Head Gardener, Benton End - Job Description

 

Job Title:                      Head Gardener

Role Type:                    Full time 

Contract Type:            3-year fixed term contract                  

Salary:                          £40,000 per annum

Reporting to:               Project Director (line manager) and Benton End Board of  Trustees

Note:  We will also consider applicants interested in 4 days per week at a pro rata salary of £32,000

 

Introduction

The Garden Museum and Benton End House & Garden Trust are seeking an exceptional Head Gardener to lead the revival of the historically important garden at Benton End in Hadleigh, Suffolk. The Head Gardener will begin the transformation of the grounds at Benton End, the former garden and residence of artist & plantsman Cedric Morris, and currently empty, to a thriving cultural and community venue in the heart of Suffolk.

This role would suit a passionate, energetic, hands-on gardener who is inspired by the history of the garden and can work collaboratively with the Benton End team, our trustees, stakeholders and community.  This is a rare opportunity for an exceptional gardener to lead the revival of Benton End Garden in Suffolk.

The garden has been in private ownership since the death of Cedric Morris in 1982, but the structure of the garden is intact and there is sufficient evidence and plant material for a renewal. We are looking for a gardener with the sensitivity and vision to develop a garden that shares the spirit, values and ethos of Cedric Morris and his partner Arthur Lett-Haines for a contemporary audience.

This role has been funded for 3 years by The Linbury Trust and the horticultural focus during this period will be to renew the walled garden at the lower end of the site, the showpiece in Morris’s time, with a view to open it to the general public in 2025. The Head Gardener will also maintain the wider site and play a key role in developing longer-term plans.

Description of the garden:

Benton End is a Grade II* listed 16^th century, half-timbered house, situated on the edge of the historic market town of Hadleigh. The house enjoys a commanding position overlooking the Brett valley. The 2.5. acre garden gently slopes towards the west and is made up of three main areas:

To the east of the property lies the ½ acre lower walled garden, with loamy, neutral, free draining soil. Once home to Morris’ rare and special plants, many of which he collected on his winter travels abroad, this area is currently maintained as a meadow with mown paths. Every spring the meadow is studded with bulbs including fritillaries, species tulips and narcissus, a collection dubbed ‘Cedric’s ghosts’. There are a number of trees and shrubs in the lower garden including a veteran medlar tree, characterful Cercis siliquastrum and unusually large corkscrew hazel.

The top garden is laid to lawn with specimen Pinus strobus and old pear trees. There are a range of garden buildings including Morris’s original greenhouse. A corner of the top garden is fenced and currently used as a kitchen garden/ stock beds for cut flowers and Morris’ border irises.

Beyond, the garden becomes wooded and wild, dominated by the colossal original seedling of Rosa ‘Sir Cedric Morris’. A haven for wildlife, Badgers, muntjac and rabbits all inhabit the garden which is being managed organically.                  

This is a unique opportunity to take guardianship of a beautiful and important heritage garden that is already creating interest from the public, press and media

Context

From 1940 until 1982 Benton End was the home of Cedric Morris – an important figure in the worlds of both art and horticulture. The house and garden where he lived with his partner Lett-Haines for four decades from 1940 served as a home, an art school, a place for radical thinking and exchange, and a safe space for gay men. Benton End brought together a rich array of people from a range of disciplines – including art, horticulture, cuisine, psychiatry, literature and illustration – who came to study, to garden or to socialise.

Benton End was a sanctuary for a diverse range of influential artists, writers, musicians, and botanists of the 20th century. Morris made a garden that was influential in its day and celebrated for the irises he bred there.  It became one of the first modern gardens of naturalistic design, developed as it was for the study of the unusual plants Morris chose with his keen artist’s eye. The revived Benton End will similarly aim to support and inspire artists and gardeners of all ages and to encourage freedom of invention, enthusiasm, and enjoyment, following in spirit the original ethos of Morris and Haines.

Purpose of post

The Head Gardener will provide the creative vision and lead on the design and development of the garden at Benton End. They will continue to research the plants that were collected and cultivated by Morris and where possible to repatriate them back into the garden.   There will be a focus on the walled garden which we aspire to open to the general public from 2025 as well as working toward a masterplan for the whole site.

This role will include a range of practical horticultural tasks to develop, enhance and conserve the garden and contribute to the delivery of activities to engage visitors with the grounds.  They will be responsible for maintaining the garden, within a heritage setting, to a high standard and supervise any contractors required to work in the garden.

