The Difficulties Of Maintaining A £3 Million Georgian Mansion | Country House Rescue | Real Royalty
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ธ.ค. 2022
- Meldon Park is a Grade II listed building in Northumberland. Simon visits the Cookson family and tries to persuade them to make a go of running a money-making café in the estate's walled garden. Five miles from Morpeth in Northumberland, Meldon Park has been a home to the Cooksons since 1832. Successive generations have seen the family's fortunes wax and wane, and with it the size of the estate. Income is no longer keeping up with the escalating running costs, parts of the house are starting to crumble, and time is running out. It has fallen to James Cookson and his wife Emily to try to turn it around. Can Simon Davis help?
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29:41 "I dont have full time help with the children."
"But your children are at boarding school."
Y'all. I chuckled.
Chuckled? I literally laughed out loud. Hard! 😂😂😂
I did too at first. But she did have a point. That just because the children are boarding school there are still responsibilities for them that need to be taken care of. And she is on her own doing that. I don't know what all exactly that entails but I'm sure they're are things that need to be done.
@@candicabral3767 If she/they REALLY wanted to save the place, they would find time. Sorry, I don't buy it.
When she said the honesty box at the drive 'does very well'... oh please.
@@Luna.3.3.3 well that's not anything to do with what I was talking about.
I had a chuckle too. I am fortunate that my kids do go to private school. It give you much more free time than the state system. But if they were that short on money, with 3 kids, and depending what school they go to, there's a saving of £45-£100K.
Unfortunately (according to a Google search) the property was sold Dec 2022. That's very sad in my eyes
Guys, a quick lesson from Downton Abbey, reminds us that when houses of this magnitude were lived in, they had a lot of staff and economic ventures to maintain the place. Staff was paid paltry wages and some lived on the premises. The roof-builder could have worked on the roof 6 months in a year all day, etc. It is also interesting that once a generation has made lots of wealth, the descendants work less and less but still want to maintain the same lifestyle. Of course, it takes a huge investment right from the start and a very business-minded attitude, privacy is a luxury really.
Downtown Abbey is fictional. Highclere Castle is real.
Absolutely spot on.
There was the pesky WWI & WW2 that made it difficult to keep staff on hand, not to mention the economics after the two wars.
Houses are like a nest of baby birds. They require constant feeding.
MOST OF THE SHOWS I HAVE SEEN THE HOUSES AND GARDENS ARE SO BIG AND REQUIRE A LOT OF MAINTENANCE, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THOSE HOUSES DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY OR THE ENERGY TO MAINTAIN THEM, THEY ARE HOUSE POOR AND DO NOT WANT TO REALIZE THOSE HOUSES ARE TO MUCH FOR THEM. WAKE UP, TIME TO DOWNSIZE AND GET SOMETHING YOU CAN AFFORD.
I initially found this couple's negativity off putting, but in time they rose to the work and really put in some real effort. I wish them the best of luck
Can someone explain to me EXACTLY the full time child-care duties when the children are at boarding school?
What would the nanny's tasks be? Packing care boxes? Licking envelopes? Dusting empty bedrooms?
Lots of money being wasted there if they're strapped. Why would they even need a nanny if their children are away?
IDK, responding to emails and receiving their phone calls?😊
4:10 Whenever an Englishman arrives with a Land Rover he says: "Hello, I was able to arrive safely. Where is a mechanic nearby?"
Both my parents had Jaguars, and they were always, always in the shop
🤣🤣🤣
rofl
Oh how I would love to have enough money to send these people to save this treasure!
Poor Emily sounds like she is ready to bail on the house. The task of getting it to support itself is overwhelming, I’m sure. The horses are beautiful and I could spend weeks riding around exploring the area; it looks like the perfect place to have horse trials and horse shows. I certainly don’t blame James for wanting to keep the house as a sporting era but he might want to bend a little before he breaks.
There are many much more deserving than these two. I had rather help someone who's homeless than these ersatz aristocrats. They live way above my pay grade. Yours too, I'm thinking.
Now...go help somebody who needs it and don't worry your head about these two.
In truth they don't need your help...they have enough to make it a go and then some but they are just not using their assesst or time well
I had friends who owned a French chateau and ir cost them 70 euros a day to heat the place.They spent most othire tiem n the kitchen and used a portable gas cylinder heater. Large houses might look good,but they cost a fortune to maintain.
