When Rozy and Philip Barnes decided to move from The Old Rectory in Brereton a few years ago, they were not only looking for a new home but also a piece of land on which they could create a new garden from a blank canvas. While many people might prioritise finding a suitable property, the couple focused on land that had the potential to build both their dream home and an exceptional garden. After a challenging search, they eventually found their ideal location down a quiet country lane in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, at Smallwood, near Sandbach.
Rozy has a long-established family background in gardening thanks to her mother, Jane Johnson, who won the Cheshire Farm Garden of the Year competition in 1996. With a Garden Design diploma from Reaseheath College and an RHS horticultural qualification of her own, it made perfect sense for Rozy to draw up the plans for the new garden herself. This meant the design for the garden could be explored simultaneously with the architectural plans for the house, and ensure the two worked together in harmony.
In 2021, work on building the house began. Trees were moved, and a nursery bed was created as a temporary home for some of the special plants and cuttings that had made the journey from the old garden. A large, mature acer was moved from the front of the house and is now a key feature in its new location.
Establishing the right views from different rooms in the house was key, and from the kitchen dining table, you look directly .