0:00:02 > 0:00:06In an idyllic Sussex landscape, created by master gardener Capability Brown,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10sits one of Britain's finest stately homes - Petworth House.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Thanks to the National Trust, it's now open to us all,
0:00:18 > 0:00:23except during winter when, like most of the Trust's homes, Petworth shuts the public out.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29When the house is closed, however, it's far from quiet.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Normally nobody gets to see what happens here during the winter months.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But, this year, I've been given unique, privileged access
0:00:39 > 0:00:41to see what really goes on behind the scenes.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48When the public has gone, the National Trust's expert conservation teams
0:00:48 > 0:00:51get the chance to do some housekeeping on an epic scale.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54We get to see things up close that people don't see.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57It's amazing. Who else gets to do it?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I had no idea until I took on this task
0:00:59 > 0:01:02quite how filthy the visitors were.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08And THIS winter, Petworth's had a new cleaner.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11- I can see that I've made a difference.- Have you waxed it?- No.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15It's been a rare chance to get hands on with history...
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Ooh, it's heavy.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21..and glimpse the secret life of a great country house.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26On my final visit, it's time to wind things up.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I'll be dealing with some uninvited guests...
0:01:32 > 0:01:36before getting the house ready for more welcome visitors.
0:01:37 > 0:01:43I'm nearing the end of, perhaps, the biggest spring clean in the world,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47which has all been taking place during the freezing months of winter.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05It's early March, and my winter at Petworth is drawing to a close.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10In less than a fortnight, the house will once again open up to the public.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Before the visitors arrive, however, there's still some conservation work to complete.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20We're now moving onwards and upwards...to the bedrooms.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Oh, wow! I'm just admiring the bed.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Yes, it's amazing, isn't it?
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Petworth's State Bed dates from the 1750s.
0:02:37 > 0:02:43It's such a masterpiece of English Rococo, it's been exhibited at the V&A.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I mean, that's a sculpture, it's not a bed.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51I love the Rococo style, it's so incredibly ornate, isn't it?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54- Oh, it is.- Well, you've got ostrich feathers, gilding everywhere,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58you've even got a tree on the top of it! It's extraordinary.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Apparently, the dowager Lady Edgremont kept an owl in her room
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- which used to nest in the branches of that tree.- What a great image.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- Oh, it's beautiful.- Mind you, it doesn't look too comfortable.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11It doesn't, does it, no.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18In one of the other 26 bedrooms, instead of giving the furniture the usual careful dusting,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21the team are pulling it to pieces.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- Why are we taking it to bits? - Because I want to look underneath.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35- We want to see what's underneath? - Yeah.- All right.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37- We go end on in.- Mm-hm.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Well, there's nothing there!
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Yes, there is, there's lots there.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Can you see all these little white bits?
0:03:47 > 0:03:51That's the cases of a case-bearing clothes moth.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Eugh!- The adult moths lay their eggs in the carpet
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and they hatch out into little tiny white caterpillars with a black head
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- and that's the bit that does the damage.- Ugh!
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- Yeah, that is...- It's alive!- It is!
0:04:04 > 0:04:08- I thought they were all sort of hibernating.- Well, some of them have, that's actually a larva.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13- That is the smallest vandal I've ever seen.- Yes, but you should see the damage they do...
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I mean, they will decimate this carpet.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18In a place like this, with all these fantastic wall carpets,
0:04:18 > 0:04:24and these great big pieces of old furniture on top, underneath them is just the right place
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- for bugs like this, for the moths. - So the perfect microclimate for them to prosper and flourish.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Exactly, they crawl in, lay their eggs, and, um, hence, you get this sort of thing.
0:04:33 > 0:04:40I mean, a carpet like this, if you were to leave it in a room, and pull it up after four or five years,
0:04:40 > 0:04:45you wouldn't have an awful lot of carpet to pull up. Because this would just come up in sort of shreds.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49- They munch it that fast?- Yes, they do.- You'll hoover this?- Yep, I will.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- So the moral of the story is - a regularly hoovered carpet gathers no moths!- Exactly.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59'One thing I've definitely learned during my winter at Petworth -
0:04:59 > 0:05:04'the answer to almost any conservation problem is a vacuum cleaner.'
