With the River Severn a few hundred metres away, Briery Hall in Gloucestershire is a very low lying site with a water table that fluctuates with the tide. The brief was to create a garden for the house from the paddocks which surround it, recently planted with a cider apple orchard. The approach was to create a masterplan showing a series of rooms and this required a collaborative approach from an early stage as small pavilion structures and sculptural lighting elements were central to the scheme. An Alhambra style water garden forms the garden room relating to the living room, and captures the morning sun – beautifully carved limestone edges to pool and caps the boundary wall – three mature olive trees provide the division to the wider orchard landscape. An outdoor kitchen pavilion, complete with wood-fired pizza oven contains the entertainment terrace. This area connects to the roof terrace and hot tub area and has plenty of seating and diving space, planting in this area includes a lavender and rose hedge, scenting the seating area and a herb garden within reach of the kitchen. The 20x10m natural swimming pool is cleaned by bio-filters and constructed using insulated panels, meaning that it requires minimal heating and absolutely no chemicals to maintain. Edged in thick French limestone and a wooden decking, this pool is completed by a pavilion which also combines as a pump house and store. The main lawn is edged by a Japanese themed planting border with birch tree walk and a wildflower planted mound has been sculpted to create an area from which to view the garden.