0:00:02 > 0:00:05'I'm Lord Creighton, and as the first son of an earl, hold the courtesy title of Viscount.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'But as a modern aristocrat, I'm not one for titles.'
0:00:08 > 0:00:11You know John Creighton, and I'm very happy to talk.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14'I earn my crust as a full-time property search agent in London.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Do you think hit them with the million?
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'But I also own the West Wing at Crom Castle in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'and will one day inherit the entire house.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'It's been in our family for over four centuries, but trust me,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'these days owning a castle isn't as glamorous as it sounds.'
0:00:28 > 0:00:30We've got astronomical bills.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33'To help keep the castle, I've opened my doors for business.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36'I hire it out for weddings, events and as a TV location.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'In fact, the BBC series Blandings is even filmed here.'
0:00:39 > 0:00:41If I hang around long enough, I might get on set!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43'But juggling responsibilities is challenging,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'so to prepare for the future, I'm going to meet a fellow lord
0:00:46 > 0:00:47'and a lady in a similar situation.'
0:00:47 > 0:00:50This is the favourite place to be - bum up against the Aga. Oh!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'And find out how they manage to keep their historical house.'
0:00:53 > 0:00:56- It's a home.- It's a home, just like anyone's home,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58except for it's just a little bit bigger.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06God, that's the most amazing view, that sea.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'I'm on my way to Ballywater Park in County Down,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13'home to the 6th Baron Dunleath and his wife.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:17So Lord Dunleath, who we're going to visit now,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19is a cousin on my mother's side.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21And he's been here for about 15 years.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And he not only has the house, um, and the responsibility
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and the stress of keeping a house of this size,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29but he also has the estate, which I'm really looking forward to
0:01:29 > 0:01:32seeing and getting his focus on what he's doing here.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36And, you know, maybe pick up some tips. Here we are.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44'Every time I come here, I'm struck by the lovely facade of this house.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46'It's a bit like when I go home to Crom -
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'the sight of the castle still takes my breath away.'
0:01:49 > 0:01:54Oh, good, Ballywalter. Haven't been here for ages!
0:01:54 > 0:01:55I hope they're in!
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- Hello!- John!- How are you? I was about to ring your doorbell again!
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- Don't you dare! - How are you, Vibse?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05I'm fine, thank you. How are you?
0:02:05 > 0:02:08- It's lovely to see you too. - Come on in.- Thank you very much.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11- How long are you staying for?- Um, a week. Is that all right?- Perfect!
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Not sure. You're too much trouble!
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'Like me, Lord and Lady Dunleath don't
0:02:16 > 0:02:19'believe in standing on ceremony, despite the grandeur of their house.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'So from here on in, I'll be calling them Brian and Vibse.'
0:02:22 > 0:02:27- OK, we'll we're going to be just along here. Your room's along here on the right.- Lovely, thank you.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Lovely. A new bedroom for me to try.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35- Make yourself comfortable.- Wow! - And come on down.- Do I deserve this?
0:02:35 > 0:02:39- This is wonderful. Thank you. - Come on down. Well, you're very kind to us.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42- So come on down for a drink when you're ready.- I certainly will.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Thank you, Brian. Lovely. Hm!
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Glad it's not 1920, I'd be bringing a lot more stuff,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I can tell you - black tie, white tie, you name it.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Country suit for church.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03No-one to come and unpack for you, those days have gone!
0:03:03 > 0:03:06'Brian's ancestors bought this grand estate in 1846,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08'having made a fortune from linen mills.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12'The mills are long gone, so it's lovely to see the house still going strong.'
0:03:14 > 0:03:16I don't need to worry, it's immaculate.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19HE LAUGHS
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Are you coming too, Jess? Yes, you are. Good girl. Come on, then.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Let's go and find your master. Come on!
0:03:25 > 0:03:31I believe my host is in his walled garden, checking on his crop.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35That is not the walled garden. I'm lost already!
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Perhaps they should have given me a map to get around the estate.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Do you think I should go and arrive with one of these, maybe?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Pretend I'm here to do some work - that will really fox him, won't it?
0:03:46 > 0:03:50- Which way do you come in? Through here?- Yeah, push. Other side.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54Ta-da!
0:03:54 > 0:03:58- How are you?- Hi, John. I'm fine, thanks.- I've brought a hoe.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- It's immaculate!- It's not too bad. - It's absolutely immaculate.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03We try and do a bit of work on the glasshouses each year.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05It's not like you've just got one row of fruit,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08you've got fruit absolutely everywhere. And is there...?
