Landscape record 0638101000 - Gardens at Heatherden Hall

Gardens originally constructed in 1870 when the house was built by Charles Reeks. In the 1930's the hall became the offices for Pinewood Studios. A more formal garden layout was constructed in 1932 which incorporated walks, water features and parterres. Recent APs show that parterres and formal gardens are still intact and well defined (B2).
Pulhamite work installed in early 20th century. Mentioned in James Pulham & Son's catalogue 'Hardy Herbaceous and Alpine Plants' of about 1930s (B3).
The complex formal and informal gardens for a mid‐late C19 villa which was substantially enlarged in the early C20 when the gardens were re‐designed with the addition of a lake, fountain and grotto by the notable landscape firm James Pulham & Sons. The house and gardens were retained as the core of the renowned Pinewood Film Studios, which opened in 1936 as a country club and for film locations. The garden retains much of the historic character and detailed layout established by the 1930s including hedges, sculpture, mature ornamental trees and other planting. (See report for detail)(B5).
Pulhamite work installed between 1902-1905 for Lt Colonel Grant Morden (B6).

The formal gardens to Heatherden Hall were laid out between 1902 and 1905 by the owner Grant Morden, MP for Cheswick, as part of a general enlargement and refurbishment of the house and estate. Morden commissioned James Pulham III (1845-1920) of James Pulham and Son, a garden landscaping company, to lay out the gardens. Features attributed to Pulham include balustrading along the terrace at the back of the house which is very similar to that illustrated in the 'Garden Ornament Catalogue' published by James Pulham and Son in 1925. The house also has a set of gargoyle figures and faces which Claude Hitching identified as possible Pulham products. Hitching has also identified many Pulhamite garden features including an ornamental fountain, garden seat, ornamental lake lined with rocky banks and a boat cave, and an ornamental balustrated bridge which spans the lake. The bridge is very similar to one featured in the 'Garden Ornament Catalogue' as the 'Kingswood Balustrade'. In 1934 the estate was purchased by Charles Boot, who within a year had transformed Heatherden Hall into the offices of a film studio built within grounds and known as Pinewood Film Studios (B7).