Gardens and driveways for Purley’s Edwardian garden-village houses and spacious interwar homes: level ground to sit out on, a lawn that copes with the slope, and a drive that’s easy to come home to.
Purley sits where Croydon meets the North Downs. It shared an urban district with Coulsdon from 1915, and joined the London Borough of Croydon in 1965.
Between 1903 and 1925 William Webb built the Webb Estate and Upper Woodcote Village as a garden village, planting the landscape before the houses so the trees would be mature when people moved in. Purley then grew quickly in the 1920s and 1930s, with spacious homes in a green setting.
The result is a town of big plots, mature trees and sloping ground, where a garden repays being planned properly.
Low-density plots and specimen trees in two conservation areas. Gardens that keep the open, green character and work for modern family life.
Generous plots, often on a slope. Level terraces by the house, steps down to the lawn, and planting that suits the chalk.
Front gardens ready to become driveways, side returns to open up, and back gardens with room for a proper family layout.
Purley sits on the chalk of the North Downs, cut by dry valleys. Chalk drains freely, and on sloping plots the levels matter as much as the materials.
Purley falls under the London Borough of Croydon. We check every design against the rules before we quote, and manage any applications for you.
Complete makeovers for Purley’s bigger plots, with the levels, lawn and planting planned as one project.
Level terraces for sloping gardens, built on a firm base with run-off planned in.
Driveways that make coming home easier, with Croydon crossover applications handled.
Boundaries and privacy built within the height limits, including on sloping ground.
The places that shape how Purley looks, and often inspire the gardens we build here.
Chalk grassland bought by the City of London in 1883 to keep it open, now part of the South London Downs National Nature Reserve.
Taken over for Kenley Aerodrome in the First World War, with its northern half later returned as open downland.
An Edwardian garden village whose trees were planted before its houses, now a conservation area.
A road lined with Lombardy poplars, with a First World War memorial set in soil brought from Armentières.
A broad pale-grey terrace beside the house with a raised perimeter and steps down to the lower garden.
A grey patio connected to a raised lawn by broad steps, with white rendered planters and boundary fencing.
Pale stone-effect paving and paths around a traditional brick house, bordered by lawn and raised stone features.
“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.”
Usually not for the drive itself, if it’s permeable or drains into the garden. The dropped kerb is separate: any crossover onto a public road needs Croydon Council’s approval, and on a classified road or in a conservation area it needs planning permission too. We check which applies before we quote.
Yes. We use terraces, steps and retaining walls to create level areas, and keep any raised platform within the 30cm limit or apply for permission where it can’t be.
No, it just shapes the choice. Chalk is free-draining and alkaline, so we pick plants that like those conditions and improve the soil where beds need it.
The Webb Estate and Upper Woodcote Village are conservation areas, so work on most trees needs six weeks’ notice to the council and a new crossover needs planning permission. We’ll flag anything that needs consent before we quote.
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.