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.

We were awarded major grant funding by HES and HLF for a pilot project (“Glorious Gardens”) to record historic gardens and designed landscapes in Falkirk and the Clyde and Avon Valley.  You can read more about this and other projects with local volunteers on our Recording Projects page.

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 has now launched the 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 is being carried out on some sixty sites in the East Lothian area. The project is jointly funded by East Lothian Council and SGLH. Archaeology Scotland is providing support for the coordination of the volunteer effort. A Steering Group comprising representatives of East Lothian Council, Historic Environment Scotland and SGLH will oversee the running of the project. The project is expected to extend over three years. The first two training sessions have taken place at the John Gray Centre in Haddington. They have been well attended, and 27 volunteers are currently participating in the project. Apart from the testing of the toolkit, another important product of the project will be the delivery of significance statements to inform the planning activities of East Lothian Council.

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