NATURAL CALM

Rachael White has transformed a Cotswold garden to create a tranquil space at one with nature

- VANESSA BERRIDGE

Consult the genius of the place in all, wrote Alexander Pope.

Rachael White did just that when designing a Cotswold valley garden for Paul Harvey and his late partner, Len.

Gloucestershire-born, Rachael has an instinctive feel for the landscape, so has fashioned here an elemental green space that has seemingly developed organically from the enfolding hills, with little human intervention.

"My brief was to design a deeply private sanctuary," says Rachel, "a garden that offered moments of peace, gentle access and a strong connection with the natural water source." The golden Cotswold stone house is wedged into a steep bank, facing a sheer, tree-clad cliff across the River Windrush. As Paul explains, "the sun rises late and is lost a tad early".

Carving out light was key, says Rachael.

"We had to open up internal vistas, frame long views and create pockets of brightness." To anchor both house and garden more comfortably in the valley, all the outbuildings, including a cottage, were demolished and the drive was relocated to curl round, screened in high summer by a hedge of Rosa rugosa. This allowed space for a house extension and a plantfringed terrace connected to the lawn below by curving stone steps. Rachael collaborated with Cotswold architect Christian Fleming, whose work she loves. "His architectural details complement my naturalistic style," she says.