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Really hard. You won't get rid of them otherwise.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14'Hoovering doesn't just dispose of insects and their eggs.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20'It also removes the dirt and dust which are a food source for many pests.'
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Here you go. And there's a whole load here. Here you go.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27There's some down here as well. You've got lots here. Here you go.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Here you are, you missed some, some here. Here you go. There you go. Some here. And here.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- That's quite satisfying. - It's very satisfying.
0:05:35 > 0:05:42'The Trust estimates that 90% of pest control can be done through good housekeeping.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:46So why don't you, um, why don't you put chemicals down? Why do you just hoover?
0:05:46 > 0:05:52Once we're open, we have a lot of visitors, also you've got people like us working in the house all the time.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And the chemicals are just too strong, too dangerous.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Infestations are a growing problem due to climate change.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Milder temperatures mean more frequent breeding cycles,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07something the National Trust has picked up from the monitoring it does.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- What are these, then? - They are bug traps.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14These we have all round the house, we check them once a week, and,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18we put them underneath things, in corners, against the edges of the walls,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and things just literally blunder along and blunder into them.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23That's what these ramps are for.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28They're not to get rid of the bugs, but your way of measuring how many bugs you're getting?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31That's right, it gives us an indication of what's there.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34If we find far too many on a trap, then we know we've got a problem.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- So this is a sort of bug diary... - Yeah.- ..for that room.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42So for the first couple of months, there was nothing, it was probably too cold in the bedrooms,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46and then in June as it started to warm up, you've got a woolly bear and a clothes moth.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- Sorry, a woolly bear?- Yeah. - What's woolly bear?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53They're the larvae of a variegated carpet beetle.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56I have to say I'm a little bit underwhelmed.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58These days you hoover them all up.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- What did they do in the past to discourage...? - They'd have been scrupulously clean.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07The housemaids would have come in regularly every morning to clean the rooms on a daily basis,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11but when the family shut up the house for, say, the summer,
0:07:11 > 0:07:17that gave the servants in the house there the real golden opportunity to clean the house from top to bottom.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21They took the curtains down, they took all the loose covers off,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23they moved the carpets, took them out and beat them.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- That was their equivalent of our closed season.- Yeah!
0:07:33 > 0:07:39When visitors return to Petworth, they'll expect to see and hear its historic clocks keeping time.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44Horologist Jonathan Betts has come to train conservation assistant Anna
0:07:44 > 0:07:50on her winding technique, and school her in the right terminology.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Many people refer to them as grandfather clocks
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and the term came from the Victorian parlour song
0:07:55 > 0:07:57My Grandfather's Clock.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59We pedantic horologists prefer to call them
0:07:59 > 0:08:04by the term that the original clockmakers might have used,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and one of those was long-cased clock.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Whatever name you give it, this clock is unarguably the most precious in Petworth,
0:08:13 > 0:08:18created by the father of British clockmaking, Thomas Tompion, in 1713.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It needs winding just once a month.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24What sort of performance is it giving at the moment?
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Well, we've been keeping a record, and it's gaining sort of around 50 minutes to an hour...
