Job Brief – Estate Groundskeeper / Grounds & Woodland Manager
Sandford Hall Estate, Claverley, Shropshire
Full-time, permanent
The role
We are looking for an experienced, practical and highly capable Estate Groundskeeper to take responsibility for the day-to-day management and gradual restoration of the grounds at Sandford Hall, a substantial private country estate near Claverley, Shropshire.
The estate extends to approximately 40 acres and includes formal and informal gardens, lawns, mature woodland, fields and paddocks, streams and watercourses, hedgerows, tracks, boundaries and areas of established landscape.
Sandford Hall and its grounds were once a significant and beautifully maintained country estate. Over many years the gardens and wider landscape have received limited attention, and we are now looking for the right person to gradually bring the estate back to life.
This is not simply a grass-cutting or routine gardening position. We are looking for someone who can look at an established but neglected landscape, understand what needs doing, establish priorities and progressively improve it.
The successful candidate will be trusted to organise much of their own working week and will therefore need to be comfortable working independently, taking responsibility and seeing jobs through from beginning to end.
Responsibilities
The role will encompass virtually every aspect of managing a 40-acre rural estate, including:
- General estate and grounds maintenance throughout the year
- Restoration and ongoing maintenance of established gardens and landscaped areas
- Lawn care, mowing, edging, scarifying, seeding and general turf improvement
- Hedge cutting, pruning and management of established hedgerows
- Tree and woodland management, including clearing fallen timber, brash and invasive growth
- Woodland thinning and maintenance where appropriate
- Planting and establishing new trees, shrubs and hedging
- Maintaining fields, paddocks and rough grassland
- Brush cutting, strimming and vegetation clearance
- Maintaining streams, ditches, culverts and watercourses
- Drainage and ditch clearance
- Maintaining estate tracks, paths and access routes
- Fencing, gates and boundary maintenance
- Basic landscaping and groundworks
- Maintaining planted beds and controlling weeds
- Leaf clearance and seasonal estate work
- Composting, green-waste management and responsible disposal/burning where permitted
- Identifying damaged, diseased or dangerous trees and arranging specialist assistance where necessary
- Helping manage wildlife habitats and the ecological health of the estate
- Keeping machinery, workshops and equipment organised and properly maintained
- Identifying jobs that require external contractors and helping coordinate their work
Machinery & practical skills
A key requirement is confidence and competence operating a broad range of estate, horticultural, agricultural and landscaping equipment.
Depending upon experience and qualifications, this could include:
- Ride-on and commercial mowers
- Compact tractors and associated implements
- Flail mowers/topper
- Front loader
- Trailers
- Woodchippers
- Log splitters
- Chainsaws
- Hedge cutters
- Strimmers and brush cutters
- Leaf blowers
- Rotavators
- Mini excavator/digger
- Telehandler or similar equipment
- Pressure washers and pumps
- General hand and power tools
Formal tickets for relevant machinery, chainsaw use, spraying etc. would be advantageous. However, practical experience, competence and a strong attitude towards safe working are equally important.
The person we are looking for
The right person will ideally have previously worked on a private estate, country house, farm, large garden, parkland or similar rural property.
More important than a particular job title is having a genuinely broad range of practical skills.
We are looking for someone who:
- Is experienced in managing substantial grounds rather than simply domestic gardens
- Understands gardens, trees, woodland and rural land management
- Is mechanically minded and confident with machinery
- Can carry out basic repairs and practical estate jobs
- Is physically capable and genuinely enjoys outdoor work
- Is comfortable working alone for significant periods
- Does not need to be continually supervised or given a daily task list
- Can identify problems and find sensible solutions
- Takes pride in completing work properly
- Understands that restoring an estate is a long-term process
- Can prioritise jobs according to season, urgency and available resources
- Is reliable, trustworthy and respectful of a private family property
- Has a full UK driving licence
A different type of groundskeeping position
We are particularly interested in finding someone who would enjoy the challenge of taking ownership of a landscape that needs bringing back to life.
There will always be routine maintenance, but the real satisfaction in this position should come from seeing the estate improve year after year.
We would expect the successful candidate, after becoming familiar with the property, to be able to say:
“This is what I think we should tackle this month, this is what needs doing before winter, and these are the projects I think we should prioritise over the next 12 months.”
There is considerable scope for the right person to make their mark on the estate.
Working arrangement
Location: Sandford Hall, Claverley, Shropshire, WV5 7AE
Position: Full-time, permanent
Hours: [to be agreed]
Salary: Competitive and dependent upon experience
Start date: By agreement
The position will primarily be Monday-Friday, although some flexibility may occasionally be required depending upon weather, seasonal work or particular projects.
Applicants should provide details of their previous experience, machinery they are competent to operate, relevant qualifications/tickets and examples of similar estates or properties they have previously maintained.
Pay: £25,420.00-£30,000.00 per year
Experience:
- estate management: 3 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person
