Research and Recording

Researching the history of a landscape, its design, construction, development, the people involved and how it was used, all help us to understand the importance of the site both locally and possibly nationally, even internationally. It is also important to record the current state of a landscape. The Trust has always been involved in research and recording, but there are many sites for which we have little or no information so there is always more to discover. We also explore themes like particular types of landscapes, where certain people were involved or within a time period. The outcome of our work is published as site specific reports, on the DGT website, in books, articles in the Trust's Journal and our members' Newsletter, as well as in other publications.   Our reports and the information on the Devon Local List are used by local authorities when considering planning applications and by our conservation team when responding to planning consultations; they are also a valuable resource for academic and other researchers.

We always welcome new members to the team; no previous experience in research is needed as we run a training programme and the different skills and experience of volunteers contributes to revealing the history of the county's designed landscapes. The Trust maintains a library and an archive of records on Devon's designed landscapes. 

We welcome enquiries from researchers who are investigating an aspect of Devon garden heritage. If you are interested in a particular site for which there is currently no report and little detail, please do get in touch with us at [email protected] as we may have more information or be able to suggest other sources. We value the privacy of owners and no private information is shared without the owner's permission.