Gloucestershire Rectory

The Project

Originally designed by Marcus Barnett, this established country garden has undergone a gradual horticultural transformation following a reimagining of the planting by Charlotte Sanderson Garden Design.

Our involvement began within the gardens surrounding the house, where the existing planting was carefully cleared and replaced with extensive topiary and perennial planting to create a softer, predominantly white garden. From there, our work extended into the wider landscape — planting mature and semi-mature trees and hedging, opening long views beyond the ha-ha, and establishing extensive wildflower habitats across the surrounding meadows.

Rather than a single intervention, the project has become an ongoing process of establishment and evolution. Our maintenance team continues to care for and develop the garden and wider grounds today, allowing the landscape to mature while supporting an increasingly rich and biodiverse environment.

Project information

Location: Gloucestershire

Project Type: Country Garden & Wider Landscape

Services: Soft Landscaping | Mature Tree Planting | Maintenance | Wildflower Meadow Establishment | Landscape Construction

Key Elements: Extensive Re-Planting | Wildflower Meadows | Semi-Mature Tree Planting | Natural Stone Thresholds

Designer: Charlotte Sanderson Garden Design

Completion Date: Ongoing

Photography: M T S Gardens

The Story

Our involvement at Gloucestershire Rectory began with the gardens immediately surrounding the house. Originally designed by Marcus Barnett, the established landscape provided a strong framework within which Charlotte Sanderson Garden Design developed a new planting scheme, intended to soften the garden and create a calmer, more harmonious atmosphere.

The existing planting was carefully cleared before extensive soil preparation and replanting began. Strong evergreen topiary provides structure throughout the garden, while predominantly white-flowering perennials create a softer layer beneath, bringing movement, texture and seasonality to the spaces closest to the house.

As these gardens began to establish, our work moved beyond the terraces and into the wider landscape. Mature and semi-mature trees and extensive hedging were introduced throughout the grounds and alongside the stream that passes through the property, helping to strengthen the relationship between the garden and its rural setting.

The following spring, attention turned to the land beyond the ha-ha. Ground levels were significantly reduced to open previously restricted views and draw the eye further into the landscape. Extensive areas of wildflower habitat were then created, while existing meadow was brought under more considered management to encourage greater species diversity and ecological value.

Natural stone thresholds were later introduced at additional entrances to the house, providing simple, enduring transitions between the architecture and the surrounding garden.

Today, our involvement continues. The garden and grounds are cared for by the M T S Gardens maintenance team, with planting, meadow and the wider landscape continually managed and developed as they mature.

Creating a garden of your own?

Whether working directly with private clients or alongside garden designers and landscape architects, we deliver landscapes from construction through planting, establishment and long-term care.