For 40 years, since the establishment of the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England in 1983, Historic England has been protecting the country’s parks and gardens – with the Register now comprising more than 1,700 sites. To celebrate this milestone, images of a number of historic park postcards from the Nigel Temple Collection have been released to the public, including this image (above left) of the Baroness Burdett Coutts Drinking Fountain in Victoria Park.
To highlight how our historic parks and gardens have evolved over the years (or, in some cases, remained remarkably the same), Historic England is asking people to add their own image to the collection as part of the ‘Missing Pieces Project’ (see ‘News in Brief’, CA 401), an initiative that is collecting stories from the public about their interactions with our heritage sites. As Rachel Prothero, Historic England Head of Content, described: ‘The Nigel Temple Collection of postcards gives us a wonderful snapshot of a moment in some of the beautiful parks and gardens to be found across the country. We’d love people to add their photographs of the same locations so we can see how these cherished landscapes look today and add to their story.’
To participate in the project, and add your own photo or story, visit https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/parks-and-gardens-anniversary/#MissingPieces ProjectPostcards.
Text: K Krakowka / Images: Historic England Archive; Conor Sandford, Missing Pieces Project