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Well, we need it for the house, you see.- Yeah, I love that.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14But is there not a thought that you can almost have a...a fruit shop?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Believe it or not, we don't really have enough to sell.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- We use all that we...- Inside the house.- Inside the house, yup.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22And then we also make jams and chutneys and things like that,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and those we do sell to people who come to visit the house,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and that's very popular. And I think they get, um, they get quite amused by the fact that
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- it's I who make the jam and the chutney. - That's great!- They don't believe me.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33'I had no idea my cousin made his own jam!
0:04:33 > 0:04:36'Unfortunately, we no longer have gardens like this at home.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'If we did, I'd be asking for the recipe.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- Pumpkins!- Yup, ready for Halloween. - Ready for Halloween.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44They'll be ready for cutting any time now.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- I might turn it over, to get the colour a bit more even.- Have I ruined it?- Oh, it's fine. That's perfect.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Do these sort of freak you out when...when they're cut?
0:04:50 > 0:04:54No, not really. No, I don't think so. I'm not superstitious.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56It's rather hard to make a pretty face out a pumpkin, isn't it?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'Oops! Did I really just say that?
0:04:58 > 0:04:59'Seriously, though, just like Crom,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01'everyday is a working day at Ballywalter.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04'The house can be hired for corporate functions and sleepovers
0:05:04 > 0:05:05'and as a film location.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07'And if memory serves me right,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10'there's still the facility for game shoots, too.'
0:05:10 > 0:05:15- It's tricky. Obviously, we let most of our days to get income. - Cos it's a massive cost.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- It's a massive cost. - And it seems to be a cost that's rising and rising and rising.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Does there ever come a time when you look at the figures saying,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- "This really isn't working?" - It is a case...
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I mean, at best, um, if you can make the shoot wash its face,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28you can break even. You are doing pretty well.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But, of course, there are other things one has to take into account.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33I mean, having a shoot and having gamekeeper,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I mean it's great for the security of the estate.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38So that's something that we have to think about very carefully.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40In this country in particular now, with the, um,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42with the recession, um, you know,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45a lot of people who used to shoot no longer can sadly afford to do so.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47But we've got an American shooting party coming back again this year.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51We haven't had one for four or five years, so we're looking forward to that very much.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52You must get excited with the Americans?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I think they enjoy it, and of course they stay in the house,
0:05:55 > 0:05:56which is another part of the treat.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- AMERICAN ACCENT:- "Man, we're going to stay in a lovely house."- Yeah. - "Shoot a couple of birds."
0:05:59 > 0:06:02They seem to appreciate it and they're nice people.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'It's true - the American DO love houses like ours.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07'But they're not the only ones.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10'In just 24 hours, Brian and Vibse are hosting lunch for 30
0:06:10 > 0:06:13'representatives from overseas destination management companies.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16'If they like what they see, they'll push Ballywalter as a venue
0:06:16 > 0:06:19'to their clients which could bring lots more business.'
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Um, and this is the hub, the engine room of the house.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25And actually, what people don't probably realise is that you
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- do all the cooking.- Yeah. - You don't actually get caterers in.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- And this amazing team.- And the two girls.- They are the best.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35As a food historian, you know, this is my niche, I love it.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37But actually, if you go to the nitty-gritty, Vibse,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- it's a hell of a costing save. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42A chef is an expensive thing, really expensive.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- When we have dos, we have to get caterers in.- Yeah.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- And that adds onto the cost. - Yeah, yeah.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Whereas you can do equally good food, if not better.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52And, you know, save on cost.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Vibse has a full-time housekeeper, Sandra,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57freeing her up to be in the kitchen.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59But there are still limits to her hospitality.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- You don't do any weddings?- No.- And never will do?- I won't, I'm too old.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05If I have to do a new job, I'll go back to food history.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I can't be bothered. I am too old to start another business.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12I can do what I'm good at, but I refuse to do something new.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15'I'm sort of relieved they don't do weddings here.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18'I'd hate to have to compete with Vibse.'
