Completed: 1990
Photographed: 2004
This garden overlooking the Blackmoor Vale in Somerset, is perched on the side of a steep escarpment with sumptuous views.
As well as a new veranda and extensive terraces below, the brief required a large octagonal conservatory attached to the house, and an indoor swimming pool half buried into the hillside below. These were all designed and detailed by Michael Balston.
A tennis court was installed near the swimming pool and a ha-ha constructed that separated the garden from the fields below.
The old kitchen garden was redesigned and replanted. A new state-of-the-art lean-to greenhouse was designed and built on the back of the garages.
At the bottom of the hill there was an opportunity to create an extensive lake with an island, a classical pavilion, and extensive tree planting – all in all a demanding and an exciting scheme.
