It is rare that Landscape Architects get the opportunity to help shape the management of a Grade 1 Registered Park and Garden, which is also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Southern Green’s commission to prepare a Parkland Management Plan (PMP) for Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Deer Parks was one such project.

Although the Deer Parks date back to the 14^th century and have a large number of veteran trees, the parkland is internationally significant because of the 18^th century designed landscape developed by father and son, John and William Aislabie. This work united the park with Fountains Abbey, founded in 1132, and the Water Gardens, developed by the Aislabies in the early 18^th century, by creating a series of dramatic views and vistas. Fortunately, today, the National Trust own all three areas and maintain the whole estate to a very high standard.

The PMP was developed in response to a brief prepared by the owners, National Trust and Natural England, as part of an application for a Countryside Stewardship Feasibility Study (PA2), extending and updating the surveys and understanding of the site gained from the 2010 Conservation Management Plan.

The Southern Green team, including Arborist, Ecologist, Conservation Architect, Hydrologist and Archaeologist, worked closely with the National Trust site team and their specialists, to develop the PMP for this precious site. The work included a series of site visits and two workshops with the National Trust and key stakeholders to ensure that a range of views were taken account of in preparing the plan.

The National Trust and Natural England will use the outcomes of this PMP to inform ongoing and future management of the parkland to:

• Safeguard vital heritage features and conserve their longevity within the landscape.
• Maximise habitat creation to increase biodiversity in ecology focused areas, without causing harm to the historic landscape.
• Improve the legibility and interpretation of the historic parkland for visitors, acknowledging its importance for past, present and future communities
• Include methods to provide resilience against pest and diseases, flooding and climate change.

Whilst the many areas of the Deer Parks are well known and understood, such as Studley Lake, the main Lime Avenue, and the Seven Bridges Valley, the study highlighted the potential to restore and interpret a number of key areas including:

• The LiDAR survey indicated a potential iron age earthworks on the summit of Gillet Hill, which is now thought to have been incorporated into the 17th and 18th century designed landscape, as evidenced by a lime avenue that linked the summit of the hill with the main Lime Avenue. Improved access and interpretation is proposed for Gillet Hill, combined with the creation of a new deer sanctuary.
• A 1km long avenue used to run from the High Stables, located in the north of the park near the former Studley Hall south west to Lady Rash Walk, giving views of Huby’s Tower on Fountains Abbey. The proposed reinstatement of this avenue, involving around 168 trees, is a very exciting prospect not just in terms of its impact on the park, but also by the way it will potentially recreate the key view between the parkland and Fountains Abbey.
• Another future project is to better interpret Studley Hall, the former residence of the Aislabie family and previous/subsequent owners. All that remains, following a fire of 1946, are earthworks related to the house and evidence of lost paths, as well as some remnant trees of the garden and arboretum.

Southern Green is extremely grateful to have assisted in preparing the report from the core client team, Sarah France World Heritage Coordinator, and Chris Wood, Lead Ranger, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Estate. Mark Newman, Archaeological Consultant and author of The Wonder of the North, also gave invaluable advice as well as contributing to sections of the report and interpreting the LiDAR survey.