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Johnny, are you going to come down and give us
0:07:20 > 0:07:21a hand with sorting out the wine?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- What, down to the cellar?- Down to the cellars, absolutely, yeah.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Are you ready?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Wow! This really is going back in time down here.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It was the staff quarters, believe it or not, in the olden days.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Have they done much filming down here, Brian?- Yeah, The Wipers Times.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39The coal cellar next door was used for, um,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42a lot of the bunker in the trenches. It was very authentic.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44- So here we are, the wine cellar.- Ah!
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I think, the last time I counted, there were about 3,800 bottles here altogether.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Um, port up there, champagne back behind us.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54- Open bottles, bin ends. - What do the numbers denote?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57In the olden days, when there was a butler here and everything was much more organised,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59there would have been a cellar book, and the wines would have been
0:07:59 > 0:08:02racked out and the numbers of each bin would have shown what's there.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I mean, we don't... don't do complicated things like that any more.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Oh, sorry!
0:08:06 > 0:08:09'Sadly, the last butler left some time ago.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'These days, it's up to Brian to put the wine on the table.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:15If you'll excuse me, I think I need to get the white wine up and into the fridge
0:08:15 > 0:08:17and then that'll be that job ticked off the list.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21- I can just stay down here, I'll be happy.- I'm sure you will be. We'll lock you in so you can't get out.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28You see, I can't sight-read.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30'Right, no time for playing,
0:08:30 > 0:08:31'I've promised Brian and Vibse
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'I'll help with preparations for tomorrow's lunch.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35'To be honest, until today
0:08:35 > 0:08:38'I had no idea how hands-on these two really are.'
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Vibse, do you ever think, gosh, this is getting so tiring,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and it's now time that I might take a back seat and not cook as much,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48like, maybe get caterers in?
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Well, absolutely, there will come a time.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- Is that a swear word to you?- We...
0:08:52 > 0:08:54I've been saying this for a long time.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Brian and I are only a heart attack,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59a cancer, a stroke, a broken hip away from not being able to do this.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Because when you do this, you know, I walk...
0:09:02 > 0:09:04how many miles?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- I once had a pedometer on.- Yep.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12And for a dinner for 28 psychiatrists in here, I walked ten miles.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14'Wow, that's a lot of mileage.'
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I think what's great is that Vibse and Brian have absolutely
0:09:19 > 0:09:22got the relationship, the working relationship between them to a T.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24He knows where he is,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Vibse is brilliant doing the kitchen and all of that.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28And you get something now
0:09:28 > 0:09:31where they'll both come and do this together.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36- Darling, you could put glasses on. - I could certainly put glasses on if I knew where the glasses were.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40'Luckily at Crom, when we bring in caterers,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42'they set the tables up too, so I'll admit this isn't my forte.'
0:09:42 > 0:09:47- This is a right pig's ear I'm making of this!- Are you?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51'It's fascinating being here,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'and I can't help but wonder
0:09:53 > 0:09:55'if Brian and Vibse envisaged so much work
0:09:55 > 0:09:57'when Brian inherited the house back in 1993.'
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Ballywalter had belonged
0:09:59 > 0:10:02to my father's first cousin,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07Henry Dunleath, who, tragically... On a number of scores...
0:10:07 > 0:10:09He died, A, when he was very young,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and tragically he and his wife Dorinda didn't have any children.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14My father was considerably older than Henry
0:10:14 > 0:10:17so he didn't want to come and live here when Henry died.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- I think it was the inheritance tax. - Well, it was two things.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22A, he didn't want to live in a house this big,
0:10:22 > 0:10:23he had a very comfortable home.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Secondly, as Vibse said,
0:10:25 > 0:10:26two sets of death duties would not have been...
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It would have made a sad situation,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31you know, infinitely worse.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Was the house in good condition when you got here?
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Yes and no. My predecessors here, Henry and Dorinda Dunleath,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38had done a lot of work.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Most of the main rooms in the house had been restored,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and restored very well. Bedrooms and bathrooms-wise
0:10:44 > 0:10:47the house was definitely lacking. I think we had about four bedrooms
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and one-and-a-half bathrooms working when I came here,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52which didn't really work for us as a family with three children.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54So that was sort of the catalyst which got us started.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00Our family castle underwent similar renovations on my father's watch
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and I know it was a costly labour of love.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05The fact is, inheriting a stately home
0:11:05 > 0:11:07isn't quite the fairytale one imagines.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08For myself, it wouldn't be an idea
0:11:08 > 0:11:10to go out and to buy somewhere like this,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13especially not with knowing, what we know now,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15what hard work it is.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I think I would go for something much more modest.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19But if you inherit a house like this,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I think you either try and make something of it
0:11:22 > 0:11:24or else you move on
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and let someone else have a go.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I think just existing here is not the right answer,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I think that is a defeatist attitude.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36'Hopefully, the commercial ventures in the house
0:11:36 > 0:11:38'will ensure they aren't defeated,
0:11:38 > 0:11:39'but it does make me think.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41'After all, it wasn't just the house Brian inherited,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45'there's also a 1,500-acre estate, complete with a large dairy.'
