Meet Rich & Roy
Meet Rich & Roy
Meet brothers Richard and Roy Kirby, Park Operations Supervisor and Gardener
Few people know Weston Park better than brothers Richard and Roy Kirby, who between them have witnessed almost five decades of transformation.
From the days when the family held shoot dates and the estate was a summer residence, to today’s bustling venue hosting visitors, corporate events and weddings.
What sets Rich and Roy apart isn’t just their longevity, it’s the fact that their family’s connection to the estate spans generations, from their grandfather who worked with horses in the courtyard to Rich’s son, who began his career in the kitchens at Weston.
Theirs is a story about belonging – which never resonated more than it does this year, as the Weston Park Foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary. And ask either of them about any corner of Weston, and they will tell you its history, its quirks and exactly what needs fixing!
Gardener Roy (70) and Park Operations Supervisor Rich (66) have worked together on the estate for most of their lives and ‘mostly’ get on… “It’s a good job we work in different areas – I don’t think we could be together all of the time,” quipped Rich.
But they could be taken for peas in a pod, because despite Roy’s beard they are regularly muddled up!
Their Weston history started with their grandfather, who lived in the village of Weston-Under-Lizard and worked in the estate courtyard with the horses. Their mum was born in the village, and she met their RAF policeman dad when he was stationed at Weston during the war.
Rich said: “The RAF used to land on the other side of the park wall during the war. Dad was billeted there and looked after the aircraft, all of which were camouflaged. He married mum and we were born here, so Weston is in our DNA.”
That connection runs deep; growing up with the grounds as their playground instilled a familiarity which today means they know every blade of grass, every pipe, every detail of the rolling landscape. Rich learned to ride there, got married and lived on the estate, and for both the boys it was in effect their back garden. And back in the day, the boys would receive Christmas gifts from the Bradford family, and be invited into the house on special occasions.
But that was before the estate was gifted to the nation through the creation of the Weston Park Foundation in 1986, the independent charitable trust dedicated to preserving the house, the collections and the parkland. And it’s over the last 40 years that the Kirby brothers’ upbringing has really paid off.
Rich said: “Anything that needs doing, any queries on site, small repair jobs, they tend to give me a call. There’s always something different every day.”
While Roy started in the gardens in 1970, and although he moved to the forestry side of the estate for eight or nine winters, returned to the gardens in 1993.
Both retain an incomparable knowledge of the estate which helps them maintain the vast grounds, garden areas and multiple let properties as well as historic structures like the Temple of Diana.
Significantly, Rich and Roy are likely to be the last generation of the Kirby family working on the estate. Rich’s son began his career as a chef at Weston, was furloughed during the pandemic, then moved on to the renowned Lygon Arms in Broadway. He’s currently a pastry chef at a country hotel in Hampshire.
But for now, the brothers continue to rub along together, predominantly outdoors where they can enjoy the beautiful grounds. And their favourite place on the estate?
Rich said: “Probably the Knoll Tower, where I’m working at the moment. It has the most gorgeous views all over Shropshire.”
Roy said simply: “Anywhere where I can be outside, I love it.”
As the Foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary, Richard and Roy offer something increasingly rare: deep roots, institutional memory and an unwavering commitment to a place. Their quiet moments of maintenance, care, and devotion that have kept Weston Park standing as a beacon of cultural significance for four decades represent the estate’s most valuable asset: people who love it enough to stay.
