JOB TITLE: Gardener
REPORTING TO: Head Gardener
HOURS: This is a full-time position, ordinarily Monday to Friday with occasional weekend duties on rota. The working day starts at 07:30 until 16:00 with ¼ hour paid break in the morning and ½ hour unpaid break for lunch. Friday 15:00 finish.
Salary: £26,000 – 28,000 DOE
HOLIDAYS: 28 days per year plus Bank Holidays
JOB SUMMARY: Penshurst Place is one of the oldest family-owned estates in the country, set in 2,500 acres of rural Kent countryside. It is a popular visitor attraction, wedding and events venue, and a working country estate. The historically important private house and gardens are open to the public for much of the year. The 700-year-old gardens include a C17th 11- acre walled garden laid out in ‘rooms’ surrounded by yew hedges, Elizabethan formal lawns and parterres, informal meadow style planting, historic parkland, and watercourses and ponds. The Gardener will work directly under the Head Gardener in the maintenance and management of the grade 1 listed gardens and grounds as part of the garden team.
As the gardens are not easily served by public transport, and tractor use is a part of the role, a full UK drivers Licence and own transport is required.
The job includes weekend greenhouse duties and weather recording in the morning and closing of greenhouses in the evening. This will include at least one bank holiday and possibly some days during the Christmas/New Year break.
The Estate will endeavour to provide training and instruction which is suitable to the undertaking of the role.
Duties:
The gardener will carry out general amenity grounds maintenance duties for Penshurst Place Gardens department such as:
- General amenity maintenance independently on routine tasks.
- The use of a wide range of hand tools, horticultural machinery and powered hand tools, such as lawn mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters etc
- Additional tasks such as turf laying, feeding and planting. Soil cultivation, digging, forking, mulching, watering, raking, weeding, litter and debris clearing, edging, pruning, seed sowing, bed preparation and planting. Lawn maintenance and cultivation.
- Greenhouse work: watering, sowing and other propagation, potting up etc.
- Ensuring that all tools, garden equipment and machinery are correctly kept in good, safe working order, whilst keeping sheds tidy and tools always stored securely
- Awareness of and adherence to Health and Safety legislation, ensuring a safe working environment for everyone working in or using the garden
- Application of Pesticides as part of a predetermined program.
- Use of the tractor on site
- Provide informal assistance to Assistant Gardener and volunteers on routine tasks and safe working practices.
- May be asked to be responsible for maintaining allocated areas of the Garden to agreed standards.
This is not an exhaustive list, and other tasks will be necessary in the upkeep of the gardens.
COMMON RULES AND RESPONSIBILITES
- To maintain good relations with colleagues at all times, including temporary and part time staff, contractors, estate tenants, visitors and members of the public, always remaining courteous and polite
- To keep physical assets of Penshurst Place Estate free from damage and/or misuse
- To undertake training as required, fulfilling the needs of the position
- To observe all fire regulations, Health and Safety and security regulations and to take reasonable care both for your own safety and that of others that could be affected by your actions
- The ability to communicate with members of the public and other staff members in a polite and appropriate manner in line with the Penshurst code of conduct
- To work as part of a team
- To be flexible in approach and as to what task they will carry out.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
- Min. Level 2 Horticulture qualification (or equivalent experience)
- PA1 Safe Handling and Application of Pesticide & PA6a
- Comfortable working with people with different levels of knowledge and skills
- Comfortable working around the public
- Friendly and articulate
- Tidy in their work with attention to detail
- Conscientious, self-motivated & flexible
- Security conscious
Pay: £26,000.00-£28,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
