Lost in Norfolk

I'm still adjusting to the way of life in Norfolk. In the summer, thousands of people find their way here -- and presumably go home again. They all have happy memories of lazy days in a county geared up for visitors.

Traditionally, Norfolk has been a place to go and rest, or even hide. In Tudor times, many of the key players came from this part of the world and retreated here when they were out of favour. Anne Boleyn's father was one such, and Blickling played its part in the intrigues of Tudor England.

This is still true today. Sandringham is where the royal family spends Christmas -- there were pictures of the Queen on the train to Kings Lynn last week heading for her Christmas break. Her grandchildren are often seen in local villages. The other day one of my colleagues saw Prince William and Kate Middleton in her village shop. William wanted to buy a copy of the Times -- the last in the shop -- but the shopkeeper refused as it was promised to a regular customer!

All this is fine, but getting out of Norfolk in the winter isn't always easy. I had to cancel a trip to head office a few weeks ago as none of the rail lines out of Norfolk were working over the weekend. One Saturday, Paul and I were heading to London for a dose of culture. Vandals had stolen cables from the signalling system and the trains were all running late, and taking 3 hours instead of 2 to get from Norwich to London. We got there in the end, but as the cables are replaced, more get stolen, creating a real problem for commuters. I'm starting to think this is the East Anglian edition of the Truman Show.

Then last week it snowed. On Thursday evening we went shopping in Cromer, about 8 miles north of here on the coast. It was snowing sideways, with wind coming straight from the north pole, gusting to 55 mph. That was only the beginning. The wind dropped Friday, but it kept snowing. Saturday it snowed some more, and Sunday. By now we're feeling triumphant if we can get out of our driveway, let alone along the lane to the village. Our wood burner is on all day and the birds are leaving tracks across the garden in between snowfalls.

Luckily, we've done most of our Christmas shopping. Collecting Hannah from Leicester was a bit of a challenge, but we managed it. If it thaws before Friday, we'll have a slushy Christmas. It will still be beautiful.

Pictures by Paul Bailey of Blickling Hall and Point Cottage, December 2009.

Looking Glass World

The National Trust is a large, distributed organisation with a clear mission: to look after special places for everyone, for ever. Its head office is Heelis -- named for Beatrix Potter's married name (she was one of the early benefactors). But Heelis is in Swindon, not known as one of the most beautiful parts of Britain.

This represents a clear contradiction in the organization -- having strong ideals that are inevitably compromised by the real world. Norfolk is a long way from Swindon, and maybe that is why it feels somewhat unreal here -- Looking Glass World. Almost as things are meant to be, but not quite.

In a recent meeting, I asked my management team to start to use the Outlook calendar, as I can no longer set up meetings any other way. This has caused quite a stir, with people dropping the issue into conversation at every opportunity. Yesterday, a charming lady who works in visitor reception said "if I wanted to be a secretary I would have gone to secretarial school". I think it was a joke, but she wanted me to hear. It won't stop me dragging them into the 21st century.

Earlier this week, I went to see how catering was getting on at lunchtime. It was busy in the main restaurant, and the courtyard cafe had a queue out the door. Then I saw the 'closed' sign was still up on the cafe door. I helpfully took down the sign and took it in to the girl at the counter. "I'm supposed to be closed now!" she said. There were no sandwiches, and dozens of hungry visitors were being turned away -- and we aren't exactly overrun with competition in the area. And yet the catering team will repeatedly tell me how well they are doing. Definitely could do better.

On the other hand, we have a great gift shop. The retail manager is leading the field to introduce more local goods into NT shops. He is very successful at selecting good quality items, and persuading the central retail team to allow us to stock them. We've also got a wonderful plant centre that is increasing revenue every week and a fantastic second hand bookshop staffed by volunteers. Definitely the best-run second hand bookshop I've ever been to -- and all the profits can be spent on projects at Blickling.

In 2010, we will be moving from 5-day to 7-day opening at Blickling. This move was made 10 years ago in the South West Region, but East of England has resisted as long as possible. I have six months to make sure all the implications are understood and addressed. I can hear the banshee of change screaming around the turrets.

Maybe some of this is NFN -- Normal for Norfolk. Cautious, calm, set in its ways. Like the shopkeeper who said, when I phoned to chase my overdue order, "Do you need it then?" And the farm shop with a huge sign declaring itself to be 'the best in Norfolk', but no cars in the car park and no customers inside. Stop fussing, woman, just go back to the garden and watch the birds.

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!