Your Top 10 Garden Temple Design Questions, Answered

Elegant and versatile, classical temples are charming stone structures that can truly enhance a garden or landscape.  They add effortless style, whilst offering superb panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, lawn or garden.  They can even provide an exceptional seating area in which to relax.

In our latest blog, we help you discover more about these timeless stone garden designs.  Here we answer the ten most common garden cast temple design questions you ask our team.

1. What is a garden temple?

Classical cast stone temples are charming garden buildings which give superb panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, lawn or garden.  Inspired by the Ionic Roman temples of 750 BC, they are equally fitting in classical, traditional and even modern gardens and landscapes today.

Chosen to enhance residential gardens and the landscapes of stately homes, hotels and spas around the world, garden temples add an effortless, classical style.  They can be incorporated into a design scheme to draw the eye towards a key focal point, provide an elegant outside seating area, or even to showcase a treasured statue or water feature.

Classical temples can be created using a combination of architectural components including balustrading, columns, flooring and steps.  Generally, these components are made from natural or cast stone materials, the latter offering lots of flexibility in terms of design, and affordability.

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2. What are the benefits of a garden temple and how can it be used?

There are countless benefits to choosing a garden temple for your landscape.  Firstly, they offer an elegant, sheltered space to dine and entertain family and friends throughout the warmer months.  And when not being used during the winter, they make the ideal outside structure to showcase a statement statue, a relaxing water feature, or even an elegant Christmas tree!

Garden temples also add structural beauty to gardens and landscapes of all sizes and are perfect if you want to add an elegant garden building to your outside space without the grandeur and investment of a larger orangery.

As garden cast temples are effectively ‘open’ on all sides without ‘walls’, thanks to them being constructed of columns, they provide unobstructed views of your landscape from any angle.

Moreover, garden temples are surprisingly affordable and as they are bespoke, can be made to order in a choice of sizes, colours and designs to suit your personal preference.  You can view our range here.

3. How does a garden temple differ from other garden buildings?

There are many types of garden buildings to choose from, each with their own benefits, depending on what you are looking for.

Both equally impressive in design, garden temples and Belvederes are ideal if you are looking for a simple, elegant and practical garden building design that offers the perfect space for dining, entertaining or simply retreating to a quiet spot in the garden.

A garden temple is usually round in design, constructed from four or more stone columns and will be crowned by a beautiful fibreglass or metal dome.

In contrast a Belvedere is usually square in plan and constructed of balustrades, columns, architrave and cornice. Both designs are usually finished with elegant temple flooring.

Stone pavilions and orangeries are generally considered more ‘imposing’ than garden temples and Belvederes.  They offer all the benefits of a garden temple or Belvederes, but with the added bonus of providing more shelter and aesthetic clout.

A stone pavilion is generally square or rectangular in plan, constructed with at least one wall (usually to the back of the design) and surmounted by a significant architrave.

Finally, a quality orangery is usually constructed of stone with glass panelling and a glazed roof and more often than not is used as traditional ‘green houses’, or as a continuation of the architecture of the home.  Find out more about choosing an orangery in this useful blog.

Garden building designs by Haddonstone below (left to right); Belvedere; Orangery; Pavilion.

belvedere

4. Do you need planning permission for a garden temple?

Whilst planning permission is unlikely to be needed before installing a garden cast temple, it is wise to seek advice from your local planning authority first.

Haddonstone garden temples are over 2.5 metres at their highest point and as any buildings over this height cannot be positioned within 2 metres of your boundary, it is always best to check before planning and starting installation.

For more information on the UK planning permission regulations visit the UK Government website.

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5. What is the best flooring for a garden temple?

As garden temples are open on all sides and likely to receive a lot of foot traffic, their flooring should be hard-wearing and practical.  We therefore recommend against the use of tiles, wood or vinyl flooring inside any garden building design as these will more than likely succumb to weathering over time.

