The giant of Hampton Court
IN the 1950s my late Dad was in charge of, arguably, the world’s most important grapevine! He was foreman at Hampton Court Palace, home of The Great Vine (a ‘Black Hamburg’).
Today, this vine is 252 years old. It was planted in 1768 by the landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown during a time he was overseeing the Hampton Court grounds. It started life as a cutting, taken from the garden at Valentines Mansion in Essex (now owned by Ilford Borough Council)!
Currently, this is the largest grapevine on the planet, reaching 13ft (4m) around the base. Its longest branch (or ‘rod’) is 120ft (36.5m) long.
The vine lies dormant over winter. At the end of February ‘the keeper of the vine’ turns up the greenhouse heating, begins watering and feeding, and adjusts the ventilation several times a day. At the peak of growth, in late spring, shoots can grow about 0.4in (1cm) a day.
The average annual grape harvest is around 600lb (272kg), but in 2001 it went berserk, producing its best ever crop, at 845lb (383kg). During September each year, the grapes are weighed, and sold in the palace shop.
The vine’s roots get some of their moisture from the River Thames, 100ft (30m) away.