Hampton Court Palace

Our Gardens are embedded with 500 years of history for you to explore and learn from – are you up for the challenge?

Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle. Its aim is to help everyone explore the story of how monarchs and people have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone to learn a vast range of historical and modern methods of plant husbandry and horticultural practices. Skills taught include hedge pruning, topiary pruning, shrub pruning, general garden maintenance (watering, weeding, sweeping, edging etc.), mowing formal and informal lawn areas, lawn maintenance, planting out historic bedding schemes, maintaining historic plants (Queen Mary’s Exotic Collection), working within a kitchen garden environment, seed sowing and pricking out, and plant propagation. You will also be involved in the annual Hampton Court Flower Show, the world’s largest annual flower show, with dazzling displays and magnificent show gardens, modern to historical landscapes.

The gardens at Hampton Court Palace are primarily formal in nature, with a series of 17th century spaces consisting of the Privy Garden and Orangery, the East Front Fountain Garden, the Wilderness and Tiltyard, the Rose Garden and the Kitchen Garden. Exceptional features include the long herbaceous beds and the world-famous Great Vine. As a trainee you will have the opportunity to work in some of these magnificent environments.

Come join our team and see what it takes to maintain and care for these historical landscapes.

Placement opportunity: 1 year

Staff numbers: 42 gardeners; 60 volunteers

Ease of access: Hampton Court railway station is 10 minutes’ walk away. London Heathrow Airport is 30 minutes’ drive away.

Accommodation: No dedicated accommodation available.