A gardener is celebrating 35 years of working on the grounds of the Wimpole Estate this week.

Royston Crow: Philip Whaites strimmering in the gardens back in 1982.Philip Whaites strimmering in the gardens back in 1982. (Image: Archant)

Philip Whaites, head gardener at the National Trust site, got a job on August 18, 1981, as an assistant before being promoted to head four years later.

“It seems hard to believe that I’ve been here so long,” Philip said. “The changes over that time have created a garden that our visitors love to see and staff and volunteers are very proud of.”

The changes Philip has overseen include planting the two and half mile South Avenue, recreating the Pleasure Grounds, Dutch Garden and Victorian Parterre, and restoring the walled garden from farm paddock to vegetable plots.

“There is always something to do in the garden – it never fails to inspire me,” he added.