Cothay Manor is hidden away in deepest Somerset, it’s one of the finest medieval country houses in England. Fifteen years ago, Mary-Anne and Alastair Robb bought it as an empty shell. Since then, they’ve spent all their time and money restoring Cothay. But now it’s haemorrhaging money, causing rifts in the family ... and they’re running out of time. Can businesswoman Ruth Watson save this treasure for the nation, and help secure Cothay’s future?
Elmore Court is a Grade II listed mansion in the Cotswolds, the centrepiece of a twenty-five million pound estate. But behind the beautiful façade, whole wings are crumbling. The bedrooms and bathrooms are from a bygone era and the disused rooms are crammed with junk. It costs forty thousand pounds a year just to pay the basic bills here, and there’s no money to repair anything.
Chesters is a 215-year-old Palladian style country house on the Scottish Borders. Owners John and Ellie Henderson desperately want to live here but are trapped in London jobs to pay for its upkeep, while the house crumbles. Can businesswoman Ruth Watson rescue this national treasure from ruin?
Four years ago, Nigel and Jennifer Whalley bought Albury in Surrey but have since amassed debts of £4 million. Now the bank wants its money back. Can businesswoman Ruth Watson rescue this historic house from repossession?
In the wild and beautiful landscape of South Ayrshire, Scotland, bordering the Galloway Hills and Forest Park, lies Black Clauchrie House. Built in 1901, in the Arts and Crafts style, Black Clauchrie was originally a hunting lodge, designed for leisure and country pursuits. Four years ago, builder Adrian Goodall fell in love with this remote spot and decided to relocate his family from Halifax in North Yorkshire. His partner, Caroline, her son Rob and their daughter Georgie left their busy lives behind to start again in this secluded part of Scotland.
Pentillie is a £25million, Grade Two listed castle and 2,000 acre estate in Cornwall. It was built in 1698 in a commanding position overlooking the River Tamar. For nearly 30 years, Ted and Sarah Coryton have lived just a mile from Pentillie, wondering if one day it would be theirs. It belonged to Ted's cousin Jeffrey, but to inherit, the deal was that Ted would run one of Pentillie's farms and gradually take over the estate. However, when Jeffrey died unexpectedly in 1980, his widow, Kit withdrew from the world and banned Ted and his family from the castle. The news was devastating for Ted and Sarah. Over the next 27 years, their family grew up in the shadow of Pentillie, which remained out of bounds and became a subject too painful for discussion. But in September 2007 Kit died and left everything to Ted. Having been the cause of so much heartache, the Corytons planned to sell Pentillie and take the money, but when Ted, Sarah and their three grown up children gathered at the castle, they fell under its spell.
Ruth Watson returns to Cothay Manor, Somerset, a 15th-century building full of original features, to see whether owners Alastair and Mary-Anne Robb's ambitious plans have provided any financial dividends. The Robbs bought the country estate 15 years ago but have never made a profit. Their project to transform the surrounding area into an sculpture park is still to materialise and they now have the added problem of deciding which of their four children will inherit the property and its million-pound tax bill.
It's been a year since renowned businesswoman and trouble-shooter Ruth Watson advised the owners of stately British homes how to diversify and raise revenue to secure the future of their unique properties for generations to come. Albury Park is one of Surrey's most important and prestigious country houses. Nigel and Jennifer Whalley live at the Grade II listed Tudor mansion and bought the mansion four years ago. The Whalleys own the freehold, and live in one of its apartments, but they shared the rest of the house with a number of elderly residents. The business worked well until the elderly guests moved on, forcing the Whalleys to buy back all the flats, putting them millions in debt and desperate to find a way to claw that money back. With an army of 21 staff and a heating bill in the tens of thousands, Ruth was keen that the Whalleys create a show flat and stop wasting time, but did they take her frank advice and manage to sell some of the flats?
In this episode, Ruth returns to Scotland. Black Clauchrie has been part of the wild Galloway landscape since 1901. The house was originally a shooting lodge for a wealthy couple who wanted to enjoy country pursuits. Caroline and Adrian Goodall bought this remote house just over four years ago. Adrian had recently recovered from two life-threatening incidents and the family were keen to escape the rat race, but renovations to Black Clauchrie cost them thousands, which forced them into letting the house out to groups. The rentals haven't made any profit, and Adrian has taken on farming work that left Caroline in the house alone. Determined to get their house in order, Ruth inspired Caroline to make a change, but Adrian's farming commitments threatened to destroy the couple's relationship.
