The Brief
The Old Vicarage is a listed period property located within a conservation area. The site includes a mature oak protected by a Tree Preservation Order, requiring careful design coordination and arboricultural sensitivity.
The clients sought to introduce contemporary garden rooms and clearer spatial structure while respecting the architectural character of the house and the ecological constraints of the site.
The brief included:
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Establishing defined outdoor rooms
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Introducing sheltered dining space
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Improving circulation and usability
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Designing new boundary treatments
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Protecting the existing oak tree and root protection zone
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Securing the necessary planning and listed building approvals
Design Response
Our approach was to introduce structure without imitation.
Rather than replicating historic detailing, new elements are expressed as a contemporary layer — carefully proportioned and aligned with the scale of the existing architecture.
New boundary walls and brick elements were designed to establish clarity and enclosure, reinforcing hierarchy while maintaining coherence with the house’s material language.
A slatted pavilion creates sheltered dining space, positioned sensitively in relation to the protected oak and its root protection area. The structure remains visually permeable, allowing planting and light to soften its presence.
Throughout the scheme, materials and levels were carefully coordinated to respect arboricultural constraints and heritage considerations.
The project has been approved under the relevant listed building and planning consents.
The result is a garden that introduces contemporary structure while remaining rooted in its context — composed, legible, and capable of maturing naturally over time.