Keeping the Castle

Meet Viscount John Crichton...

You know John Crichton and I am very happy to talk.

-..a thoroughly modern aristocrat.

-I think that is right, C.

-Living in London...

-Grazie.

-..with his beloved dog, Piglet.

He has a successful property business...

Do you think hit them with a million?

-..and a great circle of friends.

-Long time, no see.

-I know!

Yet despite his everyday life in a two-bedroom flat,

his real home is here.

The ancestral seat of the Crichton family for over 400 years,

Crom Castle in Fermanagh, which John will inherit from his father.

-We live in a semi-detached castle!

-But there is a problem.

We have got astronomical bills.

Will letting his home for weddings...

Lock them in for the afternoon!

-..for TV filming...

-Now.

-..even American tourists...

-You probably will go on the bus.

-I probably will, actually!

..be enough to help John keep this much-loved family home?

-In you go.

-Good, the place is looking good.

How was your trip from London?

It was good. The trip wasn't very good.

The trip to London was great, but the actual journey was a nightmare

because they delayed my flight and then the M1 got closed.

-I don't believe it.

-Yes. So...

-What time did you get back?

12.45 this morning. And you can't really wind down.

-You have sort of half an hour to wind down.

-Did you get any breakfast?

I think I had something, Dad!

Crom Castle is currently the permanent residence

of John's father, the sixth Earl of Erne.

Sadly, my father was killed in 1940.

I was born in 1937, so I was only two when I inherited.

I came here to live when I came of age in 1958,

to find a castle completely empty with no electricity

or any central heating and rather modest acres.

I have spent a lifetime looking after this place

and I love it like...

I can't describe how much I love it.

Having grown up at Crom, Lord Erne's son, Viscount Crichton,

often returns to stay at his castle in Fermanagh.

I don't know what your thought is about the blank wall,

-were you thinking of a mirror or not?

-No, I suggest jasmine.

-Jasmine.

And it doesn't need an idiot's guide to be able to water some plants and do it properly.

No. And if you open the door and the birds get in,

especially if everything is laid up,

you don't want birds leaving their signature all over the tablecloth.

No. Exactly! Not good.

I was brought up that it would be mine to look after one day

and I was always looking forward to that.

Home I came at 21 and I bought some heifers

and a bull and started to farm.

But surrounded by water, the land at Crom wasn't easy to farm.

As time went on, it became more and more difficult financially.

And thankfully, as far as we are concerned,

the National Trust arrived.

With farming proving difficult, Lord Erne gave the estate lands

and historic outbuildings over to the National Trust in 1987.

It meant he was free of the financial responsibility,

but it also meant that for the first time in the Crichtons' history,

members of the public could enter the grounds uninvited.

Lord Erne did retain the castle as a private family home,

but with no income from the estate,

and the ever-increasing cost of living, the family have had

to seek out alternative ways of making the building pay for itself.

Luckily, my son John was very happy and anxious to take on

what we call the West Wing of Crom Castle.

And he does a bit of commercial in his side of the house.

We live in the south side, and that is completely private,

but he does weddings and dinners and anything he can

in order to make a bit of money to keep the castle going.

We've got a wedding this weekend which Noel is going to set up.

-Do you know where they are from?

-I think they are local.

-Oh, good.

County Tyrone way, which is great,

-so not a huge amount of fuss to get here.

-And do you know how many?

-Yes, we are nice and comfortable. We are about 45 to 50.

-Oh, perfect.

-Which is great.

Unable to rely entirely on weddings, John's entrepreneurial spirit

is always on the lookout for other ways of making money.

-You know we are talking slightly about more American groups here?

-Yes.

Well, I had a lovely chat with some people up on the east coast.

-At Ballywalter?

-At Ballywalter, yup.

-How were they?

Well, you know they are cousins through mums. Quite interesting.

They want to form some sort of alliance with Crom

so the Americans would come and do three days with them,

see Giant's Causeway, the Ards Peninsular, Mount Stewart,

all of that section of the North,

and then come down to Crom for three days and do lovely Fermanagh,

-do the lake, do Florence Court, Castle Court...

-With you?

-With me.

-Crichton Tours!

-Crichton Tours, and we would be there...

-And you will go on the bus with them?

-I don't know.

-You probably will go on the bus.

-I probably will, actually!

-With a microphone.

-With a microphone.

I mean, a huge number of people seem to come here and say,

"I didn't know this place existed." We are not run of the mill.

We are not a guesthouse, we are not a hotel.

It's your home one side, and my home the other.

-In fact, we live in a semi-detached castle!

-That is what I tell people. They love that.

Of course, it was not always a semi.

Crom castle in Fermanagh was once one of the grandest family homes

in Ireland, welcoming lords, ladies and even royalty through the doors.

The first Crichton to arrive from Scotland, in the early 1600s,

married Bishop Spottiswoode's daughter.

Now, Bishop Spottiswoode and the old castle at Crom,

and the lands of Crom... We were granted as a family huge lands

stretching out to Mayo and up as far as Donegal.

