Take a walk into a magical space at Kiftsgate Court in Gloucestershire.
After walking through the soft femininity of the Rose Border and drinking in its heavenly floral fragrance, the Contemporary Water Garden comes as a complete surprise.
A stark contrast between the Arts & Crafts planting exuberance of the rest of the garden, this minimally designed space presents itself contemporaneously.
First of all the visitor is encouraged by two seats positioned within the yew hedging to walk to the right and sit and contemplate the space.
The symmetrical, rectilinear design consists of three rectangles placed within each other using the rule of thirds to create harmony and a sense of peace.
The visitor, once relaxed, is drawn by strong horizontals to the water fountain. Heart-shaped gilded bronze philodendron leaves, like gleaming butterflies, glisten as they turn their wings towards the sun.
Strong vertical and horizontal lines are balanced by the delicacy of the fountain, a nod to the feminine frothy planting beyond the bold form of the stiff yew enclosure.
One is reminded of a music score, the elegant stems of the philodendrons creating the floating melody over the rhythmic staccato of the stepping stones and the punctuation bass drum of the central island.
The limited colour palette of white, green, black, silver and bronze coupled with the illusion of depth created by black dye in the pool creates a sense of space, and as the visitor ventures forward to cross to the central island they feel as if they are floating above an empty cavernous void.
This is an open and vulnerable space, yet the surrounding trees outside the garden protect the visitor as they stand on the central island while the movement and sound of the water hypnotises them into a state of meditative awe.
Transfixed on this focal point, the desire to touch is strong but the feminine elegance of the fountains remains just out of reach.
The trickling water pauses for a moment, and the visitor is released from their trance.
The visitor, having returned across the stepping stones, walks behind the behind the fountain to discover that backstage the pond is not a black empty space after all but is in fact teeming with life and unity is restored by a glimpse of the house behind the trees. The colour of the Cotswold stone exactly matches that of the bronze of the fountain and reflections of the philodendrons ripple the water.
All is well and the visitor is now free to leave and explore the rest of the garden.
