Family Tree
Grounds Maintenance & Construction
Garden maintenance, patios, decking and fencing in Watlington, from a family business about six and a half miles south-west in Wallingford.
Watlington is about six and a half miles north-east of our base in Wallingford, around twenty minutes by road. The town centre is just outside the Chilterns National Landscape, but most of the parish is inside it.
We cover the town and the villages around it, with the full range of work: patios, decking and garden builds; mowing, hedges and lawns; and fencing and gates.
Patios · decking · garden builds
New patios, paths and decking, plus sleeper beds, brickwork and full garden makeovers. Expect alkaline, chalky ground in the town, which may be heavier to the west, where Head is mapped over the chalk.
More on constructionMowing · hedges · clearance
Regular regular mowing and hedge-cutting, plus weeding and clearances, as an ongoing contract or a one-time job, plus new lawns — turf, seed or artificial grass. In the Watlington Conservation Area, tree work needs six weeks’ notice to the council first.
More on garden maintenanceCloseboard · panels · gates
Closeboard and panel fencing, gates and post and rail, for gardens and for land. New fences up to two metres, or one metre next to a road, usually need no planning permission; in a conservation area, taking an old one down might.
More on fencingAround Watlington we also cover Pyrton to the north, Shirburn to the north-east, Britwell Salome to the south-west and Christmas Common to the south-east.
We cover Chalgrove and Benson too, both nearer to our base in Wallingford, which is about six and a half miles away.
Amazing job done by the team on my old weathered fence. Great work completed by a friendly & professional team. Any future work needed on my estate Family Tree will be my first call. I would recommend to anyone! Thanks again Jamie, Rylie and the team! Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value
Great job done by Family Tree Grounds Maintenance & Construction. Very professional, polite, friendly and hard working. Thank you, guys, I would recommend to everyone and would use again.
Really pleased with Jamie and his team for sorting out my garden, would highly recommend.
West Melbury Marly Chalk · Head
The map puts Watlington on West Melbury Marly Chalk — soft, marly chalk, as the British Geological Survey describes it. Within half a kilometre to the west, Head is mapped over it — mixed clay, silt, sand and gravel washed downslope.
Expect alkaline, chalky ground, which may be heavier where the Head is present. Many chalky soils are shallow and free-draining, the RHS notes, but where there’s clay they hold more water.
Watlington · Pyrton · Shirburn · Chilterns
The town centre is in the Watlington Conservation Area, and the Pyrton and Shirburn conservation areas are within a kilometre. Inside one, tree work needs six weeks’ notice to the council (small trees — under 75 mm in diameter at 1.5 m high — are exempt), and even taking down an existing fence, wall or gate might need permission.
The centre is just outside the Chilterns National Landscape, about 350 metres from the boundary, but about 82% of the parish is inside it. Both count as designated land, so an outbuilding beside the house falls outside permitted development and needs planning permission; inside the National Landscape, outbuildings more than 20 metres from the house are also limited to 10 square metres in total.
Sources: British Geological Survey, Natural England and planning.data.gov.uk (open data); the Planning Portal, GOV.UK and the RHS. The Planning Portal is a guide — your council has the final word for your address.
Yes. Watlington is about six and a half miles from Wallingford, where we’re based — around twenty minutes by road. If you’re out in one of the villages, ring or WhatsApp 07736 650477 and ask.
The town centre is just outside it, but about 82% of Watlington parish is inside. If your address is, garden buildings have tighter limits: one at the side of the house needs planning permission, and ones more than 20 metres from the house are limited to 10 square metres in total.
Yes — the town is mapped on soft, marly chalk, so expect alkaline soil. To the west, Head — a mix of clay, silt, sand and gravel — is mapped over the chalk, and the ground may be heavier there.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch — by phone, WhatsApp or email, or through the enquiry form on our home page.
Use the enquiry form