About

WILLERBY LANDSCAPES invited us to supply landscaping boulders, climbing features and large dressed granites for the water/sand play area. The scheme was designed by JAMES CORNER of J.C. FIELD OPERATIONS, NEW YORK, and supervised by LANDSCAPE DESIGN ASSOCIATES.

Working with RIVERDALE STONE, BEDFORD and using traditional granite splitting hand techniques, the large natural, organic shaped boulders were split and dressed to the designer’s requirements. WILLERBY LANDSCAPES received the 2012 BALI award. The scheme accorded the quality “legacy”.

Designer DARREN HAWKES of DARREN HAWKES LANDSCAPES, Fowey, Cornwall, asked us to make some bespoke garden seats from our natural boulders, also some granite water channels for the same scheme. The scheme was to be his BREWIN-DOLPHIN Chelsea garden submission.

To get the seats to his liking, Darren would arrive at the end of the day for a fitting. We were delighted when Darren won the 2015 RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW GOLD MEDAL. In his search for individuality, Darren has visited us, together with his clients, to pick the right boulders for their scheme.

International sculptor GORDON YOUNG has used our granites for some of his free-standing designs.

Commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of THE FACULTY OF MUSIC, YORK UNIVERSITY, and the retirement of DAME JANET BAKER as Vice-chancellor, Gordon visited us and selected a 20- tonne menhir commemorative boulder. The finished figure, showing Gordon’s love of words and typography, was wrapped in the verse from a poem by W.B. YEATES, of Dame Janet’s favourite encore. It was unveiled by her on June 13th 2015.

Another of Gordon’s designs, to recognise the site of the original EALING FILM STUDIOS, ELIZABETH SQUARE, Ealing, used one of our larger, 14 tonne, boulders and text from the first Ealing GEORGE FORMBY film to mark the site.

From its inception we have worked with PLAY ENGLAND on the PATHFINDER programme, encouraging natural play.

Working with WANDSWORTH COUNCIL, its Play Officer, Parks Department and Play England, we created boulder play schemes in six areas of the Boroughs parks. The schemes were specifically for toddlers, where the play boulders would have one side or one end sloping for easy access.