should I restore this 1930s/50s paved garden?

[PixieGio]

I am in the planning stage of what to do with the gardens at the 3 bed semi we've recently bought. I'd like to clean it up and bring it back to life and plant some lovely flowers and herbs. We think it's original to the house. Any thoughts on this? Would it put off potential buyers? Has anyone else got a garden like this? It's the only one left on the street and I kind of really like it. It's got a mini tower like water feature and there's a similar set up in the back too. The back needs a bit more work than the front. We live behind a huge Victorian park so no shortage of grass. Is it worth restoring? Thanks

[gleam]

That's a lovely feature - so much potential.

[funnyperson]

It is a lovely little front garden rare these days. You can keep the layout and make your own planting

[PixieGio]

Thanks to both! I actually stumbled upon a photo when we viewed the house and in the photo was a couple of kids playing in the garden and it was gleaming and looked beautiful. I've searched and searched for photos of similar gardens but can't find any! I'm waiting for a reasonably sunny day to start clearing it up as It's covered in moss right now. The whole house is pretty much in its original state bar a few 1970s add ons, I love it!

[gleam]

Ooh I'd love to see the photo if you don't mind posting it?

Did you watch the TV series 'Front Gardens' when it was on? They had some lovely ones on there. I particularly liked the semi-paved versions - it seems to suit front gardens imo.

[shovetheholly]

I'm in Sheffield, and there is a National Garden Scheme garden near me that is an original layout - I think it's 1930s. The owners have also restricted themselves largely to plants that were available at that time. It's a really lovely idea in a lot of ways and it can really work. I like the layout of what you have, and it looks like there are a lot of plants in there already that are doing well, so why not go for it?

There's a website here, but it's a bit eccentric - you have to dig down to get an idea of what he's done. www.poptasticdave.co.uk/_/NGS.html

[traviata]

That really suits the house. What are the paths/ paved areas made of? They look a bit like crazy paving/concrete in the photo? If so, the only thing I would do is to replace them with some other hard surface. Cobblestones maybe. However this is just a matter of taste.

[PixieGio]

I believe it is crazy paving (sorry, I had to look it up!). I'm going to check that link out now, thank you Shove! I didn't see that show but I'm going to look now. The photo was taken with the house unfortunately (it was a lovely photo). My 18 month old will love it when I've cleaned it up and planted a few flowers in there. Thanks!