Buckingham horticultural site awarded new status

14:00 9th February 2010

Buckinghamshire garden and greenhouse enthusiasts looking for some inspiration may wish to head to a site which has just been awarded Grade I status.

The Stoke Poges Memorial Gardens was recently re-evaluated by Heritage England and awarded the new level of protection, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) revealed.

According to Heritage England, the site exhibits a prime example of a unique memorial garden and has benefited from the "highest design quality".

That quality is down to renowned landscape architect Edward White, who created the gardens in the 1930s.

The site is made up of a central formal garden and surrounded by 140 informal family gardens.

RHS members may be familiar with White's work after he created the rock garden at the organisation's famous Garden Wisley site before going on to specialise in memorial gardens.

Wisley is considered by the RHS to be one of the finest gardens in the world and is offering a three-course St Valentine's Day dinner in its Conservatory Dining Room.