What It's Like to Manage One of the World's Grandest Estates

The Longleat Estate in the United Kingdom was built in 1580 and is set on 9,000 acres. It has 128 rooms and there are 400 employees working to maintain the property. Because of the enormous expense in upkeep, the aristocrats who have lived there for 14 generations stay even though it is open to the public as a sort of museum. This is a similar arrangement as the real-life Downton Abbey estate. Watch the video of life at Longleat below (18+ because of some mature content). 

Working inside a grand estate

A look at life inside the world of domestic staffing for the super rich

In its heyday when it was a complete private residence, it would have employed a small army of domestic staff: butlers, estate managers, nannies, personal assistants, chefs, maids, etc. The estates current value is estimated at $250,000,000. The estate costs a whopping $4,000,000 a year for maintenance. The property has its own private village where the staff live. If you are considering being an estate manager to an affluent family, then this video is a great inside look at life behind the scenes.