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I always think cows have got the most sweetest faces.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I think they're lovely animals, I adore them.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52They're just...
0:11:52 > 0:11:53Shiny wet noses.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Come on, girls, milking time.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01'Brian updated the dairy in 1999
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'and tells me it produces over 4 million litres of milk every year.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06'Thankfully he can afford the help
0:12:06 > 0:12:08'of several full-time staff to work it.'
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Is it really adding to the income for the estate and everything?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Oh, yes, very much so.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15We're getting a six-figure sum,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18if I weigh the milk cheque every month, it is serious money.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20So, in all truthfully speaking,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24this is an integral part of keeping Ballywalter alive.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Yeah, and this is what pays my wages.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29I don't take any money out of the enterprises at the house,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Vibse obviously gets her fees out of that,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33but the rest of the money,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35whatever's left over,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37go into further enhancements and improvements in the house.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So I don't draw anything out of that side of the road at all.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Bit like with me at Crom, I don't draw a penny from Crom.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- Yeah.- Crom pays Crom, Ballywalter pays Ballywalter.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- Absolutely. But I do get a salary out of this.- Well, of course.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50And that keeps you alive.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52'I'd no idea all this was here.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'Pardon the pun, but talk about a lesson in milking your assets!
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'Sadly, though, next door is a reminder
0:12:58 > 0:13:00'that not everything's a success.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02'Brian's had some knocks too,
0:13:02 > 0:13:03'and shows me what happens
0:13:03 > 0:13:05'when a supermarket contract for fruit turns sour.'
0:13:05 > 0:13:07We were supplying three quarters of a ton
0:13:07 > 0:13:08of really brilliant strawberries a week to them,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12but the problem was they got into the promotion culture,
0:13:12 > 0:13:1450p off a box or something like that,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16and we were expected to stand about 45 of that 50p
0:13:16 > 0:13:19with the supermarkets standing the other 5p, and that was our profit margin gone.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21When something's going, you know,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23which you expect, really, really well
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and then suddenly you've got to say goodbye to that venture,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- it can't be easy.- It isn't easy.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31'Turns out the strawberries have been replaced with Christmas trees.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33'I do admire Brian's versatility
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and wonder if he has any ideas I could develop at Crom -
0:13:35 > 0:13:37'after all, that's why I'm here.'
0:13:37 > 0:13:40You are very much, for me, the godfather,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43the guru of the commercial side
0:13:43 > 0:13:44and the corporate side,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48which I don't feel we're doing enough back home.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Well, the other sort of event you could possibly look for
0:13:50 > 0:13:51is the incentive event,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54which is six people from that company and their partners
0:13:54 > 0:13:56will be whisked off somewhere for a few days
0:13:56 > 0:13:58to the sort of event where you can say
0:13:58 > 0:14:00it's an event which money can't buy.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- Company bonding.- Company bonding, yeah.- Stuck in a boardroom all day...
0:14:03 > 0:14:06And they can be sent out in canoes on Lough Erne, or...
0:14:06 > 0:14:08All our canoes have got holes in them!
0:14:08 > 0:14:11They'll have to mend them first, that'll be part of the initiative.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Your first task, before you tuck into dinner,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15is go and mend our canoes! I must remember that.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- If you make a balls-up of it, you'll end up getting very wet indeed.- Very, very good advice from his lordship,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- I think that's very good indeed. Thank you.- Right.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22I'm going to remember that.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28- What's your downtime? - My downtime is in the garden.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- But that's still working! - No, but it's such fun.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I learned to push-mow last year.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36I use the push-mow like an offensive weapon, literally.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I have it up on the hind wheels and I...
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I'm not allowed a strimmer.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44So your downtime is your gardening, so you can't just sit with a book?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Yes, I can sit with a book, I easily sit with a book,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50but the trouble is, the house is not really warm enough in the winter.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54I don't know about you, but we are frozen with dignity in the winter.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- Put another jumper on, that's what Dad says.- Ah!
