens were for a private owner, care was taken to involve them in all the details of both the hardworks and planting, to ensure that it fulfilled their expectation of a typical Jersey country house. The design incorporated: Complex system of pools and water features Series of linked ornamental gardens Gardens are partially built into the hillside, creating major level changes which were addressed through a series of retaining walls to define and enclose the garden. Paved courts and roadways, steps and timber structures, complimented by areas of ornamental and naturalistic planting. A comprehensive design service was provided from initial design development, to full hard and softworks detailing, plant procurement and irrigation co-ordination and inspection of the works on site. - Location: Jersey - Scope: Works stages C-L LA GRANDE MAISON
Illman Young were commissioned to design the gardens and grounds of a large new build country house and estate which was to act as a summer residence for the client and their family. This large estate set in over 250 acres featured the main house and a series of additional residences for different members of the family. The design sought to link all the houses via the gardens creating beautiful drives and routes between them. The gardens immediately around the main house have been divided into a number of clearly defined areas each with their own style and layout, from a formal knot garden, fruit garden and orchard to a formal sunken seating area. With the main house sitting higher than the surrounding land, a series of grand stone terraces and stairs with intricate stone balustrades link the gardens to the rear and out to the wider grounds and woodlands. After many years of enjoyment the family re-commissioned Illman Young to refresh and enliven the existing gardens and to add further areas including some more naturalistic gardens, a maze and water features. - Scope: Work stages C - L - Location: Surrey - Landscape value: 2m+ LONGCROSS ESTATE
Wingrove House was acquired by new owners who wished to substantially remodel and revamp this 1960 s stone building, into a more traditional Cotswold house from the exterior, but with a modern interior and garden. Their brief required the planning and design of a contemporary garden in a beautiful rural setting on the edge of a Cotswold village. The design incorporated formal and informal areas in a modern style, and used traditional construction and materials to echo the local vernacular. A chequerboard of paving and beds edged with Box links the drive to the front door, alongside pleached hornbeams which set a formal geometric tone. A wide stone terrace runs along the entire length of the rear of the house, blending into the lawn in broad shallow steps. Deep beds of informal herbaceous planting flank the terrace. - Location: Gloucestershire - Scope: Work stages C-L WINGROVE HOUSE
Having recently purchased and renovated this former barn on the Sudeley Estate, our client wished to address the garden. The house already had some formalised garden space immediately around the building, entrance drive and annex. This immediate garden space was contained within a garden zone defined with in the house deeds - any intervention beyond this line had to be agricultural or naturalistic in tone. An existing group of orchard trees at the top of the garden was extended and under seeded with wildflowers with informal mown paths mown through. A kitchen garden is located in the lower part of the garden, surrounded by ornamental beds linking up-slope to the annex building. The wide vistas visible from the house are spread along the long, sloping east boundary - banks of trees and shrub planting were carefully located to frame these views and enclose the garden spatially and visually, without becoming too formalised and gardenesque. Paths, steps, walls and terraces of natural stone are planned to link around the house itself, with mixed herbaceous plantings, furniture, pergolas and feature lighting. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CLIENT - Location: Gloucestershire - Scope: Work stages C-E SUDELEY LAWN BARN
Horton Hall required the design of a landscape setting and gardens for a new Georgian style country house at Horton in Northamptonshire. The brief was to create a development truly outstanding in terms of its architecture and landscape design that would significantly enhance its immediate setting and wider surroundings: The six acre site incorporates many features of a Georgian garden that has slowly developed over the years. The house is set well into the site at the end of a formal tree lined drive, within its parkland. The focal point from the main living areas of the house is a half acre lake which has a summerhouse and bridged island. Towards the house the garden is laid out in formal character with terraces enclosed by balustrades looking out over the lake and an adjacent walled kitchen garden. The more formal gardens lead on to more naturalistic planting in the surrounding parkland, including informal meadows, parkland trees and shrubs, an orchard, nuttery and secret garden. - Location: Northamptonshire - Scope: Work stages C-E HORTON COUNTRY HOUSE
The current proposal seeks to develop a new country house on land outside Brixworth, reflecting section 55 of the NPPF. As well as an LVIA report, it was decided that an analysis of the composition and siting of typical local farms and country houses would also be of use to guide the layout and mood of the site, house and grounds; this suggested an Arts and Crafts approach. As part of the planning application, a sketch site plan was produced, including: Simple entrance gateway layout, appropriate to the rural context. Entrance courtyard with formal planting and feature paving, set into the hillside. Stable, stable yard and paddock. A series of formal paved terraces directly accessed from the house. Formal gardens accessed via stone steps, leading down to a mown grass plat. Productive gardens, including orchard, nuttery and formal potager. Wild gardens and informal lawn areas with mown grass paths, wildflowers, new trees and seating. - Client: Mr Richard Wright - Architect: Tad Dobraszczyk - Planning Consultant: Barry Waine - Scope: Visual Impact Assessment Work stages B-D Tree Survey - Location: Northamptonshire COUNTRY HOUSE, BRIXWORTH
Following the purchase of additional land adjoining their estate, Illman Young were commissioned to design a series of ornamental gardens and seating areas to provide additional pleasure grounds for a client and their family. Site area of 3.5ha consisted of a number of existing mature Oak trees, with areas of mixed and Birch woodland providing a variety of spacial qualities, and structure for the designs. Series of walks were created linking back to existing estate grounds with interventions along the way to provide picnic and seating areas. Range of spaces created from formal gardens as transition from existing estate, through to intimate woodland walks. Water features were proposed as highlights, with naturalistic streams through to formal pools and fountains. Provision of a range of seating opportunities to cater for large family groups or stopping points for elderly along paths. Planting proposals key to integrate the new terraces and features into the existing landscape; seasonal consideration important as estate used as a summer residence. - Client: Private - Scope: Work stages C - L - Location: Surrey - Landscape value: Confidential LONGCROSS MEADOWS
Existing Pathway Our client, who has a number of large estates across the world, requested our services for their estate in Morocco to review the hard landscape and connections between the various properties. Existing poor paving at entrance Following recent construction works, the intricate geometry of the paving patterns had been laid poorly: patterns and colours did not flow and overall quality detracted from the grandure of the buildings and setting. Following a detailed site review, patterns and complexities within the paving were redesigned to create the required intricate patterns and focal features at key points within the path and road network, taking inspiration from existing features within the estate. New pathways were also incorporated to improve circulation around the site. Existing gate mosaic used as inspiration - Location: Morocco, North Africa - Client: Private - Scope: Site inspection and detailed design PALACE, MOROCCO