Stoneacre Arts & Crafts Garden

Balancing Access Improvements with Heritage Conservation

Stoneacre, owned by the National Trust, is a nationally important Arts & Crafts property with a historic garden and landscape of considerable significance. The Trust needed to improve sections of garden paving to meet modern health and safety requirements while ensuring that any future works remained sensitive to the site's heritage value and continued to support public access and enjoyment.

The Challenge

Before proposals could be developed, a detailed understanding of the garden's history, significance and evolution was required. In particular, the Trust needed robust evidence to inform future decisions about access improvements and to support potential funding applications.

Our Role

Rowena prepared a comprehensive Heritage Statement for the site, undertaking detailed research into the history and development of the gardens and wider landscape. This included analysis of historic landscaping, hydrology, springs and watercourses, together with the preparation of a phased plan identifying the development of different path networks under successive owners.

A detailed tree survey was also undertaken, recording species, age and significance within historic planting schemes. This work provided valuable insight into how self-seeded growth had altered the historic landscape and contributed to the decline of important water features.

The Outcome

The project delivered a significantly enhanced understanding of the site's history and landscape significance, providing the National Trust with a robust evidence base for future decision-making.

The findings informed restoration works to historic springs and streams, supported the management of overgrown vegetation, and created a clear foundation for future paving and access improvements. The Heritage Statement now provides an important reference document for conservation management and future funding applications.

Services Provided

• Heritage Statement

• Historic Landscape Research

• Conservation Assessment

• Tree Survey & Analysis

• Hydrological Assessment

• Access & Visitor Infrastructure Advice

• Heritage Management Planning