Estate manager

Image of a large stately home

What’s a country estate?

A country estate is a large area of land owned by an individual or an organisation like the National Trust. Country estates usually have very large old houses on them, sometimes called ‘stately homes’. They usually have farms on them as well as woodlands, gardens, houses and visitor attractions.

Image of the estate manager with a horse and a stable girl

What does an estate manager do?

Country estates cost a lot of money to run and the estate manager’s job is to make sure that the estate is run well and that enough money is brought in from activities such as selling farm produce, renting cottages, running shops, selling timber from woodlands and organising special events for visitors.

Image of a gardener picking fruit on the estate

Running smoothly

Estate managers have to do many different tasks, as well as take care of other people who work on the estate such as farmers and gardeners. They are always in touch with the owners of the land, and must make sure that everything on the estate runs smoothly.

Click on the facts

Country estate facts

  • 1. In England, many country estates belong to individuals who pass them on through families over many generations
  • 2. Some country estates belong to large companies and some belong to heritage organisations like The National Trust
  • 3. Many country estates are very large, for example Elveden Estate in Suffolk covers about 22,500 acres (9100 hectares) – that’s about the size of 9000 football pitches!
  • 4. Some country estates have holiday parks and campsites, some have lakes, others have museums, zoos and theme parks – all designed to make money for the estate
  • 5. Country estates also run special events like conferences, fairs, concerts and steam rallies
  • 6. Country estates take a lot of looking after – Castle Howard Estate in Yorkshire employs about 250 people in the summer

Estate manager facts

  • 1. Estate managers are in charge of the estate’s land business, not the large country houses themselves
  • 2. Some estate managers are employed by a private company rather than by the owners of the estate
  • 3. Estate managers work with many of the other people, e.g. farmers, foresters and gamekeepers
  • 4. Most estate managers have studied at college for several years, to learn how to do the job
  • 5. Many country estates have houses that are rented out to people – it is the estate manager’s job to make sure that this runs smoothly

Estate manager’s jobs

  • 1. Managing the estate staff
  • 2. Meeting with the estate owners to keep them up-to-date about estate business
  • 3. Arranging for repairs to be made to estate buildings and machinery
  • 4. Exploring possibilities for new developments on the estate such as nature trails or visitor attractions
  • 5. Organising contractors (workers from outside) to carry out tasks on the estate
  • 6. Making sure that health and safety rules are followed on the estate
  • 7. Discussing estate money matters with accountants (people who check records of money and deal with tax)
  • 8. Keeping track of the value of the estate’s buildings, land, machinery, timber, etc.
  • 9. Checking that the estate’s farms and woodlands are well run
  • 10. Making sure that rules about conservation and the environment on the estate are carefully followed

Estate manager video

Meet Ken, the estate manager, and find out about all the people and places he must look after on the estate. Watch video

Watch video with transcript