Current head gardener Chris explaining the gardens to guests (Image: Levens Hall and Gardens)
1 – Monsieur Guillaume Beaumont (1694 to 1727).
Little is known about Beaumont’s background, and Levens Hall is actively trying to trace his history. Beaumont’s Cottage was built specifically for him – it has been the head gardener’s residence ever since.
2 – Thomas Tyson (1727 to 1758).
When Beaumont died his natural successor was his assistant Tyson. But when he began neglecting his duties and selling produce for money, Tyson was sacked in 1758.
3 – Archibald MacMillan (1758 to 1810).
MacMillan put the gardens back on track following Tyson’s years of neglect. In 1772, artist William Gilpin noted of Levens Park: “There is a happy combination of everything that is lovely and great in landscape.”
4 – Alexander Forbes (1810 to 1861).
Forbes’s tenure included publishing ‘Short Hints on Ornamental Gardening,’ and he was an expert on gooseberries! Topiary was back in fashion and one visitor in 1834 noted the “fantastically clipped yew trees.”
5 – Robert Craig (1861 to 1883).
Craig also appears to have adopted the Victorian craze for ferns, boasting “a magnificent collection of all the choicest in cultivation.”
6 – Alexander Milne (1883 to 1895).
Remarkably little is known about Alexander Milne’s work at Levens Hall but his foreman gardener, William Gibson, arrived in 1891 and took over from him in 1895.
7 – William Gibson (1895 to post-World War I)
In 1904, William Gibson published “The Book of Topiary.” He would regularly put their produce on the train to London, so the hall’s absent owners could enjoy a fresh taste of their estate.
8 – Frederick Charles King (1919 to 1954).
During his stint owner Robin Bagot showed Queen Mary around the gardens. During WWII Robin was captured and held in a German prisoner of war camp. His wife Annette oversaw the arrival of evacuated nuns at Levens Hall.
9 – James Robertson (1954 to 1980).
By now the gardens were welcoming visitors five days a week, with around 10,000 visitors a year.
10 – Brian Robertson (1980 to 1986)
Mr Robertson’s son, Brian, inherited the position of head gardener in 1980, continuing his father’s work for six years.
11 – Chris Crowder (1986 to 2026)
Much of what we know about the previous 10 Levens Hall head gardeners comes through Chris’s careful research and his book, ‘The Garden at Levens’, published in 2005.
12 – ? (2026 – ?)
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