Behind the scenes at Britain’s grand stately homes

August 6, 2015

Duchess of Rutland, Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire. Photo courtesy of Belvoir Castle

We talk to the duchesses who run Belvoir Castle, Inveraray Castle, Alnwick Castle and Woburn Abbey about the realities of running a stately home in the 21st century.

Duchess of Northumberland, with dog Fuzzy, Alnwick Castle. Photo courtesy of Alnwick Castle

For our full feature on duchesses, see the Sept/Oct 2015 issue of BRITAIN.

In Britain we are very proud of our stately homes and unbelievably, some of them are are still owned and occupied by the original family to whom they were bequeathed.

Among such owners are dukes; one of the best-known houses still ‘in the family’ is Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The duke is one of only 24 non-royal British dukes remaining today, who sit with their duchesses one branch down from royalty on the aristocratic tree. These dukes hold titles bestowed upon their ancestors by monarchs over the centuries in recognition of devoted service.

Most dukedoms still come with large houses and land (although often far less than before) and with privilege comes a responsibility to future generations. Not only do the houses need maintaining, so do the estate farms and tenanted properties that provide many jobs and homes.

In the latest issue of BRITAIN we talk to some of the duchesses who are running some of these most exquisite stately homes.