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. 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 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. Our reports and the information on the Devon Gazetteer 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.
In addition to site reports the work of our researchers has resulted in books, articles in the Trust's Journal and our members' Newsletter, as well as in other publications.
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.