Automated Cedar Entry Gates Installed

Bespoke Cedar Entry gates

We have this week installed the gates pictures above at our project in Old Wives Lees.

Made from beautiful cedar wood these bespoke gates have been produced in our own joinery.

They have been fully automated and also feature a side gate for pedestrian access.

Starting to take (a curved) shape

The wall is starting to take shape

Work is continuing on our current project and the rebuilding of the wall is going well.

As you can see from the picture above, the footings have been installed and the bricks are now being laid. We are using a traditional lime mortar as this is the material used in the original building or the wall.

Back to an old project

Preparing the footings to re-build a wall

We are delighted to be back on site at one of our former projects. We are there to re-build a wall and install automated gates.

The job is likely to take around three weeks (it is a very long wall!).

The picture above shows one of our site team pouring the footing for a stretch of the wall having dug out a trench - great work now that the weather has finally turned.

Densole - Good Progress is Being Made

The summerhouse base is being laid using Raj Green Indian Sandstone

The pathway being laid using Indian Sandstone cobbles

Work in Densole is progressing well with both the summerhouse base and the pathway now taking shape.
Raj Green Indian Sandstone is being used for both.

This job should be completed within the next couple of days, nicely in time for the delivery of the summerhouse.

New Job in Densole

The white line denotes the route the new path will take

Starting the groundworks for a paved summerhouse base

We have this week also started work on a small job in Densole, Kent. We will be creating a pathway and a base for a summerhouse, from initial groundworks to final paving.

Check back to see the works develop.

Lyminge - All Over Bar the Electrics!

The new front driveway and planting beds 

Raised beds, Raj Green Sandstone paving and Venetian style screens

With this job now complete apart from some electrical work, I wanted to bring you a couple of final pictures.

The top image shows the front of the house including the new In/Out driveway and the completely re-designed planting areas. The changes have really opened up the space at the front of the property providing a lighter, friendlier and more welcoming feel.

The lower image shows a number of newly installed features to the rear of the property. Raised planting beds created using treated softwood sleepers, the extended Raj Green Sandstone paving (which provides a nice contrast with the beds) and two Venetian Style screens made in our new joinery.

Old Wives Lees - An update

The planted turning circle in Old Wives Lees

A chance came up to re-visit an older project (if the start of the year can be considered older) so we thought that we would treat our readers to a new picture.

The project in Old Wives Lees was a big success with many interesting elements to it, however, we have to congratulate our clients who have planted out the turning circle in the driveway. We think it looks fantastic with a beautiful armillary sundial centre piece and planting which will mature over the coming seasons.

Lyminge - Finishing up

The new in/out drive in Lyminge ready to be compacted

As a  new week starts, we approach the end of our project in Lyminge.

The picture above shows the new in/out driveway, with the gravel laid awaiting compaction. You can also see the new planting bed which nicely finishes off the front of this property.

With only a few minor tasks to complete on this project we will be out of the clients' way by the end of tomorrow morning.

Hockley Sole and Sir Aston Webb

Sir Aston Webb

The Sun Terrace at Hockley Sole

Following on from our post regarding Sir Edwin Lutyens, we thought our readers might be interested to know that we have previously worked on a project at Hockley Sole, a property designed by Sir Aston Webb.

Aston Webb was a leading architect at the end of the 19th Century and the start of the 20th. Responsible for many prestigious works including the re-design of the principle facade at Buckingham Palace, the Queen Victoria Memorial and the main building of the Victoria and Albert museum in London.

Orchard Priory have undertaken a number of tasks at Hockley Sole, most notably the rebuilding of the Sun Terrace, pictured above, which was carried out using as many of the original materials as could be reclaimed.

Lyminge - Site Maintenance and Stockpiling

Timber, Topsoil, large and small Hardcore stockpiled on site

It is somewhat suprising just how much waste (spoil) is created in even the smallest landscaping project. Some of what is created can be re-used but a large proportion has to be removed from site, often before the team can progress to the next element of the job.

We are installing a new driveway at our project in Lyminge but as the picture above shows, there is the matter of some spoil causing an obstruction.

We will be able to use some of the hardcore, both large and small, in the sub-base layer of the drive but the timber, topsoil and whatever hardcore is not needed will have to be removed. Thankfully, this should all be gone by the end of today.

Orchard Priory to work on a Lutyens property

A Portrait of Sir Edwin Lanseer Lutyens

Orchard Priory is delighted to have received confirmation that we will have the opportunity to work on the garden of a property designed by arguably Britain's finest architect; Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Known for imaginatively taking traditional architectural styles and adapting them to the requirements of the times, Lutyens worked on many prestige projects from large country houses to commercial buildings, monuments and cathedrals.

Arguably his finest achievement however was the redevelopment of an area of Delhi, India, which came to be known as New Delhi (and locally as Lutyens Delhi).

To be given the chance to work on a Lutyens garden has to be amongst the most rewarding opportunities for any landscaping firm and we are very much looking forward to the commencement of this project.

Lyminge - At last! A dry day for pointing

The guys on site have been waiting for about a week for decent weather and finally, we have had a good morning and the pointing has been completed by lunch time.

The pointing has been finished by hand, as it gives the overall product a much longer life span.  Using a 3:1 ratio of sand to cement mortar, the mix is pressed into the joints with a flat pointing iron and the excess is swept off.

Well done guys, still on target under poor weather conditions.

Joinery Products - Cedar Gates

Further to my post on Friday, I will be bringing you some more pictures of the various products we are now able to offer via our joinery.

Orchard Priory is delighted to be able to create garden joinery products ourselves as it means that we can maintain control over the material that we use, the construction methods employed and the all round quality of the final product offered.

Above you can see a beautiful cedar driveway gate. This is one of a pair (the other is behind it) which we hope to install within the next couple of weeks, I will look to show you some images of the gates once they have been fitted.

Joinery Products - Made by our own fair hands!

Orchard Priory are now able to provide a range of products for your grounds and garden, from gates to planters, screens to trellising to garden furniture.

We now fabricate these pieces ourselves so that our clients can enjoy beautiful, handcrafted and often bespoke designs.

The image above shows a venetian style, louvered garden screen which, installed in the correct location, will provide some welcome shade, beautiful shadows and a stylish, contemporary look.

Lyminge - Picture Framed!

The Orchard Priory landscaping team are really making progress at the project in Lyminge.

The picture above shows the rear garden patio with a 'picture frame' edge now in place and ready for pointing.

Work is continuing all around the house with preparation for the new driveway, a raised vegetable bed, steps to the back door and up to the patio from the lawn.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some further images to show you.

Easter Monday at the Aldington Point to Point

Welcome back, we hope you had a good Easter and enjoyed the long weekend.

As advised last week, Easter Monday saw Orchard Priory at the Aldington Point to Point as Gold Sponsors of the event.

We were in attendance within the sponsors hospitality tent where we had some of our designs (and photographs of our gardens) for any interested parties to have a look at.  We had a good day at the event and would like to thank the organisers and the representatives from Foxwood Maclean, the main event sponsors, for their welcome, assistance and hospitality.

The photo above shows Ross Gandon, owner and managing director of Orchard Priory, with our table in the sponsors' tent.