Boston Flora

Tag: UNESCO

  • Monday, May 26 – Friday, June 11 – Highlands, Islands, and Fjords: Scotland, Orkney Islands, and Norway

    Travel with the American Horticultural Society about the Exploris One with AHS Hosts Holly and Osamu Shimizu in May and June, 2025. Embark on an in-depth exploration of the magnificent landscapes, remote islands, blooming gardens, ancient settlements, and idyllic villages of Scotland and Norway. Discover the charm of Inverness, the heart of the Scottish Highlands, where you can wander through its picturesque Old Town and peruse the Victorian market filled with local specialties and crafts. Experience a variety of gardens, from the historic grounds of Cawdor Castle to an award-winning coastal garden, a garden steeped in mythology, an herb garden, and a bio-dynamic farm, each offering unique and enriching visits. Explore the Orkney Islands, where you can uncover the enduring Viking influence that shaped centuries of strategic presence. Delight in exploring remarkable Stone Age landmarks such as the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae, an ancient village of stone slabs dating back 5,000 years, both honored as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Cruise along Norway’s iconic fjords, discovering UNESCO World Heritage sites and unique cultural experiences. For those seeking to extend their journey, enjoy enriching optional pre-trip and post-trip extensions to explore the captivating Scottish Highlands and the cultural and garden delights of Oslo. For complete details visit https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/travel-study/highlands-islands-fjords-scotland-orkney-islands-norway/

  • Tuesday, October 24, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Derwent Valley Mills

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions. Since this is the final episode, you may wish to sign up for the single session.

    Derbyshire’s Derwent Valley is the birthplace of the factory system, where water power was first successfully harnessed for mass production, ushering in the modern industrial age. The need for people to come together to work in the mills resulted in the rapid creation of new communities, complete with infrastructure to provide for their educational and spiritual needs. Today those early mills, and their communities, can still be seen in their stunning valley landscape setting, some barely changed in over 200 years. Their significance was recognized in 2001 when they were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    Adrian Farmer has for 19 years been coordinating all heritage aspects relating to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site – from planning responses to research, and engagement to promotion. He received the British Empire Medal in 2019 and was Highly Commended in the UK’s first Tourism Superstar Awards in 2012, for his work in this area. He has written eight local history books.

  • Tuesday, October 17, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Studley Royal Park, Online

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.

    Week Six covers Studley Royal Park. Studley Royal Park, including the ruins of Fountains Abbey, became one of the first places in the UK to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. It owes its originality and striking beauty to the fact that a humanized landscape was created around the largest medieval ruins in the United Kingdom. The use of these features, combined with the planning of the water garden itself, is a true masterpiece of human creative genius. The water garden is one of the few great 18th-century gardens to have survived well in its original form.

    The ruins of Fountains Abbey, the Jacobean Fountains Hall and Burges’s miniature neo-Gothic masterpiece St Mary’s Church unite with the water gardens and deer park to form one harmonious whole. Together, they illustrate the power of medieval monasticism and the taste and wealth of the European upper classes in the 18th century.

    Mark Newman MA MCIfA FSA has been the National Trust’s Archaeologist since 1988. A graduate of Birmingham University, he provides archaeological advice and support to around 75 NT properties in Yorkshire and the North-East. He is author of Wonder of the North (NT/Boydell, 2015), a definitive history of the estate (and is working on a new edition).

    Sarah France has been World Heritage Coordinator at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal since 2010. Before that Sarah spent almost 20 years working in planning and heritage for National Parks across the UK. Her current role is to coordinate delivery of the World Heritage Management Plan and deliver conservation projects. Recently she worked with Nidderdale AONB and other partners to develop the Skell Valley Project and the successful bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a £1.4m grant.

  • Tuesday, October 3, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Blenheim Palace

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.

    Week four is an exploration of Blenheim Palace. Blenheim Palace was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Situated in Oxfordshire, this magnificent palace is a masterpiece of English Baroque architecture.

    Designed by the esteemed architect Sir John Vanbrugh, Blenheim Palace showcases a harmonious blend of grandeur, elegance, and intricate detailing. Its commanding facade, adorned with majestic columns and intricate sculptures, captivates visitors from the moment they set eyes upon it.

    Beyond its architectural splendour, Blenheim Palace holds immense historical value. It is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the most influential figures in British history. The palace has witnessed significant events and played a pivotal role in shaping the course of the nation. Surrounded by vast parklands, including Capability Brown designed lakes and meticulously landscaped gardens, Blenheim Palace offers a glimpse back in time.

