Shaping the wild ground with Head of Grounds, Rob.

Rob Mills, Head of Grounds | Photographed by Partner Tom Smith

Say hello to Rob, our Head of Grounds! Rob and his team are responsible for keeping our 95 acres looking pristine, as well as maintaining the heritage of our landscape, and seasonal upkeep - ensuring the Club always looks its absolute best.

Take us back to the beginning, what did your path look like before you joined us as Head of Grounds and Gardens at The Odney Club?

I have been the head of grounds and gardens at Odney for 8 years. Previously, I worked as the head of grounds at a private school and as a Head Greenkeeper. I have been in the industry for over 20 years, but it has been a part of my life for much longer, as both my father and brother are Head Groundsmen. My first job after school was mowing the cricket outfield and rolling the strip for my local cricket club.

What does a typical morning look like for you and your team before most of the guests have even woken up?

While every day looks a little different, our routine starts with essential tasks: one team member manages the Manor Kitchen bin yard, another handles terrace maintenance, blowing leaves, gathering litter, and emptying bins, and a third checks the pool's chemical levels. Everything else changes daily - we could be mowing, strimming, chainsawing, or working in the greenhouses. The fantastic thing about working in the Odney grounds is the variation. During the summer heat the team starts at 6 am. It's a great time to see wildlife across the estate, we have deer in the meadow, badgers regularly frequent St. George's, and our birdlife is fantastic with kingfishers, woodpeckers, herons, and red kites, just to mention a few.

The grounds are expansive and full of history. Are there any hidden gems that most visitors walk right past without noticing?

I would highly recommend the Heritage Trail to anyone interested in the estate's history. As you walk the grounds, you'll see QR codes linked to the Heritage archives. The estate is full of hidden gems. We have our vegetable beds in the walled garden next to the heritage centre, and we planted an orchard on Grove Island two years ago. There is also "The Point" at the south-eastern tip of our land, which is a beautiful, quiet spot to sit and reflect, opposite Cliveden Lodges.

For some more quirky history, look out for the old diving board base in the weir stream at Formosa, or the old jetty for Formosa Place, which is slowly crumbling into the river. There is also a cedar tree on Grove Lawn with an historic wound that has been bricked up. This was a common practice between 1900 and 1940, though it has since been proven to be detrimental to the long-term health of trees.

How has the increasingly unpredictable British weather changed the way you and your team approach planting and maintenance?

I think the cliché of unpredictable weather only applies on a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, the broader climate trends and their effects are all too predictable: our winters are wetter and our summers are hotter. Our native species are struggling to adapt to the speed of this change; natural selection will kick in, and only the most adaptable plants will survive.

Throughout the summer, we spend a huge amount of time watering trees or shrubs planted within the last three years. Our Front border, Herbaceous garden, lime avenues, and front lawn are all covered by an automated sprinkler system. We also irrigate our cricket square and golf greens using this system, which is fed entirely from our borehole. This means we aren't reliant on mains water and are exempt from hosepipe bans.

What legacy projects are you working on today that will come to fruition over the next decade or two?

Many long-term projects fluctuate as business needs and budgets shift. In the coming months, we will roll out simpler recycling bins across the estate so guests can recycle wherever they are in the grounds. These bins, as well as the picnic tables on the main lawn, are made from recycled plastic collected from John Lewis and Waitrose stores. We are continuously working to improve the biodiversity of the estate, creating more varied habitats as opportunities arise.

What steps are you and the team taking behind the scenes to make the grounds more eco-friendly and supportive of local biodiversity?

We have made some very simple changes, such as moving to battery-powered equipment instead of traditional 2-stroke engines, where possible. We have also built compost bays and implemented a no-burn policy for green waste. We work closely with WildCookham, assisting them with wildflower projects and releasing water voles on the banks of Formosa Island. Additionally, we are working with the Environment Agency to improve the fish bypass stream around Odney Common, with Thames Water for habitat restoration on Formosa Island, and with BBOWT, South East Water, and the parish council on various other projects.

Looking across the whole estate, which area or project are you most proud of?

I couldn't pin down just one project. As an overarching piece of work, I am most proud of the improvements to biodiversity and habitat creation in the meadow. What was once a cow field now features areas of wildflowers, a native woodland, and a cherry avenue. During this process we have seen a dramatic increase in our insect population, which leads to an increase in small mammals and the return of our native birds of prey. 

We are also continuing our work to improve water quality at the water garden; having removed over 1,000 tons of silt, increased the inlet flow and installed the aerating fountain, we now have the necessary certification to reintroduce fish next spring.

Thank you Rob! Stay tuned for upcoming conversations with our team as we highlight the passion and creativity behind The Odney Club.