Bexhill Barn

This project was to be an exciting new departure for me. I’d already worked on the client’s previous garden on Bexhill seafront but now he’d moved inland to a converted barn with stunning views across Pevensey Levels towards Eastbourne.

It is a very exposed site so careful thought was needed to provide some shelter from the prevailing south-westerly wind. To create this, hedges of Griselinia littoralis were planted, a New Zealand native evergreen, well suited to extreme conditions.

After clearing some old structures a terrace was created using my go-to Indian Sandstone paving, with a path curving away to a seating area facing the sea. Then, the piece-de-resistance, an outdoor kitchen was built using oak timber, with a pergola overhead and storage beneath the work surfaces.

Paul, the landscaper I always work with, did a fantastic job, creating a magnificent structure from my simple drawings. He also built two oak raised beds for kitchen herbs and constructed a simple, but elegant L-shaped bench. Sun-loving shrubs and perennials were carefully chosen to cope with the windy conditions.