    As a World Heritage Site, Blenheim Palace stands as a testament to human ingenuity, cultural significance, and the enduring beauty of architectural achievements. Today it welcomes over a million visitors through its gates.

    Roy Cox is Managing Director of the Estates at Blenheim Palace. He has overall responsibility for the Estates sector covering rural, farming, forestry, shooting, gardens, World Heritage Parkland, let agricultural portfolio, renewables and their outdoor events. Roy has been at Blenheim for nearly ten years having joined from a career at Smiths Gore, a Chartered Surveying practice where he specialised in private client management.

  • Tuesday, September 26, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Birkenhead Park, Online

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.

    Week Three features Marie le Devehat and Rob Belcher speaking on Birkenhead Park. Birkenhead Park is widely acknowledged to be the earliest purpose-built and publicly funded urban public park in the UK. Designed in 1844 by Joseph Paxton, it was laid out in the picturesque manner, in response to the rapid growth of the urban population. The way its landscape was designed stirs the emotions and provides a feeling of countryside in an urban conurbation. Today, Birkenhead Park’s undulating parkland still provides a green oasis for everyone to enjoy. In April 2023, “Birkenhead the People’s Park” was officially included on the UK’s Tentative List as a potential future nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List. It has exceptional value as an innovative and influential model for local authority funded urban parks and has continued to serve the social purpose for which it was created.

    Marie Le Devehat is the World Heritage Project Officer for Birkenhead Park. Since joining Wirral Council in November 2019, she has been working on the application to UNESCO for the Park. Before she embarked on this journey, Marie has held various roles with a focus on World Heritage sites, heritage management, and has personal research interests in ‘heritage & memory’ studies.

    Rob Belcher is currently supporting Wirral Council’s ambitions for Birkenhead Park. His background is in town planning and landscape design. For the majority of Rob’s 35-year career he has worked in the sphere of public parks management and development, finding himself increasingly focused on the restoration and improvement of historic landscapes. Prior to starting work at Birkenhead Park in 2018, Rob was fortunate to lead the comprehensive restoration of Burslem and Hanley Parks in Stoke-on-Trent.

  • Tuesday, September 19, 5:00 am – 6:30 am (but recorded) – The Lake District, Online

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.

    Week Two on September 19 is The Lake District with Harvey Wilkinson. The English Lake District is a self-contained mountain area whose narrow, radiating glaciated valleys, steep fells and slender lakes exhibit an extraordinary beauty and harmony. This landscape reflects an outstanding fusion between a distinctive communal farming system that has persisted for a millennium with improvements of villas, and designed landscapes during the 18th and 19th centuries. This combination has attracted and inspired writers and artists of global stature. The landscape also manifests the success of the conservation movement that it stimulated; a movement based on the idea of landscape as a human response to our environment. This cultural force has had world-wide ramifications.

    Added to the World Heritage list in 2017, the complex nature of the Lake District inscription, based on three areas of outstanding universal value, led to the creation of the category Cultural Landscape, of which the Lakes is one of the first.

    This talk will focus on the significance and role of the Lakes villas, gardens and designed landscapes.

    With a background as an art gallery curator in historic buildings, Harvey Wilkinson has worked for the National Trust for ten years, acting as Cultural Heritage Curator for the largest land asset in the National Trust, which amounts to 25 percent of the Lakes total area. He works at a landscape scale, covering all the Trust’s built assets and significant early land acquisitions.

  • Tuesday, September 12, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – World Heritage Landscapes, Online

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.

    Week One is an Introduction to World Heritage with Chris Blandford. This introductory talk will explore how the UK list has evolved from the early iconic monument sites to include more extensive, diverse, and complex cultural landscapes and cityscapes. It will highlight how improved approaches to management, partnership, and stakeholder involvement are helping support the sites – and how significant challenges remain. Chris Blandford is a world heritage specialist, master planner and landscape architect with a professional career spanning 45 years. He is currently President of World Heritage UK, the charity that represents and promotes, both locally and nationally, the interests of the 33 UK World Heritage Sites. He is Vice Chair of the Gardens Trust. Until 2017 he was Chairman and CEO of the award-winning CBA Studios, which he founded in 1977. He is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute, Vice Chairman of the South Downs National Park Design Review Panel and a past trustee of ICOMOS.

