Modern Gardens and Landscapes
In partnership with The Gardens Trust, in 2017 we started a strategic project looking at post-war designed landscapes to identify candidates for registration.
As part of this work we have gathered together some already registered post-war designed landscapes in order to highlight this area of work more clearly.
Background
When thinking of English parks and gardens, many may think of the traditional cottage garden or eighteenth century landscaped park. However, since 1945, garden designers and landscape architects have been creating many exciting new landscapes, bringing together art, architecture, town planning and horticulture. The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) already includes some of the best examples, ranging from cemeteries and memorial parks, to public parks and communal squares, and from office- and university landscapes, to small private gardens.
The Post-War Designed Landscapes project, which crowd-sourced nominations from members of the public, Gardens Trust members, and landscape design professionals, has resulted in the addition of 20 post-war landscapes to the Register of Parks and Gardens (part of the National Heritage List for England), one upgrade, and three new listings.
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The Best of England’s Post-War Parks, Gardens and Landscapes Protected
Newly announced protections by Historic England are the result of a three-year collaboration with The Gardens Trust.
The project was initiated to increase understanding, protection and appreciation of these important landscapes, and it is intended that these new registrations will set the benchmark for future registration work.
We have also produced an Introductions to Heritage Assets series document on post-war designed landscapes that gives an overview of this fascinating category of sites:
In the gallery below, you can view some of the other wonderful post-war landscapes included in the List, and via our Landscape Selection Guides you can find out more about the criteria we use for their assessment.
A selection of registered landscapes constructed post-1945
- St Catherine's College, Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Civic Square, Plymouth, Devon
- Walsall Memorial Garden, Walsall, West Midlands
- The Jellicoe Roof Garden, Guildford, Surrey
- The Vale, Edgbaston, Birmingham
- Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden, St Ives, Cornwall
- Friarwood Valley Gardens, Wakefield, Yorkshire
- Queen's Park, Swindon, Wiltshire
- Pasmore Pavilion, Peterlee, County Durham
- German Military Cemetery, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
- The Barbican, City of London
- The Japanese Garden at the New House, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
- Salisbury Crematorium, Salisbury, Wiltshire
- Landscape associated with the former Pilkingtons Headquarters complex, St Helens, Merseyside
- Mountbatten House: roof gardens and perimeter landscaping, Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Gardens of Westfield House, Oakley, Bedfordshire
- Hemel Water Gardens, Dacorum, Hertfordshire
- Landscape at the former CEGB Headquarters, Bristol
Modern Gardens and Landscapes Image Gallery
Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.