A robust alternative is natural or cast stone temple flooring, both of which can easily be designed to fit any garden temple shape and size.

As well as being frost-proof, both natural and cast stone temple flooring can easily be cleaned to keep that brand new appearance for longer.  Available in a range of colours to complement your garden temple, natural and cast stone temple flooring can also be created with or without a step, offering versatility and choice.

6. How much does a garden temple cost?

This all depends on the size, scale, features and your preferred design.  As a bespoke garden building, the price of producing and installing a one-of-a-kind garden temple design is on application.

However, at Haddonstone we offer four beautiful garden temple design options, ranging from our small, simple and stylish garden temples starting at just over £7,000 and available with or without balustrading, to our larger Classical temple available at just over £13,000. The fibreglass domes and flooring can be sold separately.

For more details about Haddonstone’s range of garden temple design options, contact our friendly and expert team to discuss your project and for a personalised estimate.

7. Will a garden temple add value to my garden?

Just like adding a high-quality orangery to your home, a garden temple can add value to your garden.  Whilst the cost of adding a garden temple isn’t cheap, it is a more affordable garden building and its practicality and long-term value of owning a garden temple will certainly outweigh the costs.

As a rough guide, a quality conservatory costing up to £10,000 could increase the value of your property by up to 10%.  So, we believe adding a high-quality garden temple will undoubtedly add significant long-term value to your property.

8. How do I install a garden temple?

Choosing and installing a garden temple that will perfectly work with your landscape scheme does not have to be complicated. In fact, an experienced garden temple manufacturer will walk you through the process of choosing your garden temple step by step.  They will provide you with easy-to-understand drawings, therefore ensuring that you are 100% happy with your chosen design before you take the plunge.

Then it’s over to the installation and this is also much more straightforward than you might think. All you will need to do is commission a professional specialist installer.  The highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced team at Haddonstone can assist you in choosing an installer in your area.

What’s more, our standard cast temples can be ordered with a lightweight glass fibre dome, available in a lead-effect finish.  For ease of installation, these are supplied in sections for your installer to put together easily and without hassle.

Alternatively, if you choose one of our balustraded temples, our decorative wrought iron temple dome with delicate scrollwork will complement perfectly and is again easy and straightforward to install by a professional.

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9. Top tips when considering adding a garden temple

As a significant project, choosing the right garden temple design is paramount.  Here are our four top tips when choosing your orangery:

Scale

Carefully consider the size, style and scope of your garden or landscape scheme.  A thoughtfully, well-designed garden temple should create an elegant and practical focal point that harmonises with the landscape, rather than overpower it.  The perfect garden temple design should also provide enough space for relaxing and entertaining, without encroaching too much and therefore decreasing the size of your garden.

Design

One of the most important choices you’ll make.  Different balustrading, steps, flooring and dome designs can all be combined to achieve the perfect ‘look’.

Materials

Always choose high-quality materials from reputable manufacturers.

Permission

Ensure you have the correct planning permission before you start and factor this into your budget.

10. How can I add personality to my garden temple?

Five really easy ways to inject some personality to your garden temple:

  1. Statues: Showcase a statement statue or bust inside your garden cast temple. For maximum impact, elevate on a complementary plinth or pedestal.
  2. Water features: Create a relaxing sanctuary inside your garden temple by installing a self-contained water feature.
  3. Lighting: Add ambiance to your garden temple with thoughtfully selected lanterns, candles and string lights.
  4. Seating: Choose the perfect dining table and chairs or opt for relaxed seating designs.
  5. Planting: Soften and enhance your garden temple by planting around its circumference, and by adding pots, planters and urns with a range of your favourite shrubs, bedding plants and even small trees.
So why not take the first step to creating a new, beautiful and versatile garden temple for your outside space?  Contact our friendly, experienced team for a free consultation.

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Whether you’re working on a private residential or large commercial project, or if you are interested in home and garden products, our friendly and expert team are happy to discuss your requirements.

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