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- Wow.- ..every month.- Every month. - Yeah, every month, not a week.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Which is about, roughly, two minutes a day,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39so although it might sound a lot, actually, that's not out of the way.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41- Is it consistent in doing that? - It is, yeah.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45OK, that sounds like something that can be regulated out.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Before making any adjustments, Jonathan first checks
0:08:52 > 0:08:56whether key parts of the clock's movement have dried out.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Surprisingly the wheels themselves of the clock are not oiled.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02But the pivots which run in the frame of the clock
0:09:02 > 0:09:05must have sound lubricant in them,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08otherwise the clock will wear very quickly.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And this one seems to be actually quite sound.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19He also discovers a scorch mark and stain on the back board.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22But they're nothing to get too wound up about.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25There's a wonderful old tradition of clockmakers,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30looking at movements, in olden days shall we say, not having a torch,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34but having a candle, and you often see little puddles of candle wax.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Satisfied that the clock's still in good working order after 300 years,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Jonathan can now fine tune its timekeeping.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48So we've established that the clock is gaining
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- two minutes a day. - Yeah.- OK, you have to remember
0:09:52 > 0:09:56that a long pendulum beats more slowly than a short pendulum,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59so, a clock that's gaining, if you want to make it keep time,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02you have to make that pendulum a bit longer.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07So the way to do that is to lower the pendulum bob at the bottom of the pendulum.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10So, let's do that. Now, when you're doing it,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14do hold the bob quite firm, don't pull down too hard
0:10:14 > 0:10:17because you'll stress the pendulum suspension spring.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23And then turn this. One whole turn will give you 30 seconds a day change,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26so we want four complete turns.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31..three...four... There we are.
0:10:31 > 0:10:38So that, in theory, should now make the clock keep precisely accurate time.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Finally, he runs Anna through the winding technique.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48Every timepiece has its own eccentricities - this clock is wound anti-clockwise.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52As you're winding watch the weight as it comes up.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Be aware of the general feeling of the winding,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and the sounds it makes. This is why it's so important
0:10:58 > 0:11:02to be familiar with the clocks, and be a regular winder,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05because you know what's normal and what's not normal.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07And then you take the weight up
0:11:07 > 0:11:13so that it's just below the position of the seat board underneath the clock.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Now it's a question of, um, setting the clock correctly.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Let's say it's going to be 1:20pm. So we'll...
0:11:20 > 0:11:24BELL RINGS ..take the hands forward.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Now in general, you're not really supposed to move hands backwards.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32It's generally a good rule NOT to put hands backwards.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36And then when you see on the clock that it's exactly 20 past
0:11:36 > 0:11:41you then simply let, let it go. And if you just pull your hand away,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43it will naturally start to move without shock.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Meanwhile, in the Square Dining Room,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Tom and I have been brought to our knees.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It's actually the last job we usually do in all the rooms,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00um, and that's because we're in here, walking across these floors
0:12:00 > 0:12:02while we do our work.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04We're applying a mixture of beeswax and paraffin.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08The narrowness of the area to be treated
0:12:08 > 0:12:12would make the use of a machine here awkward.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18So this is the best way to apply it, so, you know, welcome to life of a housemaid.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22I think I've got housemaid's knee already.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Only in the 19th century did waxing become a standard treatment for floors.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30There are accounts that, um, before they were using wax
0:12:30 > 0:12:33they were actually using a mixture of, um, sand and water.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36So, kind of as an abrasive solution to actually,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39to get the grain up to a nice colour and get the dirt off.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42So that's almost like, um,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46how they used to clean ships' decks in old times,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- to strip it back.- Yeah, it is similar to that,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53whereas now we're actually applying a protective layer over top.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58An early housekeeping manual suggests rubbing boards
0:12:58 > 0:13:03with "tansy, mint, balm and fennel, using a long hard brush".
0:13:03 > 0:13:08It went on to claim that would make the wood look "like mahogany, of a fine brown",
0:13:08 > 0:13:11though it would also make it smell like shampoo.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Once the wax has had time to soak into the floorboards,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17they then need to be buffed, with a woollen cloth.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21'This intensive application of elbow grease
0:13:21 > 0:13:25'isn't just so that the floor will look shiny.'
0:13:25 > 0:13:30It's also providing a sealing layer to the floor so we're actually protecting the floor,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33um, and giving the, um, wooden boards protection
0:13:33 > 0:13:37from people walking over them, so that they'll last longer.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44I say, you're very, very effective at this.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- We may employ you on the rest of the floors.- Don't say that!
