What do you think has allowed this house to last through the generations?
Well firstly it's so gorgeous to have you all here! I think that every generation that's lived here has brought something to the house and every generation’s mark is still here. Whether it's the mirrors in this room or the portraits which are all in the dining room, everybody has lived here, they've all left their mark on the house and respected each generation’s changes. It’s a bit like with Favourbrook and your morning coats - they're there for multiple generations, the longevity and timelessness is what's important.
If you could see Neston House at any point in history, when would you most like to visit?
Personally, I would go to the mid-1800s when J.P. Fuller was here. He was an incredible man, an entrepreneur, kind and lovely. By all accounts, he and his wife were just incredible people. They had six children, and created businesses for each of them. They designed this drawing room, they raised the ceilings, they put the portico on, they put in the billiard room and the conservatory. It was at a time when the house would have been full of people. Obviously, there would be no tractors outside, everything would have been done by hand. Everyone was looked after and I think going back to that time and to see how they did it and to see just how wonderful it was, it would be amazing.
What is your favourite Favourbrook item of clothing?
It would be this red Bloomsbury coat, I absolutely love it. I wore it to Royal Ascot this year and I can honestly say I stood a little taller, I felt very cool walking in and I can't tell you how many people stopped me to say how beautiful this jacket was. But you know, sometimes you could wear something and one day it feels a bit tight, or the next it feels not quite the same. But every time I put this jacket on, it has just been perfect and in fact I'm wearing it to a wedding tomorrow. It's one of those items of clothing that will come out again and again, and frankly I don't care that everyone has seen it before because it's so beautiful and it's cut so well. The material is beautiful and everything about it is, in my mind, stunning.
You’re going become the High Sheriff of Wiltshire next year, tell us a bit more about this post and what you’ll be doing.
I am, which is such an honour. I'm really lucky in the sense that my Shrieval year, which is 2027-28, will be the 800th anniversary of the first ever female High Sheriff in Wiltshire in 1227 to 1228. It is incredible when you think about it, to have a female High Sheriff in 1227! The next female High Sheriff after that within Wiltshire was in 1994, so there was a little bit of a gap. She was Ela, Countess of Salisbury and was the most incredible lady. She was in charge of the county on behalf of King Henry III, looked after all the taxes and lands. She also laid the foundation stone for Lacock Abbey, which was very close to here, and actually ended up being the first abbess of Lacock Abbey after her husband died.
As High Sheriff, I would like to celebrate and remember Ela, and what she did in those times. I would really like to do something with Lacock Abbey. It is also the 800th anniversary of Salisbury as well, so there will be things happening there. It's just a magical year to be part of this. We’ll also have a cause to raise money and awareness for. Mine will be mental health issues, especially with young people, acknowledging that it’s okay not to be okay, but there are ways we can get through it. Hopefully we’ll be shining a light on that and it would be brilliant to take that forward.
What will you be wearing in your role as High Sheriff?
So, I have the most beautiful High Sheriff coat, which has been made by Favourbook, so thank you very much, it's stunning. It's dark blue velvet, it has custom High Sheriff buttons and I will wear it all the time. I think when you put something on that you’re really proud to be wearing, like a uniform, you can take on the world because you’re wearing something beautiful.
Neston Park has been the setting of several film and television productions over the years. What has been filmed here and what is it like to have a filming crew move in?
We’re only an hour away from Bristol, which is where a lot of production companies are based and we’ve had quite a few since we’ve been living here. We had Lark Rise to Candleford for four years, they were mainly outside, but it was wonderful having them. We've had Poldark pretty much every season, I think this was their London house and the outside was a street in Truro or when they were in France.
More recently, we've had Rivals, the television series based on the Jilly Cooper books. It has been so much fun to watch it being filmed. The team, the location managers, the actors, everybody - I can't tell you how charming they are. It was kind of like living in the 1980s - going back to my youth! I remember people of my parents’ generation sitting in a similar sort of environment, smoking constantly, which doesn’t happen nowadays!
Is it fun watching it back? And what’s it like living in the set with all the props?
So, literally, just over here, we had the massive 1980s TV, you know, the back of it was huge. The best was having a rotary telephone, because even our children, who are now 25 and 23, were mesmerised by it. You would have to turn it so many times, then you have to lift the receiver and ask a parent if their child was there, you know, it was so awful! Archie, our son was pretending to call 999 on this prop, and after the first number nine he said “mum if this was for you, I think you’re already dead.” I can't believe he said that, but it is funny to think how technology has changed daily life so much.
It's amazing how well preserved the house is considering how many times it’s been turned upside down for filming.
Well, like I said, every generation has put their mark on this house, and every generation has improved it, or painted it, made it into a more modern house. It is our home, that’s the most important thing, I think, through all the generations who have ever lived here, it's been a home first, and that's the bit we're duty-bound to continue.