But nothing stays the same for ever.

While Lord Erne's side of the castle remains a private family home,

John's side needs to keep busy with the commercial ventures.

Nobody knows about the changes better than Noel Johnston.

As manager of the west wing, he is also the latest generation

of a family who have worked for the Crichtons for over 200 years.

Back in Mum's time at the castle, it was not a business, it was

a home and it was entertaining and you know, the 12 full-time staff.

It was really full on as entertaining.

The emphasis back then was very much on family life,

and the Crichtons would have had butlers, gardeners,

cooks and nannies to look after everyone.

Of course, the family still require help,

but these days, the full-time staff list is down to just one.

There's me and we are running a business and maintaining it,

so it's not easy.

And sometimes you feel like, my God, what am I doing?

But, for Noel, this isn't just a job.

Having grown up on the estate,

the Crichtons to him are almost like family.

We are very different

but yet intermingled into each other in a very unique way, I suppose.

My mum worked in the castle for over 56 years.

My two sisters were nannies for Lord Erne's children

and indeed, for Viscount Crichton when he was a boy.

And, I mean, all the children.

Lord Erne actually gave me my first job in the castle

when I was about nine or ten years old.

Bringing all the sticks to the fireplace at that time.

There were 14 fireplaces going at that time.

He would give me a few pounds each week and I used to do that

before I went to school and when I came home from school.

So the castle has been part of my life for such a long period of time as well.

This has all been painted now,

so from the last time you were here this has also been painted.

And you remember where the water came down. That stain has dried up.

-The painters have sorted that out.

-Good.

And this has all been re-carpeted.

-And then the yellow drawing room.

-Do you know, it looks as if it's always been here.

Yes, it has blended in well.

And remember the stain, the big stain that was on the carpet here?

It has completely gone and all the carpets have been changed.

The last red wine spill that was there has gone. It has come out OK, so it is fine.

It's just one of those things, and do you know, it is so weird,

Noel, that when I go to stay in private house parties

all over, people still say, please, no red wine in the drawing room.

It's not because they think you are going to misbehave,

it's just that it is the killer.

When is this being done again?

With his property business in London,

looking around houses is a recurring theme in John's world,

albeit in very different circumstances.

The contrast is great, because you leave the hustle, the bustle,

the excitement and rather smelly, populated, crowded, noisy London.

And drive here. It couldn't be more different.

So, if you are having two lives,

which I seem to have at the moment, better to have two complete extremes

and you look forward to doing both.

And after a bit of time, yep, you need a bit of London.

When you have had too much London, my God, you need a bit of Crom.

This was actually my bedroom when I was much younger.

This was the night nursery.

I remember two single beds in here,

one for my nearest sister in age and one for me.

Betty would have slept here. Although it was slightly different.

-I think she slept in the rose room.

-Joan was in the rose room.

Betty was here.

These are Noel's two sisters who literally looked after me, poor things!

They never got over it. They were traumatised!

They are still getting over it now. So am I!

Great.

-So that is it all done.

-No, it is looking great.

As the only boy in a family of five children,

Viscount Crichton's destiny was sealed at birth.

His fate was to inherit the castle from his father.

Lady Rosanna is Lord Erne's older sister,

and recently returned to Crom to live in a cottage on the estate.

Having seen the castle passed through the hands of two generations already,

she is well aware of the challenges John faces.

My grandfather was killed in the First World War and the estate

became in the hands of trustees, because he was a minor,

when his father was killed,

and the trustees said this place is a white elephant.

You haven't got a chance to keep it,

you haven't got enough money to keep it.

My father, when he came of age, said, "I'm going to have a go,

"I'm going to try."

And he had a job in London, so he hoped that that would help

towards keeping up the place and it wasn't enough.

Then he got killed in the Second World War,

and the trustees said to my brother,

"You haven't got a chance to keep this place, get rid of it."

And he said, "I love it, I want to try."

And my goodness, we are still here, in a sort of very, very different sort of way.

-Rose.

-Hello! Welcome!

Thank you so much for looking after Piglet.

-Well, she was very good.

-Where has she gone now?

When he's back from London, John enjoys spending time

with his aunt and the opportunity to plunder her kitchen garden.

-The hydrangeas have come on.

-Those are amazing.

What you have done to this garden since you've been here...

-Put it in a glass of water.

-Immediately?

Take the lower things off, just so it keeps them fresh.

-Well, I'm going to make it quite soon.

-Yes.

-Look at your sweet peas.

-They are still out.

-They smell nice.

-You can put a little posy in their bedroom.

-I must remember.

That is to go with the prawns and that is to go in the bedroom, not the other way around.

-Yes!

-What is this sweet pea doing in my prawn?

-That is really nice.

-There you are.

-Perfect.

The dill will hopefully make it into a dinner that John is cooking

for his sister, Lady Katherine,

who is back with her husband and children for a fleeting stay

in the family cottage on the estate.

My God, you've made it! As the rain, the heavens come down.

My darling!

-So good to see you!

-Welcome home!

