Heritage publishing group, Hudson’s Heritage, have announced the shortlist for their inaugural awards scheme.

Nominations for the awards came from historic homes and gardens all over the UK, for 12 award categories.

These range from best tearoom to best garden, and from best wedding venue to best renovation/restoration, but the category attracting the most entries was that for ‘hidden gem’. 

“This category attracted a huge number of entries,” said Ed Beale, Hudson Heritage’s Managing Director.

Competing for the top spot in the ‘short’ list for this category are 19 hidden treasures of British heritage: Browsholme Hall in Lancashire; Chavenage House in Gloucestershire; the Church of our Lady & St Ignatius in Chideock, Dorset; Gilbert White’s House and Gardens in Selborne, Hampshire; Harvington Hall, Shropshire; Hergest Croft Gardens, Herefordshire; Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire; Kiplin Hall, North Yorkshire; Layer Marney Tower, Essex; Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in Scotland; Muncaster Castle Gardens and Owl Centre, Cumbria; the Museum of the Order of St John, London EC1; Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk; Peckover House & Gardens in Cambridgeshire; Port Eliot House, Saltash, Cornwall; Restoration House & Garden, Rochester, Kent; St Mary’s House & Garden, West Sussex; Stanford Hall, Leicestershire; Stockeld Park, North Yorkshire; and Upton Cressett Hall, Shropshire.

Other categories include best educational/community or family venue, best corporate venue and best for accessibility.

Judges for the awards include the writer and broadcaster, Lucinda Lambton, well known for her architectural commentary, and Norman Hudson, founder of the annual guidebook, Hudson’s Historic Houses and Gardens, consultant to the Historic Houses Association and past member of the National Trust Council.

Myddelton House Gardens, Middlesex, within the Lee Valley Regional Park, is one of five venues shortlisted for the ‘Best Renovation/Restoration’ category. Head Gardener Andrew Turvey is delighted.

He said: “The original house and gardens of the Victorian plantsman EA Bowles, has seen record breaking visitors since its re-launch this year following a two-year Heritage Lottery Funded (HLF) restoration project.”

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