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vine keeper at Hampton Court Palace I’m lucky to have a job which
I enjoy and to live ‘on site’ too.
The Great Vine, situated in the grounds of the Palace, is
well over two hundred years old and you can imagine looking after it
is quite a responsibility. Obviously no one would like to be
remembered as the person who killed the Great Vine....I could be off
to the Tower....
My
home is next to the Vinery and of course there are many advantages
to living ‘over this shop’.
As well as no wasted hours commuting, it’s handy when I can
dash indoors if I’ve forgotten something or need an extra layer in
winter or a thinner one in summer. Living here I can see the gardens
first thing in the morning when the dew is on the grass and the
birds are singing, and last thing at night when the scents of
wallflowers and wisteria mingle.
When its quiet the Palace settles into itself, not spooky or
frightening, but soothing and comforting.
There
are some disadvantages too, like having to arrange car-parking and
passes if I invite people round and having a home which is a public
building so that every man and his dog has right of entry to inspect
anything and everything! But
nevertheless the privileges are obvious, my home is a ‘des res’
with Palace and garden views one way and river views the other.
The
vine keeper’s house is on the south west boundary of the Palace
near the River Thames
Photo: Gillian
Cox - Keeper of The Great Vine
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