Now, you are upstairs. Mum and Dad are down here.

I'm just above...

-Have you spoken to any of the sisters?

-Tarsi is in Greece, I think.

-Oh, yes!

-And all well on the work front, are you busy?

-Very busy up in the wing.

-Good.

-Lots going on.

We've got a booking for Christmas, which is fantastic

because it means December is slightly covered.

John's sisters have always known that, as the only boy,

their little brother will one day have responsibility

for the entire castle.

I am the third girl and I knew as soon as John-John was born,

that this was going to be his place and he would inherit

and we have always been brought up to believe that and know that.

It is so lovely for us to be able to come back and enjoy it

and not have the responsibility of looking after a large place

which I know is hard at times.

But to be able to come back and see John-John when he's back

and all of the people on the estate that I grew up with,

we are very, very lucky to be able to do that.

When the time to inherit comes, whether John can continue

to keep the castle for the family to enjoy, remains to be seen.

But for now, he has to keep up a dual existence

between Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and London.

So of course, it is great to be on the Fulham Road.

You have literally got everything on your doorstep.

Pubs, you've got restaurants, you've got a health gym, cinema,

but I am quite further down, which means I am quite quiet.

But still within walking distance to the razzmatazz. Which is great.

Making the most of his London life, John is having friends round later

for supper on the roof terrace.

-Hey, how are you doing?

-How are you?

-Very good.

I would like to buy some supper, please.

I would like some prosciutto and some ham.

10, 15 slices of each.

I need to get some salad now. Have you got some red peppers?

You've got some red in there as well.

Can you mix it up with the red as well? Thank you very much. Grazie!

Even in his London flat,

Viscount Crichton's Northern Irish roots are all around.

So, I'm going to prepare some dinner for my guests.

I've got a lovely flatmate, Nicola, who has been living here for about three years.

I can't believe she still wants to live here after three years with me,

but it is wonderful. We are the greatest friends. There she is.

Hello!

Funny enough, you probably find me more domesticated at Crom,

-than London.

-That is true, actually. He is a very generous host.

I find myself at home much more caring

and probably more respect for the house, even though this has got all

my things in it, and to me, this is as much of a home as it is at Crom.

But Crom seems to be a bit more special than that.

-Hello!

-Hi, you!

-Long time no see!

-I know, I know, I've been mad.

I have been, as you know, away here and there and everywhere.

Thank you.

-Did you make these mozzarella balls yourself?

-I didn't.

I can honestly tell you that I have spent the past seven months

-in my house, and I have not cooked one meal. Not one.

-Why not?

-Because I don't do cooking, JJ!

-You're very good.

-No, I'm not.

-What was the weather like in Beirut?

-Hot.

-Very hot?

-It was lovely.

Really, really good.

And I took your advice and I looked and I learnt,

and I went to museums and I saw the most extraordinary things.

We went wine tasting for Chateau Musar, which was lovely.

I brought some back.

We all love our wine, but I never realised how good Chateau Musar is.

But nights like tonight are becoming less common

and it's not long before John is back in Northern Ireland,

overseeing the business of Crom.

JAZZ MUSIC

To succeed in his efforts to keep the castle,

John knows he must diversify.

So when the opportunity to make more money by renting it out

to a television crew arose, he jumped at it.

With his father's blessing, the entire castle

was turned into the set for the BBC comedy drama series Blandings.

With cast and crew making themselves at home in the west wing,

John and Piglet moved into the family cottage on the estate.

Do you want some supper? Yes, you do. Come on.

Good girl, yes, you love being back at Crom, don't you?

Proper country dog now, aren't you?

Now, do you want to go outies walkies? Let's go for a wander.

Shall we go and see the production trucks, Piglet?

Here we are. Wardrobe there.

And make-up there. Hi, girls!

Hello!

What time am I ready for wardrobe at?

The dress will be ready up here.

That's Piglet!

LAUGHS

Sorry, filming mayhem!

Come here.

Now, one may or may not be surprised to know that Viscount Crichton

also happens to have a history of amateur dramatics

and a passion for performing.

So much so, that there was even a time

when he considered acting as a career.

I suppose, was my heart really in it?

I think the fantasy and the love of the theatre and all that was there,

but I don't really think it was probably the work cut out for me.

But the whole lifestyle of it was quite appealing.

And I was a runner for a TV commercial company back in the early '90s.

Being up there among cameras and, you know,

the clapper man or the clapperboard, whatever you call him,

is all a bit sort of nostalgic, really.

So I'm going to play it by ear for the next six weeks.

I can't ignore London, so I will probably go back periodically,

check in with my clients.

I have actually got someone who does exactly the same as me. Excuse me.

I think that is right, C.

There might be a small role... Extra.

Because they know I like the theatre.

So I have got to maybe look at that and see

if that would fit in with me being in London or back here.

Somehow I think I will probably make the effort to come back for it!

It would be quite fun to be a butler in your own house, wouldn't it?

While waiting in the wings for a possible part,

John is more than happy to be hands-on around the house

and run errands that help with the day-to-day business at the castle.