Ruth Watson meets Cornelia Bayley, owner of Plas Teg, a Grade One listed Jacobean mansion. Cornelia purchased it for £75,000, but her devotion has come at a personal cost as well.
Ruth heads for Riverhill in Kent, an 18th century rag stone manor that's struggling to keep the elements at bay. Can Ruth persuade the four generations of the family to agree on a fix?
Ruth Watson visits Carnfield Hall in Derbyshire and its owner James Cartland, cousin of famous author Barbara Cartland. Now in his 60s James finds caring for Carnfield a bit of a slog.
Ruth visits John and Flavia Philips and their costly gothic mansion Heath House in Staffordshire. Can she help their son Ben get his rescue plans off the ground?
Ruth Watson visits the Kelly family, who live in Kelly House in Kelly village, Cornwall. Can she persuade the family to make a new start and save their Grade I listed home from dereliction?
Ruth visits Whitbourne Hall, a vast Palladian-style mansion in Worcestershire, where the resident community is struggling to agree how to raise the cash to restore the building.
Ruth visits Abbey Dore Court in Herefordshire, where the owner's granddaughter is determined to return the quaint but dilapidated country home back to how it was when she was a child.
In the first episode of a new series, Ruth visits Wyresdale Park in Lancashire, home to the Whewell family. The Hall belongs to James Whewell senior and his wife Sally, who have spent decades restoring the estate back to its former glory. Next in line is their son, Jim, who currently lives in London and runs a successful arts and music festival. At some point, his parents would like him to take over the estate, but for that to succeed they need to turn it from a money pit into a viable business. The only trouble is, James junior and senior don't see eye to eye: the father is a traditionalist, the son a reformer. Can Ruth Watson help bring this family together and reverse their fortunes?
Tapeley Park is a mansion located near Westleigh, Devon, that has been in the Christie family for 300 odd years. Current owner, Hector Christie was running Tapeley as a quasi-commune, but has now called on Ruth Watson to help turn the crumbling mansion's destiny around. Tapley has one of the largest collections of William Morris furniture in existence, and Ruth suggests that Hector should capitalise on this as well as the gardens of Tapley to secure the future of the mansion.
Monreith House is an imposing Georgian Mansion built in 1799 near Port William in south west Scotland. It is home to Sir Michael Maxwell, the last in line to one of Scotland's oldest families, who can be traced back to 1481, and whose power and riches have contributed to the architectural heritage in the area. Sir Michael inherited Monreith in the early 1980s from his uncle. But his uncle took the view that it would be cheaper for the grand property to fall down rather than to pay to have it demolished, and left Sir Michael with a house in disrepair.
Ruth visits Trereife House in Penzance, Cornwall. It's a crumbling manor that is making a loss - with the bank close to forcing a sale. Tim Le Grice inherited Trereife House and its huge debts in 1986, and has spent the past 25 years trying to turn around the fortunes of the family home. But Trereife is a house in peril, falling apart at the seams. And while holding down a full time job as a solicitor, Tim has been working 15 hours a day trying new business ventures to give them a much needed cash injection. The house is making a loss.
Kentchurch Court is one of the most historically important houses Ruth has ever worked with. The place has been handed down through the Scudamore family since 1058. When Jan Lucas-Scudamore first married into the family she imagined a life of luxury, but with annual running costs totaling £120,000 Kentchurch is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Garston Manor is a Grade II listed Georgian house on the outskirts of Watford, built in 1812. Headmistress Sheila O'Neill bought the house as a wreck for £500,000 from the local council with dreams of turning the decrepit building into a school. Thirteen years later and the Montessori school is just about breaking even. But attempts at diversifying into a wedding and conference venue have failed.
Hill Place in Swanmore, Hampshire is a Grade II listed Georgian villa. Built in 1791, it has been home to Will and Rebecca Dobson since inheriting it from Will's grandmother. With a long list of expensive and urgent repairs needed, as well as additional yearly running costs of £50,000, the pair have no choice but to make Hill Place work as a commercial business.
Pen-y-Lan was built in 1690 by the founder of Lloyds bank and was bought by the Holloway family in 1849. The house has been passed down the generations. Emma Holloway grew up in the house and has, in turn, brought up her four children there. To Emma Pen-y-Lan is her life. But the house is also a noose around her neck - with £300,000 of debt. The house is in a shabby state and without the income to do it up the future looks bleak.
