The Gardens Trust

We bring together people from all backgrounds united by a love and concern for historic parks, gardens and designed landscapes. Through the national network of County and Country Garden Trusts, we have access to people and local expertise and enthusiasm throughout the country.

The Gardens Trust is a statutory consultee in the English planning system, which means that local authorities consult us on any planning applications that affect gardens and landscapes listed on Historic England’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. This brings us over 1500 consultations each year, on which our team of dedicated conservation officers work closely with volunteers in County Gardens Trusts. The Trust advises on the protection and restoration of individual parks and gardens, helps develop wider conservation strategies, and campaigns on conservation issues.

Our Historic Landscape Project is a unique training and support programme working to unlock the immense resource of generous local volunteers.

We are passionate about sharing our love of landscapes with the wider community. Initiatives such as our Lottery-funded project, Sharing Repton: Historic Landscapes for All, enabled us to pilot a range of inclusive activities, from family excursions to entry-level workshops to multicultural open days and mini research projects. We are proud to be the worldwide leader in the academic study of garden history, publishing the peer-reviewed journal Garden History, a regular newsletter, blog and wide range of leaflets and specialist publications. We also organise events such as garden visits, foreign tours, lectures, seminars, workshops, and an annual family picnic.

The Gardens Trust relies heavily on volunteers to carry out its work, and on members for financial support. Please consider getting involved, for more information please click here

Historic parks and gardens are a much-loved part of our shared national story, appreciated now more than ever as Covid-19 forces us to evaluate the role of open space in our lives. Sadly though, these unforgettable gardens are themselves at risk. Gardens and landscapes have always been vulnerable to destruction through maintenance cuts, neglect, development or mis-management but now these precious treasures are more at risk than ever, as Covid-19 has forced many historic gardens to shut their doors and lose essential ticket revenue, whilst on the flipside public parks struggle to serve the growing needs of their communities for outside exercise.

From 2020 to 2022 the Gardens Trust will be celebrating Unforgettable Gardens – what they mean to us, the threats they face, and how you can help save them for future generations. This is a collaborative and evolving project so we would love to hear from you with ideas. For more information on this please click here

The Gardens Trust News

The GT News is a full colour, 40 page publication, printed on high quality environmentally friendly paper. A print run of 1500 copies and is distributed to 1350 members and all 36 UK Garden trusts.

Advertising reaches key influential professionals involved in preserving, maintaining, restoring and promoting the country’s garden heritage, plus a wide variety of individuals ranging from Landscape Architects and Head Gardeners, Head of Parks Services & Park Managers to Local Authority Conservation Departments and Owners of Private Gardens, garden lovers and gardeners.

For more information about The Gardens Trust News and advertising please click here