0:00:02 > 0:00:06The National Trust has more than four million members.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08It's Britain's largest landowner.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11As English as cream teas...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13or is it?
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Because it all began in Wales,
0:00:18 > 0:00:19where it continues to look after
0:00:19 > 0:00:22the treasures of this beautiful country.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27But I want to find out what the future holds
0:00:27 > 0:00:30for this guardian of our shared past.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Well, there we are.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42That's what I call a classic National Trust property.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44One of the great stately homes of -
0:00:44 > 0:00:47ha-ha, I nearly said England -
0:00:47 > 0:00:48of Wales.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51It was built by successive Lords
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and Barons and Marquises
0:00:53 > 0:00:55until, in the 1970s,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59it simply became too expensive for them to look after.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02But...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04if they couldn't manage it...
0:01:04 > 0:01:08how can National Trust Wales expect to?
0:01:09 > 0:01:12To find out, I'm going to investigate Plas Newydd,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15on the island of Anglesey, North West Wales,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19once the family home of the Marquis of Anglesey.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22We're actually quite a long way
0:01:22 > 0:01:25from the fantasy of Downtown Abbey.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I'll be looking at some intriguing fine art.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It's not just a house for connoisseurs,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33it's also a house for nosey parkers.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I want to find out how this place is run...
0:01:36 > 0:01:39I wouldn't like to be the cleaner in here.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41..and investigate how they intend to tackle
0:01:41 > 0:01:43this mansion's challenges.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The first thing that confronts me
0:01:53 > 0:01:55is a monument from the deep past.
0:01:57 > 0:01:585,000 years ago,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01a Neolithic chieftain
0:02:01 > 0:02:04decided that this extraordinary place,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08with its spectacular views was the ideal place to be buried
0:02:08 > 0:02:10and put this cromlech here.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And in fact, it was only 600 years ago
0:02:14 > 0:02:18that somebody decided it should be called the "Plas Newydd".
0:02:18 > 0:02:21So "new" in "new palace",
0:02:21 > 0:02:22which is what that means,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25is a relative term here.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The original building was put up in medieval times.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32It's been rebuilt and remodelled over the centuries,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35including major works by the great 18th century architect
0:02:35 > 0:02:37James Wyatt.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39To get a handle on all this,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I'm meeting property manager Nerys Jones.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And this is the main Gothic hall.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49This is the first place people would come to be impressed
0:02:49 > 0:02:51when they'd come in as visitors.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Well, I'm impressed.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54It's got Tudor foundations.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58What you see really then, is an 18th century building,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02but it's had turrets and towers added here and there.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Basically, what we're looking at
0:03:04 > 0:03:05is a house that was lived in by a family
0:03:05 > 0:03:09with different Marquises and different Lords,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11coming along at various stages
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and adding bits to it.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16They'd add their own stamp, according to their taste.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Right. And what's this through here?
0:03:18 > 0:03:21'And there's a lot of taste to cover in 600 years,
0:03:21 > 0:03:22'which is the challenge here.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24'I'm about to be introduced, however,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28'to the man who really put the house and the family and North West Wales
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'at the centre of world affairs.'
0:03:31 > 0:03:33And here we see the first Marquis.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39'Henry William Paget became the first Lord Anglesey in 1815
0:03:39 > 0:03:41'as a reward for his bravery
0:03:41 > 0:03:43'at the battle of Waterloo.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:45He was hit by grapeshot
0:03:45 > 0:03:47and he turned to the Duke of Wellington.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50He said, "By God, Sir,
0:03:50 > 0:03:51"I've lost my leg."
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Duke of Wellington turned and looked and said,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57"By God, Sir, so you have,"
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and went on surveying the battle.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05'Thanks to Lord Anglesey, however,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08'the Pagets became such a powerful family
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'that the Plas Newydd was merely a country retreat
0:04:11 > 0:04:13'for successive Marquises.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17'That was until the end of the Victorian Era,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21'when Henry Cyril Paget inherited the estate.'