It is such a lovely Fermanagh sight, the man on the tractor.

They all wave to each other. If you put a little nod up, up we go, how are you?

It doesn't matter who it is.

Oh, God, there's a dead badger. That is very sad.

-Hi, Joan!

-Morning, John-John. How are you?

-Are you all right?

-Yes, very well. How are you?

-I'm brilliant, I'm very good, thank you.

-Welcome home again.

-You are very kind, thank you.

-Just reading about you in the paper.

-What's happened?

-Blandings.

Is that the Fermanagh Herald? I think I'm quoted in it, aren't I?

Yes, you are.

Joan was my nanny when I was much younger

and she is Noel's sister, so very much part of the Johnston family.

-And we had a lot of fun, didn't we?

-We did, John, we had good fun in the nursery.

You were always the naughty one with me, I think...

-You were always the naughty one!

-Anyway, listen, I'm rambling.

-Can I get a book of first-class stamps, please?

-A book of six?

Yes, six.

-There you go.

-Thanks, Joan.

-Not at all. It is good seeing you.

I hope to get out now, one of these afternoons.

Listen, tell me when you're coming out

and I'll see if I can sneak you up on set.

-And maybe come and meet some of the cast or something?

-I would love that.

-All right, Joanie, love to the family.

-All right, see you.

-Take care, bye-bye.

-Bye, bye, bye.

I love coming home, it's a lovely excuse to escape London,

and even when I drive towards the castle,

I still get a wonderful heartbeat misses when I see the house.

It's just lovely to be home. Crom is home. Crom will always be home.

Yes, my possessions, my things are all in London,

but from a feeling point of view,

it's definitely Crom, without a doubt.

But to ensure Viscount Crichton succeeds

at keeping his castle in Fermanagh as the family home,

he needs to get back to the bread and butter business of weddings.

What a lovely colour. Have we had this colour before?

It is certainly one of my favourites.

All go today. Filming in one part, setting up a wedding in the other.

We're having a double whammy at Crom today in the west wing.

And as his conservatory gets all dressed up for the wedding,

John can't help but be drawn to the filming action out on the terrace.

They must be freezing.

Have you finished now for the day then?

I'm sure London doesn't know what's hit it this week,

-when you're not about, socialising.

-What, London?

-Yes.

What are all the ladies going to do over there?

LAUGHS Everyone's away.

I could have had people to the cottage, probably, but there is

quite a lot going on here at the moment, so I couldn't concentrate.

You couldn't concentrate on the women, they'd distract you!

Now, now, you!

You want to pinch yourself. There you are, sitting in a room,

with Jennifer Saunders, Tim Spall

and Mark Williams, and you think, whoa, what is going on here?

-Isn't it lovely?

-Hard life.

-It is.

John is not the only one with a hard life,

as Noel gets to grips with some last-minute maintenance.

You can see we had a burst pipe here yesterday in one of the toilets.

So by the time I got into the roof space to get the water turned off,

you can see the mess on the trapdoor.

So somebody is lying in the bath or sitting on the toilet,

the last thing you want is looking at the whole place really dirty,

so we have to get that painted.

We literally only have three hours now or two-and-a-half hours

before the guests arrive.

So everything is pretty much on a tight schedule.

So this is the bits that the bride and grooms don't see.

It is important to me.

Obviously, everybody is excited about the filming

and of course, why not?

But to me, the weddings and the people who are here at the minute

is the most important, and that's what I sort of concentrate on.

And the rest of the stuff, we will get done as we can get it done.

I mean, I remember, Dad thought I was mad.

On a Sunday in London, I would say, Dad, can we go to the theatres?

And he would say, they are closed.

I said, "No, can we just look at the outside of them?"

And, you know, where they have the pictures of the shows outside them.

I was fascinated by the stage door and all of that.

I think I had the bug when I was about four or five.

That's not too bad. Another bit done.

Then after school, I went to France for a year,

to the Loire Valley, which is lovely.

And I learned French and actually, I did OK there.

And I came back after a year and I tried for LAMDA and RADA,

and Central. And I was coached.

But I just don't know if I had it really in me.

I wanted it so badly but I don't know

if I pushed myself enough to do it.

Oh, hold on, there's dust on the top of that, I seen it this morning.

I think that the irony, not the irony, but the fun of playing

a member of staff in your own house, I think would be hysterical.

As long as it's a recurring part!

Now, Norman, is it a cash bar tomorrow

or is the bride's father forking out?

-No, there's no alcohol.

-No alcohol?

With the venue well on its way to becoming the backdrop

for a wedding knees-up, Noel and John join forces

to welcome the bride and her family to the castle.

Lovely to see you. Are you all right?

-Oh, yes, I'm very excited!

-Good, I'm very glad you don't mind this.

No, it is absolutely gorgeous.

I hope it might become a feature here actually,

-because I think she is lovely.

-It sort of makes the most of.

And look at that. Isn't that amazing, too?

Lovely. And at the end as well.

A day like that tomorrow is what you want.

