Ponds and water features

Water in the garden, built to live

Water is the specialism here. From a quiet wildlife pond to a pondless waterfall, a koi pond or a natural swimming pond you can get into, we design and build water features as living ecosystems rather than lined holes that turn green by July. Tom is a Certified Aquascape Contractor, which makes this a genuine area of expertise and some of the most technical, and most rewarding, work we do.

The Aquascape ecosystem approach

We build to the Aquascape ecosystem method, the recognised system for natural water features. It treats the pond as a small ecosystem and balances a handful of things working together: circulation, aeration, filtration, the rock and gravel that house the beneficial bacteria, and the planting. Get those right and the water stays clear and alive with no chemistry doing the job. It is the difference between a feature that looks after itself and one you fight all summer.

The water we build

• Wildlife ponds, planted to draw in dragonflies, frogs and birds, and to look right in the setting all year.
• Pondless waterfalls, where moving water disappears into a reservoir of stone. No standing water, low maintenance, and safe around children, with all the sound and movement.
• Koi ponds, designed with the depth, filtration and circulation that keep fish healthy through the year.
• Natural swimming ponds, a pool and a garden in one, kept clean by plants rather than chlorine. This is the flagship of the range.

The ground decides the build

A water feature is built for the ground it sits in, and across North Wiltshire, the Cotswolds and the Cotswold Water Park that ground changes within a few miles. On the gravels around the Water Park the water table sits close to the surface, which is exactly why ponds thrive there and why the build plans for a table that rises through winter. On the Oxford clay of the vale the ground holds water and moves, so the structure is built to take it. On free-draining Cotswold limestone the considerations are different again. We survey the ground before anything is drawn, and choose liner or concrete to suit it.

Built and planted properly

A pond is a permanent piece of construction, and most of the craft is below the waterline: the excavation, the structure, the circulation and filtration installed and concealed, the edges set true. Then the planting goes in and the feature comes into its own across its first season as the biology settles. We hand it over knowing how it works, and we are at the end of the phone afterwards.

Talk to us about water in your garden

Whether you want a quiet wildlife pond or a natural pond to swim in, the first step is a conversation about your garden and your ground. Arrange a consultation and we will tell you honestly what suits your plot.

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  Garden design and build

  One firm to design your garden and build it, from survey and drawings through to the finished space.

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  Planting and soft landscaping

  Planting schemes that suit the soil and the setting, planted to establish, not just to look good on handover day.

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  Waterside decking, Cotswold Water Park

  Waterside and lakeside decking around the Cotswold Water Park lakes, built for the setting and the conditions.

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Source: Gardenscape. Figures as of 2026-06-02.

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Drone footage of a large natural pond and rockery stream at a country-house garden, designed and built by Gardenscape in North Wiltshire.

• What kinds of ponds and water features do you build?

  Wildlife ponds, pondless waterfalls, koi ponds and natural swimming ponds. As a Certified Aquascape Contractor we build them as living ecosystems, designed for the ground they sit in and planted to establish.

• Which water feature is safest around young children?

  A pondless waterfall. The water circulates into a reservoir of stone, so there is no open standing water, but you keep all the sound and movement. It is also one of the lowest-maintenance options.

• How do you keep pond water clear without chemicals?

  By balancing the ecosystem: circulation, aeration, filtration, the rock and gravel that house beneficial bacteria, and the planting. Together they strip out the nutrients that feed algae, so the water stays clear with nothing added.

• Can you build a pond on clay or high ground water?

  Yes. Clay holds water but moves as it wets and dries, and around the Water Park the water table sits high. We survey the ground first and build to suit it, choosing liner or concrete and planning for seasonal water levels.

• Do garden ponds need planning permission?

  Most do not, but a large pond or natural swimming pond can, depending on size, levels and location, and designated land tightens the rules. Protected wildlife such as great crested newts can also affect what is allowed. We flag what applies before we start.

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  Chippenham

  Wiltshire

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