Hertfordshire Gardens Trust
We’re a team of members and volunteers who care deeply about the historic gardens and designed landscapes that make our county special.
We research parks and gardens.
With the 37 other county gardens trusts, we are a member of The Gardens Trust, which is the only national charity dedicated to protecting and conserving designed landscapes. They are a statutory consultee in the planning system. This means that local authorities are required to consult them on any planning applications that affect gardens and landscapes listed on Historic England’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest. The Hertfordshire Gardens Trust has funded specialist training for conservation and planning and we have a dedicated Conservation Officer who comments on planning matters and works closely with The Gardens Trust to inform decisions relating to our landscapes.
The Hertfordshire Gardens Trust is a charity dedicated to protecting and conserving the historic designed landscapes of Hertfordshire and to promoting the understanding of those designed landscapes.
About
Our History
We were set up as a charity in 1992 by the first chair, Lady Joan Stuart-Smith and our president, the Countess of Verulam with a group of about 100 members. Since then, we have grown our membership significantly, held countless events, given grants, researched sites all over Hertfordshire, written many detailed reports and published books. And we’ve had a lot of fun along the way!
How we are organised
We are a registered charity, number 1010093, governed by our constitution.
Our charitable aims are:
- To promote the education of the members of the Trust and the public in the arts, crafts, sciences and all other matters connected with historic designed landscapes
- To promote the appropriate action on any or all of the following: The preservation, conservation, protection, restoration, enhancement, and understanding of designed landscapes that may exist or may have existed within and around the county boundary of Hertfordshire.
We publish annual accounts and activity reports to show how we’re doing. The day-to-day running of the Trust is handled by an Executive Committee made up of trustees, honorary officers, and members who are elected at our AGM to serve three-year terms, while our President, Vice-President and the patrons provide guidance and support. The Committee usually meets four times a year, with extra meetings scheduled whenever something urgent comes up.
President
The Countess of Verulam
Vice President
Christopher Melluish
Trust Patrons
Sir Simon Bowes Lyon KCVO
Tom Stuart-Smith
Hertfordshire Gardens Trust Committee
Chair
Helen Leiper
Diana Kingham
Honorary Secretary
Alison Ewington
Conservation
Kate Harwood
Trustee
Claire Davies
Research
Bridget Howlett and Barbara Kiln
Sue Davidson
Newsletter
Sue Friend
Our Members and Volunteers
Everything we do depends on our members and volunteers. When you become a member, you join a community of people who believe Hertfordshire’s gardens and designed landscapes matter.
You’ll get our monthly e-bulletin, invitations to exclusive garden visits and talks, and the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping protect places that have shaped our county for centuries.
Our volunteers research the history of gardens, respond to planning applications, write articles, organise events, update this website and are trustees and officers on the executive committee. Our ability to protect historic parks and gardens depends on our volunteer’s dedication and generosity. If you could give some of your time and skills as a Hertfordshire Gardens Trust volunteer do get in touch.
Whether you can offer a few hours a year or want to get more involved, there’s a place for you here.