Babbling brooks are a part of life in the prosperous Cotswold village of Blockley. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Blockley was at the heart of the English silk industry, and the Blockley Brook, which powered the mills, runs through the village and through the surprising garden of Colebrook House. Enter by its discreet gate, and a smaller body of water, the Cole Brook, draws you in, enticing you to follow its fern-lined course, crossing and re-crossing it via a series of small Georgian bridges, until it disappears beneath a grand lawn. Here, in front of the Georgian home of George and Melissa Apsion, you get a first glimpse of the garden’s magical appeal.
In 2016, George and Melissa approached the garden designer Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, who had been recommended by the architect renovating their house. Their brief, explains George, was simple: they wanted Todd “to breathe life into the place – to create novelty, contrast, and surprise”. Todd has answered that brief beautifully, creating an unexpectedly diverse and bold space that capitalises on the sloping garden’s striking and irregular terrain. It is very much a garden of contrasts, but with water as a unifying theme, adding both drama and moments of tranquillity.
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