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- OK, I'll be less effective then. - THEY LAUGH
0:14:03 > 0:14:06We've only got five days left before the house reopens,
0:14:06 > 0:14:11and one of the busiest weeks of the whole closed season still lies ahead.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24The grand state rooms of Petworth are not yet in a fit state to receive visitors.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33They've been enjoying a rest from the things which harm historic artefacts -
0:14:33 > 0:14:36daylight, dust, humidity, heat,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and the side effects of hordes of people.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48It's taken our seven-strong team four-and-a-half months
0:14:48 > 0:14:53to conserve and cover up these ten showpiece historical interiors.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And now that we've finally finished, guess what?
0:15:07 > 0:15:12It's time to take the wraps off again and give the house back to the public.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Our first task is to open blinds which have been drawn since November.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25# Here comes the sun, little darling
0:15:25 > 0:15:28# Here comes the sun
0:15:28 > 0:15:31# And I say, it's all right... #
0:15:34 > 0:15:36When you open it up you feel like
0:15:36 > 0:15:38it's the first time you've seen the house in ages.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40You're uncovering it, letting the light in,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43you can really see the rooms, and it's quite exciting.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47It feels like a very long time since I was able to look from
0:15:47 > 0:15:50the Turner paintings of the park to the actual park.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It's great, it's, you know, it brings the room alive again.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I've got a feeling like I'm a little mole blinking in the light.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06Curtains don't just need to be opened, they also have to be perfectly displayed.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07- Little bit more.- More?
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Bit more. Keep going. Stop!
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Steady... Go up a bit. Keep going, keep going.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18'As ever, this task is a lot more complicated in a historic setting
0:16:18 > 0:16:20'than it would be in the average home.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:25- I feel like I'm adjusting the house's skirts.- Keep going.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- Bit more.- Yeah.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33The drapes in the Somerset Room each have four tassels controlling different parts of the whole.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- Bit more. Lovely. Tie them off now. - Tie them off.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42- Pull that one but hold that one so that you can guide it upwards.- Right.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Ooh, I see what you mean. Boy, how far do I let it up?
0:16:46 > 0:16:53- Oh, just to the other side of that shutter. - Ah... I do feel like a vampire!
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- THEY LAUGH - Ah! Am I going to turn to ashes? - It's bright, isn't it!
0:16:56 > 0:16:59We haven't seen that for a long time, have we?
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Ah, isn't it wonderful? It's like the house is waking up.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09The team needs to work in daylight during this final week,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13so we can see everything in the conditions soon to be experienced by the visitors.
0:17:14 > 0:17:20All we've so lovingly cleaned is about to be exposed to public scrutiny once more.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Time to undrape the statuary.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Is there a knack to doing this?
0:17:26 > 0:17:32Avoid any parts of the statue that might be sticking out, in case there's loose fingers or anything.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35We don't want to lose a finger. So we don't go like that.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- We don't. No, no. - It's more of a gentle striptease.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Dust free... Ready for the new season's sprinkling of dust.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53It might not look like the most time-consuming of tasks,
0:17:53 > 0:17:58but remember, we need to undress 116 of these sculptures.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04And that's not counting the chapel's ornamental urns,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08baroque altar, and eagle-headed lectern.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14I think there's something really magical about taking the covers off these incredible objects.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19No-one's looked at this object for four months now,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24and what's underneath these covers is one of the greatest treasures of Petworth House.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27It's the Leconfield Aphrodite.
0:18:27 > 0:18:35It's 2,500 years old, created by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles, and here she is...
