Gardener

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Grantham; On-site; GBP 16,000 - 23,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Free entry to NT places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease

Discounts

Holiday allowance 32 days

Job summary

Belton Estate Gardener role with The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty at Belton House, Grantham. You’ll be a hands-on member of the garden team, maintaining borders, lawns and plant displays to high horticultural standards and helping enhance the visitor experience.

Part-time, 15 hours per week (Thursday and Friday) with possible weekend work. You’ll operate garden machinery, assist with propagation and general grounds maintenance, and support a team of volunteers.

Qualifications

• Enthusiastic horticulturist with hands-on gardening experience.
• Knowledgeable about plants with a good eye for detail.
• Experience with machinery such as tractors, chainsaws, rotary and cylinder mowers.
• Full driving licence required.

Responsibilities

• Maintain garden daily and ensure safety for visitors.
• Weeding, pruning, mulching; use of garden machinery.
• Tree safety work and lake/reservoir work.
• Prepare plants for sale and propagate.

Skills

Horticulturist

Hands-on gardener

Driver license

Team player

Time management

Plant knowledge

Tools

Tractor operation

Chainsaws

Rotary mowers

Cylinder mowers

Job description

As a Gardener for the National Trust, you’ll be a hands‑on member of the garden team, involved in every aspect of gardening at Belton Estate. Responsible for day‑to‑day maintenance, and the highest standards of horticulture, you’ll also play a vital role in improving the experience of visitors to the garden and wider estate.

Salary: £14.16 per hour

Contract: Permanent

Hours/ working pattern: Part‑time, 15 hours per week, working pattern of Thursday and Friday. You may be asked to work occasional weekends, bank holidays and evenings.

What it's like to work here

This quintessential English country house is a busy and vibrant place to be. Last year Belton House welcomed 450,000 visitors through its doors and numbers are growing fast. Belton House has opportunities across all areas so, if you are enthusiastic and committed to making this popular property the best it can be, the team would love to hear from you.

You’ll be helping to keep the garden in great condition every day. This might involve daily checks to make sure all areas are safe for people visiting, routine tasks such as weeding, pruning and mulching, and using machinery such as hedge cutters, leaf blowers, lawnmowers, strimmers and tractors.

Other duties might include propagation, preparing plants for sale, tree safety work and lake/reservoir work. You may be involved in recycling and managing waste, along with the rest of the garden team.

Who we’re looking for

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

• an enthusiastic horticulturist and hands‑on gardener, who’s worked with hard landscaping before
• knowledgeable about plants, with a great eye for detail.
• experienced with machinery, including tractors, chainsaws, rotary and cylinder mowers, and with some knowledge of maintenance
• a driver with a full licence
• able to manage a demanding outdoor role
• good at talking to, and getting on with, all kinds of people
• equally confident working within a team, with volunteers or on your own
• able to keep to time, plan and meet deadlines

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Belton House, Belton, Grantham, NG32 2LS

Documents

Gardener - B.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 22nd November 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.