Alan Titchmarsh, the 77-year-old gardening legend and former Gardeners' World host, has announced he is moving out of his beloved Grade II listed farmhouse in Hampshire after more than 20 years. He and his wife Alison have sold the £3.5 million property with its four-acre garden and are downsizing to a single-storey bungalow in Surrey.
Tearful farewell to a cherished garden
In his Gardeners' World column, Titchmarsh admitted he was “full of tears” as he reflected on leaving the estate, partly due to fears he won’t be able to maintain the large garden as he ages. “There is no doubt that I am in denial. I think of myself as 40-something. Ha! While I might be hale and hearty at the moment, I cannot count on such good fortune indefinitely. It's time to leave while I have the choice, rather than being forced out by circumstances outside my control,” he wrote.
He added: “I cannot ever imagine loving a garden as much as the one I am leaving, which has seen my children grow up and echoed to the sounds of grandchildren... and now that I come to write these words I freely confess that my eyes are full of tears.”
Excitement for a new sanctuary
Titchmarsh, who was made a CBE for services to horticulture and charity, shared his excitement over his new garden, which is significantly smaller at one and a half acres. “But I will recover. The new garden will become my next sanctuary. But oh, I shall miss my garden on the Downs, and the cowslips and the cherry blossom and the rill and the old-fashioned roses. Goodbye, my dear old garden,” he penned.
The property was initially listed for £3.95 million before being reduced to £3.5 million. His new home cost £2.6 million.
No plans to retire
The Love Your Weekend presenter, who also hosts Love Your Garden on ITV, told The Times that he and Alison aren’t ready to slow down despite downsizing. Their plan to take Mondays and Fridays off “is not really working.” He said he has no desire to retire because he does a job that people retire to spend more time doing.
Discussing the farewell, he said: “I love that garden more than I've loved anything I've ever made. I've given it a quarter of a century of love and care. But when we hand over the key and close the gate, I'm not looking back. I can't.”
An 'enormous wrench'
He described the move from Hampshire as “an enormous wrench” and added: “It's a pretty big number and in another 10 years' time I probably would have found where we were too much for one man. Four and a half acres of busy garden - and yes, I had help but help costs money.”