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Turn the heating off, put another jumper on and get with it.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01He's wrong. It is impossible to keep warm.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05I have really specialist silk thermal underwear,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07several layers of it,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09camel-wool socks from Mongolia.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11But you coming from a Scandinavian country...
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Yes, but WE had central heating since two centuries ago, OK?
0:15:14 > 0:15:17We're not like the rest of you who thinks it's dignified to freeze.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19I think it's stupid.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Fortunately, for me, the house is cosy tonight,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24and after a long day,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I'm looking forward to the warmth of my bed.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Wow! What a great day.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33I just never realised how much Brian and Vibse do outside the house.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35I'm really, really impressed, actually.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38It's been quite a lot to take in! But I've loved it.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Here's to tomorrow.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Nighty night.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Next morning, the house is buzzing with final preparations
0:15:46 > 0:15:49for today's visit for those influential overseas visitors.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Getting it right could lead to lots more business,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54so it's all hands on deck!
0:15:54 > 0:15:55- We seem to be missing a chair.- Brian!
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I've offered my services.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58The housekeeper is helping out
0:15:58 > 0:16:02and Vibse is paying by the hour for help from three of her casual staff.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09It's fantastic to see it, the atmosphere, it's quite tense.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11So, three of seven, and one of eight.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The guests are arriving in just over two hours,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and word has come through there'll be one less than expected.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19We were 30 and now we're 29.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22But with you and Brian, you are 31.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23Shall I do a headcount for you?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I really feel for Brian and Vibse,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29it's always stressful having guests for lunch,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31but even more so when they're paying for it.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- Have you already done it?- Yes. - All right. Well, that's all.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- I gave you the spoons back.- You did.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- It's the pressure. - It's the pressure.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- It's getting to us all, isn't it? - Yes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45THEY SPEAK FRENCH
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Do you think the house is warm enough or shall we put some more heating on?
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- I think it's absolutely perfect. - Do you think so?- Yes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- I feel quite chilly.- I'm not.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57What do you think your guests would feel if they knew
0:16:57 > 0:17:04that today a Lord and a Lady has set up their lunch?
0:17:04 > 0:17:09- Lord, your coffee is ready.- Thank the good Lord for that, thank you.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- The... - You could call it that.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Can you think of an Irish name for it?
0:17:18 > 0:17:21You can't call it Wellington cos the French will be very upset.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Wasn't Wellington born in Ireland, actually?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26He was. Everyone who is any good is born in Ireland.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Were you born in Ireland, John?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32I was born in London.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- A cockney.- All right, mate.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36So was my father.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- I was born in Belfast. - Were you?- Johnston House.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Unfortunately, there's little time for a trip down memory lane
0:17:44 > 0:17:48as the arrival of Brian and Vibse's guests is getting ever closer.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49Girls!
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Hi, I'm from France.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56THEY SPEAK FRENCH
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- Nice to meet you. - From France as well?
0:17:59 > 0:18:03My name is Brian Dunleath and my wife is here somewhere, over there.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And you are all very, very welcome.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08If you'd like to follow me.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10This is the first time I've seen Brian
0:18:10 > 0:18:12and Vibse being the stereotypical Lord and Lady of the house.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Now they've just under two hours to showcase what their home
0:18:15 > 0:18:16has to offer.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19What I'd love to see possibly back home is these sort of people coming
0:18:19 > 0:18:24and staying the night and maybe doing a couple of days with us.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Another thing that strikes me also today is that Brian
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and Vibse have almost gone into overdrive now as front of house.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30Sometimes people ask,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32what is our policy about mixing with your clients?
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Again, we leave that very much up to you.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37If they want to dine in private, that's fine.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41If they want us to join them for dinner, or host the dinner, we take
0:18:41 > 0:18:44a view that because we have to eat anyway, we come free of charge.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Brian's tour is under control,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48but the girls in the kitchen have gone into overdrive,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and somehow I've got stuck in the middle of it.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56- See these?- Yes. - We need ten portions out of that.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57Help.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02- There's enough there, isn't there? - Perfect.- You see.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Table four needs clearing. Table three want their bill.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Joke.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09God. Oh, God!
