Edwardian Garden Paths

[Alex O]

Our front garden is a long way off in the renovation project - aiming for next Summer, optimistically! However when I need a DIY break I like to research, and I'm struggling to find reference images or information about curved front paths in this age of house. All I can ever find is the straight, geometric or quarry-tiled type.

All the houses round our way have front gates offset from the door, so they must have had curved paths, but what would they have been laid with? None that I can see have the original front garden layout or paving. Some of the houses have geometric tiled hallways and doorsteps, but that's the only clue I have.

We've got concrete slabs at the moment - what should we replace with eventually? Bricks? Tiles? Gravel?? I quite like a gravel path, although I'm sure it's the least authentic. We'll use rope edging along the sides, as there's plenty in the garden already that we can re-use.

 

[plasticpigeon]

The path to my house, a smallish terrace, and to my mum's which is a medium semi, both early Edwardian, have blue brick paths but straight to the door from the gate, no meandering.

 

[JoceAndChris]

That doesn't really show all my curving brick herringbone path but you get the idea. I have a gravel section on it and it's a nuisance to keep clear of leaves, though gravel is a time honoured country house solution.

I associate the black and red and black and white tiles with Edwardian front paths but more in urban situations

You can't go wrong with York stone slabs if it's a large area, but ££££.

Crazy paving is very 1930s I think.

 

[Feltwell]

For an Edwardian or Victorian house in t'North, diamond pattern Staffordshire pavers were very common and are very practical, being slip resistant. Plain bricks can be a bit lethal after a while if they get a bit of an algae film on them, and aren't always frost proof. I happen to think Staffs pavers are attractive to. No reason why you couldn't lay them to give a curved path, in the same sort of pattern as Joce has.

Also guaranteed to be chicken repelling. Try and find a photo on t'internet of a chicken sat on one, they hate them. :wink:

http://www.ketley-brick.co.uk/patterned_pavers.html

However I suspect that will be one of the jobs that will go into year 3 of your 3 year restoration plan. So you'll probably do it in year 12. We're on year 10 of our 3 year plan, so plenty of time to go yet, still got lots to do :wink:

 

[MikeG]

........ gravel is a time honoured country house solution....

Beautiful paths! I'm rumbling some new bricks for my new paths next spring. Even flettons look good treated like this (in fact, it's about the best thing I can think of to do with flettons).

Sorry to be a pedant, but people might be confused by the term "gravel". This is normally taken to mean stone chippings, but I am pretty sure you mean shingle. Whilst on the subject, people normally make the mistake of buying "pea shingle" (AKA 10mm stone). This walks into the house with every muddy boot that steps on it, and ends up in the car tyres clicking away for miles. 18 or 20mm shingle (3/4") is much better. It doesn't stick in either tyres or shoes.

 

[plasticpigeon]

For an Edwardian or Victorian house in t'North, diamond pattern Staffordshire pavers were very common and are very practical, being slip resistant. Plain bricks can be a bit lethal after a while if they get a bit of an algae film on them, and aren't always frost proof. I happen to think Staffs pavers are attractive to. No reason why you couldn't lay them to give a curved path, in the same sort of pattern as Joce has.

My back garden path is exactly that! I should have said the front is blue pavers not bricks.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Hi Joce, I'd be very grateful if you could let me know what the plants are that are on the right of your path please. Do they have small blue flowers? One of my neighbours has a wonderful front garden. I'm pretty sure the owners do very little, but inherited it that way, and just kep it weed free. I'm not a knowlegeable gardener so can't identify all the plants they have, but I think thoise plants you have may be one of them.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hi pp your back garden looks beautiful! Stunning!

You don't want that plant - what you're seeing is the blossoms at the end of low arching buddleia branches - the right of that path gives onto a shrubbery. Sometimes the buddleua gets so big it blocks the path. It's fabulous for butterflies but it's a messy thing, actually purple, not blue, and for small splashes of blue I'd go for something like cornflowers which are pretty good all summer long and don't require much in the way of work. Love in a mist is also a beautiful blue plant for summer time, and will come up in free draining soil just from chucking a packet of seed down. Earlier blues might be grape hyacinths. Blue delphiniums are stately and beautiful at the back of a border but they need staking.
Here is some blue inspiration
http://www.proflowers.com/blog/blue-flowers

Yes Mike gravel is a misleading term! I've read before that gravel should really be geologically appropriate which means instead of my " gold stone", which has a lot of flint chipping, I ought to have plain limestone chippings which are in fact cheaper. Ignored this advice but after having the house limewashed in Lincolnshire limestone colour I've come to regret that, so am in the process of lifting my Gold stone gravel in order to replace.
I agree the weeny stuff is not suitable for paths. I have it on a patio and it's not really suitable there either. Chickens like it though!

 

[Feltwell]

I have to say, both PP and Joce, your gardens look great and put mine to shame. It's never really recovered since I built the garage! It's on the list.........

Joce, the chickens look very at home there, very content!

