Agreement under which the Trust will be contracted to compile a comprehensive list of Historic Landscapes within the district on a parish by parish basis. The arrangement will operate in the first instance for three years and information will be recorded to agreed criteria. If this scheme proves successful it may then be possible to extend it to other local authorities within Gloucestershire. These are examples of the ways in which the Garden Trusts are able to put together working packages with other agencies to promote practical research which can be fed back into the planning and conservation system. Indeed, enlightened authorities have been supporting and working with the Garden Trusts for some years although sincePPG 15 and the changes wrought by the National Lottery there is now even more opportunity for creative networking. Hampshire County Council is well aware of this and, as part of the preparation for bids to the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Hampshire Gardens Trust is working with Land Use Consultants and the County to undertake an Urban Parks Study. The Study will identify the parks which are eligible for grants but it also provided an opportunity to include an overview of urban space within the county and to ensure that there is local and regional variety in any future conservation or restoration programme. The trusts are registered charities and much of the work which is undertaken is on a voluntary basis. Yet, if the work is to be successful, it is important that it should be done as professionally as possible to as high a standard as possible. To ensure this professional approach, trusts undertake practical training programmes and run seminars and study weekends for their members. Of course it is important that this knowledge and expertise is disseminated quickly and efficiently and here the Association of Garden Trusts has an important role to play. The Association of Garden Trusts is a national organisation which represents over 23 of the county trusts in England. The Association gives the trusts a national perspective and aims to provide support for the individual county organisations while promoting an understanding of parks and gardens at a national level. One of the main contributions the Association is able to make is as a 'clearing house' through which information and contacts can be shared and it can act as a focal point for training initiatives, publications, seminars and visits organised in conjunction with individual trusts or in partnership with trusts and organisations such as the Garden History Society or English Heritage. Like the individual trusts, the Association sets its sights high and aims for professional and business standards in its training, research and practical projects. Recent events have included a workshop on the 'Painted Landscape' which looked at ways of interpreting the landscape through images and views, a conference on 'Countryside Stewardship and the Ornamental Landscape' undertaken at the request of the Landscape Institute, and a very successful workshop on 'Public Parks' which is now to be followed by a series of regional days on public parks the first of which was held in the West Midlands in September. All of this takes money, and success depends not only on hard work and professionalism but also on good publicity. Here again, the Association is able to act as coordinating body and provides a very good booklet setting out the steps to be followed in setting up a new county trust. The Association is also undertaking a research project to investigate the various ways in which the individual county trusts are funded so that good ideas can be shared through the national network and so that new or emergent trusts can be encouraged and helped by sound and up to elate advice. County garden trusts have grown rapidly over the past few years and have achieved a great deal in terms of research work, practical projects and, not least, raising public awareness of the importance of parks and gardens in the urban and rural environment. The trusts now have a national organisation and a national voice as well as the active support of an increasing membership and they offer a valuable resource to be fostered by those authorities already working in partnership with local trusts, and encouraged and supported in those areas where they have been recently founded. For further information contact: The AGT Secretary, Linda Cheeseman, 8 Glasshouse Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CVS 2AJ.Tel: (01926) 852976. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY SOCIETY The Twentieth Century Society was founded in 1979 as the Thirties Society, and is the national amenity society for all buildings erected after 1914. A feature of the Society is its catholic taste. It was founded to save the traditional, classical buildings of the period, but became rapidly involved in the saving of Art Deco buildings after the demolition of the Firestone Factory in August 1980, and it is now in the vanguard of the campaign to gain recognition for post-war architecture. Its Chairman, Gavin Stamp, and Vice Chairman, Alan Powers, serve on English Heritage's Post-War Steering Group. The message of this article is twofold. The Society is recognised as a consultee under PPG15. It has a parttime paid caseworker, Hedwig Saam, and a casework committee, which meets monthly. Some local authorities regularly notify the Society of 36 applications, but others with important 20th-century buildings do not. With its broad knowledge of the architecture and design of the period, and a committee of architects, planners and historians, the Society is a resource of free advice and guidance on some of the more unusual listed buildings encountered by Conservation Officers. Such a resource has a price. The Twentieth Century Society is the only national amenity society, and consultee under PPG15, to receive no funding from the Department of National Heritage. It is entirely funded by its membership. This needs to double if it is to continue its present service and retain the services of a consultant director. The Society is targeting its present membership campaign at Conservation Officers. Members receive a regular newsletter and journal - the most recent, on The Modern House Revisited, was published in October. There is a large and successful programme of events, including coach tours, walks, lectures and foreign visits. It is always looking for interesting areas to visit, especially outside London. And next year it is looking to develop a special series of events for those actively involved in conservation. The address for membership applications and casework is 70 Cowcross Street, London ECIM 6BP. An ordinary membership costs £20, joint subscription£30. It costs£15 for students, pensioners and unwaged, with proof of status. Corporate membership is £100 per year and affiliate £50. If you join now you not only get The Modern House Revisited, but your subscription is valid until 1 January 1998. Isn't that a sales pitch you can't refuse? Blain Harwood CONTEXT52
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