castles

This is all about life at Bamburgh Castle. If things continue as they are I fancy seeing if I will be allowed to retreat behind its walls….The article tells us of Mr Watson – Armstrong:

He was 22 when he took over running the castle with his mother, becoming sole custodian after her death in 1999. He moved to a nearby farm in 2001 but the castle is still a home with 12 lived-in apartments. It is also a tourist attraction receiving 160,000 visitors a year, as well as a wedding venue.

Maintenance is a full-time job for a team of five and, “much like the Forth Bridge”, work will never be finished. But Mr Watson-Armstrong is keen to keep the castle in his family. “I’m determined to never let it fall into public body hands,” he says.

“It costs hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to maintain and run it, but I would rather meddle in the affairs of the castle myself than have someone who has not lived there, or does not know it, in charge.” His son William, 29, is taking on more responsibility for the castle with the hope of increasing visitor numbers and improving the experience.