As a child, David Beckham's tiny garden was merely a place to kick a ball in the hope that one day he would reach his dream of playing for England.

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

But now, it's fair to say, Sir David is making the most of his outside space nine years after he and Lady Beckham bought their Cotswolds home.

This oasis of peace has given him an opportunity to seek the ultimate solace - and grow the garden he never had as a small boy.

The plot, which has cost him tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds, features radishes, carrots, kale and onions to name just a few.

It is also populated by chickens and bees, as well as roses for wife Victoria and 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 told the Daily Mail: 'Grandad Joe would come to our house every Sunday to tend to the roses and, when he left, it would all look perfect.

Sir David is making the most of his outside space nine years after he and Lady Beckham bought their Cotswolds home

This oasis of peace has given him an opportunity to seek the ultimate solace - and grow the garden he never had as a small boy. Pictured: Sir David Beckham, photographed at home in Oxfordshire with Mark Hedges (Editor in Chief) of Country Life magazine and Paula Minchin (Co-ordinating editor of the Sir David Beckham Guest Issue)

'Then he'd visit the Sunday after, only to find that all the heads had been knocked off the roses because I'd been kicking a football around.

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

'Although I didn't really plant anything with him, I showed an interest and he talked me through everything he was doing, so I think that's where my love of gardening came from, even if I didn't realise it at the time.'

Today, with a little help from his head gardener Carly Holmes (formerly of nearby Soho Farmhouse), he has created his dream Eden.

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Sir David is guest editing next week's edition of Country Life magazine and photographs in the publication will show his garden in detail for the first time.

They show a tranquil haven hosting a pond complete with a charming duck house, the residents of which enjoy calm waters among the reeds.

Elsewhere, wooden garden paths meander over the lawns running alongside lavender bushes and past large firepits.

An abundant and sprawling kitchen garden bursts with sweet peas, onions and other vegetables encased by a white picket fence.

Some parts of this haven could be glimpsed in the final scenes of his 2023 Netflix documentary, in which he and Victoria were seen singing Dolly Parton's hit Islands in the Stream.

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

It is certainly quite the achievement for a working-class boy, whose love for the countryside grew during lockdown.

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

He says: 'I knew that once I had the country house, my love of the countryside would grow. But I didn't realise how much it would. What changed things for us - as it did for so many other people - was the Covid lockdown in 2020.

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'I can remember feeling so lucky to have a place like this then. We based ourselves here and, when it got to the stage when only one family member was allowed to go to do the food shopping, I said to Victoria, 'Why don't we grow everything here?

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

'I wanted my own carrots and eggs and to grow flowers that we could cut to have in the house, so I planned out my vegetable garden and the chicken area.'

Sir David's garden has even impressed one of the country's most esteemed gardeners, Alan Titchmarsh. He and the former England captain have bonded over their love of flowers.

Mr Titchmarsh - who was introduced to Sir David by King Charles - told the Daily Mail how blown away he was on a recent trip to the Beckhams' countryside home, saying: 'It is an incredible garden. David has done a tremendous job of it.

'It is a place for him to seek solace from the outside world. It's so good for mental health, too. He is very proud of it.

'It was joyous seeing it, and what is so lovely is that it is something he didn't always have as a child'.

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

'I miss everything about my garden when I'm not there,' he says. 'It gives me a great sense of calm and contentment. I built all of it for my family and I'm very proud of what I have created.'

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

'I did not have this in my life before,' he says. 'But it's very special to me now and plays a big part in our family time.'

David Beckham finds peace in his Cotswolds garden...