David Beckham creates an oasis of peace in his Cotswolds garden… and it’s a far cry from suburban Chingford: KATIE HIND

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When David Beckham was a child, he practiced football in his small garden, dreaming of one day playing for the England national team.

There wasn’t much green space in Chingford, the east London suburb in which he grew up. 

After nine years of owning their Cotswolds home, Sir David Beckham is now really enjoying his garden and outdoor areas.

This place… it’s just everything to him. It’s finally given him the peace he’s always needed, a chance to really breathe. And honestly? It’s letting him live out a childhood dream – he always wanted a garden, a proper one, but never had the space when he was little. Seeing him with those plants… it’s like watching him finally come home.

He’s spent a significant amount of money – potentially tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds – on his garden, which includes vegetables like radishes, carrots, kale, and onions.

The property is also home to chickens and bees, and features roses grown for Victoria and her 14-year-old daughter, Harper.

Sir David, 50, credits his maternal grandfather, Joe, with passing on his green fingers.

The former Manchester United star’s parents, Ted and Sandra, were never really into gardening.

He shared with the Daily Mail that his grandfather, Joe, would visit every Sunday to care for the roses, leaving everything looking beautiful when he was finished.

He would come over the following Sunday, but always find the roses had lost their heads – I’d accidentally damaged them while playing football.

‘As much as he loved me, I think that drove him mad!

I didn’t actually garden *with* him, but he always explained what he was doing, and I was interested in learning. Looking back, I think that’s how I first developed my passion for gardening, even though I didn’t recognize it then.

He’s finally achieved his vision of a perfect garden, with some assistance from his head gardener, Carly Holmes, who previously worked at the well-known Soho Farmhouse.

Next week’s issue of Country Life magazine will feature Sir David as a guest editor, and will include the first-ever detailed photographs of his garden.

The garden features a peaceful pond with a cute duck house, where ducks swim serenely among the plants.

Throughout the grounds, winding wooden paths lead through the grass, alongside fragrant lavender and past spacious fire pits.

A lush kitchen garden, overflowing with sweet peas, onions, and various vegetables, is enclosed by a classic white picket fence.

Viewers could catch a brief look at this peaceful retreat in the closing moments of his 2023 Netflix documentary, where he and Victoria were shown singing Dolly Parton’s song, ‘Islands in the Stream’.

But never before has Sir David allowed the cameras to enter this private family sanctuary.

It’s remarkable how far he’s come, growing up in a working-class family and finding a passion for nature, especially during the lockdowns.

During this period, he and his family left London to spend several months in the Cotswolds.

He explains that buying a country house sparked an even stronger appreciation for rural life than he’d anticipated. The 2020 Covid lockdown, like for many others, significantly accelerated this change for him and his family.

I fondly remember how fortunate we were to have this place. We made it our home base, and when restrictions meant only one person could go grocery shopping, I suggested to Victoria that we try growing all our own food here.

‘Why don’t we have chickens?’ And that’s how it all started.’

I decided I wanted fresh carrots and eggs, and I also wanted to grow flowers for inside the house. So, I carefully planned where to put my vegetable garden and the chickens’ space.

Even Alan Titchmarsh, a highly respected gardener, has been impressed by Sir David’s garden. The two share a passion for flowers and have become friends because of it.

Alan Titchmarsh, who met Sir David Frost through King Charles, recently visited David Beckham’s country home and was very impressed with the garden. He told the Daily Mail that David had done a fantastic job creating it.

This space offers him a peaceful escape from the stresses of daily life. It’s really beneficial for his well-being, and he takes great pride in it.

It was wonderful to see, and it’s especially heartwarming knowing he didn’t have this as a child.

For Sir David, it is place where he can relax – and somewhere he pines for when working abroad.

He says being away from his garden is difficult because it brings him such peace and happiness. He’s especially proud of it, as he built it all himself for his family.

To put it simply, Sir David’s garden has truly enriched his life.

He explains that this wasn’t part of his life before, but now it’s something he truly cherishes and it’s become a key part of how his family spends time together.

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2025-10-18 01:04