Beautiful property with so, so much potential..I saw that immediately! I know there is much work and effort involved in a "start-up" but I believe that the very first requirement (even before the business plan) is the attitude. The correct attitude is essential all all endeavors..especially business. All respect to the homeowners but I'm not sure that they were 100 percent wanting to put in the work required to make the suggestions a success. "I can't" or "I don't want to" is what I heard so much of..even at the end. Good luck, I hope that you succeed.
I thought the husband sounded exactly like Prince Andrew (same accent/voice) - kind of a know-it-all… but negative - why it’s not going to work out. Sort of a posho who had all kinds of excuses… and his wife seemed (frankly) exhausted.
I thought: you need a couple of gay guys, or Americans to merchandise the HECK out of the place!
The place has such potential, and they’ve made a great start. I hope it works for them! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🇬🇧
@@frostpondThey sold it a couple of years ago. I got the impression he just didn’t want to pay for the upkeep of the house and didn’t have the enthusiasm to make it pay it’s own way.
@@trainman665 well they didn't appear to have outside jobs away from the estate and the estate made the money they lived off of...so I wonder how they are surviving now???
@@teresajenkins9056 They sold the house and kept the rest. They still have the estate income, just no longer have the money pit house that it used to pay for. They’re lucky their ancestors were sensible, a lot of families used to sell land to pay for upkeep of the house, until there was nothing left.
@@trainman665 unless they are uber rich not sure how buying the house but not the estate would be good...
I would be so disappointed and upset if I paid $450 to stay in a room decorated for a child in modern simplicity that you would get at a friends home you were “crashing” in.
I know. It looked grotty and low rent. You'd be surprised how common that is in British b&bs.
I’ve just looked Meldon Park up on Google and it’s currently up for sale at 3.5M. Sad that it’s going to be sold!
Not surprised. Neither seemed prepared to put in the immense graft this required. Even in this programme, they failed to understand they'd have to play the long game. Better they sell up, get the cash and allow someone more realistic to own and run it.
I want to know where the £600k a year is going to.
3,800 acres? That’s over 15 square kilometres 😮 can you imagine owning that kind of estate😮
These people were extremely fabulously wealthy
*3,800
@@keanumoore right 3,800 acres. Thanks mate
You can't eat bricks and morter, nor does it pay for your holiday, you could try eating grass from the fields or live on acorns..... BIG difference between assets and cash-flow...they don't have access to money, do they....their money is leaking from their bank account towards the bricks and morter of the house ...that is what this programm is about.
Lovely program 😊thanks!
I always dreamed of having a "house" like this! Now i know better 😅
I think they actually had enought income from the estate and great ideas to bring in more money they could make it a go...
I don't know about anyone else, but if I can't afford the address I live at, I'll have to find something else. Houses like this may be very beautiful but it's a big sign showing us how REALLY bad the distribution of wealth once was! (Not that it's all that better today 😕)
You can see on their faces, they have no desire to make any effort....3800 acres is a lot over there, the horse weekends is a great idea, I think...
Yeah, they didn’t seem like they wanted to muck in and get their hands dirty…
Just seen, Meldon Park was sold back in December 22 😢
Aww, I feel so sorry for them.......NOT!! 🙄😝
Loved this!
It sold. hopefully the history, memories and precious things keep preserved by new owner.
These properties were cheaper to maintain back in their hay day due to paltry wages for labor. It was relatively cheap to maintain a full staff who were paid barely livable wages. Whereas, hard labor, today, is pricey. Roofers, plumbers, and even housekeepers are paid much more handsomely today. It is ethical, but costly.
The staff back then had it better than most !
The staff ( most) lived in the big house rent free with food provided if I'm not mistaken. Sounds pretty good to me.
Enjoyed the video very much I wish them to have a
lot of luck
Past and current generations probably burned thru any family wealth. Horses, OMG my neighbors family was into horses. Finallly went bankrupt and they lost the property. Long ago the heating should have been updated to a more efficient method. Maybe the new owners will do this place justice and maintain it.
They still have the wealth. He just doesn’t want to spend it on the house. The land in the estate would be worth in the region of £30m and provide an income in the hundreds of thousands. They’ve since sold the house, which if you aren’t going to make it pay it’s way is sensible. So many of these houses had their surrounding land sold of which is what originally provided the income to run them.
That “honesty box” needs to be upgraded to accept credit cards and Apple Pay! Now I see why so many of those large estates fail-lack of innovation. Get with the times people!!!!
This was filmed 11 years ago.
