The Great Cost Of Maintaining A Historic Mansion | Country House Rescue: Bantry House | Real Royalty
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2022
- Bantry House is a historic house in Bantry, County Cork, Ireland constructed in about 1700. The house has been in the Shelswell-White family for over 300 years. Egerton and Brigitte Shelswell-White came to live here more than 30 years ago. Turning the semi-derelict Bantry into a family home and a viable business has been their life's work. But now their eldest daughter Sophie and her partner Josh have given up their life in Australia to come back and take over running the whole estate. The house currently brings in a seasonal income from bed and breakfast, a tea room and house tours, but it's not enough. With emotions running high and very little money to spend, Simon Davis must call on all his powers of negotiation to come up with a solution.
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Update: The house has stayed in the family and become a venue for weddings along with a bed and breakfast. In 2014 they had to sell more of the house's treasures which hopefully payed off the 800,000-pound dept the house had. They survived Corona and seem to be thriving. No pop-up restaurants but weddings are probably much more profitable. Good luck to them.
I have watched programs on the same channel showing country estates being rescued more efficiently in England .To make a living out of one's property one needs a serious amount of commercial drive and very good ideas which will make the place highly profitable.Be clear-sighted , one cannot do things by halves.
Wishing you well and great hope for the future! Such a fantastic property.
You mean “debt”, not “dept”.
@@judeirwin2222 , why, oh why do people feel the need to correct a minor spelling error? Are you so perfect? We all know what the nice comment was about. How anal ppl are that pick apart a minor insignificant error. So what. It's rude.
@@yellowstonekv959 Some of us still place a value on the English language. Others - especially children of the digital age, think "anything goes", and wallow in the degradation of grammar, spelling and syntax with sad abbreviations and overused words. "Lol", "ppl" "lmao" and so much more unoriginal dumb and dumber pap are eroding the richness and splendour of our most valuable legacy. Ignore this trend at your peril. "ppl".
Looks like this video took place 10 years ago in 2012, the website looks like the Bantry House is up and running and thriving. I agree, a follow up video would be wonderful!
I'm so glad to hear that! I didn't really pay any attention to the publishing date. Thank you.
@@kingdomrunt it is too expensive to make a follow up video 10 years later because of climate change
Yes and it would keep them on their toes too.
Oh yeah, that's right. Boy, that "climate change" thing they made up sure is like trying to describe the smell of the color 9.
@@kingdomrunt I wish I could be around on the moment that you realize we truly are destroying our home. I wonder what it will take from you, destroy or kill? On the day it happens remember me and my words.
These people are responsible, humble and gracious. They are there to serve.
Got married there and so did Graham Norton! It's doing fine and Sophie is doing a great job!
I'm soooo jealous! Congratulations!💕
It's now run by her sister and brother
This is by far, my favorite home of the series. Having the lake next to this mansion, is an amazing thing.
That is not a lake but Bantry Bay. It is a long inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. Whiddy Island provides some cover for Bantry House. We stayed there for two nights in May of 2018.
I had the chance to spend 2 months in this house, as a learning landscape architect. It has been a unique experience, this place really is outstanding. The atmosphere in the garden, the variety of atmospheres, the view from the great stairs, upon the house all the way to the sea and mountains in the background,... This is etched in my memory! The whole family is welcoming, passionate, and brave: to preserve such an heritage can be a burden, but they nail it! Cheers from France, hoping to meet again
Sounds like the invasion of Bantry Bay was successful after all! Sophie let the French in, occupying the house for 2 months! Shameful! 😂😂😜
What sort of program do they have for landscape architecture?
If that house and view isn't Irish magic, I don't know what it! Stunningly beautiful. I would stay there just for the view. And the aging house is full of history and life and what ever condition it's in, it is still worth the trip. Glorious home. I wish them all the best and hope they are successful, and maybe able to buy back their dining room and what ever else they had to let go of.
