Historic Houses Contemplate the Future: An Insiders View

Secrets of the Manor House: A Follow Up

Episodes 2 & 3 Highclere Castle and Chatsworth House

http://www.theguardian.com

When I wrote the original blog for this series I intended it to be a one off. I was going to watch the entire series but I figured if it was the same format all the way through then there would only be few additional points to discuss. However it seems I couldn’t have been more wrong, for again this programme exceeded my expectations.


The second episode on Highclere Castle was also narrated by Samuel West, however a greater proportion of the narrative was given by its current the owners the 8^th Earl Carnarvon and his wife, as well some of the estate employees. Unlike the previous episode it therefore doesn’t give the impression of being a historical documentary but it is just as interesting. The episode explores the history and development of the castle but also examines the challenges current owners of country estates face when trying to manage ‘old’ estates in the new economic climate. A great deal of emphasis was placed on how Highclere is run as a business, with the episode highlighting the different sections of this. 

http://hookedonhouses.net/2012/01/08/

For example we are told how the estate produces award winning horse feed, hosts weddings and game shoots and of course, how it has capitalised on the popularity of Downton Abbey. It offers interesting insight into the challenges estate owners face and what motivates them to be successful. Turning Highclere into a successful business has allowed the Earl to make much needed repairs, and in his words ‘preserv[e] Highclere for future generations’. The underlying message of the piece really focused on the idea of the current Earl not dropping the baton and feeling responsible for preserving this historic house. Or as Lady Carnarvon put it, they are attempting to ‘leave the house in better nick then we inherited it… in a way that is relevant in today’s world’. After the programme ended it was this question of relevancy that really stuck with me – how do we make country estates, arguably relics of a bygone era, relevant in today’s society? And is that something that we can continue to do indefinitely as we head into the future?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chatsworth_showing_hunting_tower.jpg

The episode on Chatsworth took yet another different approach. The narrator stayed the same but we returned to the ‘talking head’ style with contributions made by the current owner, Lord Devonshire as well as historians, curators and authors. This episode really attempted to tie the story of Chatsworth into modern society, perhaps due to the fact that the history of Chatsworth is more unfamiliar to people. Right from the off, the episode attempts to illustrate Chatsworth’s history through modern cultural references.  We begin with reference to The Duchess, the popular 2008 film that focused on the life Lady Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire who lived at Chatsworth in the eighteenth century. Furthermore, in setting the scene for this story the author of The Duchess, Amanda Foreman, makes a comparison between Lady Georgiana and Lady Diana Spencer, who she then explains was a descendent of Georgiana. We’re then introduced to the character of Bess Foster and the ménage-a-trois that developed between Georgiana, Bess and Lord Devonshire. Sex draws in public interest and as such draws attention to the history of Chatsworth. As the episode progresses we are also told of the links Adele Astaire (sister of Fred) and Kathleen Kennedy (JFK’s favourite sister) have to Chatsworth. Again by association these are huge cultural figures that have links to Chatsworth and evoke interest in what could otherwise be considered a rather dry subject.

http://en.wikipedia.org

What I liked about these two episodes was how they confronted the current challenges facing country estates and the differing responses and attitudes to them. It was a very different premise to the original episode on Hampton Court Palace and for that reason I am glad I kept watching. The fate of properties like Highclere and Chatsworth is somewhat questionable as the idea of the landed aristocracy becomes more outdated and what happens to these historic houses is a topical question. After the Second World War a great many were lost and it is interesting to consider what the future may have in store for the remaining ones.