A GARDEN near Shaftesbury has been added to the National Heritage List for England, with hopes to “throw a spotlight on the importance and quality of post-war designed landscapes”.

The garden at Shute House is one of around 20 sites across England that have recently been listed on the Register of Parks and Gardens - the new status enabling the site to be celebrated and protected for years to come.

Talking of its background, Historic England said the grade two listed private garden was designed in stages by post-war landscape architect Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, between 1969 and 1988 and later in the 1990s.

The garden is based around a natural spring, diverted into two, with one channel used to create the garden’s more formal elements and the other treated more naturally. The spring reunites in a woodland garden, then splits again into two series of ponds in a lower open landscape.

Rebecca Barrett, regional director for Historic England in the south west, said: “These past few months have taught us that our green open spaces improve the quality of the environment around us, are good for our wellbeing and give us breathing space.

“This project shines a light on some amazing landscapes – like the garden at Shute House - that exist all over the country, celebrating how they enhance our lives, and helping to protect them for generations to come.”

The newly announced protections by Historic England are the result of a three-year collaboration with the Gardens Trust.

Landscape professionals and members of the public helped the project by identifying and suggesting areas that should be granted such protection, including memorials, housing estate grounds and structures.

Dominic Cole, president of the Gardens Trust, said: “We are delighted that our collaboration with Historic England has effectively doubled the number of registered post-war designed landscapes. This project was undertaken as part of the Garden Trust’s mission to protect and promote appreciation of significant gardens, parks and landscapes of all periods.

“Inclusion on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England is vital to our ability to help such landscapes survive to delight future generations.

"Twentieth-century heritage landscapes have often been overlooked and undervalued so we hope that these additions to the register will throw a spotlight on the importance and quality of post-war designed landscapes.”