She’s a beautiful daughter… Her Mom seems to be a treasure too. I love the way the Father explained how he was careful when giving advice bcc he didn’t want it taken as criticism and offend them. The daughter understands her siblings need to get on with what they are doing and acknowledges and points out their help is appreciated. What a great family they have. God bless their future. Beautiful story also behind the turn of the Banter House.. TY
@@jarradt08thomasmlg20 So your a self lover. That’s 😞. U love attention whether it’s good or bad. Full of pride and envy of others and no kindness in your heart except for yourself. Dude u really need to take time and think about how dark your heart and evil your mind is that u would comment such ugly words. I’ll try to remember u in my prayers.
They could consider starting a youtube channel - it has proven greatly successful to a lot of people trying to restore or maintain similar properties.
I'm surprised that they haven't already
@Orrong 5 Thats what social media managers are for! They could even hire someone where their pay is a percentage of the profit the channel earns :)
Any recommendations for such a channel?
@@geoffpearce3953 see The Chateau Diaries. Huge changes since she started her UA-cam channel.
@@sheilaghk6350 chautsu
Really nice to see Bantry house. My Dad was born an raised in Castletownbere, Cork, in a house much like the broken down stable. He would have known this house. He would have known the view much better. This made me think of him, and his youth. Long ago and far away. Oregon is home now and a has long since past. Hat tip to the Leary family for all they did for dad. He would never have made it, if not for them and their love.
My father lost our ancestral home in the late 70’s. All was sold at auction. It is an incredible loss to a family.
Absolutely horrible. Nothing was saved? And what about the estate today.
I’m so sorry.
So sorry for your loss, I lost everything too, all my family pictures my mother's antique doll my mother's wedding dress everything! I still have a hole in my heart.
I lost everything too!
Oh gosh, terribile..people do not really understand unless they have a family pile in their blood. It is tiring running an estate on limited funds. I have difficulty showing my home, it seems an unwelcome invasion of people who really ask the dumbest things.
Lovely story. While the cost of maintaining such grand houses is mond-boggling, they provide historic and romantic backdrops for public events that allow ordinary people to enjoy surroundings of an historic, bygone era.
Once the great houses are lost they are gone forever and the nation is all the less for their passing.
Yes @Philip HEMA, unfortunately many have been and are being lost.
Did they actually mention the cost? It's why I watched (tried to. yawn.) but I didn't hear it.
It’s where Graham Norton got married a couple of months ago! I remember visiting as a teenager and was totally in awe of its beauty, faded grandeur! It’s always been my dream to return and live in West Cork! Stunning part of the world!
This first pop up restaurant debut was of course a gigantic success with all the free professional help flown in. But Sophie got such a chance to learn how this can be done!!!!
Hello Charlotte, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the Virus??
@@trevorjennings720 oh yes never got it and don’t worry about it. Fit and healthy.
@@MTknitter22 That’s good😊. I hope you’re having a nice and a wonderful day today??
@@trevorjennings720 oh yes
@@MTknitter22 Ok😊. If I may ask Charlotte, where are you from?
I found myself cheering for the success of this noble endeavor.
I Googled to see how they are faring now before I even watched the video. It appears that they are still doing quite well- especially with weddings!
Quite a few years back we had a lovely overnight and enjoyed kippers at breakfast with the Lord of Bantry and he even gave us a private tour. We look forward to a return now that it’s been refurbished.
Wonderful ideas about the pop up and local market.
Wonderful story, I would like to see a follow up to the progress on the estate now.
If you go to their website it looks like it’s really thriving!
@@KandeShack yes, I agree! The first thing I did before watching the video was to Google to find out how it is faring today. I was so excited to see that they offer a lot of wedding packages. Ten years later and they are apparently profitable at last!
I'm so glad they found a way to make it all work. I looked the house up online, and it has numerous rave reviews. When I have enough money, I want to travel to Ireland and stay there, too! Just beautiful. I can see them making a movie here, similar to Downton Abby.
They would love it too, I'm sure! But there are so many of these homes, and many of them have not been as well kept up as even this one. And when they come in and want to film, they want it to be ready to go as a location. It really is a catch-22. This home is absolutely stunning. I was pained myself hearing about the dining table! As the one person said, you must think of everything you can to keep things thriving. It is such hard work! I am glad they are doing well!
What a magnificent house and spectacular view. The food looked absolutely delicious. More power to Sophie & Josh!
Hello Victoria, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the Virus??
