May 2009
New role, for me and the National Trust, as General Manager of Blickling Hall in Norfolk. We've moved up from Sussex, and are starting to understand just how different life is in this part of the world. Within our first week here, Paul discovered that local shops are much more friendly than we have been used to. For example, in the news agents, an elderly man asked for 2 second class stamps. The lady behind the counter got a pair of scissors and cut 2 out of a book of 6 and sold them to him! That definitely wouldn't have happened in Bognor.
Blickling Hall is a Jacobean mansion and estate, left by Lord Lothian to the Trust in the 1930s. It has nearly 5000 acres, a garden, park, over 100 cottages, farms and a pub. It supports numerous businesses and local families one way or another. It is a beautiful location and I've been told repeatedly that it gets under your skin. I can believe it.
My role is new, and they have been waiting for someone to take it on for around 9 months. As a result, a considerable backlog of ideas and issues are awaiting me. Within a couple of days I could tell that my approach was a new experience for my new colleagues (tell me your idea, cost it, find the funds, do it). Blickling has been described to me as a sleeping giant. I wonder if the Trust is ready to see what happens when it wakes up?
In my first month, no two days have been alike. I've been trying to get to grips with all the different aspects of the estate: restoration in the park; conservation in the house; merchandising in the shop; queue management in the restaurant; and driving the Gator (electric buggy) around the estate. It isn't boring!
What is my objective? To improve the Visitor Enjoyment scores on the visitor survey, and thereby the financial performance of the property. A nice clear objective, with a million ramifications. I can't wait to get on with it!