CELEBRATING UNFORGETTABLE GARDENS
The Suffolk Gardens Trust has worked in partnership with its parent body, The Gardens Trust, and Historic England to research and record the wonderful public and private designed landscapes in the county that should be protected and celebrated by inclusion on the National Heritage List for England. The list identifies the buildings, sites and landscapes that deserve to receive special protection, so they can be enjoyed by current and future generations. Until recently, only 23 historic parks, gardens and other designed landscapes in Suffolk were protected in this way, but with the help of the volunteer researchers of the Suffolk’s Unforgettable Garden Story project that number has now risen to 31 (with three new green-related listed structures), including such inspiring sites as Staverton Park and Thorpeness Meare.
Historic parks and gardens are a much-loved part of our shared national story. This project is part of The Gardens Trust’s Unforgettable Gardens campaign, which looks at what gardens mean to us, the threats they face and how you can save them for future generations.
The project continues to offer training in research skills, know-how and support for volunteers who want to be involved in the project. We are particularly keen to find out more about urban and suburban gardens, commercial sites, institutional landscapes, and 20th-century and post-war designed landscapes. Unprotected, some of these special spaces may be vulnerable to loss, decay, or inappropriate proposals for development. We want to understand these landscapes better and help to ensure their protection and care, so that current and future generations can enjoy them and discover their story.
This project has been a wonderful opportunity to focus new attention on Suffolk’s rich garden heritage and to involve volunteers in actively researching and reporting on sites to make them truly ‘unforgettable’. A growing number of Suffolk sites are achieving recognition at a national level, but we are already taking steps to ensure that, recognition or not, the Suffolk gardens and designed landscapes with interesting stories will not be forgotten – keep an eye on the Memorable Gardens page of this website!
Edward Martin, Chairman, Suffolk Gardens Trust
To see the newly designated Suffolk gardens, click here.
To see additional memorable gardens in Suffolk, click here
See The Gardens Trust website (https://thegardenstrust.org) for additional information.