Wealden’s Gardens of National Historic Importance
Eleven gardens, seen as being of national historic importance, have been brought to light in a pioneering survey organised by Wealden District Council and the Sussex Garden Trust.
The gardens were uncovered by the Wealden Historic Garden Survey which involved Wealden working with the Trust to try to ensure that priceless examples of local heritage will not be lost through development, ignorance or neglect.
Of the 17 gardens surveyed by Landscape and Garden Historian Dr Barbara Simms, 11 are being forwarded to English Heritage for possible inclusion in England’s 1700-strong Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historical Interest. These include four gardens still containing original fifteenth and sixteenth century features such as moats and turrets. Others show remarkable examples of Victorian and Edwardian garden design and the work of the celebrity gardeners of yesteryear.
The survey was praised by Dr Paul Stamper, Head of English Heritage’s Historic Parks & Gardens Register, who described the partnership’s work as an exemplar of what he would like to see happen elsewhere.
Wealden already has 19 parks and gardens of identified importance that requires they must be taken into account in any planning matter which could affect their character appearance, feature or settings. This survey puts forward another eleven for possible inclusion in English Heritage’s national register. Dr Stamper told delegates who attended the launch that since 1918, the South East has lost nearly half of its parkland to new development.
Research and education is an important part of the listing process:
“It is important for the education of owners. They can understand what they have and why it is special so that in the future they are more likely to cherish and appreciate what they have got,” said English Heritage’s Dr Stamper.
“We have to try very hard to improve people’s understanding that this type of environment really matters and we all have responsibility towards maintaining and enhancing it,” said Councillor Mrs Chantal Wilson, the Council’s Champion of the Historic Environment.
A recent addition to the national list was Frant Court, south of Tunbridge Wells. It was designed by Gertrude Jeckyll, the world-renowned garden designer who was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and worked on many projects with Sir Edwin Lutyens. Thanks especially to work by Wealden’s landscape officer and enforcement officers, the garden was saved from dereliction and has now become a major restoration feature of the development at the site. The Council is now also working closely with developers at Heron’s Ghyll to remove unsympathetic existing additions to the buildings and bring back to life a garden created by the Victorian poet Coventry Patmore.
The Chairman of Wealden District Council, Councillor Mrs Pat Kennedy, praised the efforts of the Council’s Landscape and Biodiversity Officer Chris Hannington in raising the profile of these valuable assets. The launch of the Wealden Historic Gardens Survey was also attended by the chairman of the Sussex Gardens Trust, Sally Walker; Dr Barbara Simms who carried out the survey on behalf of Wealden District Council and the Trust; and Andrew Jesson, head gardener at Sheffield Park Gardens in Fletching. In the afternoon, delegates were given a guided tour around this historic National Trust garden.
The 11 gardens which are believed to be of national importance are: Horselunges Manor, Possingworth Park, Glen Andred, Leyswood, Oldlands, Friston Place, Isfield Place, Priesthawes, Chapelwood Manor, Chelwood Vachery and Sharnden. Detailed reports of these and the eight other gardens on the Wealden Historic Gardens Register are available for inspection at the Council Offices at Pine Grove, Crowborough.