0:04:21 > 0:04:24There we are, that's the fifth Marquis here,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27looking utterly magnificent.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31He was the sort of black sheep of the family because
0:04:31 > 0:04:34he was a very glittery individual
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and he inherited the estate and the title,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and an income of £250,000 a year,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43which is equivalent of about 25 million a year, which he spent.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The first to really call Plas Newydd his home,
0:04:48 > 0:04:53the fifth Marquis set about indulging his interest in jewellery,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56pink poodles and perfumed cars.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58He built a 150-seat theatre here.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00He'd give free shows for all the local people.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06He spent an absolute fortune on cars, clothes and entertaining.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11And after spending half a billion, Henry was declared bankrupt in 1904.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17This was a significant moment for this house and his family,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19and eventually for the Trust,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22because his creditors organised a 40-day sale
0:05:22 > 0:05:25in which the treasures were sold off.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The house became less of a showpiece and more of a family home.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37'By 1976,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39'the seventh Marquis, Henry Paget,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'could no longer afford to maintain Plas Newydd.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'He handed it over to the care of the Trust.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51'He continued to play an active part in how it was run
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'until his death in 2013.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'Now that responsibility falls on Nerys.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'This is a lovely place in a lovely setting,
0:06:04 > 0:06:10'but it could also be argued that that is part of its problem.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:12What a fantastic view to wake up to.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16There's Snowdon, quite visible,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20because the seventh Marquis insisted
0:06:20 > 0:06:23that the National Trust bought that land over there,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25so the vista was perfect.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30But in a way, of course, that is a little bit of the problem,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33because that beautiful view there
0:06:33 > 0:06:37is of a wild and remote part of Wales.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40We're in a far north-west corner.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41There are towns here,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43there's Bangor and there's Caernarfon,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46but we are actually quite a long way,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49a good day trip
0:06:49 > 0:06:53from those huge centres of population, like Manchester.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57So, how do we get the visitors
0:06:57 > 0:07:00to come here on a regular basis?
0:07:03 > 0:07:08'At the moment, we get about 93,000 visitors every year.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09'We're a small property here
0:07:09 > 0:07:12'compared to other National Trust properties.'
0:07:13 > 0:07:17And we don't get as many visitors because of where we're situated.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22You've got to think of new ideas to encourage visitors to come back?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Definitely. If we don't have visitors,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28it means we don't build up funds to keep this place for ever.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So we do have to also work
0:07:31 > 0:07:33a bit like a visitor attraction,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36in that we need new things for people to see.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Whether that's opening a new room to the public,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40maybe letting them into the cellars,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44or putting on a series of events, whether outside or inside,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47to attract people to come back again and again.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'That's a lot of ambition
0:07:53 > 0:07:55'and something immediately becomes apparent.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59'I think it may be connected with that bankruptcy sale
0:07:59 > 0:08:00'100 years ago.'
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Katherine Manners,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05distant relative,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07painted by Van Dyke.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10But there aren't really,
0:08:10 > 0:08:11in this house,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15so many very important pieces
0:08:15 > 0:08:19that people come here to tick them off,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21like they might at the National Gallery.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26The Trust has to sell this house to visitors
0:08:26 > 0:08:27on a different principle.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31And for that purpose,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33the most interesting painting here
0:08:33 > 0:08:34is not an "old master" at all.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'Said to be the largest mural in Europe,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41'this painting was commissioned
0:08:41 > 0:08:45'to decorate the dining room in 1936.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46'The artist, Rex Whistler,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50'has a museum dedicated to his work in the old kitchen,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54'but it is his relationship with the family
0:08:54 > 0:08:59'that the Trust really wants to unlock and use,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02'and the picture is the key.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05'Whistler paints himself here, with a brush.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07'The young boy stealing an apple
0:09:07 > 0:09:10is his pal, the future seventh Marquis, as a child.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14'But it was the girl in the boat,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17'Lady Caroline, the little boy's sister,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21'who became an obsession for the artist, Whistler.'
0:09:21 > 0:09:25He was said to be the model for Charles Ryder
0:09:25 > 0:09:27in Brideshead Revisited,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29someone who is in love
0:09:29 > 0:09:32with the idea of a great stately home
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and also...
0:09:35 > 0:09:36..so they say,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39in love with the daughter of the house.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45'The relationship was undoubtedly intense while it lasted,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47'as his portraits of her reveal.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'But this is the question -
0:09:51 > 0:09:54'can the National Trust use stories like this
0:09:54 > 0:09:57'to make up for what was lost in the bankruptcy sale?'
0:10:00 > 0:10:01There's a great story here
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and as you go down here, is a love story.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'Justin Albert, Trust Director in Wales,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09'certainly seems to have that ambition.'
