Historic England is appealing for pictures, drawings, memories and film of Farnham Park and other listed sites locally for a new project celebrating 40 years of protecting Britain’s heritage landscapes.

The Missing Pieces Project aims to uncover hidden histories and highlight overlooked stories about historic parks and gardens – by involving the public.

The Historic England Archive holds thousands of images of parks and gardens across England, including a stunning collection of historic public park postcards from the Nigel Temple Collection.

Among the images in the collection is one of Farnham Park, so it is a key site for the project. 

The Grade II-listed historic park is a survival of a medieval deer park and the photograph (shown here), which dates from between 1907 and 1912, captures a herd of fallow deer sheltering under an ancient tree.

Rachel Prothero, Historic England head of content, said: “The Nigel Temple Collection of postcards gives us a wonderful snapshot of a moment past in some of the beautiful parks and gardens to be found across the country. We’d love for people to add their photographs of the same locations so we can see how these cherished landscapes look today and add to their story.”

Nigel Temple was an artist, postcard collector, antiquarian and an authority on garden design who contributed to journals on architecture, archaeology and garden history. His large collection of postcards is a unique and special archive.

This year sees the 40th anniversary of the National Heritage Act, which established the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, as Historic England was then known, to protect historic buildings and archaeological sites, as well as to enhance the public’s enjoyment and knowledge of our historic places.

Historic England’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest was also established in 1983, and now features more than 1,700 sites. It includes gardens, public parks and other planned open spaces such as town squares, cemeteries and hospital landscapes.

By adding to the story of these places, the Missing Pieces Project aims to better celebrate and protect what makes these sites special.

A spokesman said: “No single person or organisation knows the whole story of a place. Everyone with a connection to a place has their own unique piece of the picture. We’re inviting everyone to help reveal a more complete picture by taking part in the Missing Pieces Project. 

 “Every family memory and community event, every phone snap and newspaper clipping, is an essential part of the story of a place – a piece that was missing until you got involved. Simply search for a place on the National Heritage List for England, and sign in to add pictures, stories, scanned documents and more.”

To take part, visit https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/missing-pieces/ where you can upload your unique piece of the picture.