A few meters through the dense shrubbery lay a secret grotto that he had fashioned earlier that month
inside yew and hazel hedgings and a few coppiced beeches, scooping dirt with his dry hands and charily snapping twigs.
The dining area is in the new extension, which has opened out the interior, creating a fluid link between the
inside and the garden, where the
yew hedge has been scaled back to let in more light.