Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England facts for kids

The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England is a special list of important historic parks and gardens in England. It works a bit like the system for listed buildings, which protects old and important buildings.

This list is looked after by an organization called Historic England. They do this under a law from 1983 called the National Heritage Act 1983. More than 1,600 places are on this list. These places can be anything from the huge grounds of a stately home to small home gardens. It also includes other designed landscapes like town squares, public parks, and even old cemeteries.

Why Do We Have This Register?

The main goal of this register is to celebrate special designed landscapes. It also helps to protect them for the future. By listing these important places, people become more aware of how valuable they are. This encourages owners and others involved to take good care of them. This means doing proper maintenance or making changes carefully.

If a park or garden is on this register, it has legal protection. When someone wants to make changes to a registered park or garden, like building something new, local planning authorities must think about its historic importance. They consider this before deciding if the changes can go ahead.

Even though being on the list doesn't add new laws by itself, local authorities in England must protect historic places. If big changes are made without permission, authorities can ask for them to be undone. In serious cases, there could even be legal action.

The register also helps guide how these places are managed. It makes the public more aware of important parks and their features. It also encourages owners to keep them well-preserved. Gardens and landscape design have always been important in Britain. While we have many historic parks, they are delicate and can be easily damaged or lost forever.

Since 1995, the Garden History Society has played a role in planning decisions. If a planning idea affects a registered park or garden, the planning authority must ask the Garden History Society for their opinion. This applies to all registered sites. Also, Historic England must be asked if the site is listed at Grade I or Grade II*.

How Can You Find Registered Parks?

You can find a list of all registered parks and gardens online. This list is part of the National Heritage List for England on the Historic England website. It shows details about each park or garden and where it is on a map. Not all of these special parks and gardens are open to the public.

You can also search for information about historic parks and gardens on a website called Parks & Gardens UK. This site is a partnership between the Association of Gardens Trusts and the University of York. This website includes a wider range of sites across the whole UK.

What Makes a Park Eligible for the Register?

To be added to the register, a park or garden is carefully checked. Experts do research and visit the site. They classify and date each park based on certain rules. Here are some of the things they look for:

• Oldest Parks: Parks and gardens mostly developed before 1750, even if only a small part remains.
• Georgian Era Parks: Sites mostly developed between 1750 and 1820, where enough of the original design still exists.
• Victorian Era Parks: Sites mostly developed between 1820 and 1880 that are important and still mostly complete.
• Early 20th Century Parks: Sites mostly developed between 1880 and 1939 that are very important and still complete.
• Modern Parks: Sites developed after World War II, but are more than 30 years old, and are exceptionally important.
• Influential Designs: Sites that helped shape how people thought about garden design, either because they were famous or mentioned in books.
• Special Styles: Sites that are early or good examples of a certain style of layout. This also includes work by nationally important landscape architects.
• Historical Connections: Sites linked to important people or historical events.
• Group Value: Sites that are important as part of a group, similar to some listed buildings.

Just like with listed buildings, parks and gardens are given a grade. This shows how important they are:

• Grade I: These are the most important sites, recognized internationally. They make up about 10% of all registered sites.
• Grade II*: These are very important historic gardens. They make up about 30% of the total.
• Grade II: The rest are important at a regional or national level.

Registers in Other UK Countries

Other parts of the United Kingdom also have their own lists for parks, gardens, and designed landscapes:

• In Wales, the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is managed by Cadw.
• In Scotland, the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is managed by Historic Scotland.
• In Northern Ireland, the Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesnes of Special Historic Interest is managed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.