0:10:09 > 0:10:12That thing the National Trust calls "spirit of place",
0:10:12 > 0:10:14but just storytelling, is phenomenal.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16The story behind this family,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19that it was a pleasure house that turned into a family house
0:10:19 > 0:10:22is, in itself, a reason to come here. You can come and wander round here
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and you can be the Angleseys for a day, and that's kind of fun.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28'Can the Trust preserve the atmosphere and look
0:10:28 > 0:10:31'of a family home from the 1930s?'
0:10:31 > 0:10:35So let's go into Lady Anglesey's lounge.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40And you can see the feminine influence of Sibyl Colefax here.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46'Sibyl Colefax was the society decorator
0:10:46 > 0:10:49'who re-invented the idea of the country house.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'She aimed at comfort, not display.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55'The Trust is not intending to create
0:10:55 > 0:10:58'a historical museum behind red ropes,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01'but allow the public to enjoy that comfort
0:11:01 > 0:11:05'and poke about in a house that remained largely unchanged
0:11:05 > 0:11:07'over the last 80 years.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12With the passing of the last Marquis of Anglesey,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15she now has a blank sheet of paper. She can now do what she wants to do.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17She'll talk to the family. She'll reflect their wishes.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20I believe very strongly, as she does, that the family should be part
0:11:20 > 0:11:23of the decision-making, because without a family, the place is dead.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- Why? This is a National Trust property.- Why should...?
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Why is the family still involved in something
0:11:29 > 0:11:31which effectively has now become...
0:11:31 > 0:11:34into the ownership of a much bigger group,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36which is the National Trust?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Whatever you think about the aristocracy, whatever you think,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41they have a validity in the houses that they lived in
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and built and procreated in
0:11:43 > 0:11:47and did all the fun things over the millennia and centuries,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50without a family being involved with that, the place is dead.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52There's no spirit.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56'And a way to experience this "spirit", for the Trust,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'is "free flow", where you can walk around, unguided,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02'at your own pace.'
0:12:02 > 0:12:06It's not just a house for connoisseurs,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08it's also a house for nosey parkers.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37My aim is that every room looks
0:12:37 > 0:12:41as if Lord Anglesey has just left the room,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44so it does look like a home that is lived in.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50'This idea extends throughout the house
0:12:50 > 0:12:53'and the latest challenge is this room.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55'The seventh Marquis, the last to live here,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57'died in 2013.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00'This is his study.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'It is exactly as he left it.'
0:13:03 > 0:13:05This is the room that he used to work in?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It is. This is his hub of the home.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10He's got a desk for every task.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- This is his writing desk, where he would have written his books.- Yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17A correspondence desk, where he would have written
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- to friends and family...- Right.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23..a research corner, where he'd do his academic work
0:13:23 > 0:13:27and where he wrote his eight volume history of the British Cavalry.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30'After the 7th Marquis gave the house
0:13:30 > 0:13:32'to National Trust Wales in 1976,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'he remained active in the building conservation movement
0:13:35 > 0:13:37'and local affairs.'
0:13:37 > 0:13:41I wonder, when people come here, they want to see a proper house.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43They don't want to see a mess like this, do they?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I think they do want to see a mess,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49but it is an organised mess, I would say.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52This is how the seventh Marquis operated
0:13:52 > 0:13:55and I think if we tidied this up, we'd just be tidying away
0:13:55 > 0:13:57his personality and his character.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00You can still smell his cigars
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and when we do open it,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04I will make sure that his opera will be playing as well.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07So it's using all the senses
0:14:07 > 0:14:09to evoke that feeling, when people come in.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Are you going to light a cigar?
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I don't know if we'll go that far.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16At the moment, it still smells of the cigars.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28I've noticed that there are parts of the carpet
0:14:28 > 0:14:29which are quite worn away.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Are you going to get rid of those?
0:14:31 > 0:14:32No, definitely not.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35We'd be ruining the spirit of place if we did that.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Lord Anglesey, wherever he sat,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40was known for shuffling his feet,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42so he would wear away the carpet quite easily.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45And every desk in this room...
0:14:45 > 0:14:48He's actually eventually decided
0:14:48 > 0:14:52to cut out the carpet and stick it down,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54so that he doesn't get his feet caught
0:14:54 > 0:14:56in the holes that he's been wearing.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00'Nerys plans to have the study open for visitors
0:15:00 > 0:15:02'in the summer of 2015.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07'I'm just glad I'm not one of the cleaners.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09'In some of the rooms,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'the Trust are not only conserving signs of the family,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'they're actively creating them.'