0:19:12 > 0:19:13So people tend to quite like us.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I'm sure if Brian and Vibse knew that I was in charge back here,
0:19:20 > 0:19:21they'd be absolutely panicking.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25This is the piece de resistance what they're eating,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and they put me in charge of making sure it doesn't burn.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Four minutes and counting.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Three, two, one, turn.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35And they're off.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40The food looked fantastic.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42But my word, I'm grateful I don't do the catering.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44I had no idea how stressful it could be.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It's interesting, though - in the old days,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49lunch and dinner parties here were purely for pleasure.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Now it's more about the business of making money.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59It's been a hard day's work and with quite a small team helping us...
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- It's like coming off stage, Vibse.- Very much so.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- The adrenaline.- It is the adrenaline that keeps us going.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It's also why the clear-up is so hard.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I hope they bring you lots of business.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11I think we've given it our best shot, so we'll just have to see.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I'm genuinely in awe of how hard Brian
0:20:22 > 0:20:23and Vibse are working to keep their home,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27but the reality is, these days houses like this are dependent
0:20:27 > 0:20:29on some degree of commercial success.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And although times may have changed, there are reminders of why
0:20:32 > 0:20:34we strive to make it work all around us.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40It does remind one when you see your Pa and then other relations there
0:20:40 > 0:20:44that the whole custodian thing is so apt, isn't it?
0:20:44 > 0:20:47It's very much a generational thing, and I think you just have to try
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and do your best whilst you're in the hot seat, so to speak,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53to make it work, to look after it
0:20:53 > 0:20:57and to hopefully pass it on to the next generation in as good
0:20:57 > 0:21:01as condition as you inherited it or maybe even a little bit better.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05People don't live in houses like this.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I don't think they realise what's entailed.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12The first impression people get is how lucky you are to live in
0:21:12 > 0:21:14a house like this because it all seems terrible simple
0:21:14 > 0:21:16and straightforward and easy.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17It's anything but easy.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who finds inheriting
0:21:23 > 0:21:25a stately home hard work.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27But Brian's comments have made me think.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29What's going to happen to Ballywalter
0:21:29 > 0:21:31when he and Vibse run out of steam?
0:21:31 > 0:21:35People ask me, where do I see the future,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37how is the house going to continue?
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Well, I think that is the question, how is the house going to continue?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Is there a future for a house of this size as a family home?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46And that's something I think the jury is out on, you know.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Vibse and I have given this house our all.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53You know, is it necessary to expect, you know, can we expect
0:21:53 > 0:21:56necessarily the next generation to want to do the same thing.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Brian has two sons and a daughter, so there is a natural heir,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01but these days, one can't assume anything.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03You cannot nowadays say to your children,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07"My boy, this is what you are going to do." Those days are over and to
0:22:07 > 0:22:12talk about obligations and everything like that is a complete nonsense.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Things may become clearer you know, if and when, you know, my sons get married.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20To have to do it on your own is one thing.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22To be able to do it with a partner and with a wife,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25as I'm so lucky to be able to do, you know, it is a shared,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30- you know, it's a corny thing to say, a problem halved is a problem...- No, I think you're absolutely right.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34A problem shared is a problem halved, I think is absolutely true. And to be able to talk to somebody
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and bounce ideas off somebody who's in it as wholeheartedly and as deeply as you are
0:22:37 > 0:22:43is priceless and as I say, I do also have a daughter and have a grandson, so it's not as easy as it seems.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I've loved every minute of my time here at Ballywalter Park.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53I'd no idea how much the Dunleaths do.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Everything, from cooking to shooting
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and jam-making to growing Christmas trees.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Our situations are quite different as I don't have the land they do but the dedication
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and passion for our homes is very similar, and I suppose the truth is
0:23:04 > 0:23:08that when it comes to keeping them, there isn't one solution to fit all.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11There we go. That's the final stuff. In it goes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13What an interesting couple of days it's been.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17They're real fighters, these two, and it's in their blood, you can tell,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19to keep this heritage and just keep a beloved house
0:23:19 > 0:23:22as a custodian, as a live tenant and, you know, good on them.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Hello, John. Are you on your way now?- I am.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- I should have given you a hand taking your bag down.- Oh, don't worry.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I can't thank you both enough. You've been so kind.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34This is such a nice house
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- and I'm already looking forward to coming back again.- Cheers.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40All the best now. Bye-bye. Breezy!
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Right. Where next?