Volunteer with us!

Gilbert White's House & Gardens is a unique and welcoming place to volunteer. We have volunteers who are involved in different aspects of the house and gardens, and are very happy to accommodate any experiences, skills and abilities.

Whether you want to get your hands muddy outdoors on Mondays and Fridays, or delve into the history of Gilbert White by helping our collections to stand the test of time there is always something to peak your interest. See what our volunteers have to say about their experience with us below.

Here’s how you can get involved

Gardening: Our gardening volunteers meet on a Monday and Friday carrying out tasks to help maintain the gardens throughout all of the seasons. This includes watering, planting, weeding and pruning.
Kitchen: Our kitchen volunteers are particularly helpful with keeping the kitchen and café clean and tidy, washing dishes, making drinks and serving visitors.
Collections: Help us care for our collections, either by conservation cleaning or documentation.
Events: Our events volunteers join us on event days or evenings as stewards, ticketing, car parking guides and running activities.

Some of our incredible volunteers are happy to share their experiences of working here.

Volunteer Testimonials

Tony – Cataloguing Volunteer

“I started volunteering at Gilbert White’s House after attending the volunteer opening day at the start of 2025.

"I've been fascinated by Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne book for over 30 years, and I am very happy to be working in the library cataloguing the wonderful collection, finding books for exhibitions, sorting donations and so much more. I also love talking to visitors and enjoy helping at events.

"When it comes to volunteering in general, I enjoy the team spirit, companionship and sense of achievement it gives me. I have the right balance of purpose and structure to my week.

"If you have some spare time, and especially if you're retired, I believe volunteering is the perfect way to continue working at your own pace.”

Leah - Collections Volunteer

“I began volunteering at Gilbert White's House in 2022. I'm a collections volunteer, predominantly working with the Natural History collection to catalogue & restore them.

"I started volunteering to get experience working in the museum field. I have always wanted to work in Museums, and volunteering in a collection with such historical value felt very rewarding.

"Aside from the beautiful location, I have enjoyed getting to see behind the scenes and learning how museums function and operate. Particularly being up close and personal with historical artefacts and taxidermy.

"There are great opportunities to network here. I'd say that Gilbert White's House is one of the most accommodating and relaxed places I've ever volunteered. The staff are all incredibly kind and it's been a delightful experience.”

Federica – Gardening Volunteer

“I’ve been volunteering at Gilbert White’s House Since September last year. I live in Selborne and volunteer every Monday and Friday morning.

"I work in the Garden Team and look after the bird feeders and the bird hide. I do lots of different things depending on the season: hedging, weeding, clearing leaves, moving snowdrops and even building a path in the Naturalist Garden.

"I enjoy looking at the birds and our 11 o'clock break with the Garden Team where we have hot chocolate and biscuits.

"Volunteering here makes me feel useful and happy. I’d tell someone who is thinking about volunteering to come and try it, it’s great fun!”

All relevant PPE and training will be provided.

Still not found what you’re looking for? Get in touch with your interests and we can have a discussion on how you’d like to spend your time.

To enquire about volunteering please email volunteerteam@gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk or call 01420 511275.