New Temple, Hampshire

White Eagle Lodge is an international spiritual organisation offering workshops, teachings and retreats. We worked closely with James Gorst Architects to create a coherent landscape for New Temple set in the South Downs.

An ordered axial geometry informs the design, with interiors and exteriors working harmoniously together as a flowing sequence of spaces connected to nature and the energies of the wider landscape. Axes radiate beyond the Temple into the landscape to create a series of transitional spaces and experiences. Woodland copses and a chalk meadow give way to an ornamental meadow of grasses and perennials which provide colour and movement. Throughout, planting creates framed views of the Temple from various vantage points.

An emphasis on circulation and the arrival sequence for visitors is addressed with a series of appropriately coloured, circular Chakra gardens, set along the main route. The courtyard garden closest to the Temple offers a more intimate scale to support contemplation and meditation.