Back copies are available to purchase from office@historicgardens.org.

A Global Perspective on Garden Heritage

THE HISTORIC GARDENS FOUNDATION is an international charity working to bring together lovers of historic parks and gardens across the world. From 1995 to 2022 the HGF published HISTORIC GARDENS REVIEW to provide a portal for the views of enthusiasts, campaigners and professionals alike and to champion the cause of our garden heritage.

The Review covered historic parks, gardens and designed landscapes worldwide. Every country has its garden heritage and we aim to celebrate it. Alongside articles on famous gardens, we also specialised in finding the out-of-the-way garden, often in a country that might not realise that it even had a garden heritage. All aspects were covered: the history of gardens and their creators, modern restorations and modern disasters, the challenges of maintaining and presenting gardens and the views and controversies of professionals and amateurs alike.

Through feature articles and frank commentary on the experiences of garden visitors, we promoted high standards of conservation, celebrated successful restorations and campaigned on behalf of sites that threatened by development or neglect.

The Review forms a valuable archive of research and information, which will remain available for consultation on JStor.

The HGF Changes Direction

After the final issue of Historic Gardens Review ,we took the decision to move the HGF to being an organisation that encourages others to work in the field where we worked for 25 years, by publication of material relating to historic parks, gardens, and designed landscapes. We therefore set up the grants scheme - see details below.

From Issue 42


		Korean Buddhist temple gardens encapsulate the many elements of spiritual belief that have influenced them over the centuries.
		By Jill Matthews
		When I wrote about Confucian scholarly gardens in South Korea in ‘Poetry and Plum Blossom’ in HGR 39, I concentrated on surviving gardens of the Joseon dynasty which mostly date from the 1,500s. This time, I am going to describe the much older gardens which surround major Korean Buddhist temples, several of which date back more than 1000 years. Read on...

From Issue 43

Flying Visits

Phil Broomfield took his family to visit four gardens in England’s Peak District as they opened after the first lockdown.

With my wife Helen and 15-year-old twin boys ,I had planned back at the beginning of 2020 for our summer holiday adventure to the Peak District, an area of great natural beauty which lies in the middle of England. Little did we know what a year it would turn out to be and how our outings to visit gardens would be affected by the pandemic.

Four of the places we visited belonged to the National Trust, and visits had to be pre-booked via their website (www.nationaltrust.org.uk). Although there were no strict one-way routes around their gardens, as with some private ones, all necessary measures were in place to keep everyone safe. We were urged to photograph the estate maps at the entrance as no printed leaflets were available. Staff were friendly and most welcoming at all the gardens we visited; they were undoubtedly pleased to be back open again!

Read on...

Historic Gardens Foundation Grants

The Historic Gardens Foundation (HGF) will offer grants towards publication of material relating to historic parks, gardens, and designed landscapes. Grants are available to charities, other public interest organisations and, in exceptional cases, individuals, who are pursuing aims similar to those of the HGF. Preference will be given to projects with an international dimension and to Applicants who have worked with the HGF in the past. The grants are not confined to the UK and Applicants can be from any country.
The HGF’s resources are modest: preference will therefore be given to helping smaller organisations which often find it difficult to raise funds. In general, the trustees will only consider applications up to £1,000. What the HGF is looking for are projects, preferably linking two or more countries, to support garden heritage by means of a publication, including in hard copy form.
A fuller statement of the rules and objectives of the HGF Grant Scheme can be found in the application form together with instructions as to how to complete and submit the form.
To download the form click here .