Historic Gardens

Oxfordshire has a wonderful heritage of historic landscapes, parks and gardens. These range in age from medieval to modern and in scale from small private gardens to the landscaped grounds of great estates through to manorial, college and domestic gardens.

The international importance of Blenheim Palace and its park was recognised through inscription as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Oxfordshire has several other landscapes of national importance including Shotover, Nuneham Courtenay, Rousham, some of the college gardens of Oxford University and the Oxford Botanic Garden.

Fifty-five of the most outstanding sites are included in English Heritage’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens (link to English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens). Lists of the registered sites in each of the five Oxfordshire districts are provided below, with grades given on the English Heritage Register. The majority of these are set in rural landscapes whilst urban parks and cemeteries are few in number. The latter are represented by Albert Park, Abingdon, University Park, Oxford and St Sepulchre’s Cemetery, Oxford).

Besides the registered sites there are many more which are of local historical importance or whose history is not yet documented. The Trust promotes the enjoyment and understanding of all these landscapes through its program of visits, lectures and research activities.