Official Recognition for the Meare by Jane Blanchflower

I am pleased to report that Thorpeness Meare was officially listed as a landscape of special historic interest on 23rd February 2024.

​The official list entry from the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens is reproduced below. Last August I led a group from the Suffolk Gardens Trust on a tour of Thorpeness on behalf of the Thorpeness and Aldringham Heritage Group. The Meare has achieved protected status thanks to Suffolk's Unforgettable Garden Story, a two year project which received a £36,000 grant from Historic England, and was made possible by the Gardens Trust, Historic England and the Suffolk Gardens Trust.

Aerial Photograph looking north east with radio tower at end of North End Avenue (probably taken during World War II)

Five historic Suffolk landscapes have been newly registered, giving them national recognition and protection, with Thorpeness Meare being one of the five. The Meare has been registered at Grade II. The others are Abbot's Hall Pleasure Gardens, The Museum of Food, Stowmaket (Grade II); The Walled Garden at The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook (Grade II), Crow's Hall, Debenham, a moated manor house (Grade II) and Staverton Thicks, near Woodbridge, a medieval hunting park (Grade II*). The new registrations are part of Suffolk’s Unforgettable Garden Story, an exciting project to celebrate and protect historic Suffolk parks, gardens and landscapes, which is celebrating its successful completion.

More than 20 people volunteered on the project, sharing their knowledge and developing their research skills. As a result, the unknown stories of more than 20 historic parks and gardens have been told in detailed research reports, which will be published on the Suffolk Gardens Trust website. It’s great news that the passionate and dedicated volunteer group who came together for the Suffolk’s Unforgettable Garden Story project are continuing to research more historic designed landscapes and would love to welcome new volunteers to join