Conserving Clyde and Avon's grand gardens

Designed landscapes are a defining feature throughout the Clyde and Avon Valley, with over 20 spanning the length of the area, from Chatelherault to Bonnington at New Lanark.
Volunteers surveying Castlebank Park, Lanark as part of the project.Volunteers surveying Castlebank Park, Lanark as part of the project.
Volunteers surveying Castlebank Park, Lanark as part of the project.

To help landowners, communities and other stakeholders protect these landscapes into the future, a Conservation Strategy has now been published at www.clydeandavonvalley.org/museum.

The Strategy and guidance notes outline the key issues facing conservation projects in designed landscapes, provide good practice and more information on the tasks involved and how to enable projects.

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They were prepared through a series of stakeholder workshops held in Lanark between October 2017 and January 2018. The stakeholders helped the team prioritise elements that are most important to the character of the valley, such as ‘peep’ views, parkland trees and walled gardens. By asking “what will be most missed if it is lost?, participants were able to identify what is unique in the valley.

The project was managed by Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage and led by MVGLA Landscape Architects working with MBLA and Talamh. It was supported by Historic Environment Scotland and Heritage Lottery Fund and LEADER supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP).

Ewan Bachell, CAVLP Development Officer, say: “We have been delighted with the outcome of this project, which has built on the research undertaken by volunteers, and engaged directly with landowners and stakeholders. We hope that this will be a useful resource for the conservation of designed landscapes in the Clyde and Avon Valley and beyond.”