Catherine Heatherington

Catherine Heatherington is studying for a Phd in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield whilst running her garden design practice in London. Her fascination with industrial landscapes began as a child exploring the derelict hulks of boats near her home and the slag heaps of Lancashire with her ecologist grandfather. She is now taking this interest in wastelands further; her research examines how the qualities of the derelict might be incorporated into the regenerated landscape and the stakeholder responses to this type of design approach.

Catherine was brought up in the flatlands of East Anglia in the UK and it is possible to see the influence of the sweeping horizontal landscapes and vast skies in many of her designs. Her first degree is in Mathematics and as well as qualifications in Garden Design, she also has an MA in the theories of spatial design.

She is a Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers and is increasingly known for designs, both urban and rural, which take contemporary ideas into settings where they link with both architecture and the wider landscape. She has designed private gardens around the UK and several in Europe. Recent commissions include a collaboration with staff at Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg to create a large public garden in woodland which opened in 2008 and the design for a wildlife garden for the RSPB which is opening in 2011.

Catherine writes regularly for the Garden Design Journal and is the co-author of "A New Naturalism" – an exploration of naturalistic planting and its design implications – published by Packard Publishing. Her work features in many design magazines and books.

Catherine Heatherington Designs
www.chdesigns.co.uk