Worcestershire living April 2009

MAKING NEW FROM OLD

While many people consider using reclaimed materials when renovating period properties, not all have considered the possibilities of doing the same in their gardens.

At Winchcombe Reclamation, just outside of Cheltenham, there is a host of materials perfect for homeowners looking to maintain the period feel of their homes and gardens. Worcestershire is blessed with many period properties and Liza Hanks, of Winchcombe Reclamation, feels it's important to reflect the period of the house with the products used in the garden. "If a house is built of brick, the predominant hard standing material should also be brick. In design terms, it's easier on the eye to stick to threee materials or textures, which is why replicating the style of the house in the garden works best. You have to be an extremely skilled garden designer to put a modern garden in a traditional setting. If you're not an expert, it is safer to try to reflect the style of the house in the garden."

If you're about to embark on a garden project, don't be fazed, as there really is plenty of scope to do this successfully by visiting reclamation yards such as Winchcombe. Here you'll find a wide range of materials to suit your plans. There is a huge choice of hard paving, from York stone, reclaimed sandstone, quarry tiles and paviours. There is also Victorian edging to define borders. Sleepers have been popular in gardens for a long time and here you'll find new and old, soft and hardwood ones, perfect for creating vegetable beds. In fact, Winchcombe is even working with an Ironmonger to to create some stapes so thes sleepers can be stapled together vertically to create perfect raised beds for those who find bending down to garden difficult.

If your project is of an ornamental nature, you won't be disappointed here either. There is a wide choice of ironmongery - beautifully hand crafted railings it is difficult to find today and lovely garden furniture. They also have their own exclusive Isbourne sandstone ornament range, with stunning water features, birdbaths, pots and statues. Very similar in appearance to Cotsswold stone, products in this range weather really well, even in the below zero temperatures we experienced during last winter.

And if you're looking for a really eye-catching addition to your garden, Winchcombe is able to build bespoke summerhouses using a choice of materials. The summerhouses are timber framed using new, green oak but the infill products can be to the customer's own specifications, so take your pick from a tile or thatch roof, stone or brick infill. The end product will be unique to you. Liza added: "There are many reasons for using reclaimed products. They are often one-off and won't be mass-produced, but lovingly hand made by skilled craftsmen. You are also buying a piece of history as well as preventing it from ending up in landfill and of course, the effect is visually stunning."

Winchcombe Reclamation, Broadway Road, Winchcombe, telephone 01242 609564 or visit www.winchcobereclamation.co.uk