Nothing that could be considered a front garden existed at The Old Vicarage. No pictures from the Vicarage’s creation or first hundred years could be found. However, this is not too say there was not one, just nothing could be identified.
The new front entrance – just waiting for the coping stones to be fitted to the top of the walls.
With no previous layout to go from, a plan was drawn to create a garden at the front of the Vicarage. The challenge was to create a a focus point where people would believe the main entrance had always been.
As a test of the design an old iron strap gate was propped up at the side of the path which leads to the church. The view is directly to the front door of the Vicarage. The behaviour change was immediate. People began immediately to walk to the fake gate and take pictures of the front perspective of the Vicarage. Several people remarked that it would be nice if I reinstated the gate once I completed the work in the garden. They assumed that the gate had always been at the front of the house.
As a result, a new half-moon wall with a smaller (four foot) wrought iron gate was built. Gothic sandstone pier caps in a pink which weather to an orange to match the brick work. In the half-moon wall, a reproduction Victorian postbox was built into it on the other side a sandstone house sign.
A new sandstone path has been laid to the front door. New electric cables have been dug to the front gate, and a new lampost installed.
Lastly a yew hedge has been planted running the length of the Vicarage. These will hopefully take over from the straggly private hedge. The yew hedge will be more in keeping with the nature of the building. To separate the new carpark from the front garden the yew hedge has also been planted to border this.
To the left of the front garden a twenty plus car park has been made. A slate sign was ordered and a wall created to accommodate it. All of the bricks used were reclaimed from the stable floor which were lifted and of course set in a lime mortar mix.
Restoration
The front door sandstone steps had sunk. These have been lifted a new foundation added and they were then relaid. An addition to the side of the steps, two small sandstone platforms were created from a piece fo sandstone reclaimed from the house. The left hand one house inside it the new waste pipe from the new master ensuite. On top of these platforms a shrub tub has been added.
Renovation
Design
Victorian postbox reproduction.
Large Gothic Pier caps
Companies and trades people used in the commission of the room
The Old Vicarage B&B, Little Ouse 