0:15:15 > 0:15:16It's a goose's egg cup that way
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and a hen's egg cup that way.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Oh, that's very good, isn't it?
0:15:21 > 0:15:24'Here's an imaginary breakfast,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27'with clear evidence of where Lord Anglesey would sit.'
0:15:28 > 0:15:31'And they've taken one of his jackets out of storage
0:15:31 > 0:15:33'to complete the scene.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35'What do we call this?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37'Creative curation?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'In the living room,
0:15:40 > 0:15:41'it's tea time.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Yeah, it's all laid out, just as it might have been,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49including rather stale-looking scones
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and a used Chronicle, waiting to be read,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55as if Lord and Lady Anglesey have just popped out to the shrubbery
0:15:55 > 0:15:58to have a row about that oik Whistler trying to chat up
0:15:58 > 0:16:00their daughter, Lady Paget.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03But how far do you go?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Do you have a couple of damp Labradors
0:16:06 > 0:16:07smelling in the hall?
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Do you...?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Do you put dirty footprints across the carpet?
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Do you ever, as the National Trust,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18say, "No, no! Stop! Where it is,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21"is enough. We've got there"?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23We have to evolve, we have to adapt.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24We make mistakes, we will make mistakes.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27We'll do some really crappy interpretations at some times,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31we'll do some good interpretations, but unless we adapt continuously,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33we won't survive.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35'One way that Nerys is aiming to survive
0:16:35 > 0:16:37'is to develop the story of the house
0:16:37 > 0:16:39'by bringing back a member of the family
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'currently conspicuous in his absence.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45'The more respectable members of the family,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47'like the first Marquis,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50'have their own museums to tell their stories.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53'But hardly visible at all
0:16:53 > 0:16:55'is the most colourful character...
0:16:58 > 0:16:59'..the fifth Marquis,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01'the dancing Marquis.'
0:17:01 > 0:17:07In a way, the family didn't really want him to be on display.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10They tended to not refer to him.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13So Nerys has brought him back into prominence,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17perhaps, against the family's wishes.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20'Nerys is hoping to convince Justin
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'to invest in a part of the estate that she thinks could illuminate
0:17:24 > 0:17:28'the Victorian party atmosphere of the fifth Marquis -
0:17:28 > 0:17:30'a series of tunnels from the house
0:17:30 > 0:17:33'run directly to the Menai Straits.'
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Definitely needs to be part of the visit
0:17:37 > 0:17:40because it's such a historic part of the house.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'Nerys is hoping Justin will find money to reopen the tunnels
0:17:43 > 0:17:46'and create a new attraction.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49'This is how supplies got to the house,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51'but it was also a place of recreation.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55'When the tide is low,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57'the water is held in a pool
0:17:57 > 0:18:00'and it would have been lit by torches.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06'There are tales of Victorian swimming parties here.'
0:18:09 > 0:18:11So this is where the tunnel is, right?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14So if you go through here, you'll find a 200-metre tunnel,
0:18:14 > 0:18:15leading directly to the house.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Yes. Well, this is where the entrance would have been,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21so, um, we're going to have to knock through here.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25'The tunnels were closed by the sixth Marquis,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27'possibly for safety reasons,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30'but also perhaps to distance the family
0:18:30 > 0:18:33'from their predecessor's decadent reputation.'
0:18:33 > 0:18:35The family itself...
0:18:35 > 0:18:39for a long time, didn't really want to recognise
0:18:39 > 0:18:41the existence of the Marquis.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43As much as, perhaps, the family at one point
0:18:43 > 0:18:47disliked how he had made them appear
0:18:47 > 0:18:49to the outside world,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52he's still part of the history of this place
0:18:52 > 0:18:56and he actually meant a lot to the local community here,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and I think that's a really important thing
0:18:58 > 0:19:00to bring across to our visitors.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02'Whether Nerys is right or wrong
0:19:02 > 0:19:04'in welcoming the black sheep back into the family,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06'it will cost money,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09'and this is a place that eats money.'
0:19:09 > 0:19:11There's no stop to conservation,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14because things just get worse and worse and worse and worse.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15If you look at Plas Newydd,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17of the 20 rooms we show,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19there's usually another 60 rooms that we can't show
0:19:19 > 0:19:21cos they're falling apart.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And that is a continually growing conservation crisis
0:19:24 > 0:19:26that National Trust faces.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32'The costs of running a place like this
0:19:32 > 0:19:34'do keep mounting.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36'They need visitors,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38'but visitors bring wear and tear.'
