A garden blooms

Haddenham’s secret garden

If you haven’t yet discovered Turn End in Haddenham, you will be in for a treat this summer says Emily Hurst.

Tucked away in the heart of Haddenham are three village houses. But not just any three village houses. They were conceived and built by architect Peter Aldington in the 1960s. Constructed of wood, concrete block and glass, the three have long been celebrated as a model British representative of the very finest of European house design. Visitors have arrived from all over the world to marvel at the subtle, innovative balance of modernity and tradition. As a mark of the imaginative architectural reach of the houses, they were listed as Grade II buildings in 2006, one of only a handful of post-war designs to be accorded such recognition.

But as remarkable as the houses is the garden that embraces them, also designed by Peter Aldington as a natural open space that would reflect the sweep and contours of the buildings. The garden unfolds as a series of connected ‘rooms’ – sunken or raised, sunny or shady, geometric or informal, a courtyard with a pool, a woodland area dotted with 100-year old apple trees – yet each in perfect harmony with the buildings and the landscape. Decorating them a vibrant, colourful collection of plants. The garden’s character changes with the passing seasons. Summer, for example, brings joyous herbaceous borders, glorious shrubs and sinuous climbers.

You can read the full article in the Summer 2015 edition of Thame Out.