Sophie was a bit lazy… am I wrong? She didn’t even bother to dress up for the dinner.
This is very old recording. It's doing fine on 2022. The setting is one of the best in Ireland, very good gardens and interesting interior. Highly recommend a visit. On the famous Wild Atlantic Way.
Since this is an older episode, an update would be great. I hope it was a success and they family has been able to maintain and persevere toward their goals. Hugs and love from Texas!
Hello Linda, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the Virus??
Such a sweet family. I really hope that they were able to pull through. The property is gorgeous.
Good to see that Sophie has turned it around. It is a lovely old building. I dare say that the upkeep is still an ongoing concern but do wish them well for the future. It is so worth preserving.
You can see the relation between mother and daughter straight away with those beautiful aqua blue colored eyes! Just a really beautiful shade of blue you don't see often.
Thank god Sophie and Josh flew in . I did watch this on main stream Tv in 2012 and thought would they make it happen, and yes it has . 2022 and buisness is boomimg.
I would feel overwhelmed.
They mentioned touristry numbers, and in 2022, they are very much down. Very true, there are other homes and competition so the gentleman is correct. Things must be well cared for and maintained. This fellow has planned similar schemes for other ancestral homes & I think has had good success!! I totally agree the E stables has such a charm and that is the money opportunity.
Probably I'm way late for this but it seems to me they could get free labor from craftsmen around UK and Europe who are learning their trade and would be willing to do maintenance and repair in exchange for free lodging on the property. A buddy of mine spent a summer restoring a roof (admittedly in the US Adirondacks) with a group of other guys who were learning how to do slate roofs. The setting--a lake in Upstate NY--was stunning and they spent their off time fishing and camping. He said it was like a free vacation with a free roofing course thrown in.
Late? LOL! She is 10th generation. Even if they had fixed absolutely everything (which would be impossible as they couldn't fund it), it would already be time to start back at the beginning of the list. Without constant upkeep and maintenance, it will end up in shambles like some of the other ones on this series. Hopefully she will see your post and can contact a local guild! It is a stunning location. I wish them well!
Oh free labour! Are you a simple person? 🤣
Hello, this is a great video, thanks for sharing. I have been watching videos about chateaus, and one thing I noticed that really works is, bringing volunteers to help restore those walls and plastering. You give them a place to sleep and food, and they restore what needs to be restored. Think about it, it might be a light for them. ❤️
As an American I have always loved these houses. They are so Majestic and have so much history to them as well. I know that many of them were lost especially after World War 1, but I wish that the government would help. Even buy them and take them over as museums or something so they will not be lost. The architecture is amazing on these and the settings, really they need to be preserved for all time!!
I would come to see the house and grounds even without all the treasures. It's so beautiful and in such a wonderful spot. The view across the bay is amazing.
I also looked up the website and it really looks like it’s thriving in 2022!!
*Real Royalty Bantry House County Cork Ireland 🇮🇪 (Sophie 10 generations) appreciate your videos (Simon David) Listening 🌟 from Mass USA TYVM 💙 Sophie Josh*
Thank you, also, from New Hampshire, USA!!❤️🙏🌹🇺🇸
Wonderful journey for one to watch. I would love to see an update. You’d be surprised how many people love old homes and yours is fantastic. Please do another video for those of us who wish you well and want to see more ❤❤
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!
Wow!!! I love this story.
I am so pleased, unlike other episodes in this series, these people seem lovely.
🧡🙏I'm rooting for them and the manor !
Love programmes like this. Sorry to see her father has passed away. Would be nice to have a follow up video showing how well they are doing now.
Believe me, managing a great house and estate is a lot of work.
It's tragic that the family taking over feels guilty if they are the ones to lose the house after 300+ years! But the truth is that it's not their fault if they have to sell it, it's the accumulation of all the other generations that slowly let it get this bad.
The biggest reason for the precarious state of these country houses is death duties. The rot started during the First World War and was compounded by the Second World Way. As a class the Aristocracy lost most young men. Because there was so little time between the deaths, the death duties were astronomical.
@@michaeltutty1540 I am American and just looked up death duties…it was only on the inheritance of a property? Or am I not understanding how the death of all these young men in war fits in. They were leaving properties in their wills?
