Tell us about your role here at The Crown Estate in Windsor

I am Athena Morse and my role at Windsor Great Park is Head of Visitor Development. I have moved to the Estate from South East London with my husband, and our 2 year old daughter. My role is all about ensuring all visitors to Windsor Great Park have the very best experience every time they visit. I have 3 main teams to manage, Marketing, The Savill Garden Visitor Centre and the Visitor Services Team. I also look after the relationships with our catering partners Benugo and Casa Café. I will be working closely will all departments because everyone can have an impact on our visitors experience in the Great Park.

I’ve had an extensive career in Visitor Services, primarily in the arts and heritage sector. I’ve worked for some amazing organisations that lead the way in their respective sectors, from The Museum of London Group, Southbank Centre, and until I moved to The Crown Estate, Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew. In all of my roles my focus has been ensuring visitors go home with a greater understanding of the place they have
visited and a sense of connection that brings them back time and time again.

What has inspired you in life, and why?

My Nan Eva. She faced heaps of adversity throughout her life but was always positive, kind and considerate, she strongly believed that you got on better in life by being nice to people.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want and why?

My kindle with a large range of books downloaded onto it including a decent book on survival skills. A really good multi-tool so I can make some useful stuff and use it to prepare food. My flute because life is dull without music.

Tell us something about you that not many people know?

Every few years I’ll take on a crazy fundraising challenge to raise money for my favourite charities. Some of my more memorable ones have been walking on fire, kayaking across Scotland from Fort William to Inverness, and walking a marathon during my pregnancy.

If you could travel to two places for a holiday, where would you go and why?

My favourite holiday is always a ski trip so I’d go anywhere for that. I’ve recently returned from a trip to Cambodia which was wonderful so I’m keen to go back and explore more of the country and Southeast Asia in general.

If you could have any superpowers, what would you chose and why?

The ability to be in 2 places at once so I can do more.

What was the last book you read and the last film you watched?

The last book I read for myself was The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood. A novel following a homeless married couple who agree to take part in a social experiment that offers stable jobs and a home of their own but with a catch…

The last movie I watched was Rocket Man, A musical film about Elton John’s breakthrough years. I watched it on a 12 hour flight to Singapore and it was the perfect choice to pass some of the time.

Please tell us about your new role as Head of Engagement, Filming and Events?

After nearly 13 years developing and managing the Visitor business here at Windsor, at the start of the year I was very pleased to move into the role of Head of Engagement, Events and Filming, and to welcome Athena Morse to the Senior management team here to look after the Visitor business . My new role includes developing an event program which will sit comfortably in the Great Park, with a wide range of high-quality events . Alongside the events I’m looking forward continuing to develop our relationship with the filming industry, with whom we have worked closely over the last dozen or so years. Some of you may not know that both Windsor Great Park at the wider Windsor Estate is now one of the most filmed in areas of countryside in the UK. It is now an important revenue stream for the Estate. As Head of Engagement, I’m looking forward to helping to nurture and develop relationships with the myriad of stakeholders with whom the Crown Estate at Windsor is in constant contact, be they local authorities, politicians, tenants, the media, various user groups, and of course the Friends of the Savill Garden!

Please share a personal highlights from your time with The Crown Estate?

There have been so many highlights it is hard to pick one. It could be a surreal morning spent on Robin Hoods boat floating on Virginia Water lake introducing Russell Crowe and Sir Ridley Scott to the then Chief Executive of The Crown Estate! It could also be simply standing by the Copper Horse on a beautiful frosty morning with no one around apart from the Deer as the sun rose. However, without apology as it seems a strange ‘highlight’, I have chosen the very sad occasion of Mark Flanagan’s funeral service in The Royal Chapel, when a huge number of people, some of whom had travelled from all over the world, gathered to say farewell to a very special colleague and friend. The respect, warmth, love and affection shown towards Mark, Lesley, Callum and Sophie is something I will never forget.

