This 120 foot garden is one of the many in Bath which are built down a very steep slope. It originally had four levels with one steep flight of steps down the left hand side, and each level was almost entirely planted with roses and vegetables. It felt like a picking garden really – there was nowhere to sit or for children to play. The owners wanted a garden where they could sit, play, eat and socialise.
I redesigned this garden into five levels, each forming a different “room”, and with steps which changed position at each level. At the top is the original stone terrace, landscaped with an arbour forming three linked arches. The next is a terrace of recycled Bath bricks, with the original high stone wall and climbing apple trees, to which I added a long low stone bench. The third, reached down central steps, contains the only grass – a round lawn with an oak arbour with roses and honeysuckle. Curved steps lead into a parterre of box surrounded by roses, and more steps reach the bottom, a wild area with a pond, shed and a gate onto the footpath outside.
