This unique central London garden was Randle Siddeley’s original family home. When he returned after his mother sadly passed away, he sought to transform the landscape, creating a space which worked both during the day and at night. Given the complexity of altering the hard landscape, he focused on soft landscaping to achieve a dramatic change. By incorporating lighting into the garden, this created a new dimension, and added drama at night. Our Creative Director Sally Storey shares insights into the lighting design that brought the garden to life after dark.
The garden operates on three distinct levels. The lower terrace area ideal for dining and creating an inviting space for evening gatherings. Steps up to a magical mid-level, with central focus on multi-stem trees and beautiful sculptures set underneath, providing different vistas and focal points. Then a third level, located above the garage, boasting planting and trees that soften the hardscapes and add greenery.
Looking across the garden, the variety and texture of plants gives wonderful opportunity for nighttime illumination. The subtlety of the ferns takes your eye back to the rear of the garden. By uplighting these with a Kew 40 this highlights the delicacy of the fronds, casting shadows and patterns across the brickwork.
Randle has softened the raised stone beds on the mid-level with planting, so to add some sparkle, we have used a combination of soft Hampton flood lights, putting the bench into silhouette, and the magical effect of spiked Carellas, giving a soft glow downwards with their candle like appearance. Many of the lights used within the garden were recycled from this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show where we lit Randle’s landscape at the award-winning Blue Forest Treehouse and garden.
The tall brick wall at the back of the property could have been ominous. However, by reinforcing the garage rooftop (something only a landscape designer would do!), Randle added greenery and planting at different levels, extending up the wall to create another aspect within the garden. Whether you view the garden from the ground floor looking across, or you are above looking down onto the planting, this innovative design was key in creating focal points and adds so much interest to the space. The planting softens the brick wall and by lighting with Kew spike lights amongst it, interesting shadows are projected onto the wall, rather than a dark mass at night.
One of the wonderful things that can be achieved with lighting at night is by guiding the eye to specimen trees, creating patterns that are totally different to the day. A balance of softness and focus is achieved between the delicate planting and structural trees. This is supported by the sculptures which seamlessly blend into the space. The sculptures by Jack Eagan are lit from the side with directional spike lights, to gently glide across the textured gilt bronze that contrasts with the Verdigris, creating a dramatic focal point.
It was fantastic to be involved in adding drama and atmosphere at night through the lighting details in this magical London garden. As Randle explains, ‘The attention to detail is crucial. You have your garden during the day but when it’s evening you have a completely different dimension of space, and a completely different appreciation of that space. The depth of the lighting suddenly transforms the garden…’
Randle and Sally discuss over a decade of collaboration and the lighting design in Randle’s garden in further detail in this new video interview, Gardens by Night.
Landscape Design: Randle Siddeley
Photography: Georgina Viney
Sculpture: Jack Eagan
Bench and table: Gaze Burvill
