I recently visited NT Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a huge ‘garden’ full of ‘garden’ buildings, statues, dams and bridges, created by Viscount Cobham from 1717 working with several landscape designers and architects
I love the way the shadows of this sculpture play across the stone paving when the lights come on in the evening. It’s a focal point, art installation, meeting point, lighting and way finder.
The Lake District: characterised by steep, towering mountains, vast lakes and walking gear. We had our family holiday here in August and it is stunning. Do visit.
All around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of medieval Siena you see these wonderful iron horse tethers fixed into the walls of buildings at about 6′ high. There are 17 different designs across the city each advertising which ‘ward’ or ‘contrada’ they represent.
The vast acreage of the Upton House gardens (National Trust) may be difficult to replicate but there are plenty of design ideas that can inspire and be used on a much smaller scale. This is a quiet, shady corner on a little path feels quite enclosed and hidden.
Eyecatchers are a great way to draw people around a garden and to show them where you’d like them to go – that there’s something else to see. Not many of us have the space that they have at Chatsworth to play with eyecatchers on this scale, but they work on any scale.
I love taking photos of buildings in reflections and through old wonky glass. I love the way the glass distorts the building and how you view it. It brings another dimension to the scene. This image also plays with the scale of people
For me, the Peak District is characterised by its thousands of miles of dry stone walls which vary in colour depending on whether they’re in an area of brown gritstone (sandstone) or light grey limestone – the limestone is my favourite for walling but the gritstones make wonderful millstones which are still used decoratively around the region.
Had a flying look around Ludlow at the weekend. It’s a lovely town – so many different styles of architecture, lots of narrow winding streets, numerous independent shops.
I visited Weston Park for the first time this week for a heritage event – previously I’ve only got as far as The Granary restaurant. It’s a fabulous place so if you’re at a loose end this weekend and it’s good weather, I highly recommend it.