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Barnsley House
Barnsley House Spa Garden
Designer:
Stephen Woodhams (Woodhams Ltd)
Sponsor: Barnsley House
Contractor: Barnsley House Garden Department
Barnsley House
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The Barnsley House Spa Garden is a fusion of classic and contemporary Cotswold garden design. The garden showcases the new spa garden at Barnsley House. It is anticipated that planting will include plants that will be used in the Barnsley House natural range of spa and beauty products. The garden is a tranquil and calm sanctuary inspired by Rosemary Verey’s garden.
A ha-ha, which is an 18th Century method of providing stock proof boundary, divides rural Gloucestershire countryside and a contemporary Cotswold garden within this show garden. The main planting structure is provided by an established horse chestnut. There is also a glade of single and multi-stemmed birch trees, together with shade and partial shade-loving plants, including ferns, hostas and digitalis.
The Barnsley House Spa Garden can be viewed from two sides. One side looks across a Gloucestershire meadow, rolling down to an open ditch with a natural hedge to the side. From this angle visitors will see a cut Cotswold stone ha-ha leading to a mown grass panel, with planting beds incorporating many plants used within natural spa and beauty products. These beds also showcase some interesting planting combinations.
The other view is across a side pathway of Cotswold stone chippings towards a central stone sculpture, made of pieces of old Cotswold wall, which have been weathered and constructed into a contemporary curve and flanked by the mirrored water wall. The water runs from the wall into a rill and then into a square pool covered by a clear glass panel.
Stephen Woodhams, the garden designer, started his career in horticulture in 1980, aged 18, as a trainee at RHS Garden Wisley. This is Stephen’s fifth show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and in previous years he has been awarded two RHS Gold medals, one Silver-Gilt and one Silver medal.