Very excellent Simon & Co. 🥰 Brits are smashing 💂💂♀️
Apparently, as of 2022, Meldon Park House and Estates have been sold. The couple unfortunately were too unmotivated and not entrepreneurial enough that even the brightest and best ideas brought about by Simon failed.
It's difficult to feel sorry for people who have decided to live beyond their means because of their sentimental attachments and are unable or unwilling to put in the necessary effort and work to rescue a rather dumb investment. They both come off extremely privileged and clueless.
Certainly clueless.
In retrospect, the families on this series ought to have created a trust specifically to fund ongoing house maintenance into perpetuity
I am a Cookson - would have loved to see some of their items.
That’s why I rather live in a suburban house than to stay in a house where u need a lot of maintenance
Love this channel!!!l
Do they come across as lazy?
I just...your ancestors found ways to make it work for 200 years. Surely they had to be super resourceful....
I think naive and overwhelmed rather than lazy.......
Probably only the first generation were resourceful and successful. The narrator states that later generations resorted to selling off valuable paintings and furniture to stay afloat.
What a beautiful restaurant and place🎈🎈
2 minutes into the thing, I am arrogant enough to suggest sell everything and FIND A JOB
So reassuring to have ‘Lord Grantham’ narrating! ❤😂
Oil heating is one of their biggest problems
These houses were once new and comfortable and fashionable and fully enjoyed..... no upkeep necessary the first hundred years....no worries.
Why should the tenth generation feel guilty and obliged and sacrifice to keep it as it is ? It is a weird psychological phenomena.
The first generations flaunted their money, they had tons of it. They only served themselves. They did not care about the worries of their offspring far into the future.
Some 37 episodes of this series! 😃👍
Many films 🎥 🎞 could be made there, I imagine
The house was up for sale in 2022.
With today's energy prices, that £10 ab hour would be £40+
Maybe i some of the time i bring friend business partner there for home stay like a month..nice places
The English style of construction is the best of all. I really like the Gothic-English style.
You do know this house is Georgian, not Gothic
It’s not gothic
Is that the house exterior used in "The Manor Born"?
The manor house in “To The Manor Born” was Cricket House at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset.
This house is (was?) failing because of the COUPLE! They're utterly clueless!!!! 😍
totally agree...and resistant to new ideas and not willing to direct their labor beyond what they had always done.
****Can anyone PLEASE tell me the name of the =two= classical music pieces that are both played at the beginning of each episode? THANK YOU! Ta!
The kids are at boarding school??? FFS woman what are you doing all day LOL
Cutting the crust off of bread for her pompous husband, @his lordship” lol what a joke.
Painting walls, patching holes in the roof, sanding and refurbishing furniture, restoring features on the estate, and anything else she can possibly do. She is constantly working on things to keep the house standing.
To pay a full time cook, an estate manager, the housekeeper, a butler cum handyman, 2 or even 3 full time gardeners, the cleaners, a chauffeur and security (living with all that precious art and furniture you'd need them) you must need at least 1/2 a million a year alone. Then there is the physical upkeep of the roof/structure itself, the grounds, the 3000 acres, any decorating, electrics insurance etc. The heating bill would be huge unless you lived in one or two rooms only. Another million a year on average I should think. You'd have to be a billionaire to actually live in such a place.
They lived in one or two rooms only ! They had small rooms with a stove for the wintermonths. Only on occasions like christmas the big chimney fire was lit and lots of people were invited to share the very special occasion.
I live in a house where farmers used to sleep through the winter and stay in their beds. The only fire was made in the breadoven with a bunch of branches to prepare the daily meal. They gathered around the breadoven to share it and once it cooled down, back to bed again. This couple is a bit ridiculous really in heating the vast rooms to standards of a smal townflat. What are they thinking ?
24:50 "Sadly we are not on the same scale as them" No, you're not the Duke of Northumberland. Aye .
Channel will be fine.
Is this narrated by Hugh Bonneville?
So what business are they in?
Vanity and ideas of grandeur are keeping these people poor !Ego will watch you and your family starving 😢
The future looks great if James and Emily take Simon's highly intellitgent advice. They're sitting on a gold mine that has not laid the golden eggs in the past due to their lack of skills. Hopefully James and Emily don't fall back into their previous ways.
I guess work is always an option
If they are not restoring the house then where the hell is £600k going to?
