When Club photographer, Isobel McTear, and I enter the Grounds compound, hidden near the Back Gate, at 10.30am on a Tuesday morning in late April, the Yard is empty. The 32 Grounds & Gardens staff have already been hard at work for at least three and a half hours.

I head for my briefing with Head of Grounds & Gardens, Neil Harvey, who started planning the team’s working day with his deputy Tom Clarke, at 6.30am, and a brief catch up with Head Gardener, Aby Parrott, and Senior Gardener, Monika Barry.

Neil is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the Grounds and Gardens. His team is responsible for 40,000 square metres of fine turf, 50 tennis courts (including 32 grass), croquet and bowls lawns, golf and cricket grounds, padel courts, the Lake, wildlife, and everything in the gardens. The variety of the work here is one of Neil’s favourite things; a sentiment echoed by many other grounds staff.

The team’s work is never ending, with sports events, ensuring the grounds play well and look good, and keeping the gardens in tip top condition. They are now getting ready for their busiest time of year, starting with six weeks of preparation for the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic. This continues with the Fête Champêtre, the new Summer Fiesta and the Family Picnic.

They will then be busy in the autumn for the Club’s biggest event – Bonfire Night. Between times, they liaise and work with other departments: setting up internal and outside events, organising fairground rides and, recently, arranging for an Army tank to enter the Four in Hand Yard without damaging any flower beds and borders; all this in addition to arranging repairs and projects with Maintenance and collaborating with various committees.    

There are huge career opportunities in horticulture and grounds, not only for the young as a first career choice, but also for those wishing to change career later in life, such as Grounds Assistant, Kevin Pinto, who previously worked as an estate agent. The team ranges from young apprentices, training here for two years at the start of their career, to Groundsman, Jeff Carroll, here for 35 years. Yet recruitment is difficult – a problem not unique to Hurlingham. Here it is partly due to location and the expense of living nearby or distances that need to be travelled.

Neil has worked at the Club for 23 years, and has been Head of Grounds for five, after serving 16 as Deputy Head. ‘Gardens’ is a very recent addition to the title, but he has the same remit. He was attracted to his career because of a love of sport. Unable to follow his father into a career as a professional cricketeer, working on sports grounds was the next best thing. He now has huge responsibilities, with a large budget for operational costs, machinery, staff and supplies, and a lot of support from Director of Estates, Louise Collins. He regularly talks to sixth formers, encouraging them to consider a Grounds career.

The work is becoming more and more scientific, in order to be efficient as well as sustainable and environmentally friendly

The work is becoming more and more scientific, in order to be efficient as well as sustainable and environmentally friendly. Hundreds of underground drip heads in the flower beds, more efficient than overhead ones, irrigate the grounds and gardens with water from the Lake. Beneficial nematodes, rather than poisons, are used to fight ‘Turf Wars’ and defend our plants and flowers from pests. These are eco-friendly, harmless to wildlife and, also save money. These, and other organic solutions, mean there is far less use of chemicals, and the sprayer is only used on bindweed. Fallen leaves are mulched or left to rot in certain areas of the flower beds, providing rich organic nutrients to the soil.      

We briefly manage to touch on one of my favourite topics, ‘wildlife at the Club’, and I was disappointed to miss the early morning feeding of the ducks by the Lake and the peacocks in the Yard.

Neil demonstrates how the hybrid turf, recently laid on the cricket pitches, is created by intertwining five percent synthetic fibre with the grass. The surface gives greater safety for players and can withstand more frequent use. This is not its first appearance on our grounds, as Hurlingham was the first place in the world to use it on the baselines of our grass courts.

Then it was time for a tour of the Yard, starting with the washing-down area where bacteria in the system cleans water to recycle it for reuse. In the sheds, I see 20 hand mowers of different sorts and various machines, including a computerised sprayer. It takes two days’ training and a test to use this. I meet David Parker, Senior Groundsman & Mechanic, tending to a heavy roller machine, which is used on the Golf and Croquet Lawns. Mark Pisani, Grounds Supervisor, is in another shed, where there are sets of croquet hoops for members’ use and commercial hire, as well as where the competition ultras are refurbished and re-painted.

At noon, Neil has a meeting with a contractor for a Thames foreshore walk to view flood defence repairs, while the rest of the team all go to lunch. On their return the Yard is full of activity, as everyone goes off to work at their various locations.

I set off with Tom and the first stop is the Cricket Ground, where under the watchful eye of Groundsman, Paul Brind, I clamber onto a roller machine to help with maintenance and pitch seeding.

Next stop is Little Wimbledon, where I am given instructions by Grounds Supervisor, Michael Crew, on marking the grass courts with a handheld roller. I don’t do too badly for a novice, but it takes a lot of concentration. During the season, the courts will be rotated, with 10 in play during the week and 12 at weekends. The grass is cut a minimum of three times a week. During Tennis Classic Week, though, it is cut every day.

Off the field, the team share jokes and banter about ‘football and life in general’ but with little time, and noisy machinery, any chat that takes place is usually strictly work-related. I am given special dispensation for more light-hearted discussion and to get to know my temporary work mates. They like the early morning and early afternoon shifts, which means they can avoid the traffic and tubes in rush hours and have a good part of the afternoon free. Many travel to the Club by bike, but Tom comes by motorcycle, and the early afternoon finish allows him to spend time with his children. Like Neil, he was drawn to Grounds because of sport. The team all seem very happy with their career choice, and I hear ‘I love my job, it’s the best job’. They feel supported, valued, trusted, and listened to, as they develop new skills working on a variety of different surfaces and events.

After my Grounds duties, Tom hands me over to Head Gardener and qualified beekeeper, Aby Parrott – another equally enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide – committed to the environment and sustainability. We take a quick walk, from the Fern Garden taking shape behind the Cricket Ground to the Woodland Walk, a mini bluebell wood. As I write, there is much to be admired and discussed, but both time and lack of space in the magazine cut me short. So, I hope to return and continue in the next issue.

I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of the team, learning, and gaining some practical experience of what they do. My appreciation for the hard work that goes into our Grounds & Gardens throughout the year has grown. It’s been a fascinating five hours, but I still have much to discover. I’ll be back for more!!

JENNY MONTEFIORE

FACT FILE

THE TEAM

There are 32 members of the team. They are split into two teams working eight-hour shifts – 6.30am to 3pm or 7am to 3.30pm, with a 30-minute break for lunch.

Neil Harvey (Head of Grounds & Gardens), Tom Clarke (Deputy Head of Grounds & Gardens), Aby Parrott (Head Gardener) plus 17 Grounds and 12 Gardens Staff.

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Mid-August:
bowls and croquet renovations.

End of August to October:
tennis renovations; closure of front lawns, opening of outfield cricket lawns

November:
set up Golf Course following Bonfire Night.

Winter:
early morning clearing snow and ice.

General maintenance:
refurbish 100 wooden benches; paint and maintain 120 wooden bins, croquet hoops and bowls equipment; maintain all the deckchairs, directors’ chairs, and blue and white tents.