Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes - Notes

Sites listed in the Inventory Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, sponsored by SNH and Historic Scotland, are considered 'designated'. Recognition is now given to Inventory sites in the statutory planning system under Article 15(1) of the Town and Country Planning (General Development) Procedure (Scotland) Order 1992. Scottish Office Circular 6/92 imposes an obligation on planning authorities to consult SNH and Historic Scotland in respect of any development within the boundary of an Inventory site.

Criteria: Sites are assessed in the following categories:

a) value as a work of art;

b) historical value;

c) horticultural, arboricultural or silvicultural value;

d) architectural or archaeological value;

e) scenic value; and

f) nature conservation value.

Number of sites: 275

Background

In 1982, Land Use Consultants were appointed by CCS and the Historic Buildings Directorate of the Scottish Development Department (now Historic Scotland) to study a sample of gardens and designed landscapes and to recommend general criteria derived from that sample by which gardens and designed landscapes could be assessed (A Study of Gardens and Designed Landscapes In Scotland, LUC 1982). In 1984 the sponsors decided to establish an Inventory to describe the more important gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland in terms of their extent, their component features and their condition.

The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland (published in 1987) provided a representative sample of 275 historic gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland as a basis for research and future policy formulation. It was not intended to be a comprehensive list of the most important sites: a small number of owners preferred not to be included in the survey, Or withheld permission to publish information about their properties.

It has been estimated that as many as 2,000 sites in Scotland may have been significant gardens or designed landscapes at some time in the past. A further 150 sites are currently being surveyed in a joint three-year project with Historic Scotland with a view to expanding the Inventory. Approximately 15% of Inventory sites contain SSSIs.