With good horticultural knowledge this post holder will be passionate about sharing their knowledge as well as sympathetic to the garden’s history. Family-friendly and garden-focused events are developing as a key part of the visitor experience, and it is essential to bring ideas to share and energy to the team. We are keen to share the story of the revival of Benton End House & Garden and the Head Gardener may be asked to give talks and contribute to social media posts.

Responsibilities

General

• Lead the revival of the walled garden in preparation for access by the general public from 2025. 
• Work with an expert panel to develop a planting scheme. Maintain trees, lawns, shrubs and herbaceous plants within formal and informal areas.
• Contribute to the development of a masterplan for the whole Benton End House & Garden site Develop and implement a long-term sustainable garden strategy that has visitors at its centre and which revives the vision and functions of Morris’s Garden.
• Use natural gardening methods wherever possible to promote the garden’s biodiversity and habits for wildlife.
• Planning and leading gardening workshops and tours and helping with events as appropriate.
• Create and implement an annual plan including garden development, ad-hoc projects, maintenance, repair and contractor engagement.
• Ensure that the gardens are maintained during periods of absence and annual leave.

Volunteers, Students and Partner

Volunteers and community partnerships will be led by a separate role, but the Head gardener will enrich and inspire those relationships

• Research partners particularly horticultural training centres and develop student training opportunities.

Promotion and advocacy of the garden

• Assist in development of literature for the garden. Continue/ inform research into the garden. Be the lead ambassador for the garden both internally and externally.
• Develop relationships with institutional partners and others to raise the garden’s profile.
• Engage with local audiences and support delivery of the Benton End programme including talks and lectures, formal and informal learning Assist with biodiversity reports.

Finance

• In conjunction with colleagues develop an annual schedule and budget for the garden.
• Work within the budget and agreed priorities to manage supplies, equipment purchase maintenance etc.
• Consider retail opportunities within the garden.

Health and Safety

• Lead and promote a culture of safe working across the team – ensure that all regulatory requirements are met, and that training is recorded and up to date at all times.
• Carry out checks and report and take action to resolve any hazards or damage as soon as possible – agree significant repairs/impact with the Project Director.

Any other duties that may be required by Benton End House & Garden Trust,

Skills and experience required

• Horticultural qualifications - NVQ Level 3 or equivalent, NCH, HND, OND, City & Guilds, Kew or Edinburgh Diploma in Horticulture, RHS level 2, RHS Level 3, MHort RHS.
• A passion for horticulture heritage and a keen plantsperson.
• A broad knowledge of plants and design/curatorship of horticultural spaces
• An appreciation of garden heritage
• Accustomed to working organically.
• A passion for the environment.
• Experience with budgets and planning work programmes
• Experienced with relevant health & safety best practice
• NPTC Brush Cutting/Clearing Saw (desirable)
• NPTC Level 2 Chain Saw Maintenance & Cross Cutting (desirable)

Benton End Project Team

The Head Gardener will be employed by the Benton End House and Garden Trust, a subsidiary of the Garden Museum combining Trustees from the Museum, the Suffolk community, and the circles of Morris’s influence.

Reporting to: The Head Gardener will report to the Benton End Board of Trustees, with a direct report to Jo Wiltcher, Project Director

The Head Gardener will be joining a small team comprising of the Project Director and Research Assistant who are already in post.

How to apply

Please read the job description carefully and email a CV (no more than 2 sides of A4) and a covering letter (no more than 500 words) outlining your interest, skills and experience to: recruitment@gardenmuseum.org.uk

Please ensure you mark the subject box: BENTON END HEAD GARDENER and include details of two referees in your application that we can contact if you are selected for interview.

Equal Opportunities

The Garden Museum aims to be an inclusive organisation where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and where there is equal opportunity for all.  The Garden Museum respects and values diverse characteristics.  We are committed to positively engaging and celebrating the differences of our diverse staff and users, to enable us to achieve our aims within the organisation and the external community.

NOTE:  Tours of the house and garden will be given for all shortlisted candidates.  Anyone wishing to see the garden in advance of the application deadline can book an unescorted visit to the garden.  Please contact Jo Wiltcher jo@bentonend.co.uk to arrange a suitable time to visit.  Please note that the house and garden are not currently open to the general public.