About Hadspen Parabola
Excerpts from research document conducted by FOA
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The walled garden was the former vegetable garden for the Hadspen Estate, which was established in the late 1600s. On the surrounding grounds are several small support facilities for the garden as well as a private library. The walled garden is located in a well-protected, topographic pocket that sits in the middle of walkable woodlands. To the south of the garden, the trees give way to sheep pastures.
Existing topographic survey
The shape of the walled garden is closely described by an ellipse which was perhaps designated as the form of the garden for its relationship to the sun’s path.
Topography: Object in the Landscape
The wooded hill to the east is one of the few places where an overview of the garden is afforded. Both from the inside and the exterior, the wall is a dynamic element following the topography. In contrast to the hard edge the “D” plan portrays on paper, the straight portion of the wall is nearly imperceptible in site. The bare outer surface of the wall displays its materiality and reveals the undulating topography.
Grid: Variations extrinsic
Preliminary pattern investigations sought to develop a system for organizing the garden with non-periodic repetition. Multidirectional tiling patterns were tested against the oval perimeter of the walled garden and at various scales of the modules. Programmatic diversity could be supported while adhering to a pervasive underlying order.
Preliminary grid variations adopted the maximum permissible slope of 1:20. Spacings were based on different criteria - formal evenness, water management strategies of subdividing as the slope descends, or parterre dimension.
To promote a continuous movement, a network of bifurcating paths reduces the number of choices inherent in a uniform grid where each node has multiple paths crossing. The geometry of the grid distorted to accommodate the topography allows for paths to diverge smoothly through the elimination of particular segments determined incidental to the main path and the perimeter path.
Grid: Bifurcation
Grid: Switches
The ‘switch’ is a means of closing paths which can allow the gardener to direct visitors along certain routes or to those areas with particular plants in prime. By closing a set of paths, the massing of the garden is altered. The garden is thereby able to create different types of experiences - whether by seasonal growth or by the gardeners’ design.