Researching with London Parks & Gardens Trust

Hill Garden and Pergola Syon Park John Rocque 1746 detail Millfield Park
Hill Garden and Pergola Syon Park

Researching with London Parks & Gardens Trust

Are you excited by London's green spaces? Would you like to help discover the fascinating history behind them? If so, this is the group for you.

One of the most important activities of the Trust is its research into London's parks, gardens and open spaces. The Research Group is friendly, lively and very active; we meet in central London every few months to report on research findings, attend training days and educational visits, and share good research practice. Our all-important research findings feed into not only our local Inventory of London Historic Spaces but also the national Parks & Gardens UK resource.

Recent research themes have included understanding the impact of the Great War on parks and gardens in London as part of the 1914-1918 commemorations; researching London sites which were designed, or might have been designed, by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in preparation for his tercentenary celebrations in 2016; and investigating little-known gardens for Open Garden Squares Weekend. We also have an ongoing project to expand and update London Gardens Online, the LPGT's Inventory of Historic Spaces.

Whether you are an experienced researcher, have attended a course and would like to put theory into practice, or would like to learn how to research a garden's history, this is the group for you. Plenty of support is available and you are free to choose which gardens you research and how much time you commit.

To join the Group or for more information, please email research@londongardenstrust.org

John Rocque 1746 detail Millfield Park
Bushy Park Bushy Park Thames Barrier Park Battersea Park