Public Places
A
s I wound along the icy roads, I was expecting to see the castle pop up at any minute, but it was only when I wandered into the formal garden with David
Swanton, the castle’s Garden Operations Manager, that I got my first spectacular view of the castle rising dramatically above the terraced gardens. Powis Castle is home to one of the most
beautiful gardens in the British Isles, with its fantastic planted terraces, sculptures and the yew trees for which it is renowned. David Swanton started here fifteen years ago as Assistant Head Gardener, and has been in his current role as Garden Operations Manager for six years. “Truth be
told, I have been doing it for a lot longer,” he tells me. “I’ve been working for the National Trust since 1988. I started at Dunham Massey near Altrincham and then at Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire, then came here.”
Originally from Warrington, David knew
he wanted to work outside and enjoyed helping out with the gardening at home. When he left school, he did an apprenticeship with Warrington Borough Council and then worked for the Home Office for a few years at the police training centre, doing the grounds and garden, before joining the National Trust. So, what are the benefits of working for the National Trust? “We get to do things the
right way, so it’s proper horticulture out there. Not doing things when you’ve only got two hours and have to move onto another job. The Trust are very good because it’s all about conservation. So we tend to do things the right way.” Not only this but, as you can imagine, with 155,000 visitors through last year, the praise that the gardeners receive makes the job really worthwhile. “If you are working out in the garden all day long, you’ve got the visitors telling you how beautiful it is, how lucky you are to work here. You get a lot of pats on the back from visitors. It is really rewarding, especially with all those people seeing it.” With so many visitors a year, I ask David how they deal with the footfall on the lawns
PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 I 93
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