Want To 'Work In A Castle'?!

Introducing Historic Houses

Historic Houses is a not-for-profit membership association, representing around 1,450 independent historic houses, castles and gardens across the UK. In 2025, our members welcomed over 21.3 million visitors and supported 12,000 jobs: they are the backbone of the UK’s heritage.

The archer

In Northumberland, the imposing medieval fortress of Alnwick Castle rises near the Scottish border. For many, it’s synonymous with Harry Potter, having served as a key filming location for the first two films. But the castle’s history stretches back far beyond the screen.

Built in the 11th century, Alnwick was once a vital stronghold, frequently defending against raids and sieges. Archers were essential to its survival.

That tradition lives on today—though now for sport rather than war. Visitors can learn archery from Callum Wood, a former cinematographer whose career shifted during the Covid-19 pandemic. After a call from an assistant director friend about Dungeons & Dragons filming at the castle, Callum began leading film tours. A few years later, he’s teaching guests how to handle a bow and sharing his deep knowledge of the castle’s past.

At Alnwick, history is no longer just told – it’s experienced.

When you think about jobs that have existed at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire for the last three hundred years, you might think of a servant, a groundskeeper or a cook. But one job you might not associate with a palace is an AI data scientist. But that’s exactly what Tawhid Shahrior does at Blenheim today.

Tawhid started his work with the palace using their data during his Masters. Little did he know a short while later, he would be joining an entire team focused on innovation. Tawhid likes that he can use data modelling to provide solutions to real-world problems for his colleagues, but never dreamed he’d be working at somewhere like Blenheim Palace.

Today, one of those housekeepers is Linda Harris. Linda keeps the castle spick and span for those who live there and those who visit. Of course, the bedsheets might feel a little better now than they did then, and Linda doesn’t have to contend with trying to do her job while an English Civil War wages on outside, but lots of the job could be considered similar to what her predecessors did.

Swapping cleaning B&Bs near Exeter in Devon to cleaning this 14^th century structure, Linda thinks it’s surreal that she now works here. Similarly to days gone by when everyone in the castle mucked in, Linda has also taken on other duties during her employment at Powderham, including helping the hospitality team, assisting to set up for events, shoots or dinner parties.