Richard Gant, head gardener at Madingley Hall, talks to Bob Jarman about the magnificent gardens, celebrating his retirement.
Madingley Hall was built between 1543 and 1559 and owned by the Hynde family, later the Hynde-Cotton family, until 1871.
In 1756 Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown was employed as garden designer for the sum of £500, to remove the formal gardens and create a natural parkland. In doing so he moved the village road to create the impression the church was part of the hall itself.
In 1861 Queen Victoria rented the hall for Edward, the Prince of Wales, while he studied at the University of Cambridge and in 1948 the university purchased Madingley Hall with its grounds and farmland. The hall is now the university’s Institute of Professional and Continuing Education and a conference centre.
Richard Gant has worked as head gardener for the past 37 years.
Richard Gant and the damage caused by small mammals in the yew hedges. Picture: Bob Jarman
“I was appointed in January 1988 by Michael Allen who was also chair of the Friends of the Botanic Garden. His philosophy was to create a well-maintained university garden with interesting features and plants. I have tried to maintain this ever since,” said Richard. “This philosophy has weathered the past 37 and a half years. I have tried to maintain the gardens with familiar plants and the unusual.”
The borders are filled with plants that seed themselves among the ornamentals to make them attractive to wildlife.
“I was trained at horticultural college when the use of agro-chemicals was part of the curriculum but this has now completely changed,” said Richard. “There is a place for chemical treatments in moderation and a toleration of some weeds, but we have used no sprays on the lawns in 2025. We do not water the lawns; we want them to look as garden lawns look everywhere even during dry years, and are conscious of water supply.”
He added: “I have conducted over 350 tours of the gardens but remember the first one in particular. A very knowledgeable gardener gave me a hard time over the blackspot and aphids on our roses, but we now use organic sprays such as sulphurs. There has been a seismic shift in what is acceptable and unacceptable in agrochemicals. Biological control is one of the most important developments in my time as gardener.”
The hot garden with the banana tree. Picture: Bob Jarman
Tree diseases have become a real problem for both the survival of the trees and safety issues.
“By the time I arrived all the elm trees had died because of Dutch-elm disease. Ash die-back is more recent and is affecting estate trees. We have lost major trees.
Madingley Hall. Picture: Alex Bibby
“The spindle moth larvae devastate the spindle trees by eating nearly all the leaves but somehow the plants survive. The box moth which has devastated many box hedges and shrubs in home gardens can be controlled using a bacterial spray and a pheromone trap to attract the male moths and prevent the females from producing eggs.
“The lower meadows have been flowering meadows since 1871. They used to be cut for hay annually on the 1 July but are now left until August to encourage butterflies; recently 20 species of butterflies have been recorded in the hall’s grounds,” said Richard.
The hot garden with the banana tree. Picture: Bob Jarman
“It was with great sadness that we had to remove the magnificent,190-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree. It was infected with a fungal disease and the amount of sound wood had become less than 30 per cent which meant it was a safety risk.
“A recent problem has been ring-barking by mice and voles in the yew hedges. It produces unsightly dead patches in the formal garden hedgerows caused by small mammals climbing within the hedge and eating the yew bark. The answer has been to install an owl nest box nearby to catch the culprits!”
Madingley Hall walled garden. Picture: Bob Jarman
Richard continued: “We now have a ‘hot corner’. We have self-seeding European garden plants and African species mixing with our banana tree. We have tried to keep the gardens as much a place to be enjoyed by families as a display of beautiful plants.
“Many public gardens are now used as a venue for lights and music festivals. It’s a fine balance maintaining the gardens as floral displays and as a venue.”
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