While most of us are concerned with noisy neighbours, traffic pollution and obsessing about the latest trend in home improvements, Jenny Knight, Emma Hegarty and Jane Richardson who all work for the National Trust have a very special place to call home - complete with dungeons, turrets and even the odd portcullis!
Here we get an insight of what it’s really like to 'live in' at the magnificent historic properties where they work.
Plas Newydd, Anglesey
© NTPL / Nick Meers
'My first thought was – what will I put on the enormous walls and where on earth will I find curtains that are more than three metres long?'
Jane Richardson faced a few dilemmas when she moved into her new home, which came with her new job. She and her husband Mark recently left their cosy little cottage on the Llyn Peninsula and took up residence in a magnificent mansion, after Jane, 30, was appointed as Property Manager of Plas Newydd on Anglesey. The beautiful house, redesigned by James Wyatt in the 18th century, is the family home of the Marquis of Anglesey and since 1976 has been open to visitors under the care of the National Trust.
But deciding what to put on the walls of her new apartment was a minor concern for Jane when she realised she now had one of the best views in Wales from her bedroom window.
'The best thing about living here is the view. That’s a picture in itself. We look over the Menai Strait towards Snowdonia – it’s breathtaking. I can sit on the window seats and watch the boats go back and forth. My husband has found a new form of entertainment – he watches people trying to water-ski in front of the Plas and loves seeing them fall into the water!'
During the day, Jane is busy working on future plans for Plas Newydd. She intends to expand works by the famous artist Rex Whistler, whose largest painting is already on view in the house, and has plans for educational projects involving local schools and promoting the use of the Welsh language at the property. But at the end of her working day, she finally has time to enjoy her new pad. When it comes to bedtime, securing her home for the night involves a bit more than making sure the front and back doors are locked. Jane is responsible for setting all the alarms at night, a routine she still undertakes with trepidation.
'I haven’t got used to the alarm systems here yet and I live in terror of setting them off ' she says:
'Security at Plas Newydd has to be tip-top and someone is on duty every hour of the day. When I’m on duty in the night, I have to creep through the house in my slippers at 10pm locking all the doors. It can be quite scary especially when I go into the Gothic Hall with its towering columns and enormous portraits on the walls.'
'It’s amazing being able to go into all the ‘secret’ places in the house. Plas Newydd has two levels of cellars, which are just incredible. They go down and down until you get to these pitch-black tunnels with stalactites and stalagmites growing in them. You can also get onto the roof, which is an amazing feeling. Standing on top of Plas Newydd with views of all the gardens around is just breathtaking. We actually went up there to watch the fireworks from the Faenol Festival this year – we probably had an even better view than Bryn Terfel!'
Powis Castle, Powys
© National Trust
After all the visitors have gone home, and it’s just you alone in your mansion or castle, it can be a hair-raising experience listening out for things going ‘bump’ in the night. Jenny Knight has recently been spooked by a couple of ghostly goings-on after hours at her workplace. Jenny, 26, is the Visitor Services Manager at Powis Castle, which dates back to the 11th century, and has an apartment inside the castle walls.
'Earlier this year I had two eerie experiences within a week. There’s a spiral wooden staircase which goes up all three floors in the castle, and one day I heard someone walk from the first floor to the second, but when I walked out of the living room expecting to see someone, there was no-one to be seen. I can’t quite bring myself to describe the other experience because it was late at night and it happened so quickly that I’m still not 100 per cent convinced of what I saw. Staff who’ve lived here in the past have only ever seen ghosts in the bedrooms but it only seems to be male members of staff who’ve seen them. I’ve never been scared in my own bedroom, thank goodness!'
When you live in a centuries-old castle, sharing your home with a few ghosts comes with the territory. Jenny has accepted it as part of her job, which involves managing the visitor reception staff, car park and entrance attendants and around a hundred volunteers who help out as garden and room stewards. Jenny is also in charge of organising all events at the castle which means her live-in accommodation comes in handy for evening events when she doesn’t have far to travel home, although it also means it can be difficult to get away from work.
'You do always feel like you’re on duty', she explains, 'but I make a point of trying to get away on my days off. When you live here you start to take it for granted but when I’ve been on leave and I drive in through the gates that look up through the beautiful gardens towards the castle itself, I always think ‘wow, I live here’.'
Jenny admits there are drawbacks to living in a castle. The television signal is terrible and her living floor shakes when there are visitors in the Clive Museum, which is next door to her flat. But she says the perks far outweigh the negatives.
'My flat has access up to the roof so I can sunbathe up there on my days off and the views are just fantastic. I save money on petrol because I only need to walk around the corner to get to work and there are times when you can have the whole grounds to yourself to wander around.'
Chirk Castle, Wrexham
© NTPL / Matthew Antrobus
Like Jenny, the novelty of living in a castle hasn’t worn off for Emma Hegarty who has a whole wing of Chirk Castle near Wrexham to call her own. Emma, 32 is property manager at the castle and has been living there for the last five years.
'I still can't believe that I wake up every morning in a 13th-century fortress, complete with dungeons and a spiral staircase. There's even a portcullis, and when I close up and all the visitors have gone, it feels like my castle.'
Emma’s job is varied to say the least. She’s in charge of finance, project management and last week, when the boiler broke, she was there helping to fix it. She even looks after the sheep and chickens on the estate and loves her unusual lifestyle.
'I live in the old nursery wing overlooking the ancient parkland. There are 20 bedrooms in the castle, including two other staff flats. We lock up most of the castle at night but I don't find all the space spooky - I love it! And although I've never seen a ghost, I can feel the past all around me. My friends are pretty enchanted when they come to stay. One even said it was like Hogwarts!'
Emma says the only disadvantage is a lack of privacy which means, as a single woman, she has to be discreet when it comes to her personal life.
'The downside of living above your office is that everyone knows your business and you're never totally off duty. If I had someone to stay over, it'd be all round the castle in no time...but then I often stop to think how lucky I am when I look out of the window in the morning: I could be overlooked by neighbours and be facing a long journey to work in rush-hour traffic, when instead I'm living in a fairytale castle.'
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