The collection of gardens we created at this North Yorkshire Georgian property was part of a major restoration of the entire estate.  As the manor was sensitively refurbished and outbuildings given new leases of life, we transformed the grounds into a series of richly planted garden rooms.

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Major earthworks were required to fine tune levels and infill redundant features, before a programme of detailed building and craftsmanship brought the framework of the new gardens to life.  The Rill Garden lies on an axis connecting the manor with the walled garden and shade garden; at one end a raised pool echoes the forms of the manor and its enclosing walls, while at the other a ground level circular pool reflects the geometry of four original box hedges.  The hedges each enclose an established Pyrus salicifolia, which we pruned heavily to restore their domed canopies.  We echoed this geometry in six yew domes, marching along the edge of the garden.

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Planting is soft and effusive, accentuating both the cool silver of the Pyrus and the warm tones of the local brick.  The building work, by local firm HACS, was exemplary and gave the new garden an immediate feeling of establishment and true craftsmanship.

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All photographs © Alistair W Baldwin