Our family in Norfolk area, many of these are lost due to high cost of maintenance.
@@cagillo UK has quite a high inheritance tax, but they can mostly be circumvented by giving the inheritance at least 8 years before passing. The inheritance tax will still be relatively high, but in most cases affordable. However, I would like to point out that its's not the main reason why the country houses began to struggle.
Before the wars labour was cheap. The country houses could afford tens of maids and footmen, several cooks, a butler an under butler etc. They had more staff than what they actually needed. People couldn't really complain about the long hours, poor working conditions, poor pay, poor living arrangements etc., they needed to eat, and they had nowhere to go. This began to change after WWI but the most significant change happened after WWII.
During the war many of the country houses were turned into hospitals, schools, children's homes or they were simply left empty and neglected. After the war when families returned to their estates, they were in poor condition. Countries began rebuilding. Material costs went way up, and governments prioritised cities and factories over country houses, so country houses struggled to get the materials they needed. Because the losses had been so great, and countries were rebuilding in such a huge scale, they had a wide spread labour shortage. This meant that all of sudden former country house staff members had a choice. Many moved to take up jobs that paid better, and the country houses simply could not afford to compete. So country houses lacked the staff that was needed to run them and they could not get materials or afford them. Many families simply could not afford to renovate or to maintain their ancestral homes, so they abandoned them.
I would like to add, that before the war because the class divide was so huge, country houses were ran inefficiently. The families could afford not working at all, the land was not used to its full potential, they had more staff than was actually needed and they lived in luxury. Because of this many of the estates were actually money pits and when money became tight the families didn't know how or couldn't afford to make the estates profitable to maintain the country house. Also after the war many break-troughs were made in farming, dropping profits. In many cases the profits from farming were no longer enough to maintain the country houses. So families had to come up with additional ways to make revenue, and this is when opening country houses to the public became a thing. The working class all of a sudden had expendable income and better working conditions, which included off days and holidays, so they started travelling.
@@KNYD Thank you so much for this thorough answer, I do remember some things now from Downton Abbey and that everything seemed to change during and after the war. May I ask how did these families become so wealthy to start with? Sheep farming?
Finally someone comes up with organizing help for the families to save these historical landmarks instead of letting them all rot. Its been heartbreaking for years watching so many of them deteriorate. In Italy so many nobles own numerous homes and you see abandoned skeletons all over the place. a past templar castle sold, but most were left alongside roads with missing windows, cracks, and holes where stones once sat.
Josh and Sofie
May you enjoy continuing success.
The Great Estates are a culmination of heritage, architecture, art, and the result of countless craftsmen.
Bantry House is history.
The cost of maintaining a house like that is immense, they already have a huge debt, and the idea this guy came up with was to run a restaurant? I've been running a restaurant in Miami for 40 years and just the cost of running a restaurant would leave very little or no money to repair or run a house like that....my place is very successful, but it took a long time to get there, and even then I'm sure I wouldn't be able to even repair that house, much less pay off the debt they have.
The pop up looked lovely and exhausting. I hope they have a good future
I love Bantry! I always visit when I have the chance. So sorry to read about the selling of the things.
The house and gardens are breathtaking! Good to know they have turned the situation around. 🌱🌱🌱
Brilliant , so happy that they have made it so successful , wishing them all the best
It looks like the house is still up open and running. Wishing them all the success in the future. If I ever go to Ireland, I will be sure to stop by!
Absolutely wonderful! Made me cry in delight
How refreshing to see a receptive and enthusiastic family.
What a warm,wonderful family
Beautiful property and the view is amazing! I wonder if Sophie watches other owners of these beautiful properties and continues to get ideas. Stephanie, of Chateau Diaries, is a wonderful chateau owner to follow. Her chateau is in southern France and she's been at it for many years now. She welcomes people who wish to come and volunteer at her chateau, does weekly UA-cam videos, and has patrons who donate to help finance many projects. She has said UA-cam saved her business when the pandemic hit.
What an absolutely gorgeous house.
I remeber growing up in a house that needed everything all the time; the Lord Bless you and may you thrive and be rewarded for your hard work.
