Victorian front garden design in Chiswick

On the surface this Chiswick front garden doesn't look like it needs a plan. However, the plan although simple was used to get quotes from landscapers and help the clients visualise the garden and choose materials.

Designing a Victorian front garden is all about the detail. Wall to railing height ratio depends partly on individual taste and partly on the depth of the garden. An elevation of the wall and railings was used to show the clients how different wall and railing heights would work in the garden.

It's the details that are so important in designing a small Victorian front garden. Choice of path tiles, rail heads, railings and in this case designing some simple new gateposts to complmement the scheme.

I chose a different tile to give the garden a modern twist, but the client was unsure and decided to go with a traditional checkerboard pattern. We scoured the James Hoyle catalogue and found the cast iron urns for the tops of the gateposts, and some unusual railing heads. To keep costs down we had the railings and new gateposts made in mild steel, but the urns and rail heads are an original Victorian pattern and made in cast iron.

Also important is knowing the maximum distance apart for railings in a public place. The railings must be no more than 100mm apart. The reason for this is so that children cannot get their heads stuck in them - really! Then bearing this in mind, rail heads need to be chosen that will work in scale with these distances and the height of the railings.

The rest of the paving is black Limestone which blends really nicely with the black and white Victorian tiled pathway.

The client decided to spend a little more and use re-claimed London stock bricks for the front wall and re-claimed York stone for the wall capping. In such a small space it is important to ensure a high quality of finishes and build.

I finished this small Victorian front garden with some simple planting. A half-standard Magnolia grandiflora sits in a circular planting pocket in the centre of the garden. Box balls and Lavender 'Hidcote' give an elegant and timeless finish to the perimeter borders. The client also requested a Wisteria which will be trained along the neighbouring fence and up a trellis boxing in the downpipes.

Ideally, I would have liked to re-instate the railings on the boundaries with the neighbouring properties. These would have been full height with no wall at their base. Unfortunately, the neighbours were not keen on the idea, so we had to work with the existing boundary fences.

Take a look at the before and after shots:-

Before


After


Before


After


Before


After


Urn detail


Railing head detail


If you need help designing your garden whatever it's size get in touch via my Web site.