  • Sunday, January 28 – Monday, February 5, 2024 – Natural Wonders of the Caribbean

    Explore the exquisite beauty of the Caribbean on an intimate, luxurious cruise aboard Le Bellot, one of Ponant’s beautiful new Explorer Class yachts that combines elegant design with innovative, environmentally friendly equipment. The nine-day getaway from January 28 to February 5, 2024 features thoughtfully planned excursions focused on Caribbean gardens and the natural world. This American Horticultural Society travel study trip is with AHS Expert and Host Holly H. Shimizu.  

    Highlights: 

    • A voyage specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers including discussions with experts, transfers before and after your cruise, and an included excursion or activity in each port of call. 
    • UNESCO World Heritage sites: The Pitons of St. Lucia and Historic Bridgetown in Barbados. 
    • A true picture-perfect sampling of the West Indies: endless white-sand beaches, colorful reefs, idyllic turquoise waters, and the laid-back island way of life. 
    • A discovery of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, considered one of the world’s most stunning archipelagos. 
    • A barbecue lunch on your private beach on the island of Mayreau. 
    • Opportunities to sample local specialties, such as chocolate, spices, and rum. 
    • Exceptional seabeds and reefs with the possibility to observe turtles, barracudas, spiny lobsters, and parrotfish. 
    • Myriad opportunities to swim and snorkel in crystal-clear waters. 
    • Possibility of diving (PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent) with an experienced instructor on board (additional cost). To confirm your interest and request the detailed brochure, please contact us at travel@ahsgardening.org or (703) 768-5700, ext 117.
    Terre-de-Haut Island, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe archipelago

  • Tuesday, September 14, 5:00 pm – Xochimilco: An Introduction to the Floating Gardens of Mexico City, Online

    The neighborhood of Xochimilco offers us the opportunity to understand the original ecosystem of the Valley of Mexico. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the unique region of Xochimilco is a popular day trip for Mexico City visitors and locals alike. This Context Learning seminar on September 14 at 5 pm ET offers a wonderful introduction to the ecology, geography, and history of this fascinating region.

    In this seminar, we will talk about some of the native species of plants and animals that helped form an identity for the present-day megalopolis of Mexico City. We will discuss the way the Aztecs created a lake city with canals instead of roads that helped them improve their agriculture. We’ll continue our trip through time to discuss the way in which the neighborhood came to symbolize Mexican folklore, and we’ll discuss some of the most outstanding pieces of colonial and modern architecture that it has to offer.

    Led by visual artist and Mexico City resident Julio Pastor, this seminar will explore the wonderful canals and architecture remnant of the Aztecs. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of the ecological diversity and intriguing history beyond Mexico City. $36.50. Register at www.contextlearning.com

  • Friday, January 6 – Thursday, January 19 – Jungle Kingdoms of the Ancient Maya

    Discover spectacular ancient Maya art and architecture, today’s indigenous peoples, and exotic tropical plants and animals. This exclusive, 14-day itinerary sponsored by the travel, sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture,  is a true jungle adventure with a well-paced itinerary for you to explore ancient Maya sites in the tropical rain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. With a small group of no more than 12 participants,  you will take your time to see nine of the most remarkable ancient sites of the lowland Maya, enjoy lectures, and relax at comfortable hotels and remote jungle lodges.

    Gain fascinating insights about Maya art, architecture, and epigraphy with your outstanding Harvard study leader, Dr. Alexandre Tokovinine, and expert local guides. Marvel at huge temple-pyramids that soar above the rain forest, enormous stelae (carved monoliths), painted frescoes, stucco friezes, and carved lintels, plus tropical mammals and birds (such as howler monkeys and toucans). Highlights include the renowned UNESCO World Heritage site of Tikal, with a wonderful museum, and much more; Copán, the “Athens of the Maya” and the easternmost Maya capital, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a magnificent acropolis; Palenque, the “Paris of the Maya,” a UNESCO World Heritage site with outstanding ancient temples, a site museum, and a trail with waterfalls and hidden ruins. And stop at other outstanding, less visited sites such as Bonampak, Yaxchilán, and Yaxhá, which have distinctive features that make them well worth traveling “off the beaten path.”

    For complete itinerary, pricing, and information, call 617-495-2463, or email hmsctravel@hmsc.harvard.edu. Image of Palenque from www.aerosaab.com.