Newby Hall

While the present design of the gardens at Newby Hall is largely attributed to Major Edward Compton, who inherited Newby in 1921, the garden still contains Georgian and Victorian features. His grandson, Richard Compton, the current owner, along with his wife Lucinda who, in a curatorial role, drive forward the family’s vision of conserving and developing the garden for the future.

The garden, extending to 25-acres, offers a wide-range of horticultural interest with both formal and informal areas. The gardens include areas of mixed herbaceous planting, shrubs and an extensive collection of trees. Alongside the garden are two ornamental woodlands totalling c. 20 acres and two orchards, one historic covering 15 acres. The garden is two times winner of Historic Houses Association ‘Garden of the Year’ and at 172 metres long, is home to the longest double herbaceous borders in a private garden in the UK, as well as the National Collection of Cornus in addition to a vast collection of rare and unusual plants.

A trainee at Newby Hall will experience a wide range of horticultural tasks and as a result will establish a broad horticultural skill base. They will be involved in all aspects of running and developing the historic garden. This includes the maintenance of two historic Orchards which would involve working with the Northern Fruit Group to learn fruit pruning and propagation techniques. There will also be the opportunity to gain experience in glasshouse techniques including the cultivation of houseplants, citrus and vines, as well as general nursery work and propagation. In addition, the gardens’ extensive plant collection means that there is the ability to learn the techniques needed to successfully grow and cultivate various species.

Training will be given on various machinery including pedestrian and ride-on mowers, compact tractors, leaf blowers, strimmers, hedge cutters, all-terrain vehicles and a variety of hand tools.

A current focus for the garden team is the redevelopment of the Edwardian rock garden. The garden also serves as a visitor attraction, drawing 100k visitors annually, open from April to October, as well as a long standing family home

Placements available: One

Staff numbers: 6 full-time and 1 part-time horticulturalists, 4 garden volunteers and 1 HBGTP trainee

Ease of access: Newby Hall is a few miles from the A1(M), the main London to Edinburgh motorway. Due to the rural location, own transport is essential. Please note, the local bus timetable does not suit working hours. Close by are the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Moors National Parks and the historic cities of York and Ripon.

Accommodation: No dedicated accommodation available.