Discovering Historic Gardens Through North Yorkshire Archives - Northallerton Library

This exhibition features highlights of North Yorkshire Archives’ collections relating to the history of garden and landscape design. These records date from the 17th to 20th centuries, including historic maps and plans, drawings, notebooks and account books.

Much of this material comes from the family and estate archives of the country houses that these designed landscapes are associated with. Extending across large areas, they contain pleasure grounds, kitchen gardens, parkland, garden buildings, lakes and woodland. As fashions and owners have changed over time, so too has their design and earlier features may now be lost.

Landscapes are often a palimpsest, containing several layers of evidence both above and below ground. Archival evidence may be one of the few ways to understand and unravel their historical development over the centuries. Such understanding is crucial to identifying their significance and informing their future management and conservation.

This exhibition takes place upstairs in Northallerton Library, accessible from the main entrance via a staircase or lift. Before planning your visit, please check the Library opening times via their website. You will also find a list of facilities available at the library, directions, parking, and access information.

The featured image is a watercolour of Moreby Hall flower garden, near Stillingfleet, from the sketchbook of Henrietta Matilda Crompton, c. 1870 [ZCM].