…in more ways than one!
This blog is a new venture for the House Team at Standen; a way for us to stay connected with our supporters and let them know what we’re up to.
The blog also marks a new start for me, Hannah, as the property’s new trainee Conservation and Interpretation Assistant.
Hannah at work in our cellar store, inspecting and cleaning items from our collection
My first few days at Standen were a flurry of introductions, tours and talks, as I met staff and volunteers, and was introduced to Standen and its history.
As far as country houses go, Standen is modest, but it has a small army of staff and volunteers that keep everything going, and remembering names and faces seemed an impossible task (this is why we all wear name badges!).
However, I soon found myself able to put names to faces and find my way around without too many problems – everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and that certainly helped!
I learnt all sorts of things in my first couple of weeks at Standen (there’ll be more of that later!), but one of my first lessons was the importance of having a break and putting your feet up – no, really!
There’s always time for tea!
A lot of work in NT houses is very physical, and there are often days when you don’t get the chance to sit down for much longer than 20 minutes, so a tea break is one of the most important times of the day – it cannot be overstated just how vital a steady supply of tea and cake is to the smooth running of an historic house!
