Specimen shrub for small North West facing town garden

We've got wind. We have a very small, town garden on a hill overlooking the Bristol Channel. It faces North West and has raised beds built  from stone and brick. In one of these I would like to plant  something with  some height (up to 3 metres max), that will tolerate afternoon sun (it has been very hot this year ), but also cope with the wind when it blows. I would have loved an acer but won't risk it and I'm not keen on hydrangeas which  I know cope well in this area. The bed s about a metre high, a metre deep and one and a half metres wide. The air isn't salty.....phew! If you can offer any advice I would be very grateful. Thank you.