Parks & gardens

There are 1,600 entries on the current English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. These include private gardens, public parks and other green space, country estates and cemeteries. They are valued for their beauty, diversity and historical importance but compared to the number of, say, listed buildings, this is a small group of assets.

Sites at risk have typically been adversely affected by development and neglect; often they have been altered by development and are faced with major change. Sometimes development beyond the boundary of a registered landscape can be just as harmful as construction within its boundaries; this is especially true where development would impact on designed views that extend beyond the designated site itself. In a changing environment these views can be easily lost or spoilt if the relationships between the historic park and garden and its setting are not appreciated.

Even parks and gardens in the care of conservation organisations are still vulnerable to change within and beyond the registered area outside their guardianship.

Search for parks & gardens on English Heritage's 2009 Heritage at Risk register.