Summary
As a Gardener for the National Trust, you’ll be a hands-on member of the garden team, involved in every aspect of gardening at Stourhead. You will be based within the main landscape garden, responsible for day-to-day maintenance, and the highest standards of horticulture, you’ll also play a vital role in improving the experience of visitors to the garden and wider estate.
Salary: £27,612 per annum
Hours/ working pattern: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week. You may be asked to work occasional weekends, bank holidays and evenings.
Contract: Permanent
What it's like to work here
An 18th Century Palladian mansion with a world-famous landscape garden, its no surprise that Stourhead is one of our busiest and ‘best loved’ properties. It’s a centrepiece of the community and the high level of repeat regular visitors make it a hugely rewarding place to work. With a huge catering operation and sizable retail outlet, the 50 strong team work closely with local partners and businesses. Whether you want to work indoors, outdoors, in the ice cream parlour or restaurant, there are opportunities for everyone at Stourhead.
For more information about our property please visit
What you'll be doing
You'll be helping to keep the gardenin tiptop condition every day. This might involve daily checks to make sure all areas are safe for people visiting. Routine tasks such as weeding, pruning and mulching, and using machinery such as hedge cutters, leaf blowers, lawnmowers and tractors will be commonplace.
As the Stourhead landscape is focused around mature trees and shrubs, having up to date chainsaw tickets would be beneficial to this role - however not essential if you are keen to learn these skills.
Everything within the landscape is on a large and broad scale. Be it strimming grasslands, hedge cutting our laurel lawns, planting and managing trees or routine maintenance. Each job builds a bigger and complete picture and all jobs entwine with each other to help present the whole landscape.
You will also have particular areas or facets of the landscape that you will help manage and work on directly with your line manager. This could involve planting schemes, specific pruning techniques, long term project planning and much more. Regular one to ones with your line manager will help guide and develop you in these areas.
You will also be comfortable working with and managing groups of volunteers on a day to day basis. This may be working alongside them on a job and giving them direction along with imparting knowledge through talks and demonstrations.
Who we're looking for
We'd love to hear from you if you’re:
1. an enthusiastic horticulturist and hands-on gardener, who’s worked with hard landscaping before
2. knowledgeable about plants, with a great eye for detail.
3. experienced with machinery, including tractors, chainsaws, rotary and cylinder mowers, and with some knowledge of maintenance
4. a driver with a full licence
5. able to manage a demanding outdoor role
6. good at talking to, and getting on with, all kinds of people
7. equally confident working within a team, with volunteers or on your own
8. able to keep to time, plan and meet deadlines
The package
The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.
•Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
•Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
•Rental deposit loan scheme
•Season ticket loan
•EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
•Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
•Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
•Flexible working whenever possible
•Employee assistance programme
•Free parking at most Trust places