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Isn't that a fantastic object? Absolutely amazing.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Think of all the things that she's seen.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49She's been here since 1755. The only thing about her that isn't original is her nose,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54which was added in the 18th century before she came to Petworth.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Before that, her history is a complete mystery.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02We don't know what happened in the intervening 2,200 years.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07I mean, Plato may have gazed into those rather enigmatic stone eyes.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12And now 100,000 National Trust visitors are going to come and see her in West Sussex.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14I wonder what she makes of it all.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Looking at her reminds me of just why it's so important the job that we've all been doing here,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23because we've conserved these objects so that they can live for as long as possible.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26And if ever there was a thing in the whole collection
0:19:26 > 0:19:30that reminded me of the ancient Roman phrase "ars longa vita brevis",
0:19:30 > 0:19:34"life is short but art is long" - it's her.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Only when all the covers are off can we start to bring back
0:19:43 > 0:19:48the many fragile items which were stored out of harm's way for the winter.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Sue and I are shifting the family silver.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54They are quite heavy. There you go.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58So, what's happened to the usual, um, acid free tissue paper,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- why have we got these?- Ah, well, silver gets these special bags
0:20:01 > 0:20:04which is kind of impregnated with a silver polish,
0:20:04 > 0:20:10- so it stops it tarnishing while it's in store.- We haven't actually polished these, have we?- No.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15Every time you clean metal, you're taking a very thin layer of the top surface off,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17so a very soft metal like silver here,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21we wouldn't clean every year, just because we want to reduce that,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24especially when you have this fantastic detail.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- They're amazing. - Things like the engraving of the 3rd Earl's coat of arms
0:20:28 > 0:20:30would be very vulnerable to over-polishing.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- What date are these?- They're early 19th century, they're by Paul Storr,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39- who is the English silversmith. - People talk about silver-smithery, in a sense something like this
0:20:39 > 0:20:43- is really a sculptural object, isn't it?- Oh, it's beautiful, yes. - I love these ram's heads.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48And then these fantastic grapes hanging down which signal the fact that these are wine coolers.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50And you can see why with this fantastic detailing
0:20:50 > 0:20:56we don't want to clean it too much, just because that vulnerability of wearing away this kind of detail
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- of these leaves and...- Sure. - ..and these fantastic borders.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03So you just very gently clean it once every, every other year?
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Kind of, yeah, about every two to three years we tend to do silver
0:21:06 > 0:21:09using very fine silver dip and it's with a cotton bud,
0:21:09 > 0:21:15so really small so that you can get into these areas and making sure that you don't over-polish.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Just my luck it's not, not the year to do it.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20A piece like this would take a good couple of hours.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- Maybe, maybe...- Per piece. - Maybe I got off lightly.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30But even in the midst of all this last minute busyness,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32there's still time for one final tea break.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37Tada! And having eaten so many cakes baked by the rest of the team
0:21:37 > 0:21:41over the last few months, I thought I ought to contribute one.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44ALL GASP
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Before we eat it, somebody's going to have to hoover it.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51As you can see it's actually a very, very complicated piece of cake.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55As well as celebration, there's understandable pride.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58The house has come full circle.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I get a sense of well-being from putting everything back -
0:22:01 > 0:22:03the Chippendale chairs being in the right position,
0:22:03 > 0:22:08putting the ceramics out, the drawers are in the Boulle, everything's in its place,
0:22:08 > 0:22:13then I feel you can go home and, "Aah! Everything's as it should be."
0:22:13 > 0:22:18You look at the house now, it all looks perfectly, the smell of polish is in the air,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21isn't there this, in a sense, a slight sinking feeling
0:22:21 > 0:22:26- "Oh, no, the people are now going to come in and undo everything"?- That's why we do it.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31I've spent four months cleaning this house so it looks great for every day that people walk through the door.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36You get house-proud. It's like when you have guests coming to your own house,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40you want it to look spic and span and for people to come in and go, "Wow, this is lovely."
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It's what we do, it's what we're here for,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and to show people what we have here.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49That's the thing about this house, this is a house that was always meant, partly to be lived in,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- but largely to be seen. A toast.- Oh, absolutely!
0:22:53 > 0:22:57- To the end of the winter's work. - ALL: Cheers.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09By the middle weekend of March, spring has arrived
0:23:09 > 0:23:13and so, at last, has the day when Petworth reopens.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Inside, the house is wearing its public face once more.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30It looks proud, pristine...perfect.
