Parks and Gardens Selection Guides
Many types of designed landscape regarded as of special interest are included on our Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and can be searched on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE). Established in 1983 under the National Heritage Act the Register, which is administered by Historic England, now includes over 1,650 sites. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that registered parks and gardens are designated heritage assets of the highest significance.
What the guides cover
The various types of designed landscape included on the Register are treated in our four thematically-arranged selection guides:
- Rural Landscapes deals with parks and gardens around mainly private houses, and notably landscaped parks around country houses
- Urban Landscapes deals with town squares and walks, and also the municipal parks which are such a feature of England’s towns and cities
- Landscapes of Remembrance treats burial grounds, cemeteries and crematoria gardens
- Institutional Landscapes discusses the designed settings of institutions such as schools and universities
Each guide gives a brief overview of:
- The types of designed landscape covered in the guide
- Current understanding, both of their history and development
- In some cases, how many examples are known
The second half of each document sets out the over-arching registration criteria, before moving on to offer guidance relevant to the particular assets themselves. A select bibliography gives suggestions for further reading.
Introductions to Heritage Assets
Our selection guides are supported by a series of Introductions to Heritage Assets (IHAs) which set out our understanding of particular landscapes.
