Cotswold garden with swimming pool
BRIEF
This garden was designed during the hot summer of 2022 and one of the main things our client wanted was a swimming pool! We were also asked to incorporate a pool building so that the family could change easily and have a place to hang out together. Although the client lives in a relatively secluded countryside location, the large garden is next to a church yard, so it was important to ensure privacy. The garden design needed to be a place for the adults to relax and entertain as well as being child friendly. The site was within a conservation area and included a large number of mature trees, so we were asked to maintain as many of these as possible. The garden design also needed to include an area for growing fruit and vegetables and a greenhouse.
There were some existing outbuildings which did not harmonise well together, and various pieces of children’s play equipment that dominated some areas of the garden.
A key requirement was to make the most of the sun, as the mature trees and the house cast a lot of shadow at times when they most wanted to use the garden.
DESIGN SOLUTION
We worked hard with this design to integrate the desired elements into the garden in a way that was sympathetic to the rural location and proximity to the church yard. We produced more than one garden design with the swimming pool in different locations – one near the house, and one further down the garden. We selected the design that was further away from the house, with the swimming pool nestled amongst the trees. The design managed to retain most of the trees and orientated the swimming pool and pool house to maximise the amount of sun as well as privacy from the neighbouring churchyard. Hard wood timber ‘fins’ of variable height were used as partial screens and evoked the profile of the hills within the surrounding countryside. These fins also provided some separation from the large lawn where the family would play football.
In this lower part of the garden the outbuildings were re-positioned, with a Wendy House screening a nearby trampoline. This part of the garden was planted with a mix of wildflower and ornamental meadow – left to naturalise and flow between the winding mown paths that created a journey through the trees and flower meadow.
A walled garden was created near the house with a different character – more cultivated, ornamental and structural. We designed a bespoke pergola that housed a dining area and an additional seating area, with casual seating nearer the house. An additional lounge seating area was created to capture afternoon and evening sun, bordered by pleached trees that had a more formal feeling to the rest of the garden.
We really enjoyed designing this garden – especially as it was in the middle of a heat wave! If you don’t have the space or budget for a swimming pool, you could consider a lap pool, such as the one that was included within this garden design Berkshire. What ever dreams you may have for your garden, we would love to talk to you about how we might be able to realise them for you. If you would like to discuss you project with us contact us here.
