Grand Illusion

Pale limestone terrace beside a climber-covered white house, set with parasols, rattan seating and deep planted borders

Project Details:

Products Used: Wychwood Limestone Paving, Cobbles & Copings

Bespoke Details: Wychwood Limestone Steps, Copings & Edgings

Designer: Sam Westcott

Photographer: James Davey

Nestling among the picturesque rolling hills of Devon, this majestic Queen Anne mansion is set in seven acres. When the owners bought it, the grounds required some TLC. They turned to Dartmouth-based garden designer Sam Westcott, who is known for creating beautiful outdoor spaces encompassing inspirational designs. Sam specialises in gardens that sit naturally in their environment, especially those in steep coastal and riverside locations, and so was the perfect person to enlist due to the space’s contours. ‘This was quite a tricky site,’ explains Sam. ‘The house has various wings and a grand frontage, and it was set in a landscape that had hardly any flat space - it is surrounded by a large amphitheatre bank. The client’s brief was for a classy and elegant quintessentially English garden, but with a slight hint of Provence.’

Swimming pool edged in pale limestone coping, backed by a dry stone wall and trellis above densely planted borders

Pool terrace seen past a teal painted pool house door, with a parasol and pale limestone paving around the water

Limestone terrace with rattan loungers and a parasol, framed by purple salvia and ornamental grasses

Limestone steps climbing through a terraced garden beside a white house, retained by a dry stone wall

Wide limestone paving beside a Corten steel edged border of irises and grasses, casting long shadows

Limestone path curving between raised planted beds and a dry stone retaining wall, with lawn beyond

The garden was a large-scale project - the biggest Sam has undertaken so far - and took a year. Sam’s vision was to create a series of usable garden rooms on large terraces. As well as an elegant swimming pool and hot tub, plus a copper outdoor shower, there is a snug terrace, main dining terrace and west-facing terrace with outdoor seating. The geography of the plot formed the cornerstone, with the design taking into account that the Queen Anne property wasn’t symmetrical. ‘I tried to balance it all dimensionally, and I basically took the partial bank and extended it, and dug into the hill to create a flat level because there was no flat space at all. I then sank in a flat garden that was proportional to the house,’ explains Sam. There were difficulties because the area has lots of natural springs, as well as a steep hill with farmers' fields and runoff, so Sam had to do some hydroengineering. ‘Trying to balance it all dimensionally and make it work was probably the hardest part in terms of the design.’

Two planted stone urns against a dry stone wall on a gravel bed, beside pale limestone paving

Teal painted pool house with an outdoor shower, a parasol and lounger on the surrounding limestone terrace

Decorative pebble mosaic inset into limestone paving beside a dry stone wall and metal garden bench

The white country house seen across a striped lawn, with limestone terracing and raised beds of red foliage

Curved limestone coping around the swimming pool's shallow steps, with clear turquoise water

When it came to the garden’s structural elements, Sam is a fan of buff limestones and was keen to give them a starring role. ‘They are ever so slightly Provencal, which was in the client’s brief,’ she says. ‘I’ve used lots of buff limestones in previous projects, and they come in very soft colours.’ Sam chose our Wychwood Limestone in various formats for the pathways, swimming pool surround, the steps to the different garden terraces and the bespoke coping stones on the walls. ‘I wanted to use a different walling stone to the native stone, so I used Purbeck Stone and complemented it with Wychwood limestone. I like that Ca’ Pietra makes bespoke pieces from limestone and it comes in different sizes.’ The steps are predominantly off-the-shelf with a bespoke double pencil bullnose edging, while the swimming pool has bespoke Roman ends. ‘Ca’ Pietra laser measured it as it had to be calibrated to perfection.’
The different stone formats included parquet blocks that make up a parquet herringbone detail in various paths, including one that leads to the hot tub. A parquet herringbone detail is also showcased on the steps leading up to the snug area, which is a recess in the bank with a bench seat, and on the snug patio. ‘Although it’s the same product, it's laid in a different way and with different-shaped pieces,’ says Sam. ‘It looks harmonious because it's the same material.’

Close-up of pale limestone paving slabs with fine joints, beside a green leaf

Limestone paving meeting a Corten steel edged border of foliage, with purple asters in the foreground

Dry stone wall piers capped with limestone, flanking steps down to the pool terrace by the teal pool house

The west-facing terrace features Wychwood paving and cobble details. ‘I wanted a hint of Arts and Crafts,’ explains Sam. The terrace is hugged by an exquisite decorative metal screen made by talented blacksmith and artist Simon Connett. His work is showcased throughout the garden - he also made the gates, as well as the trellis for the pool and handrails for the stairs that feature a giant snowdrop.
Complementing the elegant hard landscaping is the considered planting. The romantic colour palette comprises purples, lilacs, blues, whites, limes and pinks. Sam has included a range of cottage garden favourites, such as roses, irises, aquilegia, thalictrum, salvias and penstemon. ‘I chose flowers that are very soft,’ she says.
This garden sits beautifully in the landscape and forms the perfect partner to the elegant mansion.