Winfield House - November/ December 2011

Winfield House, located on Outer Circle, Regents Park is the residence of the U.S Ambassador.  Furthermore, a little fact is that Winfield House is the second largest private estate in London, second to Buckingham Palace.  It was also used as an R.A.F base during WWII.  As you can see, the house is of significant importance and is a place where formaility is of the highest standard.

I must admit, it was slighly daunting approaching the residency.  In order to gain entry, I had to first walk by armed police officers, at the gate I had to present my I.D to the security staff (which they then kept until later on), then I got my badge, and only then was I able to enter.

However, all that procedure was definitely worth it to take a peek into one of London's biggest and best kept secrets.  I met with the Head Gardener, Steven Crisp, who is one of the nicest people I have had the pleasure of meeting.

He gave me an extensive tour of the grounds and in the house.  I took my muddy shoes off straight away, and feeling out of my depth in the house and did not dare touch anything for fear of breaking something.

Steven Crisp's role of Head Gardener extends way beyond the gardens.  He is also responsible for the floral arrangements within the house, re-designing them virtually every week or whenever the residency has an event on.  This is quite a demanding role, as well as maintaining the gardens, but it is a task which Steve fulfils to the highest level.  He is an extremely talented man, but a generous one, who is very willing to pass on his knowledge to others.

The next time I was to visit Winfield House, it would be to decorate the residency for Christmas...