Painshill Park
Cobham, Surrey

Painshill Park is recognised by Historic England as a Grade I Registered Park and Garden, and several garden buildings within it are listed. The vision of the masterplan is to improve the overall reputation of Painshill Park as a regional, national and international place of excellence for understanding the 18th century English Landscape Garden.

We considered the full extent of the park’s history to develop an understanding of the whole landscape, its topography, structure, and how it worked as a designed layout.

The masterplan recorded and considered:

• Developing recommendations that update the existing conservation management plans
• Risks posed by wider environmental challenges, particularly climate change and impact on hydrology and plant health
• Visitor and estate management infrastructure improvements
• The site’s visitor carrying capacity and potentially damaging increases
• How to maximise the use of the site for income generation, to underpin Painshill Park Trust’s ability to remain financially sustainable
• How Painshill can be better understood by visitors including reaching new audiences
• How Painshill could build on its reputation as a site of national and international importance and significance.

Masterplan proposals for improvements to the Visitor Centre are currently being developed, including access strategies, the removal of temporary structures, arrangements for the shop to boost visitors’ attraction, improved café facilities and their relationship to external seating provision, improved sanitary arrangements.