0:23:32 > 0:23:39So, Jacky, it's half past ten, only half an hour to go.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43There's an eerie calm before the hordes descend.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- There's something quite magical about this moment.- It's the best time of the year in many ways,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51because the place is clean, it looks great,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55there's that peace and quiet before the volunteers come in and then the visitors.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58But there's a little bit of sadness mixed in with it for me,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02cos, yes, the curtains have come up, the people are going to come in
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- but you've got to let go of it. - That's right.- It's not ours any more!
0:24:09 > 0:24:13All too swiftly, the hour comes when we do have to share Petworth again.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18There's no arguing with Thomas Tompien's handiwork - it's keeping perfect time again.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22You going to take that sign off?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- It's official.- We're open. - We're open!- We are.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32All we need now are some visitors. And I think I can see them.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33First visitors of the year.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40- Good morning! Congratulations. - Welcome, do you realise the significance of this day?
0:24:40 > 0:24:46- Do you know that you are the very, very first visitors... - We do.- ..of the season?- We do.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- I joined the National Trust so I'm now a fully paid-up member.- Yes.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- Thank you.- Good on you. Good on you.- Thank you.- Enjoy.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02The visitors are soon streaming in thick and fast.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06More than 500 people turn up on this first day.
0:25:08 > 0:25:14There's clearly a real hunger to enjoy a place that's been out of bounds for so long.
0:25:14 > 0:25:20Over the last few months, however, I've learned that along with the public come problems.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I found myself watching people going in and out of the house
0:25:23 > 0:25:27with a slightly fearful and disapproving eye thinking how much dust are they taking in,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30are they going to ruin my beautifully polished floors
0:25:30 > 0:25:32that I've been working on for all those months?
0:25:32 > 0:25:37But fear not, because in true National Trust style they've got a whole system
0:25:37 > 0:25:41worked out for every house. Here we've got the hedgehog,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45this is your preliminary de-dusting mechanism,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49and then, you need to have exactly three metres
0:25:49 > 0:25:53of this coconut fibre dust-removing doormat, fantastic.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58And then, if by any chance there should still remain a few traces of dust on your footwear,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01there's a back-up doormat here in the hall.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It's strange for me suddenly to see so many people in the spaces
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I've had almost to myself throughout the winter.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12And it's frankly galling to realise
0:26:12 > 0:26:15few of them give a second thought to the work we've been doing here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:21- Seen the unicorn up at the top? - Yes.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- You know, I, I, I cleaned that. - THEY LAUGH
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- You think I'm joking.- Yes.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I've been up on a scaffolding.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32If you could be up there, it's speckless.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38Of course the proof of successful conservation work is generally that people DON'T notice it
0:26:38 > 0:26:40even if I would like them to know.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42I cleaned that.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Did you really?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Hogs hair brush.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- Did you really? - Do you not believe me?- No.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54It's true! I'm particularly proud of the devil's bottom.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56I think that's come up lovely.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It has come up very nicely!
0:27:05 > 0:27:10So it's official, the house is open and now it belongs to them again - the people.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Which brings up the paradox that it has to be closed for four months
0:27:14 > 0:27:17so that it can be restored to a state of pristine cleanliness.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22But at end of that process, the Great British public comes in again
0:27:22 > 0:27:27and begins exposing it again to the causes of decay
0:27:27 > 0:27:30that I've learned so much about - dust, light and so on.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35And I think there always has to be that balance
0:27:35 > 0:27:37between conserving and opening up,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40between looking after and looking at.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Getting that balance right is the biggest challenge
0:27:46 > 0:27:49which faces the custodians of our national heritage,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52a challenge I've now experienced at first hand.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Having been involved in the winter conservation,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I have to say I had no idea
0:27:59 > 0:28:06of the sheer amount of expertise, passion, love, work involved.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10But what a satisfying job it's been,
0:28:10 > 0:28:15and I do feel a real sense of pride to have played my own small part
0:28:15 > 0:28:19in preserving this true masterpiece of the past for future generations.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd