Traditional Hampstead Garden

The brief had my eyes popping: A new garden that looked a 100 years old, rusty fencing, worn stone paving and mature planting with lots of colour. We were provided with a photograph of a partially collapsed Mongolian wall and asked if this could be the idea behind the water feature?! Matters were further complicated by the fact that the garden consisted largely of a concrete and bitumen clad ‘roof’ over a basement pool and there was little depth for planting.

We debated the Mongolian wall and briefly considered asking our bricklayer to drink a bottle of Mongolian Vodka before building it to ensure the partially ‘collapsed’ look and settled instead on Cotswold stone as a more local substitute! The paving comprised of 200 x 100mm tumbled sandstone setts, some of them left un-grouted, the planters and pergola from English Oak and the ironwork was left to rust. Mature planting completed the look with large Hornbeams providing both height and privacy.

In the front garden, a new wall completely altered the look of the house finished with ‘Haddonstone’, Bath Stone pier caps and base pads, automated gates and an intercom.