The Nicholsons Garden Design Studio

Freddie’s journey to the Nicholson’s Design team started whilst on a placement year, as part of his degree in product design at Bournemouth University. Graduating with BA honours, Freddie returned to us as an enthusiastic, hardworking and creative minded designer to pick up where he left off. He worked for a while in partnership with Liz allowing her to focus more of her efforts on being managing director. Under her direct mentoring Freddie drew upon her 20 years of experience designing gardens. For the last few years he has progressed into a lead designer, working on projects ranging from Oxford townhouses, country estates, Manor houses and restorations, developing a broad skill set in garden design.

Favourite Garden – Witley Court gardens and Parkland
Why – The beautiful derelict house, reminiscent of a forgotten Blenheim, is preserved by a glory of formal gardens and ponds which help to justly restore the architecture to its magnificent past. I have fond memories of the gardens and woodlands from regular trips with my grandparents as a young child. Whilst the gardens are not actually to my taste, the many memories I have from enjoying the space with my family are very prominent. I use this as inspiration to create the same memories for my clients in their gardens.

Charles studied Landscape and Garden Design at university. After progressing through a career as a CAD Technician, Building Surveyor and then Project Manager within the Estate Management sector, he has returned to his roots by joining the Nicholsons team in 2022.
Charles works across Garden Design and Landscape Architecture projects, bringing an eye for detail and a focus on quality to both domestic and commercial projects. Charles has a passion for historic gardens and garden restoration and for sustainability and biodiversity in landscape design.

Favourite Garden – Heligan, Cornwall
Why – Probably the ultimate garden restoration project, the story of its discovery and recovery is captivating in itself, but it also focuses on the history of the gardeners, which can often be overlooked.  Add to that the fully working productive gardens and a subtropical microclimate that allows them to grow plants we wouldn’t normally see in our local area, as well as the wider Cornish landscape it sits within, makes for a unique and captivating experience that sticks in the memory and demands a re-visit.