Glorious Gardens workshop one update

Following on from a useful and informative first stakeholders workshop on 23 October, the Glorious Gardens team are busy preparing for the second workshop on 27 November, where priorities for the conservation of the designed landscape and the challenges for those managing and using the landscape, will be discussed.

A series of three Glorious Gardens stakeholders workshops are taking place until January 2018, where a Conservation Strategy and practical Landscape Conservation Guidance Notes for landowners of designed landscapes will be developed. The Strategy and Guidance Notes will outline good practice in the management of designed landscapes, the tasks involved, and information regarding possible sources of grant funding. Watch the video below to find out more.

Discussions at the first workshop considered the scope and purpose of the Conservation Strategy, with several points emerging: 

• The need to identify the current condition of significant landscape features
• Determining their relative priority for conservation – perhaps considering what would be missed most if lost
• The need for ongoing management and maintenance as well as conservation
• The need for the strategy to fit within the context of surrounding areas
• Recognition of the woodlands of the Clyde and Avon valleys as being very important
• The role of tourism in bringing in visitors and funding
• The drivers of Historic Environment Scotland outcomes focussing on giving local communities ownership of the strategy and promoting health and welfare

This workshop formed a useful starting point for the process which will be continued at two further workshops, both to be held at Lanark Lifestyles, 2:30 - 4:30pm:

Workshop 2: Monday 27 November 2017

Workshop 3: Monday 22 January 2018 

Workshop 2 will be a focussed session seeking to gather answers to the following questions:

• Which key features and elements of the designed landscapes need to be conserved?
• What are the constraints and opportunities for conservation?
• What are the roles of the Conservation Strategy and Guidance Notes for those who will be using them?

Please contact Jacqueline Macleod: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 07447 357 257 if you are interested in joining in, or would like to find out more. 

The project is managed by Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage (SGLH), and led by MVGLA Landscape Architects. It is supported by Historic Environment Scotland and Heritage Lottery Fund and LEADER supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP).

This phase of the project follows a pilot phase which included research and reporting by volunteers on designed landscapes in the Clyde and Avon Valley and Falkirk areas. These varied from well-known sites such as Mauldslie and Cambusnethan, to lesser-known sites such as Dalserf and Harperfield, in the Clyde and Avon Valley. Click the Glorious Gardens museum items below for information and links to each of the reports, or click on the link under 'Related Links' for links to the reports on the Canmore website.