I was so moved by this family history. Of course, the pop-up restaurant looked sumptuous, and I was happy to see their success for this one night. I just wondered if these two young people with child could sustain the frenetic pace and hardships of living there, having to be responsible for everything...with no money. I cross my fingers, and pray for them.
Wow stunning incredible history, hard work and intelligence maintains this beauty. What wonderful people!
Thank you for the update!
They should register it for use for filming movies, tv, commercials… you can make a lot in just one day.
Really lovely. Well done.
Hello dear
How’s your day going today my friend?
Aussie,aussie go,go,go🎉 what a beutiful home to preserve 😊❤😊❤ irish historical anglo heritage can be financially consuming 😢 i wish you the best x
Part of Irish history,very beautiful house,hope they keep going❤❤
They might consider creating a school for artisans concerned with building preservation - plenty of fodder there - win win
If I didn't live in Florida I would come !!
Good luck forever
What a beautiful place! It looks like the ideas have been successful!
Lovely house. Wish to visit one day. Hope they keep it up.
So happy to read that things are on the up, well done all. An idea to help with the immediate urgency to raise funds to repair the house. Could potential 'friends of Bantry House' each chuck in Euro 100 to the repair and restoration budget. In return these friends will be offered a free couple of nights in the future. This might attract a significant number of people willing to risk their hard -earned cash investing in the restoration. Rent it to a hotel school, rent it to a university for antiques and historical courses. I guess this has all been done.
I would love to visit this place ❣️
Breathtaking
Really enjoyed this program.
What a lovely home and lovely family. I see great potential in their future. 🤞💕🏆
Graham Norton just got married there this summer
I enjoyed this video I would love to visit hope things are doing well for them.
Looks like a beautiful house and quite a lovely family.
Brilliant 👏 all around ...never forget, it is about story #Shakespeare #TheBarb 💂💂♀️
Aloha, congratulations! Fantastic❣️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Magical home and property! I wil stay there!
Awesome Chef!
What a lovely and cooperative family….so lovely to see rather than that lot in. Exeter…
Lovely video and I wish them continued success. I’d love an update. Thank you!
Beautiful property, worth some success.
Amazing change and decorations; this place can be a wedding place too. Elegant and beautiful house. I hope they start advertising. Because the B& B for the honeymooners at least the first night. They can charge more for weddings. I think they have a potential and at least they are more flexible than other families I’ve seen before. I wonder how they are doing now. I was looking at their website now and they have festivals , weddings, exhibitions, tours and a lot of events. I’m glad because you can tell in the pictures. During this documentary they talked about the east wing stables but now apparently the west wing has been revived and excellent reviews from tourists staying at the B&B . Great job I hope they now have the income to maintain the grounds and bring back the elegance and great estate. The only thing is I was looking in the website the model or person they showed on the video of a bride she looked spooky like from a horror movie. I would change it or make a remake of it. It didn’t do any type of attraction to have a wedding there and old fashioned dress. Please remove it or change it.
Great to see the reality of how costly these old homes are to run and maintain.
The cost of maintaining these crumbling remnants of the feudal system is prohibitive.
My Father is from Bantry. Have been to Bantry House. Very beautiful. 😉
God bless u and all your endeavors
Such a great outcome! I'm off to check out their website to see how they are doing.
Wonderful video 🥾
A great House and location
It's sad to see these beautiful houses so empty; there should be people and activity everywhere!
townhall is my suggestion. for lease a large part of the building and that would surely pay for the upkeep.
would not any mayor, counselors and staff wish to work in this type of elegance.
What a beautiful home
This is fascinating 🤩
A spectacular location for movie and advertising shoots.
Very beautiful landscape and the house itself. Do hope that the owner can find money to keep it. Please don't loose it to others.
These owners seem so much more reasonable than others on this show hah
Oh.. the Mom is Austrian! I can here the accent... i am austrian too and here the familiar sound in language
So nice idea to save this beautiful mansion. If i ever visit Britain... hopefully... I will go there for a nice dinner and room.
Thanks for your insights... much fun to watch
Hedi Gollenbeck
Its a beautiful house,have been there many times
2020 Really enjoyed this video Thank You 🙏 Kind Regards
I really enjoyed this I'm from Dublin hear a lot about this place, hope its still doing well