Ruth helps turn an ailing hotel into a revamped weddings and events centre with plush new décor and a new manager. Gissing Hall in Norfolk is an impressive country mansion that was built in the early 1820s. It fell into a state of disrepair after years of neglect but was given a new lease of life when William and Ann Brennan bought it in 1986. They put every penny of their savings into restoring it and making it their dream family home, but the colossal costs of running the country house got the better of the family and they were forced to open the doors to paying guests as Gissing became a hotel.
Ruth pays another visit to John and Ellie Henderson, who inherited Chesters in the Scottish Borders but were finding it hard to pay for the upkeep of the property. She learns whether the couple have managed to give up their jobs in London and taken on board her idea of using the stately home for corporate away-days.
Ruth revisits with Ted and Sarah Coryton, who inherited Pentillie Castle in September 2007 and also faced a £6million inheritance tax bill. Ruth had encouraged them to open the house and gardens to the public and learns how they have been getting on since her first visit.
Ruth Watson returns to Elmore Court in Gloucestershire to see whether new owner Anselm has succeeded with his plan to open a cookery school. Elmore Court is a £25 million estate in Gloucestershire that has been in the Guise family for 750 years. Recently inherited by 37-year-old Anselm, the house was at risk of falling into a state of disrepair.
Ruth Watson revisits Abbey Dore Court to see how Charis Ward and her granddaughter Clare's catering holiday business is faring. Charis Ward bought Abbey Dore Court in 1967 for £12,000. In 2000, Charis decided to leave Abbey Dore to live in a more manageable property and the house fell into disrepair. Charis' s 26-year-old granddaughter Clare is determined to bring her formerly happy home back to life.
Ruth revisits Heath House to see how the owners are getting on with their plan to make money using the house as a venue for weddings and events. Since Ruth's visit, Ben has left his job in London and moved to Heath House full time to concentrate on running the house as a business. But will John and Flavia be relieved to see Ben thrive in his new role at the helm of the business?
Ruth Watson revisits Cornelia Bayley at Plas Teg, a Grade I listed Jacobean mansion that has remained virtually unchanged since it was built in 1610. On Ruth's return, she arrives to find a well attended tour of the house in progress, hosted by the organisation the Friends of Plas Teg, who have been working extremely hard to support the house - although they report that Cornelia is still nervous about letting people into the house.
Ruth Watson revisits the Rogers family at Riverhill House in Kent to see if Ed and Sarah have made a success of their plans to make the estate pay for itself. Four generations of the Rogers family live at Riverhill House in Kent, including 87-year-old great grandmother Evelyn Rogers, who has lived in the grounds since the end of World War II. But over the past 60 years Evelyn has seen the once magnificent estate fall into disrepair.
Ruth Watson returns to Hill Place, a Georgian villa in Swanmore, Hampshire, where a year ago she was plunged into the middle of a family feud. Will and Rebecca Dobson had to contend with expensive repairs as well as the scorn of Will's mother and aunts, who disapproved of plans to change the mansion into an upmarket wedding venue. Now the troubleshooter discovers whether her ideas have come to fruition.
Simon Davis attempts to help Viscount and Viscountess Brookeborough who have lived in Colebrooke Park, a neo-classical mansion in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, for over 30 years. Alan and Janet have spent their lives attempting to maintaining the house, raising the funds they need by holding exclusive shooting parties but things are now starting to fail. Simon thinks that they should convert part of the house and grounds into a health business that includes a spa in the former stable.
Simon attempts to help turn around the fortunes of Chapel Cleeve which is a grade II listed manor house dating back to the 1400s.
Simon attempts to help turn around the fortunes of Bantry House, on the west coast of Ireland. The current residents, Egerton and Brigitte moved in over 30 years ago and managed to turn the semi-derelict Bantry into a family home and a viable business. The couple's eldest daughter Sophie, and her partner Josh, have given up their life in Australia to moce to the United Kingdom and take over running of the place. The house currently brings in a seasonal income from bed and breakfast, a tea room and house tours, but it's not enough.
Simon attempts to help turn around the fortunes of Great Fulford which is a Grade I listed manor house near Exeter in Devon. The property is home to Francis and Kishanda Fulford, previously featured on Channel 4 series The F***ing Fulfords back in 2004.
Simon attempts to help turn around the fortunes of Meldon Park in Northumberland, which has has been a home to the Cookson family since 1832.
Simon attempts to help turn around the fortunes of Craufurdland, a castle which dates back over eight centuries in Ayrshire, Scotland. It has been home to the Craufurd family since 1245, but maintenance costs of the old property has become a huge financial drain.
