THE Lansdowne family are this year celebrating the 250th anniversary of their ownership of Bowood estate. In recent years the estate has been turned into a top tourist and leisure attraction. LILY CANTER reports.

WHEN the 8th Marquess of Lansdowne handed over the Bowood estate to his son, Lord Lansdowne, in 1972, he wryly remarked: "You may find maintaining the house and estate quite a challenge.

It was a prophecy which Lord Lansdowne has had good reason to reflect on in the intervening years, and he is the first to admit that running a stately home and an extensive estate has at times been tough.

But he is also justifiably proud of what has been achieved in those 32 years, and the fact that Bowood is now one of the West Country's most popular tourist and leisure attractions.

The estate has undergone some very dramatic changes since Lord Lansdowne took the reins.

Recalling those days he said: "Up until 1972 it was a typical sleepy landed estate with most of the buildings fairly rundown and derelict. Fifty of the estate houses did not have modern facilities such as toilets and hot water.

"I thought there is no point sitting in a big house just for the sake of it because it is extremely expensive and totally impractical."

He set his mind on modernising the estate and developing its tourist potential. "All my ancestors have been pragmatists. I think they would actually be thrilled to see that the place is still alive and in good condition and still giving a huge amount of pleasure. I think they are looking down saying it's great.

"Our philosophy has been to try to provide something of interest for all ages. We have developed the opening of the house and grounds to preserve their historical distinction but at the same time making it fun, exciting and interesting to visit," he said.

He first opened the house and gardens in 1975 and five years later the stables and grooms' quarters were converted into exhibition rooms, a restaurant and shop.

Even more exciting and ambitious projects followed. A very large and challenging adventure playground was developed with an extensive complex of slides and catwalks above a play area of swings and trampolines, and a large pirates' ship, and this has become one of the top attractions for families, and the golf and country club, with its luxurious Queenswood Golf Lodge, was opened in 1992. The facility has attracted many celebrities for top matches.

Lord Lansdowne also decided to open up more of the house and now the public can view more than 50 per cent of it.

But it still remains very much a family concern. Daughters Lady Arabella Unwin, 37, Lady Rachel Spickenel, 36, and son, William Petty Fitzmaurice, 30, live on the estate and take an active interest in the business. The eldest son, Simon Henry George, Earl of Kerry, 33, who lives in London, is a keen academic and spends much of his time researching the family history.

But Lord Lansdowne is the first to admit that the public perception of the wealthy landowner living in the big house is far from the reality.

"Just to balance the books on the estate is a very difficult task. The house does not pay for itself. We run it at a huge loss. The economics are pretty difficult because there are 50 listed buildings and monuments on the estate. The cost of keeping the place running is phenomenal. We employ 200 people.

"It has to survive with the income it has. We are no longer a hugely wealthy family."

It is, however, Bowood's rich and colourful past which makes it such a special and appealing attraction.

The family has owned the estate for 250 years. It has played host to royalty as well as influential people from the worlds of arts, science and politics.

Until the First World War the estate was four times its present size, and generated a substantial income.

Lord Lansdowne said: "Bowood used to be a showcase. It was used to entertain the most influential people in England and Europe. We would have featured in the rich list but that is all gone now."

Present day visitors can, however, get a taste of the days when the Lansdowne family entertained high society.

Guests would retire after dinner to the impressive library. Napoleon's advisor Talleyrand; philosopher and reformer, Jeremy Bentham; abolitionist, reformer and politician, Lord Macaulay; novelist, Maria Edgeworth, and Irish poet Tom Moore were just some of the important visitors.

The ante-room to the library was once the laboratory where in the late 18th century, Dr Joseph Priestley, a friend of the first Marquess and tutor to his sons, discovered oxygen gas. Today's visitors can see the room and see a display telling the story.

They can also walk through the huge orangery built by the Adam brothers which has now been converted into a gallery to display the fine Lansdowne collection of paintings and sculpture.

But many of the rich treasures which are now on view in the house were acquired by the fifth Marquess. He was Viceroy of India in the late 19th century and he and his family made many long trips to Burma, Kashmir and India and were presented with gifts wherever they went.

So great was the generosity, he wrote home to his mother complaining that he had more gifts than he could possibly find room for.

But Bowood also has a very fine collection of watercolours and also porcelain collected by the family.

In 1904, the fifth Marquess, then Foreign Secretary, was presented with a pair of vases by the French president to mark the signing of the Entente Cordiale, which ended centuries of rivalry between the two countries.

Like the house, the park and gardens have also undergone major changes reflecting the tastes and fortunes of the family. Capability Brown, the famous eighteenth-century garden designer was brought in by the 2nd Earl to landscape the park in the 1760s.

A stunning lake and pleasure grounds containing interesting and unusual trees and shrubs were created.

Towards the end of the eighteenth century a picturesque rock landscape with a cascade, grottoes and a hermit's cave was constructed. The result is one of the finest parks in the region which attracts visitors from far and wide.

But it is not just his family's illustrious past which concerns the present Lord Lansdowne.

He knows that the estate has to move into the future and embrace new developments.

In recent years the adventure playground has been extended with a thrilling space dive and there is also a soft play area and themed party rooms.

But Lord Lansdowne is now focussing his attention on the development of Bowood Golf and Country Club.

He is currently in negotiations with different companies over the development of a hotel, health spa and conference centre.

He said: "It has always been the objective to develop these. We have got planning consent but it is a long-term project. It has got to be in keeping with Bowood and be of the highest quality."

Lord Lansdowne, however, remains confident about the future of Bowood.

He said: "Bowood will continue to provide space and be a place of nature and beauty in an area that is becoming slowly suburban."