Fountains and Fireplaces

A few weeks ago, on a breezy Autumn morning, we took ourselves far beyond our comfort zone once again.  This time we were in search of Vasco Henriques, a company known for its concrete fireplace surrounds and we took Bernard along with us for the ride.  It was quite a long way out of Jhb; halfway to Pretoria and near Lanseria Airport.

Below is the advert that had caught my attention in this month’s Conde Nast House & Garden magazine:

Ad in Glossy Magazine

I’m not sure what I was expecting; some sort of showroom, perhaps?  That wasn’t what I found.  After a few wrong turns we eventually found ourselves at an unassuming gateway at the start of a winding, overgrown driveway.  It didn’t look very promising but as we rounded the corner at the end, we arrived in a flourishing Highveld concrete garden. Sometimes finding the unexpected can be fascinating.

Concrete Garden on a breezy Autumn day.

Casual Display Style

It was a Sunday but they seem to have a 7 day working week.  It was a little unusual in that there didn’t appear to be any sort of office or reception area and we were welcomed by Christina who seemed to be in charge, not only of the whole operation, but of a group of workmen as well.  The magazine advertisement which was behind this excursion bore little resemblance to what we found.  Perhaps it all looks different on a week day…  Having said that, Christina was extremely helpful and appeared to know all there is to know about fireplaces and fountains.

Christina. Very knowledgeable about all ‘things concrete’.

There were many different options and after a while it became quite confusing.  Although we left feeling we knew exactly what we would eventually order, I have a strong suspicion I might have to make another expedition out there just to be sure.

Everywhere we looked there seemed to be something else to see.  The company does not confine itself to fireplace surrounds.  There was a vast selection of fountain pieces – both wall mounted or central features – and every conceivable kind of garden statuary.

Way too Ornate for us.

Better but too big.

Maybe ok with a wider mantle.

Perhaps something in between this and the previous one?

A walk further onto the property took us into a concrete jungle:

Concrete Jungle

And along one path we found a treasure trove of every sort of small garden ornament one could ever wish for:

Treasure Trove

And then we discovered the fountains….

One of a collection of fountains.

Another…

And another. I like the bullnose concrete surrounds.

So far, I have two water features planned for the new garden; both on the south side of the house.  But because I love the sound of water in a garden and the fact that flowing water attracts a variety of birds, I suspect there will be at least one additional pond or trough on the northern side.

A selection of lion – and other – fountain heads.

Bernard was very taken with the lions:

Bernard with lion giving an idea of its size.

Lion close-up

Altogether it proved to be a very interesting morning.  I love finding surprising places like that.  It would have been just that much more satisfying if there had been a good coffee shop. Having driven all the way out to the ‘countryside’  – which is a euphemism for ‘veld’ – it would have been nice to have had a place to sit and enjoy the somewhat quirky surroundings, make notes and possibly even some final decisions over coffee.

As it was, negotiating the bumpy road out again, we spotted one last fireplace surround which just happened to come closest to what we were looking for…

Close to what we’re looking for.

The proportions on this one seem better suited to our space.  Not entirely sure about the square feet.  Seems we’ll have to go back for another look.

I have been collecting photographs of water features for quite a while.  Here are a few of my favourites:

Small Water Feature

Outside the library, on the south side, there is a small, curved wall providing some screening from the driveway.  It is quite close to the French doors leading out of the library.  I plan to have a small water feature set into that wall.  Something like the one above, but the trough will need to be smaller.  And it won’t have a silver ball.

Trough with 3 Spouts.

This one (above) copied from an article in the Garden & Home magazine, caught my attention because it is more or less the same size as the water feature we are going to install against the north-facing retaining wall below the cottage.  I like the stone cladding but not the more ornate overlay.

This is my favourite.

There is still a way to go before we get to water features but the plumbing connections are ready and waiting.