Join us in the Apple House for an evening of conversation about Knepp - the trailblazing, 3,500-acre rewilding project that has changed the way we think about nature and how we can heal our planet.
Tom Stuart-Smith, who masterminded the ecologically and structurally complex rewilding of the Knepp Walled Garden will be joined in conversation by plantsman, Head Gardener at the Knepp Castle Estate and former TSS Studio landscape designer Charlie Harpur and Matthew Pottage, former curator at RHS Garden Wisley and the new Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy for The Royal Parks, as they explore the spaces where rewilding, gardens, landscapes and horticulture meet.
Since the project began rewilding Knepp’s intensively farmed estate in West Sussex just twenty years ago, endangered species such as nightingales, turtle doves and purple emperor butterflies have found sanctuary there. Herds of old English longhorn cattle, Tamworth pigs, Exmoor ponies and red and fallow deer wander the landscape, their disturbance shaping the water meadows, shrubland and wood pasture, creating new habitats for wildlife. The sheer abundance of life is mind-blowing.
Inspired by what they had learned from the wider rewilding project at Knepp, in 2021, Tom collaborated with Charlie Burrel and Issy Tree, the owners and working with James Hitchmough rewilded Knepp’s 1.3 acre Victorian Walled Garden bringing the worlds of rewilding and horticulture together. The design and management of Knepp’s Rewilded Walled Garden rely on a shift in mindset, seeing the unique context of the garden as a functioning ecosystem; a mosaic of habitats that is constantly on the move.
Under Charlie Harpur’s guidance, in the Rewilded Walled Garden the gardeners effectively become the keystone species. Like the herbivores in the wider project, the gardeners disturb the landscape in order to keep it dynamic and complex, to some extent mimicking the actions of animals.
On visiting Knepp's Rewilded Walled Garden in 2024, Matthew Pottage had underestimated the impact it would have on him. As he loves creating microclimates to enable plants to flourish, he was greatly interested in the topography of the site and the growing medium and was struck by the exciting variety of plants.
In his new role at The Royal Parks, Matt is overseeing the creation of a new garden in Regents Park on a brownfield site, retaining all the building foundations and using a lot of crushed concrete. The next phases of the garden's development will be enlightened by Knepp’s creation of a beautiful garden on a low nutrient, high alkaline substrate.
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About Charlie Harpur
Charlie Harpur is a plantsman and landscape designer. Having trained as an architect, he worked for the landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith for several years. Charlie then gained practical experience in horticulture and ecology at gardens including the Chelsea Physic Garden, Great Dixter and Kew, graduating with a Kew Diploma in Horticulture before returning to Tom’s studio in a more horticultural role.
Charlie has now been Head Gardener at the Knepp Castle Estate for over three years, primarily overseeing the rewilding of the Victorian walled garden, as well as the development of a new regenerative market garden.
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About Matthew Pottage
Matthew Pottage is currently the Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy for The Royal Parks in London, and former Curator of RHS Garden Wisley. He has authored his first book, ‘How To Garden When you Rent’ and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time. He is a board member for Fulham Palace, sits on the Advisory Committee for the Chelsea Physic Garden and is part of the RHS Woody Plant Expert Group.
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About Tom Stuart-Smith
Tom Stuart-Smith is a landscape architect whose work combines naturalism with modernity and built forms with romantic planting. He read Zoology at the University of Cambridge before completing a postgraduate degree in Landscape Design. Tom has since designed gardens, parks and landscapes throughout the world.
Previous projects have included Her Majesty the Queen's Jubilee Garden at Windsor Castle, Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire, the Bicentenary Glasshouse Garden at RHS Garden Wisley and the Keeper’s House Garden at the Royal Academy of Arts.
He has also designed eight award winning gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show, all of which were presented with gold medals and three ‘Best in Show’.
Throughout his career Tom has also developed his own family garden at home in Hertfordshire, which is open to visitors each summer, by appointment.
Accessibility & Parking
Accessible parking for those who require it is available at the entry to The Apple House. There is step-free access to the building and all areas. However, there are many potential trip hazards and uneven surfaces that may be encountered whilst visiting the gardens, along with gravel paths that aren’t suitable for walking frames with wheels. Please be aware that due to the ongoing building works around the Apple House, there may be additional hazards to look out for.
Parking
Parking is limited so please car-share or use public transport wherever possible. Details of how to find us are here.
If you arrive by car, as you turn into Featherbed Lane, the gravel lane off Sergehill Lane, please drive all the way to the end of the lane, and park in the field as signposted. Please do not park in residents only bays which are along Featherbed Lane.