Believe it or not, this is the Head Gardener’s house in the kitchen garden at Shugborough (National Trust) in Staffordshire. It’s rather grand and that is because a head gardener was a hugely important person to the family and estate. He would have been responsible for supplying food for the family, their household, members of the estate staff and the family’s guests, plus in many cases, the family and household of the family’s London residence. As well as this, they’d provide the flowers that decorated the house, ensured that the gardens were maintained to high standards, supplied the herbs needed for medicinal and household use, ensured that produce was collected and stored to last through the winter months.  

It took years to became a highly respected head gardener, starting at the bottom of the ladder and working his way up to the top through apprenticeship and successive stints at different gardens. Some became famous and were highly sought after – head hunted. So they knew their worth and they were well paid and housed.