…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.
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!
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!