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Job details
Location: Raby Castle
Department: Leisure and Tourism
Employment Basis: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £24,082.50 per annum
Closing Date: 12th Sept 2025
Interview Date: September 2025
Job Ref: VA204-2025
What You’ll Be Doing
As Housekeeper you will play a key role in preserving Raby Castle’s important heritage collections and ensure that the Castle is presented to the highest standard. You will be responsible for day-to-day cleaning and will contribute to the care of the collections and interiors of this historic building. Raby Castle is a busy visitor attraction and welcomes thousands of visitors each year. Welcoming visitors and providing clean, well maintained facilities is essential, reporting issues quickly and keeping all areas to a high standard.
Key Responsibilities
* Preparing the Castle for opening daily.
* Vacuuming visitor route floors/carpets.
* Dusting objects and furniture using appropriate equipment and techniques.
* Monitoring light levels and adjusting room blinds as needed.
* Observing and reporting changes in any object’s condition.
* Assisting with moving objects using appropriate art-handling techniques.
* Taking part in annual deep clean of rooms outside of the visitor areas and on the public route.
* Cleaning staff facilities such as offices, breakrooms and toilets.
* Assisting with cleaning in other areas of the site, where required.
* Sharing a passion for history and for the care and conservation of the castle collection.
* Being part of the Salvage Team for Raby Castle.
* Interacting with guests and answering questions about work in progress as required.
* Working in a responsible and safe manner at all times, adhering to Health & Safety policies, safe working practices and Company Policies and Procedures (e.g. COSHH, working at heights, manual handling).
* Represent Raby and Lord and Lady Barnard appropriately at all times by being smart in appearance and behaving in an appropriate manner in line with estate values.
Skills Required
* Good manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination
* Attention to detail
* Ability to work from ladders and tower scaffolds
* Willingness to work in cold and dusty environments
* Enthusiasm to learn and undertake continuing professional development
* Great team player
* Discretion and ability to handle confidential information
Knowledge And Experience
* Proven working experience as a Housekeeper
* Ability to handle heavy cleaning equipment and machinery
* Knowledge of cleaning chemicals and supplies
* Familiarity with Material Safety Data Sheets
* Knowledge of general conservation principles
Overview Of Raby Estates
Raby Castle near Staindrop has been the home of the Vane family for generations and is open to visitors. Lord and Lady Barnard have developed the Castle and grounds into a premier visitor attraction in the North.
The Raby Estate comprises substantial landholdings and trading operations including in-house farms, let farms, residential property, and sporting enterprises across Estates in County Durham and Shropshire. We also have visitor attractions at High Force Hotel and Waterfall in Upper Teesdale and The Wrekin in Shropshire.
As well as the Estate’s own Home Farm in Raby Park, there are many tenanted farms and a large number of houses and cottages in nearby villages.
What We’ve Got To Offer
We believe people make a place. At Raby, our people are what makes us special. We offer an excellent working environment and the tools to perform, enabling you to achieve your goals.
* Attractive Salary
* 33 days holiday (inclusive of statutory holidays)
* Group Pension Scheme (7.7% employer contribution)
* Group Life Insurance
* Employee Health Cash Plan
* Employee Assistance Programme
* Buy/Sell Holiday Scheme
* Free on-site parking
* Uniform
* Continuous improvement through staff training and development
* Discounts at retail and food outlets
* Discounts for stays High Force Hotel
* Complimentary access to Raby Castle and High Force attractions
* Behind the scenes tour of Raby Castle
* Invitations to Raby Estate social events throughout the year
How To Apply
If you would like to be part of our journey, we’d love to hear from you. If you feel you have the necessary skills, experience and personality to undertake this role, please get in touch.
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Raby Estates are gathering the data in this application for the purpose of recruitment and to ensure we can contact you regarding this application. For information about what we do with your personal data see our Raby Privacy Policy.
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