This was a great opportunity to reclaim what had become an area of waste ground at the end of my client's garden. The boundary line cuts across a community pond, so the task was to create a pleasant area that is in keeping with its environment and define the water feature.

We decided to terrace the main slope and create an entertaining and leisure area with a clay pizza oven. The beautiful blue/grey clay for the oven came straight from the pond so its carbon footprint must be zero! For the decking we decided against regular decking boards and opted for 9"x2" treated timber which gives the walkway the impression that you are on a pier. Indian Sandstone "Heather" was used for the right embankment which reflects warm pastel colours. 

The bridge is constructed in matching timber to the walkway and eventually a dwarf willow tree will be planted in the centre of the island to replace the dead willow that was removed during the groundworks.

We also dug the pond down another 18" in order to remove all the silt that had collected over the years to get to the clay bed, which acts as a natural liner. All of this was done with hand tools since the site was inaccessible to a digger.

The end result though has been thoroughly worth all the hard graft, and along with our clients we look forward to adding fish (tench) to the pond in the autumn.