Nearby there is also a large Tudor deer park at Ashton Court and a virtually untouched Picturesque layout at Blaise Castle within the city limits, and within easy reach around Bristol there are numerous important Cotswolds, Somerset and Wiltshire parks and gardens. The degree is taught by staff in the Department of History of Art, together with contributions from the Department of Archaeology and visiting lecturers in the field of garden history. The course aims to provide students with an informed knowledge of how gardens and designed landscapes may be understood as cultural artefacts, primarily through the study of British garden history. The focus is on an integrated approach to landscape and garden art, architecture and design in their cultural and social contexts. The core course includes a practical introduction to interpreting archaeological, physical and visual evidence, and to conservation and management issues.
Teaching consists of lectures and seminars as well as study visits to gardens and landscapes.
In addition there are two optional course units chosen from topics ranging from the medieval period to the twentieth century. On completion of the taught course, students research and write a dissertation on a topic of their choice related to the study of garden history. The option is also available of taking the taught course on its own for a Postgraduate Diploma in Garden History. English Heritage, The National Trust and public and private owners of sites make extensive use of garden historians as consultants. In publishing, the media, cultural recreation and tourism, garden history is a growing business.