Service
Retaining walls
Engineered retaining walls that hold ground and drain properly, faced in stone to suit the garden.
In short
What does Gardenscape mean by retaining walls?
Engineered retaining walls that hold ground and drain properly, faced in stone to suit the garden.
Retaining walls, engineered to hold
A retaining wall does a serious job: it holds back ground, and ground exerts real, constant force, made worse by water building up behind it. A retaining wall that is treated as a decorative afterthought bulges, leans and eventually fails. We build them as the engineered structures they are, then face them in stone to suit the garden.
The part you never see
What keeps a retaining wall standing is below ground and behind the face. We build proper foundations sized for the height and the load, and, crucially, we drain the wall: a drainage layer and outlets behind it so water cannot build up and push it over. Skip that drainage and even a well-built wall will fail in time. It is the most common reason retaining walls go wrong.
Faced to suit the garden
Once the structure is right, the facing makes it part of the garden: matched Cotswold stone for a period setting, other stone or finishes for a contemporary one. A good retaining wall reads as a considered garden feature, not an engineering necessity.
Turning a slope into usable space
Retaining is what turns a slope into usable terraces, which is some of our most rewarding work, particularly on the sloping plots around Malmesbury and the vale. Arrange a consultation and we will look at the levels and what they need.
Sibling disciplines
Also within this craft
- 01
Dry stone walling
Dry-stone walls built and repaired in the traditional way, in local stone, no mortar, no shortcuts.
Read - 02
Cotswold stone walling
Garden and boundary walls in Cotswold stone, built to sit right with the local vernacular.
Read - 03
Garden walls
Boundary and feature garden walls, built and faced to last and to match the property.
Read - 04
Dry stone wall repair
Repair and rebuilding of collapsed, bulging or failing dry stone walls, in matched local stone.
Read - 05
Ha-ha walls
Bespoke ha-ha walls: a sunken retaining wall that keeps an uninterrupted view while holding stock or marking a boundary.
Read
Cost context
Indicative ranges
Figures are relative, not quotations. Each scheme is priced after a survey of access, levels, drainage and finish standard.
| What changes the cost |
|---|
| ground load and height |
| drainage behind the wall |
| foundations |
| facing material |
Source: Gardenscape. Figures as of 2026-06-03.
Common questions
Common questions
Usually the foundations or the drainage behind them. Held-back ground and trapped water exert real force, so a retaining wall needs proper foundations and a drainage layer behind it. Skip those and it bulges and fails.
Yes, always. Water building up behind a retaining wall is what pushes it over, so we build in a drainage layer and outlets behind it. It is the single most important and most often skipped detail.
Yes. We build the structure to hold, then face it in matched Cotswold or other stone to suit the garden, so it reads as a considered feature rather than an engineering job.
It can need permission depending on its height and position, and designated land tightens the rules. We confirm what applies to your plot before we start.
Arrange a consultation
Send a few photographs and a sentence about the site. We will reply personally.