Our Story

Escape to The Mount, an
award-winning English vineyard

The Mount has been producing wines since 2008 and started welcoming guests in 2016. The unique micro-climate of the Darent Valley produces vintages that will tell you a story that you cannot find anywhere else. Just a stone’s throw from London, we welcome you to discover The Mount.

UK Vineyard

Although evidence suggests wine was produced in the valley during Roman times, the first vines that were introduced to The Mount was when nearly 13,000 vines were planted in 2004. There were seven different varieties planted across the estate; Pinot Noir, Rondo, Regent, Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Phoenix and Siegerrebe.

In 2011, Simon Greenwood bought the property and promptly added two acres of Chardonnay taking The Mount to 8 grape varieties and 10 acres of vines.

Now a happy family home, Simon and Sarah have grown The Mount into a welcoming English vineyard, restaurant, shop and stunning venue offering wine tasting experiences, special events, weddings and local products.

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Simon had been searching for something more in life; stumbling across The Mount on a weekend away from Clapham, he was enchanted. As the train slowed to arrive in Shoreham, the rolling hills of The Darent Valley stretched above the small village, a giant chalk cross speaking of a close community.
 
Walking down the tree lined glade into the village, passing the 500 year old George Inn (which is the vineyard’s most recent acquisition) and Norman church, he knew he’d found somewhere special.

Since opening The Mount to guests for drinks, meals and private hire bookings, Simon and Sarah have concentrated on building a special hideaway where you too can escape for that special something. Sitting in the vineyard with a glass of sparkling wine and a sharing platter or stone-baked pizza, with nothing but the vines and open skies over Shoreham to stare at (including the odd flypast of a Spitfire returning to Biggin Hill), let the peace and golden sunlight of the evenings take your cares away, one sip at a time.

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Meet The Team

The Mount team is a tight-knit, talented group with a shared passion for delivering an outstanding experience for all our guests, as well as ensuring the vineyard is a fun, inclusive and challenging place to work. We are very proud of the team we’ve built – there’s more than forty of us now, but it still feels like it did when there were just a few of us.

Simon Greenwood

Owner
Having grown up in rural Rutland, Simon always wanted to get back to the countryside after living in London for 15 years. Whilst still working in the financial services industry, Simon's primary passion is viticulture and creating a welcoming environment in which to host people. The vineyard is also Simon's home which he shares with his wife Sarah and their young daughter, Ellie. With the support of his wife and the wider team, Simon has overseen the growth of the business from serving the odd cheeseboard and a couple of glasses of wine to catering for several hundred customers in any given day. Simon is always looking to grow the business and is very excited about his next venture, the recent acquisition of his local, a 15th century inn, making him a 5th generation publican.

Sarah Greenwood

Owner

Born in Ireland, Sarah moved to London from Dublin to continue her career in Banking, which she still does part time. She moved to Kent in 2015 and in September 2019 married Simon at the vineyard. When she isn’t working, Sarah is busy with their daughter, Ellie, who was born in 2017 and Roan, who was born in 2022.

Paul Nottage

Finance and Operations Director

After a successful career as a Corporate Treasurer for a quoted Insurance Broker in the City, Paul decided to join Simon at The Mount. Paul has worked with Simon for over 25 years of which 3 have been together at the vineyard. Paul is the Finance and Operations Director.

Myles Rowland Archibald

General Manager
Since opening to the public in 2016, Myles has watched The Mount Vineyard go from strength to strength. From serving cheeseboards alongside the owner Simon in a small tasting room to now managing an exciting restaurant and terrace space, Myles' vast industry knowledge has helped get the business to where it is today.
Myles’ passion for hospitality began in the North West whilst working for a highly reputable restaurant group. Working his way up from a Bartender to the Manager, Myles went on to manage the opening of new restaurant sites across the North. Having acquired an invaluable skill set, Myles’ journey took him via London to the South, where he managed the opening of many local independent restaurants before reaching his current destination, The Mount.
Myles, along with his team, strives to grow The Mount into the business it deserves to be, inspired by the wonderful wine, splendid service, fabulous food and continuous support from customers both near and far.

Emily Thompson

Head of Events

Emily swapped the City for the Kent countryside in 2017 after 16 years in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.  During her tenure, Emily worked on events such as The Chelsea Flower Show, The Wimbledon Championships as well client conferences and other sporting events. Since joining The Mount, she has planned and executed countless private events and beautiful weddings as well as launching The Mount’s own music and outdoor cinema events.

Sarah Fauchard-Newman

Senior Event Manager

Originally from Austria, Sarah relocated to the UK at the age of 19 to start her career in the hospitality industry. She quickly moved through the ranks working with the management teams at two renowned London restaurants, Kitchen W8 and Scott’s. After a year of managing a family bistro on the outskirts of London, Sarah decided to follow her passion for wine.  She joined The Mount team in 2018 initially conducting the award-winning wine tastings before moving to the events department in 2019.

Will Lewis

Estate Manager

Having grown up in the village of Shoreham, Will knows the estate like the back of his hand. He ran his own gardening business for 5 years which included tending to The Mount’s gardens. He joined The Mount in his current full-time role in 2019 where he now looks after the gardens, estate and vines.

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Find Out More

If you are interested in hiring The Mount for a private event, a corporate away day or party or location filming or would simply like more information, please contact our Events Team via the contact form below.