 

[JanJonWestWales]

beautiful gardens !!
yep gotta love a herringbone brick path, and really like the edging
Did something similar, on a smaller scale, and used "Kansas Red" bricks from Travis Perkins, a lovel handmade feel to them.
J&J

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm not convinced by the arguments against small gravel/shingle. We've used 20mm gravel against the front of the house, more decorative/functional than as a path, and it is quite uncomfortable to walk upon as it behaves like a beach. For a couple of paths, we've used 6mm shingle and this is far more comfortable to walk upon as it forms a more solid base. It's not quite as solid as a 'self-amalgamating' shingle such as Breedon gravel, but it is pretty close and a great deal cheaper.

We've not noticed any particular problem with walking the 6mm shingle into the house. Yes it can stick to boots or shoes with heavily ridged soles, but those are not the sort of footwear than one tends to enter the house with anyway and in our case are left at the door, or just inside. Lighter footwear with flat leather soles doesn't seem to pick up the shingle at all.

 

[kreyszig]

Pretty sure I saw this stuff on this forum, it is my preferred option for replacing our shingle drive and a bit of path, that will probably be around year 12 also

http://www.breedon-special-aggregates.co.uk/breedon-golden-amber-gravel

It probably isn't very locally appropriate but I think it looks great, and shouldn't lift too much with foot/vehicle traffic. On same site they have a finer mix suitable for foot/golf club buggy traffic only, called Wayfarer. I have no experience with either, but it does look promising.
Mike G - have you come across this stuff before?

 

[mims&pip]

Stunning garden pics, Joce (and I adore your chickens, btw!) & PP

We laid curving brick paths - bricks reclaimed from elsewhere on the property - on the terrace of our last house (a Georgian thatch). Here are a few piccies taken during progress

You can also see the 'gravel' we added. These were cotswold golden chippings, iirc, specifically chosen to deter treading inside. Didn't make the blindest bit of difference.......plus our puppy loved to chew on them, which was somewhat of an issue :roll:

Mims x

 

[mims&pip]

Here we've started creating a new path, using old stone found in the garden. It kind of matches the crazy paving that was most probably laid when our 1853 house was extended in 1924 - the same time the now giant wisteria was planted.......


I confess that despite loving the Arts & Crafts architectural style and 'olde worlde' gardens, I've never really been a fan of crazy paving, but with our Arts & Crafts extension I have to admit it works :wink:

Mims x

 

[MikeG]

.....Mike G - have you come across this stuff before?

Only under foot. I've never actually specified it or laid it.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Ooh lovely garden pics from everyone! Doesn't it just make you think of summer days and drinks in a deckchair 8)

Thanks for the nice comments on my big fluff-balls, sadly apart from Clara and Sukey that lot were all picked off one by one over the years - the odd fox, but more often by dogs running in from the public footpath that borders my garden. I have all the fluffies in the orchard now behind electric poultry netting. It breaks my heart as they are a long way from the house, it's a special trip to go and see them. I miss their company in the garden. I'm tying to think of a pet/s that would stand up to a fox or dog and be ok wandering about, apart from dogs and cats ( already have cats). Pygmy goats are adorable but there's way too much yew in my garden that I wouldn't want to get rid of. Ducks are fabulous but I think they'd get eaten. It's impossible really.

Anyway my pics were taken a few years ago, the borders are way more lovely now but the bricks are ruined really. I need a few grand for a big York stone improvement. Another luxury on the list!

 

[plasticpigeon]

Hi Mims. Your present house and garden are very beautiful, it looks like you had a really nice starting point rather than a complete restoration to do. It is a real shame that you have decided it is not where you want to stay.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Ooh lovely garden pics from everyone! Doesn't it just make you think of summer days and drinks in a deckchair 8)

Thanks for the nice comments on my big fluff-balls, sadly apart from Clara and Sukey that lot were all picked off one by one over the years - the odd fox, but more often by dogs running in from the public footpath that borders my garden. I have all the fluffies in the orchard now behind electric poultry netting. It breaks my heart as they are a long way from the house, it's a special trip to go and see them. I miss their company in the garden. I'm tying to think of a pet/s that would stand up to a fox or dog and be ok wandering about, apart from dogs and cats ( already have cats). Pygmy goats are adorable but there's way too much yew in my garden that I wouldn't want to get rid of. Ducks are fabulous but I think they'd get eaten. It's impossible really.

Anyway my pics were taken a few years ago, the borders are way more lovely now but the bricks are ruined really. I need a few grand for a big York stone improvement. Another luxury on the list!

Blues don't ruin so easily, and I'm sure there are modern alternatives that are more vitified so spall less easily. Not on the house perhaps but maybe ideal for a path given the expense of york stone paving.

 

[Alex O]

Clay pavers is a nice idea, thanks all.

Love the pics of others' gardens. I'm planning to go Full Jekyll in the back garden when we get to it. It'll be a mini Hestercombe!

 

[Alex O]

Is crazy paving a likelihood in 1904? There are three houses in the next street which seem to be among the most preserved in the area (have lovely original windows and so on). They have the same front garden walls as us and all three have a curved, crazy paved path.

I know crazy paving was big in the 20s and 30s, but could it have been in the Manchester area as early as the Edwardian period?