It's just taking a lot to... Taking it all in.

-When did you first come down to see Crom?

-When were we down?

-September, was it, end of August?

-Was I there as well or not?

-Yes.

-We did meet.

-Sorry.

-You brought us some Jaffa cakes.

-I brought you some Jaffa cakes, good!

-A cup of tea and Jaffa cakes!

That is very important. That obviously won it over, didn't it?

-It's my lasting memory, yes.

-That's won it over for you.

It's not the scenery, it was me doing the Jaffa cakes.

Absolutely!

But there is more to the viscount than biscuits.

And with more paying guests in his home,

John graciously gives up HIS bedroom.

This is my room when I'm here. Not that I'm here, obviously.

-I will come and stay for the weekend!

-Is there another one down here?

-Yes, these are the only two on this side.

-Upstairs?

-Just down to the end.

And you have got the staircase going up.

And there is actually a room here, there is a bar here if you want your own.

In fact, I will open it now. Have you seen this?

This is the most important room in the house.

Ta-da!

How long are we going to stay in here?

In you go, we will lock you in for the afternoon!

LAUGHTER

When you see the place, it is absolutely amazing. Stunning.

I mean, it's brilliant. I'm getting excited now.

I have been really calm all along, now I am excited!

It makes me feel really happy, when you get people like this,

who come in, who maybe don't know the castle at all, and you can see

on her face, she is really excited and actually, the day has arrived.

You know, lovely.

Alana, that is the key of the front door.

So you are now the official owner of Crom Castle. So look after it.

It is a lot of responsibility.

When weddings are taking place in the west wing,

life generally carries on as normal for John's father in the south wing.

Where Dad is, is a long way from where the west wing is.

I think, in the evening, when they are in the library,

maybe relaxing after dinner, they might hear a sort of thud-thud

from the discotheque or whatever,

but again, we are only 70, 80 people maximum.

It does get turned off at about 11 o'clock.

We make that quite clear

because it is a private family residence as well.

They say if you accept change, you never grow old.

I don't know about me, but one tries to move with the times.

And I can't think of a house of this size

that isn't open to the public in some form or another.

In a bid to keep his privacy,

Lord Erne rarely strays from his side of the castle during weddings.

Even in the midst of all the activity,

Noel remains loyal to the family.

-Go ahead, Lord Erne.

-Can you check our oil?

Yes, I will do. I'll do it today.

It is our home and very much our home

and if everybody sticks to the rules,

it works very, very well.

The only thing that can go a bit wrong

is if people start charging into our bit when they are not supposed to

or things like that, but on the whole it's a huge success.

What do you think of the fountain, the way it's done? Did you see it?

With the big woman, or the Buddha?

-NOEL LAUGHS

-Decorated.

-Decorated, yeah.

-Fantastic.

I'm delighted to see the brides and I always say hello to them.

As long as they stay down John's bit it works

because I think everybody's entitled to a little bit of privacy

and there is 1,000 acres to walk in

and we only want a tiny bit to ourselves, that's all.

They're all happy in here.

As the wedding ceremony edges closer,

Noel makes it his business to get the bride to the altar on time.

-You look lovely.

-Oh, thank you.

-I'd nearly marry you myself!

-BRIDE LAUGHS

Go on and head out. That's it.

I didn't realise you could do that.

Keep it well up and then you'll not trip. Take your time.

Give me your flowers. OK, go on ahead.

-Take your time.

-I just don't want to trip.

My manly image just goes out the swanny

when all these weddings goes on.

Of course, weddings like this one are financially rewarding for the castle,

but could his hard work in the West Wing

turn the Viscount into his father's neighbour from hell?

'If we're constantly fully booked up with people,

'we're not going to enjoy it and then you've got to think also my parents,

'who are still very much here...

'As soon as we have a wedding here, it impacts on everybody

'and they have to make their plans and they can't enjoy

'the lawns and the grounds'

with their friends if there's 50, 60 people running around.

It's a fine balance.

GUESTS CHEER

But it seems John and Noel have no other option

but to get the right balance between commercialism and privacy.

What goes on here at Crom commercially

is essential for the house.

We've got astronomical bills every year to pay

and if we didn't commercialise it, we wouldn't be able to be here.

Simple as that.

You know, it's down to the sad thing about money, isn't it?

And we, as a family, do not have a magical pot of lots of money.

It's just not there,

so we have to use our castle in order to keep us here.

Could it be that inheriting a castle

is far from the fairytale one might imagine?

Perhaps it's more a case of being trapped by birth.

I think in life when one gets older, you are...

You can have more responsibility.

My father is turning 75 this year and I feel that he needs

to withdraw back a bit and let me take over his good work.

It's not a playhouse, you know, it's something that's heritage,

it's been passed down from our forefathers

and I strongly believe that we have a duty to keep it up.

With over 400 years of family history at stake,

John needs to make sure he isn't the one to drop the ball.

There isn't normally as many cars of a Wednesday morning about here.

