We’ve recently had a wonderful redesign of our gardens at Stone House. Read on to learn more about the vision our designer, James Smith, had for the gardens and what was involved in this revamp of our outside spaces.

One of the most stunning aspects of Stone House is the grounds in which the care home sits. We are fortunate to have expansive outside space with beautiful views over the Buckinghamshire countryside and a south westerly aspect that helps a wide-variety of plants to thrive.

Aesthetically beautiful gardens are only part of the story though. At all of our Peverel Court Care Homes, having functional outside space is vital because we know the immense value of time spent outdoors . We use our gardens all year round, with some residents enjoying daily walks, family members visiting with their dogs who love to explore the grounds, and staff members using these spaces on their breaks. We aim to take as many activities outside as possible too, with everything from arts and crafts to wine tasting, dog shows and our hugely popular summer parties.

With the importance of our gardens in mind, we have invested in a redesign of the Stone House grounds to make them fit for the future, engaging James Smith https://jamessmith-design.co.uk to bring a refreshed vision for our gardens to life. James is a Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winning Garden designer, Chartered Landscape Architect, and Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers who we’ve worked with for many years.

We caught up with James to find out more about his work and the redesign of the Stone House gardens.

James, can you tell us a bit about your background in garden design?

“I’ve worked in the industry since 2005 after training as a Landscape Architect at the University of Gloucestershire. I worked for 15 years with the respected design and build company Bowles & Wyer before setting up my own practice ‘James Smith Landscape & Garden Design Ltd’ in 2021. My projects have encompassed urban gardens, commercial projects, care homes, hospital gardens and country gardens. One of my proudest achievements was winning a Gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show in 2023 for The London Square Community Garden.”

Can you describe what you wanted to achieve with the redesign of the Stone House gardens?

“I was thrilled to be asked by Anil Dhanani (Owner of Peverel Court Care) to help redesign part of the historic grounds at Stone House, a former residence of Lord Baden-Powell.

The brief was to breathe new life and vigour into a functional ramped terrace area off the main conservatory. The existing space had minimal planting and opportunities for residents to sit and immerse themselves in the garden. 

I wanted to change this by bringing planting as close as possible to the building, softening and framing hard landscaping whilst also improving connections with nature. The idea is for the space to also be attractive when looking out of the building as well as being an enticing garden to spend time in. New opportunities for seating and spending time with friends and families was an important consideration too.”

How important is accessible, functional and enjoyable outside space for people living in a care home, their families and staff?

“The garden at Stone House provides an invaluable resource for residents and staff to get outside in the fresh air and enjoy a change of scenery. Whether it is walking around the grounds, relaxing on a bench in the morning sunshine, or helping to tend to the garden, the benefits can be huge both physically and mentally.  

The new garden space also provides more room for people to connect with one another in a relaxed environment and is a great location for friends and families to visit when the weather is fine.”  

Thinking particularly about our residents living with dementia, how did you incorporate dementia enabling features into your design?

“We were mindful that the garden needed to cater for residents living with dementia and it was important to create a space that was easily accessible and enhanced wellbeing through interactions with people and nature.  

Existing ramps and routes through the space have been made more legible with planting bordering paths and new sturdy handrails for safety and wayfinding. Scent, colour, texture and movement in the planting scheme makes for an attractive and immersive sensory experience with species changing throughout the seasons. Biodiversity will also be enhanced as a result of the scheme with birds, butterflies, bees and insects attracted to the new planting.”

Can you describe the process of the redesign?

“The re-design of the garden began with an initial visit and assessment of the space, talking with Anil, Preet, residents and staff about how they would like to improve the space.  

The key driver was to incorporate more planting and seating opportunities from the outset, and we also discussed including a new pergola structure with an outdoor kitchen space, allowing residents to potentially gather in larger groups with friends and family and enjoy food outside. The views over the wider garden from within the main conservatory and house were a key consideration particularly when the weather is not suitable for using the garden and this was a key factor in pulling planting right up to the building to make it highly visible.”

Now we have our wonderful new gardens at Stone House, how do you hope these will be used for year-round enjoyment?

“With the new garden my hope is it will quickly become the most popular and well used space in the grounds. I love the thought of friends and family coming together with residents and staff, laughing, sharing stories and recounting memories together. 

I also see great opportunities for small events and activities such as art and crafts on the terraces. Even when the weather is not so kind there is always the ability to appreciate the planting visually from the comfort of the internal rooms, and I hope the garden brings a smile and sense of calm to all who encounter it.”

Final word from James

“I have loved working on this first phase at Stone House. It will always hold a special place in my heart being one of the first projects I worked on when starting out on my own. 

I look forward to future opportunities in other areas of the site and working with the team at Peverel Court for many years to come.”

What our residents think of the new gardens

“The Stone House garden is very peaceful. It’s also ideal for garden parties, of which we’ve had several!” Olive N

Many thanks to James for his fantastic work on our Stone House gardens. We look forward to our residents, families, staff and visitors enjoying our new outdoor spaces.

About Peverel Court Care

Peverel Court Care is a group of one residential and two nursing homes, located in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Bartlett’s Residential Care Home and Stone House Nursing Home in Aylesbury, and Merryfield House Nursing Home in Witney. We are a long-standing family business. Providing exceptional, personalised care, delivered by talented and compassionate people, in exclusive and idyllic settings.

With happiness at the heart of our homes, we recognise and respect the contribution made by our residents to society during their lifetimes. Valued by residents and their families; our reputation, investment in each property, and approach to appointing and developing our staff makes each home unique and the benchmark in premium care.