Glorious Gardens is Go!

The Clyde and Avon Valley's hidden historic gardens and designed landscapes will soon be releasing their secrets.

The CAVLP project Glorious Gardens: Exploring our hidden gardens and forgotten landscapes kicked off with an event at Chatelherault on 29th March, attended by over 40 people. The project will focus on properties which are not listed in the Historic Scotland Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes (GDLs), but which still have evidence for their former glory - both in the archives and on the ground.

Derek Alexander of the National Trust for Scotland spoke about how garden archaeology can reveal former designs and features, and Heather James outlined what she had found through her survey of Greenbank Gardens, an NTS property. The audience also learned more about what to expect if they volunteered to participate in Glorious Gardens, including a training, cameras and other equipment, and a volunteers' charter. After a taster workshop session with both indoor and outdoor options, the day rounded off with a fascinating talk by Malcolm Muir, Countryside and Green Space Manager for South Lanarkshire Council, on his team's efforts to manage and restore the ancient woodlands at Chatelherault and Cadzow.

And it's not too late to sign up to volunteer. Click the link on the right to find out more.

The day was hosted by Northlight Heritage, who are managing the project on behalf of the Garden History Society in Scotland Conservation Trust (GHSSCT). The project is being funded by Historic Scotland and Heritage Lottery Funded Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership, with a parallel study being conducted in the Falkirk region with funding from Historic Scotland.