WOODSON & SON OAK · COMPLETED PROJECTS

Oak pergolas for outdoor cooking and a garden walkway near Peterborough

Two French oak structures, designed around the way our returning customers use their garden: cooking, entertaining and moving between the house, seating area and outdoor kitchen.

Location

North of Peterborough

Cooking-area pergola

6.4 × 3.6 m

Walkway pergola

2.4 × 3 m

Oak sections

175 × 175 mm planed French oak

A garden designed for entertaining

We had previously built a log store and bin store for these customers. When they began major refurbishments to their Grade II listed property, including extensive landscaping around the house, they asked us to return for an oak framing project.

Outdoor cooking and entertaining were central to the brief. They wanted a substantial pergola over the main barbecue and smoker area, together with an arched walkway linking the house and seating area to the cooking space and gardens.

Two structures with a shared design

The larger pergola measures 6.4 × 3.6 metres, while the smaller walkway pergola measures 2.4 × 3 metres. Both were made from 175 × 175 mm planed French oak.

Keeping the two structures at the same height created visual continuity across the garden. The matching oak sections and curved braces helped the separate areas feel connected, while the open framework retained views through the landscaped space.

Getting the oak into position

Access was one of the practical challenges. We could not bring the van close to the installation area, so the oak had to be moved around the house and through the gardens. Dolly wheels helped us transport the long sections along the route.

The 6.4-metre top beams were substantial: a full 175 × 175 mm section of green oak at that length has an estimated weight of around 200 kg per beam, depending on its moisture content and the material removed for joints.

Connecting the house and garden

The finished structures give the cooking area and walkway a common architectural detail. Their matching height and oak sections carry the design through the garden, creating a defined route between spaces used for relaxing, cooking and entertaining.