0:19:41 > 0:19:43The National Trust inherits the actual problems
0:19:43 > 0:19:45that the family would have had,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48including just...standard maintenance.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Stair rods don't clean themselves,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54although they do get the help of volunteers.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57But 90,000 visitors quickly take their toll
0:19:57 > 0:20:01and this carpet gets worn away.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04So much so, that it had to be replaced at the end of the '90s
0:20:04 > 0:20:07with a nice new one from Bulgaria.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11'Some of the expenses are less visible.'
0:20:11 > 0:20:12Well now, here's an important treasure
0:20:12 > 0:20:14that not a lot of people notice.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19The central heating.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22In today's money, it would cost £80,000 in oil
0:20:22 > 0:20:24to heat this house.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So you have inherited that problem?
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I have.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30And what are you doing about that?
0:20:30 > 0:20:32We are getting rid of oil
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and we're installing a marine source heat pump,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38which is going to take heat directly from the Menai Straits,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41convert it into electricity
0:20:41 > 0:20:43and heat the whole of the mansion.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48'This is a major undertaking
0:20:48 > 0:20:50'for Nerys and the Trust.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53'The heat pump will be one of the biggest in Europe.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57'Cutting edge green technology,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00'it is expected to save the estate
0:21:00 > 0:21:02'over £40,000 a year...
0:21:03 > 0:21:06'..but it's not actually a new idea.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08'In fact, the last Marquis
0:21:08 > 0:21:10'had considered exactly the same solution.'
0:21:12 > 0:21:15He was a few years ahead of the National Trust.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I've actually found an article
0:21:17 > 0:21:20that the seventh Marquis has ripped out of Country Life,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22stuck a note on it, saying,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25"Wouldn't this be a good idea? But I'm sure we can't afford it."
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Um, and then the National Trust energy people came along
0:21:28 > 0:21:33and decided, let's use some energy that we already have all around us,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35convert that into the heat
0:21:35 > 0:21:37that's going to be used to heat the entire house.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39'Unlike the poor old Marquis,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43'the organisation does have the funds for big investments like this.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45'They're prepared to pay the £600,000
0:21:45 > 0:21:48'because they've taken on this place for ever.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52'They estimate that the pump will pay for itself over time.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'But the spending doesn't stop at the front door.'
0:21:56 > 0:21:58This is not just a great house,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01it's inarguably a great setting.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06Plas Newydd has 160 acres or more of grounds,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09looked after by
0:22:09 > 0:22:13four and a half gardeners - that's 30 acres each.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21'And everybody has to be aware of the tight budget.'
0:22:22 > 0:22:25We're very good at making do
0:22:25 > 0:22:27and scavenging
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and finding things in skips,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and converting them from, you know, refuse
0:22:32 > 0:22:35into the highest-quality visitor attractions.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38'The garden we see here dates from the 1780s.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41'Part of it was created by the great landscape designer
0:22:41 > 0:22:42'Humphry Repton.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44'His most visible legacy
0:22:44 > 0:22:47'is the grand, mile-long drive.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52'While Repton's design would have aimed to absorb the family
0:22:52 > 0:22:54'for a whole Summer,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58'how can a day visitor appreciate something of this scale?'
0:23:01 > 0:23:02People can easily miss
0:23:02 > 0:23:05a lot of the very interesting things that there are.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'So Paul is building little features around the gardens
0:23:08 > 0:23:10'to help orientate people
0:23:10 > 0:23:12'in this huge space.'
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Dad, come here!
0:23:15 > 0:23:19One of the things I'm quite opposed to is signs.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I don't like signs at all.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24They're intrusive and my philosophy has always been,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26you get people to move around a place,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30not by saying "The such and such is over there" with an arrow pointing,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32you have something on the near horizon
0:23:32 > 0:23:35which is interesting and draws their attention.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39'But the grounds will always throw up unexpected problems.'
0:23:39 > 0:23:41I don't know if you can see,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44but we've got a couple of sheep in the garden.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Can you stay there?
0:23:45 > 0:23:48SHEEP BLEATS That's all right, it's good.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51It's very annoying...
