The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s. The register is managed by
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
under the provisions of the
National Heritage Act 1983
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
. Over 1,600 sites are listed, ranging from the grounds of large
stately home
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
s to small domestic gardens, as well other
designed landscapes such as town squares, public parks and cemeteries.
[Registered Parks & Gardens]
page on Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
Purpose
The register aims to "celebrate designed landscapes of note, and encourage appropriate protection",
so safeguarding the features and qualities of key landscapes for the future. It is hoped that listing sites of special interest will increase awareness of their value and encourage those who own them, or who have a part to play in their protection, to treat the sites with due care, whether this is a question of carrying out appropriate maintenance or making changes to the site.
If a park or garden has been registered using the designation process under the
National Heritage Act 1983
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
it has legal protection. Registration is a material consideration in the planning process so, following a planning application for development which would affect a registered park or garden, local planning authorities must take into account the historic interest of the site when deciding whether or not to grant permission for any changes. Although the inclusion brings no additional statutory controls in itself, English local authorities are required by government to take the protection of the historic environment into account in their policies and resource allocations. If material changes are made to a registered park or garden without having been granted planning permission first, local planning authorities may require that the changes are undone and, in extreme cases, a prosecution may result.
The register is also used in influencing management decisions, to improve public awareness of important parks and elements within them and to encourage their owners to preserve and maintain them. Gardening and landscape design have long been important preoccupations to the British and, although a wealth of historic parks and gardens exist, they are a fragile and finite resource: they can easily be damaged beyond repair or lost forever.
Since 1995, the
Garden History Society
The Garden History Society was an organisation in the United Kingdom established to study the history of gardening and to protect historic gardens. In 2015 it became The Gardens Trust, having merged with the Association of Gardens Trusts.
It was f ...
has been a statutory consultee in relation to planning proposals which affect historic designed landscapes identified by Historic England as being of national significance and which are included on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. This means that when a planning authority receives a planning application which affects a site on the Register, or the setting of such a site, the planning authority must consult the Garden History Society. This applies to registered sites of all grades. In addition,
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
must be consulted where a planning proposal affects a site which is included on the Register at Grade I or Grade II*.
Register
An online searchable register of all registered parks and gardens that are legally protected through the designation system, has been incorporated into the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...
currently available through the Historic England website. This shows the relevant list entry which describes the park or garden, and shows where it is on a map. Not all designated parks and gardens are open to the public.
Information on historic parks and gardens can also be searched online via ''Parks & Gardens UK'' (a partnership between the
Association of Gardens Trusts and the
University of York
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
). This site does not claim to have any statutory authority and includes a wider range of sites across the UK.
Eligibility
Eligibility for the register is based around
documentary research
Documentary research is the use of outside sources, documents, to support the viewpoint or argument of an academic work. The process of documentary research
Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of ...
and field survey which attempts to classify and date each park according to set criteria. These are:
*Parks and gardens with a main phase of development prior to 1750 even when only a small part is still evident.
*Sites with a main phase of development dating to between 1750 and 1820 where enough of the park or garden's landscape survives to reflect the original design.
*Sites with a main phase of development between 1820 and 1880 which is deemed important and survives relatively intact.
*Sites with a main phase of development between 1880 and 1939 where this is of high importance and survives intact.
*Sites with a main phase of development laid out since the Second World War, but are more than 30 years old, where the park or garden is of exceptional importance.
*Sites influential in the development of
taste
The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...
whether through repute or literary references.
*Sites which are early or representative examples of a style of layout, or type, or the work of a landscape architect of national importance.
*Sites with an association with significant people or historical events.
*Sites with strong group value, as with some
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s.
As with listed buildings, parks and gardens are graded on a scale, Grade I being internationally significant sites are therefore the most important and constitute around 10% of the total number. Historically important gardens are Grade II* (about 30% of the total) and the remainder are of regional or national importance and are Grade II registered.
Other parts of the United Kingdom
Separate registers of parks, gardens and designed landscapes are maintained in the other
countries of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), since 1922, comprises three constituent countries and a region: England, Scotland, and Wales (which collectively make up the region of Great Britain), as well as Nor ...
:
* The
Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is maintained by
Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...
* The
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
The ''Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland'' is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a conti ...
is maintained by
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...
* The
is maintained by the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is an executive agency within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). It is responsible for conservation of Northern Ireland's environment and natural heritage.
Origi ...
See also
*
*
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
*
List of English Heritage properties
English Heritage is a registered charity that manages the National Heritage Collection. This comprises over 400 of England's historic buildings, monuments, and sites spanning more than 5,000 years of history. It has direct ownership over some hist ...
*
List of heritage registers
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
*
Historic garden conservation
Historic garden conservation is a specialised type of historic preservation and conservation or restoration concerned with historical and landmark gardens and designed landscapes.
Profession
Practitioners predominantly come from backgrounds in ho ...
References
External links
*{{Official, http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/
National Database by Parks and Gardens UKHistoric England: Registered Parks and GardensCadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in WalesGuide to historic garden and heritage conservationGarden History Society
.
National Heritage List for England
Listed parks and gardens in the United Kingdom
Gardens in England
Parks in England
Heritage registers in England
Historic England
Garden design history of England
Government agencies established in 1983
1983 establishments in England