They have tendencies and farming etc...that bring in 600,000 pounds a year And he says it costs 10 pounds an hour to heat with oil...but he has wood enough to sell...and what exactly are they doing with the horses??? Plus they have an unused cafe and dining room on the estate and have self catering accomidations...I think these folks have tha assests to do well...but they just don't know how to use them properly...also don't their children go to boarding school...for 3 children at boarding school we are looking at, at least over 100,000 pounds per year...they actually have all they need to keep this estate going and to renew it...plus with their tennants it's important to keep the estate going...but the husband is reluctant...and they are sort of clueless...
Why don't they lease it as a bed and breakfast and a holiday retreat for wealthy clients
What! No slaves. Chrikeee
This isn’t pre civil war America!… or China now 😂
Start by selling me that portrait. 12:57
did you say $600,000 pounds a year income? and they can't manage on that? All I can think is there's some huge leak (and I don't mean the ceilings) somewhere. I don't want to say 'lazy' but they certainly do strike one as 'entitled'. they'd like nothing more than 100 servants at slave wages waiting on them hand and foot.
The husband is now working at Tesco.
Boo boo.
He wants to live like a Rockefeller without an actual income.
Get a job.
They sold it
hahahah ahwell
I think maybe it would have done better if they lived somewhere else and started running the house as a bed and breakfast
Sadly, I think these people are delusional. I've googled, and haven't found anything about them owning it still (or not)
Apparently they ended up selling. Sucks to suck!
@@e46_nole 🙄Ya.. not surprised. I don't think they were really willing to 'work'.
When she said she didn't have full time child care, then Simon: "but your children are at boarding school" I howled! 😂
@@Luna.3.3.3 I think they tried hard while Simon was involved, but the reality was too much to keep going - truth is there is only space for so many such places to earn money - and there was another already functioning place a few miles away - when I heard that I thought it was a waste of time. The problem with enterprises is you simply don't know what will work until you try - by then you will have sunk a huge amount of $$$ into the attempt - THAT is why most of us never bother with our ideas. I just watched my eldest son spend the last 3 years trying to start his always-wanted-to-do enterprise - until he just gave up & took a 'real' job before his marriage fell apart - some of my cash went down with him, but not too much - I helped but knew the risks ! As I told him only a very small % of such end up being successful - so you tried, but it failed - just reality !
@@Luna.3.3.3 I literally died when he said that! Like I wish my parents could have afforded to send me to boarding school lol
£5 for a bowl of soup is fuck all.
Looks like they sold it in 2022 and downsized to a smaller house
🏦💵💵💵💵💵💸💸
One could probably build this house from scratch with modern building methods for £1million and maintained for far less with solar panels on the roof and triple glazing and all the rest.
That’s the problem with all of these historic properties and why it’s so hard to find a buyer for them, because someone could just build new for so much cheaper and get something brand new with no problems. I grew up in suburban Philadelphia on the grounds of a former huge mansion that at one point the town was willing to sell to anyone for oneOne dollar if they would restore it
they let it go to pot then want help
I've never understood why the British government never created a mass project to include all or most of these types of estates. After all, these vast estates "palaces" are part of the British mystique and appeal. The gov't could afford to repair and create a mass promotion and revenue generating project.
Seems odd for each family to have to keep trying/failing with puny little plans to conquer such a monumental feat.
Seems it would be in the best interest of the country.
Here in the Iberian peninsula we have such a system for castles, old monasteries and big houses and palaces from the old aristocracy. They became Hotels and such run either by parastatal organizations or rent long term to private business (even big hotel chains).
Never understood why in the UK this system was never tried
Because many of those houses are privately owned and those families don’t want to relinquish control over their houses and properties.
There are countless organisations that do just that, but these people evidently want to do things independently. England is one of the best at preserving their stately homes, castles, palaces, Manor Houses etc, compared to the vast majority of other nations. The fact they have so many shows dedicated to such projects outlines how much they care.
And the government taxes the hell out of them…
The industrialised UK went downhill because industrialists one of which was Cookson became landowners. They should have gone on doing what they did best and was good for the economy. Now we are begging foreigners to invest in the country. Shame!
shame they dont teach common sense at posh school
🤜🏽🤛🏽
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Oh, boohoohoo. Sell out and move into a council flat.
@Jeshua James So no reason to pity them, then, is there? That house didn't get that decrepit in a couple of years. It was neglected for decades.
🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
🎇2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣🎇 HAPPY NEW YEAR!🌟
These poor people
The English government should help with the restoration and conservation of these homes. After all, they are truly a part of England's history. Instead, they waste money on all the European migrants who invade Britannia