Mum's little bungalow here on the left-hand side

and obviously Mum was one of the families that

when Lord Erne gave the place over to the trust 25 years ago,

she was one of the members of the families

of the ones that worked here that got to keep her house.

-You're not sleeping?

-HE LAUGHS

Didn't I have them for you, but?

Gorgeous morning, isn't it? Beautiful. Thank God to see it.

-You making tea?

-Yep.

Gorgeous weather.

Isn't this TV crew in Crom blessed with the weather so far?

That's what I was saying.

Lord Erne's mother always told me

if Crom wanted what was going on, the sun shone.

If it didn't want it, it rained.

Well, I remember there was a function up there at the castle,

about three or four years ago,

and I was speaking to a man that was over from Scotland at it

and he said to me, "Violet, these places are fabulous,

"but these places cannot run without people like you or your generations."

You know, I thought, "Well, maybe he's right." You know?

Because he said, "These places have everything,

"but it takes the people there to work for them."

So let's hope I've done my bit!

Noel's son Luke is also continuing the Johnston legacy

and the family's contribution hasn't gone unnoticed by Lord Erne.

They're a very remarkable family and I love them all deeply.

Violet's exactly my age and we have no secrets and she's wonderful

and her children have been amazing and practically all of them have

worked for me in the past one way or another, either in the house

or when Noel worked on the estate and they're all my greatest friends.

I really do consider them my very greatest friends

in the whole wide world.

-Evening, ladies.

-Hi, John-John.

John's decision to stay in Fermanagh

during filming of the TV series Blandings paid off

when he finally got the chance to play a butler in his own house.

I've got socks on. Nice colour, that all right?

-Let me give you black socks.

-Black socks.

Gosh, I think everything was a bit tight in the period drama in that era...

..or I've put on weight.

Right, off to make-up.

-Hello!

-Hi, Linda. How are you doing?

-Watch the door, it doesn't shut. How are you?

-I'm very well, my love.

-Come and sit down.

-Thank you so much.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-My pleasure.

-Amazing, thank you so much.

We'll have a fiddle up there.

-Thank you so much, Linda.

-No bother.

Butler! Can you go and get me a glass of wine, please?

It's a waiting game. It's a waiting, waiting, waiting game.

So what time are you on at now?

They keep on saying it's now

and now they're saying it's going to be the last scene of the day.

I've just seen them marking out the hallway,

-but that's for another scene.

-Who are you doing that with?

-Do you know who you're doing it with?

-With the team.

All the staff and Jennifer Saunders and Mark Williams.

-In the front hall or the drawing room?

-In the front hall.

They're drilling us about something.

The crew appear to have broken for lunch, but clearly ready for action,

Viscount Crichton passes the time by getting into character.

That would have been what they'd have to do -

make sure it was all nice and clean,

otherwise they'd probably get fired...

if the house wasn't tidy and clean.

Well, John didn't get fired.

His moment on camera arrived

and the good news is that his performance made the final cut.

Good. Now, listen to me, ALL of you.

I have reason to believe we can expect an intruder,

a certain undesirable person.

Jimmy Belford, who is a cowboy,

may seek to make contact with a member of the family.

If you see anybody acting suspiciously...

< Sorry.

But John knows he can't stay in the make-believe world for ever

and so it's back to London to get on with real life as Viscount Crichton.

You don't use Viscount Crichton in person, that is the courtesy title

that the first son of an earl is given, but I would hardly use it

if no-one's educated about it - why should they be?

It's sort of becoming a bit of a dying breed, really.

After two months in Fermanagh,

Piglet and her master quickly got reacquainted with London park life.

This little one - got to speak slowly cos I don't want her to hear -

was the runt of the litter...

But I did this thing where I lay on my belly and this one came to me.

I don't know why, I just...felt, "You look like a little piglet."

And she was.

Everyone thought it was a bizarre name to call a dog, but actually,

the more and more you see her, the more she behaves, she is a piglet.

Leaving Piglet back at home, it's not long before John gets back

to the business of finding upmarket properties for well-heeled clients.

What sort of budget are we looking at?

-We're looking at a minimum of four million.

-OK.

-Up to about six.

-OK.

From the spacious corridors of Crom Castle, he finds himself

checking out small but perfectly formed apartments in Knightsbridge.

The thing which I have always understood is that people

don't go mad over kitchens because they are here for such a short time,

-they come in, they prefer to eat out...

-Probably never use them.

I've been into so many flats that have probably been, you know,

owned for years and no-one's used the oven.

Well, I know for a fact that my clients come and go out

and sample the restaurants locally and all of that.

My client was worried about the small hob there, but as you say,

people living around here are not really going to be using it.

Whilst dealing with other people's property dilemmas,

John can't afford to forget about his family castle back at home.

Crom is a huge responsibility, of course it is,

so it does weigh on one's mind.

But I've obviously twigged that it's incredibly important

to play more of a role there now,

especially with Dad taking more of a back seat

and it's become quite natural.

I only find it unsettling

when I've arrived in one of the two places and suddenly

I need to turn around and come back because something's happened.

