Historic England (formerly English Heritage) maintains a "Register of Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England" that includes private grounds, public parks, cemeteries, town squares, educational and institutional grounds. Their website states, "Historic parks and gardens are a fragile and finite resource: they can easily be damaged beyond repair or lost forever. From town gardens and public parks to the great country estates, such places are an important, distinctive, and much cherished part of our inheritance and we have a duty to care for them." Nationwide, there are over 1600 sites on the Register (click here to access the English Heritage site), assessed to be of national importance.
Within the County of Devon and the Unitary Authorities of Plymouth and Torbay there are 56 sites on the Historic England Register, and these sites are listed alphabetically below with links to the online records. An interactive map is also available below.
Property 1 A La Ronde (NT) and The Point-In-View photo | Grade II | Property 39 Powderham Castle photo | Grade |
Inclusion on the Register does not afford any statutory protection although it does become a ‘material consideration’ in the planning process and local planning authorities are required to make provision to protect these heritage assets in their local plans.
If you are aware of a garden or park in Devon that you believe should be registered as a site of national importance please contact the DGT in the first instance as we may be able to offer advice or offer an opinion about the site.