Estate Grounds Maintenance
This position will play a key role in maintaining the visual impact and presentation of the core of Holker Estate. The role focuses on ensuring a consistently high standard for visitors, tenants, and events. The role will support the upkeep, repair, and presentation of buildings, grounds, and infrastructure across the core Holker Estate. This is a hands-on role requiring a practical, proactive individual who takes pride in maintaining a high standard across a diverse historic estate environment.
40 hours per week - Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm.
Key responsibilities
Infrastructure & Minor Repairs
- Carry out minor repairs and maintenance to outdoor features, including benches, gates, fencing, barriers, and boundary walls (including basic stonework repairs where required)
- Preservation and maintenance of building facades
- Support maintenance of drainage systems, ditches, and water run-off channels
- Assist with the upkeep of estate tracks, paths, and private roads to ensure safe access
Estate Presentation & Cleanliness
- Maintain the cleanliness and visual presentation of entrances, driveways, car parks, and principal access routes
- Undertake litter collection and removal of debris, leaves, and fallen branches
- Sweep and maintain pavements, pathways, and other hard surfaces
- Clean and maintain estate signage, gates, fencing, street furniture, and external fixtures
Grounds & Landscaping Maintenance
- Undertake grass cutting and mowing across estate approach roads and verges
- Carry out strimming, edging, hedge cutting, and shrub pruning to maintain a neat and well-managed landscape
- Perform routine weeding and vegetation control across paths, borders, driveways, and hard surfaces
- Manage invasive or overgrown vegetation, including cutting back ivy and climbers from buildings, walls, and structures
- Assist with planting, mulching, and seasonal horticultural tasks where required
Seasonal & Weather-Related Duties
- Carry out autumn leaf clearance and seasonal grounds care
- Support winter operations including gritting, frost precautions, and basic snow clearance
- Adapt maintenance activities in response to seasonal demands and weather conditions
- Assist with event preparation and clear-down, ensuring key areas are presented to a high standard
- Provide additional support during peak visitor periods and busy seasonal operations
Health, Safety & Equipment
- Operate and maintain tools, machinery, and equipment safely and effectively (e.g. mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters)
- Carry out routine checks and basic maintenance of equipment, ensuring it remains in safe working condition
- Ensure all work is completed in accordance with health and safety procedures
- Maintain accurate records of maintenance activities and repairs performed.
- Maintain clean, safe, and tidy working areas at all times
Skills, Experience and Qualifications:
- Experience in grounds maintenance, landscaping, or similar outdoor work essential
- Competence in using a wide variety of machinery and equipment (e.g. ride-on mowers, strimmers, agricultural machinery, ATVs, excavators) essential
- Excellent maintenance and repair skills, with strong mechanical knowledge essential
- Full UK driving licence essential
- Experience working on prestigious estates, parks, or visitor attractions desirable
- NPTC certificates in spraying and machinery use, NVQs or other courses in Horticulture, Grounds Maintenance or Landscaping desirable
- First Aider – Emergency First Aid at Work with Forestry (+F) desirable
What We Offer
- 24 days holiday, plus bank holidays
- Long-term development opportunities
- Holker Card: free tickets for your and a guest into the Holker Hall and Gardens all year round, discount in the courtyard cafe and giftshop, free tickets for you and a guest to Cartmel race days, discounted burlington products and referral bonus at the caravan parks.
- Life Assurance benefits include, 24/7 access to online GP, health and wellbeing services, counselling sessions, bereavement support, probate services, financial guidance
Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications. We therefore encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Pay: £27,768.00 per year
Experience:
- grounds maintenance or similar work: 2 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