That's when it gets unsettling,

but both are as important as each other at the moment.

Wherever he is, Viscount Crichton is keenly aware of his family heritage,

even when it comes to getting ready for an evening out.

Probably try to put it in this way round

so that the actual emblem can be seen on the right side

and if you look here, this is a stud box which was given to me

by my sisters for my 21st, which is obviously my surname

and a coronet - nine balls on the coronet denoting a Viscount

and if you look in here, I've got more than enough cufflinks.

What do you think, Piglet, do you want cufflinks? Hup-hup-hup-hup!

Go on. One, two, three. Good girl. Yes! That's it.

Yes. Yes, darling.

Yes. You have to be everywhere, don't you? Oh, you do.

Good girl. You enjoyed your walk today, didn't you?

She had a bath yesterday, so she's just forgiven me.

-Hi, darling.

-Oh, hello.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

Well done you.

With London all decked out for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations,

John is ready to join the party.

-Could we propose a toast to Her Majesty the Queen?

-Here, here.

-The Queen.

-ALL:

-The Queen.

THEY APPLAUD

Well done, everybody. Looking well.

While Viscount Crichton enjoys the Jubilee Weekend in London,

back in Fermanagh, the castle is also marking the event

under the watchful eye of the Johnston clan.

-No tongues, now!

-THEY LAUGH

Very good.

Well done.

With the Crichtons' blessing, Noel invited 60 ladies from Crom Church

to host a good old-fashioned Jubilee tea party in John's West Wing.

Grabbing the offer with both hands, they've turned out in style

and with enough tea and cake to sink a Lough Erne cruiser.

-NOEL:

-Oh, aye, I got that all right!

Lord Erne's father was equerry to the King

and that's how Lord Erne come to be page at the Queen's Coronation.

So it was such an exciting thing for a 15-year-old to be part of

and a huge honour

and Lord Erne's godfather was King George VI as well,

so there's a huge part of history

associated with the castle and the Crichton family.

WOMEN CHATTER

To mark the day for prosperity,

Noel rounds up the ladies for a photo opportunity on the lawn

before inviting them to check out the Viscount's bedroom.

Well, ladies, this is the Crichton Room

and this is Lord Erne's son's bedroom when he comes home.

When we opened for business as well, you know,

John-John used to come home when he wanted and he still does that,

but he actually has to put it into the diary now

cos we've become that busy, he just can't come home when he wants

and hopefully that his castle's here for him.

I'm just looking around here,

there's bound to be girls not married in this group, is there?

-Just one.

-Only the one?

Well, if you're thinking of getting married, come here,

and Lord Erne's son John-John's not married, so if you know any...

eligible ladies as well.

The other things about this room is the Adams fireplace.

They're very, very rare.

It's the first thing I check after the guests leave

that the Adams fireplace is still here.

-Still here!

-Yeah.

Although no longer working at the castle,

it appears true that old habits die hard

and Noel's mum Violet still can't resist mucking in in the kitchen.

There's a whole new meaning for Crom now, isn't there?

A whole new meaning for it when the weather shines on it.

As I said to you, when Crom wants it, the weather will shine.

The sun will shine for Crom. And that'll be it.

Regardless of whether Viscount Crichton's time at Crom

is for business or pleasure,

Lord Erne is always glad to have his son and heir back where he belongs.

-Hello!

-Hi, Dad!

-How are you?

-I'm all right. How lovely to see you.

-Did you have a good journey?

-Yeah, thank you. Do you want some coffee?

-Yes, please.

-Good, good. I'll go and make you one.

It's a slight, fleeting visit, I'm afraid, cos I've got a brand-new client starting on Monday.

-Good. What are the bookings like?

-This time last year... Well, we're up.

-Well done.

-For next year.

-Good.

-A slight disappointment with the Christmas booking...

-Oh, well.

-I know.

-You can't win them all.

We can't, but it would have to be that one that cancelled

because that's the one that we really needed for December.

-Well, at least it gives us Christmas to ourselves!

-Yes, it does.

-Which I rather like.

-I know you do! JOHN LAUGHS

I need the money!

The family may have given away much of the land around the castle,

but privacy has always remained important to Lord Erne

and as the wedding season draws to a close, John and Noel have come up

with a seemingly perfect solution to protect him from intrusion.

We're having a wee bit of problems, Lord Erne,

-with people actually crossing where we normally keep the chain...

-Yes.

So we were thinking of putting a fence up somewhere in this area,

we don't know quite where, but that's something maybe that

you could tell us where you would like it or where you would suggest.

Well, I think probably, sort of, the divide between our bit

-and your bit is roughly that drainpipe, isn't it?

-Yes.

But it would need to come this way a bit. What do you suggest?

I think this bay window should be within...

What I don't want is people to come out of the West Wing door

and suddenly see a fence.

What we were chatting about there,

if Lord Erne has guests in and people are here, you know,

at the chain, they can't see directly into the library either,

so it still gives that bit of privacy for Lord and Lady Erne.

-That's very good. I'd like black wrought iron.

-Always smart.

