SGLH campaigns to protect heritage gardens and designed landscapes, and trains volunteers to record them

In Scotland, nationally important sites are listed and described in An Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes. It is compiled and maintained by HES. However, there are hundreds of other gardens and sites, not on the Inventory, which are of regional or local significance.

An Introduction to Glorious Gardens

Glorious Gardens is a pilot project to research and record historic gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. The project focusses on properties which are not listed in the Historic Scotland Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, but which still retain evidence for their development and have some conservation value.

In its first phase, the project covered gardens and designed landscapes in the Clyde and Avon Valley and Falkirk. The second phase was devoted to the development of a conservation strategy and landowner guidance notes for both areas. Funding was provided by Historic Environment Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Both phases relied heavily on the hard work of local volunteers under the supervision of the SGLH team.

SGLH is currently preparing a third phase of the project, consisting of the preparation of a digital learning pack to facilitate the training of volunteers to research, survey and record sites, and to promote the development of a strategy to conserve historic landscapes and a conservation guide for landowners. Testing of the digital pack will be carried out on sites in the East Lothian area. The launch date for this three-year project, for which we will again be recruiting volunteers, is April 2020.