Our volunteers do a fantastic job. They completely restored the historic greenhouses in the walled garden from a state of disrepair back to their glory days. The kitchen garden production is also managed by volunteers; they talk to the tea-room about what they need from us then pick it for them. We usually all stop for lunch together; I think fostering that social aspect is really important when people are doing something for the love of it.
A rewarding role
I moved to the National Trust because I wanted more people to be able to enjoy what I do. My favourite part of the job is probably the satisfaction of knowing that visitors, especially those that come regularly, are enjoying what we create.
We’re preserving a slice of history, keeping it as Mr Dutton wished. The garden is hard work; keeping those high standards is tough, but that’s part of the attraction. It relies on that crisp presentation so the hedges always need cutting, the lawns always need mowing. It’s a real plant person’s garden, very detailed, compact and interesting to work in.
Keeping up appearances
Any big garden is like a never-ending restoration project. Clearing beds and replanting will always continue. Mr Dutton said ‘if a garden stands still it goes backwards’. Whilst we’d never change the framework we can play around with the planting. We’re constantly evolving, enhancing and recreating.