Tag: National Trust

Mind bog-gling new study reveals Marsden Moor stores over a million tonnes of carbon

Stuart Mitchell

To mark World Bog Day in  July, peatland experts working together with the National Trust at Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire have found that the moor’s peat stores at least one million tonnes of carbon, further evidence that peatlands can play a crucial role in tackling climate change. Best known as a popular spot for tourists and walkers in West Yorkshire, and sandwiched between the conurbations of Leeds and Manchester, this 2,300-hectare moorland (5,683 acres) has provided weekend fresh air for generations of mill and office workers. Now there is…

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Andy Sturgeon-designed Mediterranean Garden boosts climate resilience and biodiversity as Beningbrough Hall continues its revival

Stuart Mitchell

A new Mediterranean Garden, designed for a changing climate by award-winning garden designer Andy Sturgeon, has been unveiled at the National Trust’s Beningbrough Hall near York. Since 2016, Andy has been working with the Trust on a long-term project to improve and in some cases reinvent the 8-acre garden, and the Mediterranean Garden is the largest phase of his garden vision to open to date. Formerly an underused grassed area, the garden now features over 4,000 herbaceous perennials, grasses, trees and shrubs from Mediterranean climate zones around the world, from…

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Hungry and hairy Hungarian hogs help save UK’s most endangered butterfly

Stuart Mitchell

Conservationists racing to save the UK’s most endangered butterfly have recruited the help of some unique volunteers: hairy Hungarian hogs. Butterfly Conservation is working with the National Trust using curly-haired Mangalitsa pigs at one of the charity’s sites on Exmoor to create perfect habitat for the High Brown Fritillary. Since 1978, this pretty orange insect with black chequered wings has declined by 65% in population and 87% in distribution across the UK. It is now found in just three locations in England, one of which is the sun-bathed Heddon Valley…

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Major European awards recognise conservation work of the National Trust

Stuart Mitchell

The conservation of a set of tapestries which took 24 years and cost £1.7 million to complete has won recognition from a major international heritage award. The National Trust received the Europa Nostra Award for its work to conserve the Gideon Tapestries at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. The task, carried out by hand with traditional sewing and stitching techniques, was praised for “exemplifying the National Trust’s commitment to preservation”. The 2024 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European…

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Celebrated Mount Stewart garden wins European Garden Award for ‘exemplary’ climate mitigation measures

Stuart Mitchell

The National Trust’s Mount Stewart in County Down has received a first prize for Climate Mitigation Measures in Parks or Gardens in the European Garden Award. The prestigious award is given by the European Garden Heritage Network, which represents some 210 parks and gardens across 21 countries, and the Germany-based Schloss Dyck Foundation, a centre for Garden Design and Landscape Culture. It is seen as a ‘seal of quality’ for outstanding achievement in contemporary garden design, the management and development of historic gardens and climate adaptation measures. The celebrated garden…

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