Cattle Trough Park
Daniel Island, South Carolina

Neighborhood Park

This .8 acre triangular piece of land was intended to be viewed from all sides by motorists and to serve as a passive neighborhood park. Two 15’ by 4’ concrete cattle troughs, left over from the days of cattle farming on Daniel Island, were to be featured within the park.

One large sweetgum and several clumps of pine trees were the only existing vegetation of significance on the site. The layout takes advantage of the exiting trees with a swath of grass flowing between tree clusters toward the cattle trough fountain. The sculpting of the land and the generous addition of native trees, shrubs, meadow grasses, and ferns allow motorists to get a glimpse of the fountain through the woods, while maintaining a sense of privacy for anyone sitting in the park. Gas lanterns add to the inimacy of the setting.

Concave curved teak benches juxtaposed with convex seating walls make an interesting contrast to the straight linear lines of the cattle troughs. Spinning off of the serpentine grass swath and the curvilinear seating area is a subtle spiral pathway winding to the summit of the mounded ‘pasture.’ Balancing this landform is a spiraling stone streambed flowing out from the fountain overflow. A full-sized topiary cow planted with creeping fig leans over to drink from the cattle trough, a whimsical reference to the cattle farms of the past.