The Research & Recording committee collects information about historic gardens and designed landscapes in Dorset.
Since 1989, the Research and Recording group of surveyors has collected information on Dorset gardens and made visits to record these sites with plans and photographs. We have now looked at about 300 and from these we have drawn up the Dorset Gardens Trust List of Historic Parks and Gardens of Local Significance which is based on the Historic England Register of Parks and Gardens of National Importance.
Our investigations take us to history centres, museums, libraries and collections and where possible we work with the owners to uncover the history of their gardens. Our research covers not only gardens and parks of historic mansions but also designed public parks, small gardens, designed villages and even cemeteries.
In 2014, the DGT Gazetteer of historic parks and gardens in the county was prepared and passed to the local Councils in Dorset. This has been well received and is proving to be a very useful tool for planners. Each entry for the thirty-seven gardens of national importance and forty-three of local significance was discussed with the land owner and is accompanied with a map showing the extent of the site.
Please click on the headings below to see the second edition of our Gazetteer
West Dorset Historic England Register
West Dorset - DGT List of Sites of Historical and Landscape Significance
The collated information gives us a good picture of the fascinating gardens in Dorset from which we recommend sites of local significance as well as those of national importance.
