The kitchen garden at Knightshayes

The kitchen garden at Knightshayes

The kitchen garden at Knightshayes

Jules Hudson

My grandfather and his brothers had worked in the kitchen garden at Knightshayes Court before the First World War. They left to join the Royal Marines, a decision, I think, that was as much to do with there being little or no other opportunities for work in the area, as it was to any sense of doing their duty. Their father too had been a carter on Knightshayes Farm and in 1911, the family lived in a property built for the workers on the Knightshayes Estate, so when there was a possibility to have a tour of the garden and a talk on its history with broadcaster Jules Hudson in 2018, I jumped at the chance. Such a charming man IRL too.