Gardens and driveways for Chislehurst’s period houses and cottages and the 1930s homes towards Mottingham: a terrace that suits the house, planting that suits the trees, and a drive that’s easy to come home to.
Chislehurst is a village that kept its green. Local residents fought to save Chislehurst and St Paul’s Cray commons from gravel digging and building, and an Act of 1888 has protected them ever since.
Much of the village has been a conservation area since 1971, around 596 hectares of it, with listed houses, cottages and terraces among the trees. In Mottingham, the London County Council built a large cottage estate, its first houses finished in 1935.
Gardens here sit among mature trees and close to woodland and common, which is why work in Chislehurst needs a lighter touch and a close eye on the rules.
Big plots under mature trees, inside the conservation area. Terraces, paths and planting that suit the house and keep the leafy character of the road.
Smaller gardens with history. Brick, stone and planting that look right next to a listed neighbour, with access planned around narrow paths.
Front gardens ready to become driveways, side returns to open up, and back gardens with room for a proper family layout.
Chislehurst stands on high ground, much of it London Clay, with pebbly sands and gravels on the commons and chalk deep below, which is what the caves were dug from. Clay holds water and moves with the seasons; the sandier ground near the commons is dry and acidic.
Chislehurst falls under the London Borough of Bromley. We check every design against the rules before we quote, and manage any applications for you.
Complete makeovers for Chislehurst’s larger plots, planned around the trees and the house.
Terraces in porcelain or natural stone, built on a deep base for Chislehurst clay.
Driveways that suit the street, with the dropped-kerb application handled.
Privacy for back gardens, built within Bromley’s height limits.
The places that shape how Chislehurst looks, and often inspire the gardens we build here.
Around 190 acres of common saved by local residents and protected by an Act of 1888. The two largest ponds are left from old gravel digging.
Some 22 miles of tunnels dug to mine chalk and flint, used nightly as an air-raid shelter in the Second World War.
A Grade II* house finished in 1717, home in exile to Napoleon III, and the clubhouse of Chislehurst Golf Club since 1894.
Once the estate of the Walsingham family, now a nature reserve, with the ruins of the old house still visible.
Pale stone-effect paving and paths around a traditional brick house, bordered by lawn and raised stone features.
A light paved courtyard and path beside a natural-stone house, with stone-clad raised beds and planted borders.
A broad pale-grey terrace beside the house with a raised perimeter and steps down to the lower garden.
“My husband and I are very pleased with the job that was done on the landscaping in front of our new home. I recommend this company without hesitation. The guys were always friendly and communicated everything with us as they went along. It is beautiful to see when we pull into our driveway everyday. Thank you so much and keep up the good work.”
“Guaranteed Great Gardens built the concrete walls around our house. They did the job with great care and precision. Their professionalism and quality were evident at every step. I am truly pleased with their work. I will definitely choose them again if I have to do a similar job in the future.”
Work on most trees needs six weeks’ notice to the council, and changes at the front should respect the character of the street. Most back-garden work goes ahead as normal. We’ll flag anything that needs consent before we quote.
Not usually. We check first whether the tree is protected or in the conservation area, then design the base and levels to avoid damaging the roots. If any work on the tree is needed, we’ll tell you what notice or consent applies.
Not usually, if it’s permeable or drains into the garden. More than 5m² of non-permeable surface in a front garden needs planning permission, and a new or widened dropped kerb needs a separate crossover application to Bromley Council. We design to avoid the first and handle the second for you.
Yes. We protect floors and hallways and plan deliveries carefully.
Book a free design visit. We’ll talk about how you want to use your garden or drive, and what the ground and the rules mean for it.
Your enquiry is with our design team. We’ll be in touch within one working day to book your free visit.