-And then it would have little, sort of...

-Spikes on it?

-THEY LAUGH

-That'd catch anybody trying to step over.

-Razor-sharp.

-Whoa!

No, that would be splendid because however many signs you put up,

people after a few glasses of champagne don't really notice, do they?

And if anybody crosses it, God help them!

-I'll be able to set my new Jack Russell puppy on them.

-Oh, yes.

It's about this size. Oh! Hup-hup-hup-hup! Yes, Flora.

Yes, Flora. Oh, the little Flora. Oh, the little Flora.

Do you want to be a movie star? Do you want to be a movie star? Do you?

Do you want to come and see the movie? Such a little Flora.

There's the little movie. Now, what do you think of my new puppy?

It really has very, very sharp teeth.

Good morning, did you sleep well, Flora?

Yes, now, you've got to behave yourself

cos you're a very naughty little Jack Russell.

Yes, you are, and you're called Flora.

Oh, dear. You can see it's trouble, can't you?

I must take it back, otherwise there'll be trouble more.

Necessity dictates that John's trips home are often

concentrated around his commercial concerns,

but unlike in London, when his working day ends at Crom,

he often has only himself for company.

Take sort of anyone in the same situation as me -

they've got a house maybe of this size...

Their advantage is that it's probably a couple of hours

from London down the M4 and they may work and live in London.

During the week the children go to school and they go to the country at the weekend

and that is a very easy, very popular way of living.

The problem I've got is location here.

If I come back here with my family,

I have to make sure that everyone's happy on a full-time basis.

Does my future wife have enough girlfriends in the county

to meet up with?

The answer would be no

because of the age group... unless I marry a 60-year-old!

But you know what I mean, and I think until you probably get to Dad's age,

where you are so relaxed

and you don't have as much responsibility and you can retire,

then this is the dream.

But I think at the moment one has to be realistic, you know,

it's all right saying you're making enough money here,

but that's just to sustain the house, what about my needs? My wife's needs?

The children's education? A holiday now and again?

Cars? You know...life?

And that cannot be sustained from the income of Crom.

I don't draw a penny from Crom, for my own use.

Crom pays Crom, London pays my existence.

Noel will continue to do whatever he can to help Viscount Crichton

strike the balance between his two lives

and keep the castle in the family name.

And just as he has taken over from his mother Violet,

he hopes to be able to pass his role on to his own son one day.

You see the white house just in the distance there now in the trees?

That's where my granny and my great-granny was born.

That's Curragh House, known as, and that's done up now,

the National Trust has done it up as well

and that's used as a cottage, and obviously

they would have come down and went to the school, the old school here.

And then kicked left from that quay,

to go to this quay here to go to church on a Sunday as well.

So it's all very much in a small area and all part of the estate.

I don't want to force any of my sons or anyone to do something that they don't want,

but I genuinely hope that some of my sons definitely take a huge part in it

and keep the tradition going

because I know it's all about nowadays people diversifying

and doing different things, but this is in our blood

and we've been at the castle for hundreds of years.

We don't want to really stop that, we want to try and keep that going,

so I genuinely hope that some of them do keep it going and look after it.

Yeah, you'd love that!

-But the tennis court isn't looking too bad.

-No, but it's...

I think it needs to be power hosed...

As Lord Erne steps back

and Viscount Crichton becomes more hands-on at the castle,

it's important to remember that this isn't just the tale

of a family bound by history and obligation,

but of a father and son trying to look after one another.

-Aren't the crocuses wonderful?

-That's just bizarre at this time of year.

-They are so extraordinary, autumn crocuses.

-There you go.

-There you go.

-Shows you how much I know about flowers. Dear swan...

What did you say, where did...?

They're a nice couple, aren't they? Lovely, I like them having dogs.

-A nice dog.

-That's the sort of people you want here at Crom.

-Yeah.

Do you know I think this is one of my favourite spots at Crom

because it reminds me of the sailing days.

We used to sail right up the bay and we had a buoy at the end,

and we'd go round that and there was usually a south-west wind,

so it was a question of tacking all the way up

and coming back before the wind, it was just so wonderful.

Ultimately, John stands to inherit

over 400-years worth of family history.

But as the latest generations have come to accept, times have changed

and these days keeping this majestic pile of stones in the Crichton name

comes at a huge price.

Is he really prepared for what lies ahead?

I'm very keen, you know, as a son, to keep things going,

but what would your advice be to me to maintain

and some of your passions that you've banged on about and done for so long?

Well, I think what is first of all absolutely wonderful is that

you are prepared to come home and look after the West Wing

and eventually the whole house, which means more to me

than anything, that really is fantastic

and make it commercial and you'll be very good at it

because you're very good at parties and people.

But the most important thing is to make as much money

as you possibly can in London and keep coming home

and you and I are probably biased but we think Fermanagh's

the best county in the whole of Northern Ireland.

Without a doubt, you've only got to look at that. Where else do you get that?

You know, not on the Fulham Road, I can tell you! Long may it continue.

And maybe onto another generation.

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