Vine Keeper

At Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), we aim to give the palaces a future as bright as their past and create unique and memorable experiences.  We bring six extraordinary palaces to life, including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace, the Banqueting House at Whitehall, and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

This is your chance to play a key role in the upkeep of Hampton Court Palace’s famous Great Vine, officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest grape vine in the world. Now 251 years old, this much-loved garden feature was planted when Capability Brown was Head Gardener here and is an integral part of our garden’s history.

We require an exceptional, highly skilled horticulturist to fill this important role, taking day to day responsibility for the upkeep of the Great Vine, with additional responsibilities to maintain and develop our fruit collections as well as providing assistance to the Nursery and Kitchen Garden teams as required.

Applicants will need a strong background in fruit cultivation, with sound knowledge of vines. A positive approach to interpreting the Great Vine to our many visitors is essential, including the ability to give weekly talks, answer enquiries and write occasional blogs and articles.

You will need a level 2 or 3 horticultural qualification that supports your expertise, proven experience of working in horticulture, a good knowledge of plant pests and diseases and accurate record keeping skills. An interest in garden history would be an advantage.

Excellent communications skills and IT skills are essential as well as PA1/PA6 spraying and tractor driving certificates. A full clean driving licence would be an advantage in this role.

Please apply by attaching a cover letter and CV.