Dr Audrey Gerber is a researcher who specialises in garden conservation, and has international experience in ornamental horticulture. Through this course, Audrey shares with you her knowledge and enthusiasm for conserving our historic gardens. By the end of the course you will have an understanding of the many layers of significance of historic gardens around the world, and the value that conserving these has to us, and future generations.

Garden style is defined by a dynamic relationship between fashion and function over time. Influenced by politics, art and socio-economic trends, historic gardens provide us with opportunities for simple recreation or complex education from which we can learn about past cultures, horticultural techniques and patterns of life. Historic gardens are not living museums; they are enriched and challenged by change. Understanding the origin and influence of these changes, and recognising our capacity and responsibility to sensitively manage change, is the essence of conservation.

In this course Audrey will explain why conservation is relevant to you, locally and globally. You will learn how to research a site, using many formal and informal sources. This will enable you to write a detailed statement of significance, which is essential to articulating why a site deserves to be conserved. You will learn about elements of change, how these influence or threaten gardens, and how we can proactively respond. Audrey will guide you through the legislation that governs protection of heritage assets, and introduce you to ways in which you, as a professional or an enthusiastic amateur, can become more actively involved in conservation.

This course delivers both a broad outline and a deeper philosophical and practical approach to conservation of historic gardens.

You’ll be suited to this course if you are a student of garden history, a professional whose talents shape our heritage landscapes, someone involved in the practical aspects of managing historic gardens, and anyone who responds, formally or informally, to policy relating to our heritage environment. It is designed for those with an intellectual curiosity in conservation of heritage assets. As a self-employed professional the cost of this course can be off-set against tax as “Continuing Professional Development”.