What has inspired you in life, and why?

Something my father, who was a very special man, said to me once. It was along the lines of, ’Always do what you feel is right, and what you would want others to do. Be guided by your values.’
This is something which I have always remembered and always try hard to put into practice. It is something that I hope my children may take with them as well.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want and why?

Yogi, the family dog, as he never answers back. A small ,island sized branch of Waitrose, to have nice things to cook, which I enjoy very much. And finally, if allowed, I’d like to have the family with me as well!

Tell us something about you that not many people know?

I grew up as a diplomatic family child, which meant that we moved around the world quite a bit. Childhood had its exciting times. Our family home in Cyprus was destroyed in a tank battle between Greek and Turkish forces during the 1974 invasion, with my mother and brother stuck in the cellar, as I was languishing in a Surrey boarding school. I also once spent two hours, sometime in my early teens, with my friend William Phillips, hiding in a bunker on a golf course in Addis Ababa, as a full-scale gun-battle took place around us as anti-government rebel forces stormed the nearby Cotton corporative headquarters!

If you could travel to two places anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I have been to, and love Australia, I would like to return to the sheep station in remote Western Australia to show the family where I spent six happy months. From there we would move on to Bora-Bora, so that my 11-year-old daughter could finally say she’d been there!

If you could have any superpowers, what would you chose and why?

Invisibility. It could get you out of difficult situations quickly and easily.

What was the last book you read and the last film you watched?

I have been reading, and re-reading Driving over Lemons by Chris Stewart, along with the other books in his wonderful series about living in an isolated Spanish farm house. One of my brothers opted for a similar lifestyle in the Heart of Andalusia. These books are both familiar, but also transport you to a quieter, kinder, gentler place.

During lockdown, the family have been enjoying all sorts of films online. The last we watched was a very obscure children’s film, Dragonworld, filmed in 1994. It was filmed primarily at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, where I was at the time Comptroller To the Duke of Rutland. It’s the only film I’ve actually been credited on!

How did you first get into gardening? What’s your earliest gardening memory?

I got into gardening through my father who was a very keen gardener in his spare time and my earliest gardening memory was when I was eight years old,  helping my dad to dig the vegetable garden.

What is so special about the gardens in Windsor Great Park?

The Savill & Valley Gardens of Windsor Great Park are really fascinating with so much to offer in terms of history, royal connections, plant diversity, landscape use and seasonal interest. They are looked after by a dedicated group of gardeners and are justifiably one of the finest woodland gardens in the country.

What are some recent projects you’ve been involved in and what projects do you have planned for the future?

The projects that come to mind are the recent irrigation and path upgrades in The Savill Garden which have greatly improved the visitor experience. These paths, in particular, have opened areas that they hadn’t been able to access in the past. In The Valley Gardens, the recent projects have included restoring the Punch Bowl, including the cutting back of Kurume Azaleas, tackling the old drainage system which had collapsed and replanting and planting a wider a more diverse collection of plants.

Going forwards, we will be looking at restoring the Rhododendron Collection throughout the gardens, the shelter belts around the Gardens and keeping one step ahead of pests and diseases and most importantly, keeping all the gardens interesting and enjoyable for the many thousands of visitors. 

Do you play an active role in selecting plants from around the world, and designing the garden?

As Keeper of the Gardens, I play an important role, with the supervisors, in keeping all aspects of the Gardens integral design in focus. Already, in the short term, certain areas of the Gardens have undergone some changes and there are more to come, including selecting new and improved plants, keeping our 8 National Collections and Champion Trees propagated and displayed for all to see across the Gardens.

My tips of places to visit are The Heather Garden in the Valley and Winter Garden in The Savill Garden in winter, the Daffodil Meadow in the Valley and Magnolias at The Savill Garden in spring. Summer in The Savill Garden has the great displays of colourful borders and in autumn both gardens are full of interesting plants for leaf, berries and interest. The Great Park is simply the best place in the world!