Historic Landscape Project - Conservation through Partnership

It's new! It's informative! It's interactive!
It can help answer your burning CGT questions!

Enter the CGT Web Forum created to enable CGTs to exchange ideas and experiences, download presentations and materials, and generally have your say. It’s now even easier to register – just follow the instructions on the Forum.

We look forward to hearing your views and suggestions!

NOW on the Forum: download course materials and handouts for our training course
Researching a Site for Local Listing; follow links to look at a new funding stream from
the Heritage Lottery Fund; post your comments on the new guidance for CGTs on
exchanging information with Natural England; and consider: should we be tweeting..?

Welcome to the Historic Landscape Project for the Southeast

SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS OF OUR FORTHCOMING TRAINING
This FREE training has been developed to build on the knowledge and skills of CGT volunteers in the south east region to get more actively involved in their Trust's conservation activities.
NEW DATES FOR 2012 TRAINING and REGIONAL FORUM ANNOUNCED!

The southeast region has a wealth of historic designed gardens and parkland. 368 parks and gardens are on the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, but there are at least 3000 more identifiable designed landscapes of great variety and significance which deserve to be better understood, recorded, protected and enjoyed. Sadly these are frequently under threat from such forces as development, intensification of agriculture, multiple ownership, and insensitive management. 24 of the region’s registered landscapes are on the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ Register, that’s 24% of those considered at high risk nationwide.

The Historic Landscape Project aims to support the network of county gardens trust volunteers in the south east to get more involved in conservation and research initiatives, enabling the trusts to contribute to greater protection of our historic designed landscapes.
We’re working closely with English Heritage and Natural England, and increasing our work with local authorities across the region, as well as The Garden History Society and Parks and Gardens UK.

Verena McCaig, the AGT’s Historic Landscape Project Officer, is leading the project and would be very pleased to answer your questions, hear your ideas, or work with your county gardens trust to develop local conservation and research initiatives. Email Verena: verena.mccaig@naturalengland.org.uk

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HISTORIC LANDSCAPE PROJECT TRAINING EVENTS

These events are open to CGT members of trusts in the southeast region (see list towards end of page) - They are not suitable for commercial or consultancy purposes. [Click here for a current date-only list of HLP training and events]

COMING SOON IN 2012!
We're busy planning the programme of courses that will be delivered for CGT volunteers between April and December 2012. Dates and venues are slotting into place, although some are to be confirmed, but choose your course and book NOW for:

Researching Historic Designed Landscapes for Local Listing (see below)
Understanding more about Historic Parkland **NEW** (see below)
Responding to Planning Applications affecting historic designed landscapes (see below)
Understanding Conservation Management Plans CANCELLED (see below)

To enquire about booking a place, even provisionally, please contact Teresa, AGT Co-ordinator, on 020 7251 2610 or e-mail gardenstrusts@agt.org.uk

Researching Historic Designed Landscapes for Local Listing
This workshop was previously run in October and November 2011. Here are examples of some of the feedback we received:
"An excellent day that was well structured. I learnt a lot from how to write up surveys which I have never been confident at doing."
"Really helpful, excellent pace."
"...for me, what will be of greatest importance is the section on writing up descriptions in the English Heritage format...the whole day has helped me refresh my memory and interest on how to research and record gardens."
If you would like to read more about this course and see the handouts and materials, register on the CGT Web Forum. You can also find a flyer with more details here.

