Buildings & Tourism

Buildings and Maintenance Department

Ford & Etal Estates are responsible for the upkeep of some 250 houses, cottages and other buildings, over the entire estate lands.

Roofs, chimneys and walls have to be maintained, repaired and improved. Work involving internal fittings such as kitchens, fireplaces, plumbing and electrics are done in discussion between the Estate’s Clerk of Works and the tenants. Building regulations and fire safety checks are also the responsibility of the Estates. Some outlying farms have their own private water supplies, which have to meet a growing member of stringent regulations on water quality.

Tourism and Leisure Department

The promotion of Ford & Etal Estates as a visitor destination and the organisation of the school and other group visits lies with the Tourism and Leisure Department. This includes the promotion of various craft workers and small businesses around the Estate.

These enterprises often revolve around the use of older buildings that have become surplus to requirements or are no longer suitable for modern farming practices. Our policy is not to let them deteriorate but to offer them as small business locations. This in turn provides a potential source of employment for local people who can support the village shops and pub or who have young families to attend our village school. All of this helps to ensure that we maintain a vibrant local community.