0:23:51 > 0:23:53and they eat plants,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55which costs us a bit of money.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Some of the old plants and trees from years and years ago will die.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Now, do we replant them exactly the same,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09or do we add a little bit of our own interpretation?
0:24:09 > 0:24:11That's a question we face every day.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Do you think you could get Paul?
0:24:13 > 0:24:15There's a tree come down.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- It's not going to roll over anywhere.- No, it isn't.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22This is one of our two Zelkova serratas.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Right, Gill told me this morning it was a Zelkova,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26but I didn't get the full name.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Yeah, she tried to call it a "jalfrezi" at first
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and realised that was an Indian curry!
0:24:31 > 0:24:35'The Trust cannot simply "look after" a place.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39'Their mission evolves continuously.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42'There is still hidden potential to be uncovered.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44'Nerys takes me down to the cellars,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'where the family stored their bits and bobs.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'But what bits, and what bobs!'
0:24:52 > 0:24:54And the whole of this cellar...
0:24:56 > 0:24:57..is full of stuff like this?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's just full of family treasures.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02They've all been stored away for years and years
0:25:02 > 0:25:04and now we're unwrapping them.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Wrapped away, as if it was of no consequence,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10is a spyglass that belonged to Napoleon.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Some of the first Marquis' crutches.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15You can see the "A" for "Anglesey" on it.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17'And here's another useful find,
0:25:17 > 0:25:18'something given to the fifth Marquis
0:25:18 > 0:25:22'by the locals of Menai Bridge, back in 1896.'
0:25:24 > 0:25:26"Our most hearty congratulations
0:25:26 > 0:25:30"upon your attaining the 21st anniversary of your birth."
0:25:30 > 0:25:31Crawlers.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Down here, we have...
0:25:36 > 0:25:39What, 100 Christmases?
0:25:39 > 0:25:41You know, "Darling, what have you brought me?"
0:25:41 > 0:25:42"I brought you this trowel."
0:25:42 > 0:25:46"Darling, what did you think of the pen I bought you?"
0:25:46 > 0:25:49"I loved it, darling. I loved it."
0:25:49 > 0:25:51"And what do you do with it?
0:25:51 > 0:25:52"You put it with the others."
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- I know how she feels, you know? - NERYS LAUGHS
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I've had Christmases like that as well.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00'If Nerys has her way,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'these unconsidered trifles of a family's life
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'are destined to make their way into the daylight.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12'Meanwhile, the diary of visitor attractions continues.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'Nerys has organised VIP fee-paying events,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19'like this tea in the Whistler room.'
0:26:21 > 0:26:24We wouldn't normally let anybody sit there, let alone eat there,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26so it's definitely a special occasion.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34'Previously unseen bedrooms and bathrooms are being opened to view.'
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It's nice, because for years, obviously, it's been closed off to the public.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41And the only people that have been able to see this room would have been the Anglesey's guests.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43'And the heat is on.'
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It's really nicely warm now.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51The history of this house, from the time of the first Baron Paget,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55has been one of extraordinary complexity
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and invention and change,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and now the Trust own it.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03They've owned it for a tiny amount of time by comparison,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07perhaps they'll own it for a further 600 years,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10but does their ownership mean
0:27:10 > 0:27:13that the story has finished?
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Or are there future changes to come?
0:27:17 > 0:27:20'I put that to Justin.'
0:27:20 > 0:27:23However much we play around a little bit,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26by opening up another room or opening up a tunnel,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29or looking after the grounds or perhaps growing another tree,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32or even putting an exhibition in the stables over there,
0:27:32 > 0:27:33or change anything,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36essentially, what's happened is,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40we've reached a moment in time where we say, "Finish, full stop.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42- "That's it."- I hope not.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44I hope not... I really hope not,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I hope this house grows and builds its collection.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49There's elements here that will always stay the same,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51but there's elements we can change.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52And I think the National Trust
0:27:52 > 0:27:55will become more of a curatorial organisation.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58If we don't move with the times, we will stagnate,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and Nerys will have less and less and less visitors every year.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Of course, in the old days,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06if you were a Baron or a Lord,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08or even a dancing Marquis,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11then you could pretty much do what you liked with this place.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14You could add an extra wing or an octagonal tower,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17or knock a bit down, or even go off to the south of France
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and forget about it all together.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21But if you're National Trust Wales,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23you don't have that option
0:28:23 > 0:28:26and there'll always be quite a few people
0:28:26 > 0:28:28keeping an eye on you.