Understanding more about Historic Parkland **NEW**
A new course designed to refresh your perspective on historic parkland and give you new impetus to research, survey and appreciate this fragile environment and support your CGT in its identification and conservation. >more details

Responding to Planning Applications Affecting Historic Designed Landscapes
It needn’t be a labyrinth!! Delivered by Verena McCaig, Historic Landscape Project officer for the AGT in the southeast, this day will be a mixture of short presentations, discussion, looking at examples and a practical exercise. It aims to be ‘entry level’ to enable those CGT volunteers who have not had experience in this aspect of the CGTs’ work before to begin to get involved. Delegates will be equipped by the end to be able to respond to planning consultations relating to historic designed landscapes and begin to build experience in doing so, armed with hints and tips. As this is an introductory course, it offers a really useful opportunity to get involved in this area and support those already carrying out this important function.
>more details

Understanding Conservation Management Plans - CANCELLED
These plans are used to work out how the development of a designed landscape has resulted in what we see now and what is significant about it. Armed with this information, we can work out what needs conserving and why. This is so important in ensuring the conservation of historic parks and gardens, underpinned by proper research and analysis, and can be used in all sorts of ways, from management to planning applications.
CGTs are increasingly being invited to get involved in developing these plans and this training day will equip you to join in and really get to know the fabric of our significant designed landscapes. Ever wanted to be able to describe what makes a place significant? This day will help you do just that. >more details

Subsidies of up to £10 per person are available towards the cost of peak time travel for London-based courses for southeast region members.

Please note that, because of the funding, these courses are primarily available to CGT members from gardens trusts in the southeast region as listed on this web page - there is now some scope to extend this to CGT members outside of the southeast region. You can contact the AGT Co-ordinator, Teresa, with expressions of interest and your details will be held on a reserve list.

Tower above Juniper Hall Swainston pond Kidbrooke shady walks South Hill Park lake

NEXT CGT SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FORUM ANNOUNCED!
The next gathering of the Trusts is set for:

THURSDAY 22nd NOVEMBER 2012 from about 10am to 4pm
in the now-traditional venue of The Orchard Centre, White Hart Lane, Basingstoke, RG21 4AF
There will be up to about 20 places available across the 8 trusts, so please book early (via Teresa at AGT). We shall be putting together the agenda and inviting speakers over the coming months, influenced by what emerges from CGTs in this last year of the HLP. A key agenda item will be the future of these regional fora. Please encourage a mixture of 'old hands' and new from your Trust to attend. More details will follow - or have your say on the content of the day via the CGT Web Forum!

Find out more about the project

> Download project leaflet (pdf, 211kb)

And just where did Year 2 of the Historic Landscape Project go? You can read about it here.

You can read Verena McCaig's ‘Reflections on Year 1 of the Historic Landscape Project’

County Gardens Trusts that fall within the southeast region:

Berkshire Gardens Trust
Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust
Hampshire Gardens Trust
Isle of Wight Gardens Trust
Kent Gardens Trust
Oxfordshire Gardens Trust
Surrey Gardens Trust
Sussex Gardens Trust

Relevant and Useful Links

English Heritage – information on Heritage at Risk, including parks and gardens. You can search here for landscapes considered at high risk in your county and read a report on ‘Heritage at Risk’ in the southeast:
www.english-heritage.org.uk/protecting/heritage-at-risk

Learn more about the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens and what makes a landscape eligible for registration:

www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/register-parks-gardens
www.english-heritage.org.uk/protecting/heritage-protection/criteria-for-protection/pag-criteria

Natural England – understand the potential of Higher Level Stewardship for conserving and restoring parkland:
www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/funding/es/hls

Follow this link to download this useful pamphlet from English Heritage - ‘Farming the Historic Landscape – caring for historic parkland’
www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/farming-the-historic-landscape-historic-parkland

Follow this link to browse the on-line historic gardens information resource, Parks & Gardens UK – find out more about a park or garden you know, discover new ones, learn about adding your own research to it: www.parksandgardens.ac.uk. This site also has very helpful guidance for researchers – look under the ‘Research & Record’ menu.

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You can get so much out of volunteering for your County Gardens Trust!

• Develop new skills and knowledge by joining our free training workshops designed to support research and conservation
• Actively contribute your knowledge of local historic landscapes to conservation and planning initiatives
• Carry out research on your local designed landscapes and make sure these are properly recognised and recorded
• Keep in touch with other volunteers and contribute your ideas as our web pages develop

> Join your local Gardens Trust