Living through history
NATIONAL TRUST: MY HISTORIC HOME
Channel 4, 8pm
AS heavily pregnant Emily Pearson road-tests her new pram up and down 47 steps, she wonders if moving into a Welsh National Trust home was the best idea.
The collections assistant at Penrhyn Castle says: “I’m not sure if I’ve thought this whole baby in a castle thing through.” However, she does love giving out her home address just for the baffled looks on people’s faces.
More than 500 properties in the UK are in the safekeeping of the National Trust, and more than 50,000 people work to look after them, but only a lucky few get to live in them
This documentary visits three very different historic homes to meet their live-in custodians who are caring for millions of pounds worth of property and antiques. With huge responsibility comes unique pitfalls and perks... from ghosts, fruitflies and floods to jaw-dropping vistas, pony-hair brushes and priceless portraits.
Emily gets to enjoy the vast space of her 19th-century neo-norman castle, but she does wish she could find curtains to fit the enormous windows.
Meanwhile, Castle Ward in County Down, Northern Ireland, an 800-acre estate made famous as a filming location for Game Of Thrones, is home to collections and house manager Neil and his partner Kris, who helps as a volunteer.
And in Herefordshire, Ian Grafton, his wife and their kids have lived in Croft Castle for 17 years. Managing family life with up to 600 daily visitors is a constant challenge, but Ian says: “I never ever get tired of that view.”
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