Contemporary Cheshire Garden

A contemporary garden rooted in its setting

The areas immediately surrounding the house are defined by clear geometry, helping to organise changes in level, terraces, steps and access routes. Pale natural stone, understated retaining walls and carefully integrated detailing provide a calm architectural framework, while evergreen trees establish a strong sense of arrival and layered planting softens the building’s bold lines.

The garden is designed to support everyday family life as much as it is to enhance the architecture. An outdoor kitchen, play area, sunken trampoline, dog-washing space and a future swimming pool are all incorporated into the masterplan from the outset, so they feel like part of one coherent landscape rather than a collection of separate features.

As the garden extends away from the house, the design becomes progressively looser and more natural. A naturalistic parterre near the barn creates a gentle transition between the formal garden and the public footpath, while the woodland glade provides a place for exploration, play and quiet moments within the surrounding landscape.

Ecology before decoration

The design was shaped by a detailed understanding of what was already thriving on the site. Mature oak, hawthorn, holly, hazel, elder, willow and fruit trees, together with hedgerows, streams and a lake, support a rich range of wildlife, including species such as orange-tip butterflies and chimney-sweeper moths.

These existing ecological assets informed every stage of the design. Mature trees and habitats are retained wherever possible, with management focused on damaged, diseased or unsafe growth. Native woodland planting, including wild garlic, bluebells and locally appropriate wildflowers, strengthens the transition between the formal garden and the woodland edge and helps the new landscape feel as though it has always belonged here.

Lighting has also been approached with care. A dark-sky-compliant scheme provides atmosphere and safe movement through the garden while minimising unnecessary disturbance to nocturnal wildlife.

Water is treated as an integral part of the landscape rather than a problem to be engineered away. The design responds to the site’s natural slopes, sandy soils and existing drainage patterns, using terraces and planting to slow and manage surface water. Restoring the lake and understanding infiltration through soil and percolation testing form part of a broader strategy for a resilient, sustainable landscape.

Sustainability through restraint

At Oak Grange, sustainability is often about working with what is already there. The existing driveway structure and width can be retained, reducing excavation, imported materials and construction waste. The project is planned in phases, allowing access and key areas to be completed first while ensuring the wider landscape develops in a considered and connected way over time.

Other measures, including a sedum roof, low-intervention woodland management and the potential use of smallholding animals to help manage scrub and bramble, were explored as practical ecological tools rather than decorative gestures.

The result is a contemporary garden in Mottram St Andrew that is rooted in woodland ecology and designed for real family life. It brings architecture, landscape and habitat together into a single long-term vision that will continue to evolve, mature and become richer with every passing season.