Aristocrat gets his green fingers dirty (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Aristocrat gets his green fingers dirty

JAMES Methuen Campbell knows what he likes and what he doesn't and that is particularly true when it comes to the garden of his stately home in Corsham.

He knows what he wants in his 17-acre grounds and it sounds like he gets it. Anything he doesn't know, he will make sure he learns.

The Corsham Court owner admits species of shrub and types of plants aren't his forte, but he has an eye for colour and states somewhat carefully that his opinions do count when a new display is being designed.

"I don't know that much about names of shrubs and plants but there are certain colours and combinations that I know I don't like, so when Duncan is making a planting plan he takes into account what I don't like," he says, sounding slightly alarmed at his own forthrightness.

The luxurious court in the heart of the town boasts stunning views from all angles, an orchard, a kitchen garden and a young arboretum.

Head gardener Duncan Armstrong works with a team of four to keep the grounds spic and span and he confers closely with Mr Methuen-Campbell to create lively masterpieces and teaches him the names of flowers.

He was working as a private gardener when the agent at Corsham Court called and offered him a job. For two years Mr Armstrong, who longed to be a gardener since he was a boy, worked one day a week as a garden consultant, before he was asked to extend it to four. As the seasons have drifted in and out so have the fashions, but Mr Armstrong said he has rarely changed the main pieces that adorn the perimeter of the house, merely refurbished them over the years.

Mr Methuen-Campbell explained: "We're always looking at areas that might need improving. But because it's a historic garden and it's a Grade One listed house, and the gardens are a great feature of that, we're very restricted to what we can do.

The trees and architecture reflect the history of the house, which has been lived in by the Methuen family for 260 years.

The property was acquired in 1745 and famous garden designer Lancelot Capability Brown was commissioned to landscape the grounds.