This 17th Century Farmhouse between Chesham and Great Missenden is home to 3 generations of healthy living enthusiasts, and the re-designed garden of 3 and a half acres needed to suit their lifestyle. The family runs, swims, rides horses and does yoga with enthusiasm, and they also care about the food they eat – so a full kitchen garden and an orchard brimming with fresh fruit was high on their list of priorities. Connecting with nature and living more at one with the countryside was also important to them, having moved out of London to attain both of these goals. The design flowed from a piece of fitness equipment – battle ropes in motion – which create beautiful swirling patterns in the air. From this, the double helix of DNA, the code for life itself, came into play, and works in various forms, unravelling to shape the geometry of many elements of the garden, and contrasting the straight spine of the maple tree avenue which runs through its core.
The garden features an intimate courtyard area for family dining and relaxation, a large lawn for games and entertaining, where the summerhouse has been kitted out with a full outdoor kitchen and pizza oven. A natural swimming pool nestles in the new walled garden, benefitting from a warmer microclimate. Beyond the avenue, richly underplanted with roses, grasses and perennials, a wilder garden calls beyond the glass gates – a richly flowering meadow with mown paths between undulations, leading to a woodland walk with sunny glades and views across the countryside. At the end of the garden, a winding path leads through pines to a Belvedere – a sheltered spot for viewing the fields and valley beyond.
