Safeguarding the future
We believe that the unique historical aspects of this important collection must be safeguarded. Our expert team will maintain and restore the original landscape design brought to life in the 1850s by the arboretum’s founder Robert Holford. Views and vistas will be opened up and lost trees replanted.
We’ll also be looking ahead to make sure the collection is resilient to the projected climate change preparing trees through a carefully researched plan.
An ambitious part of the project is a ‘test bed’ for trees of the future. A 2050 glade will recreate the traditional landscape, but be planted with different species chosen for their ability to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
Here, people will get a sense of how future landscapes might look and discover what they could best plant in their own homes and communities.
Propagation work needs to be carried out on original arboretum trees to grow new stock and so preserve these natural treasures for the future.
Urgent conservation work will be carried out on buildings and stonework in the gardens; the Italian garden and pleasure grounds around Westonbirt School will be replanted and restored.
Access between the Victorian gardens, wider parkland and the arboretum will be increased; connecting the site and preserving it for the future.
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photo: © Bev Starkings