National Trust room guides - AIBU

[lucydogz]

Just once, I'd like to look round a National Trust property without someone telling me about it. You can avoid eye contact in properties with larger rooms, but I've just been to a small property , so just me in a series of tiny rooms with a very nice lady/man sitting in the corner, just waiting to tell me about it. I just don't need it and want to make my own mind about it.

Remember - we are volunteers! No exam to pass!

IME the guides do usually remain silent in NT properties unless you clearly want tho engage with them. I guide at a non-NT place and tend to listen to what the visitors say to each other and, if they are asking questions of each other about what they see, I will politely offer to explain things.

Oooh Johnny can I come to your myths lecture? That sounds great!

I like them in costumes.
I prefer (appropriate, period, ordinary life) costumes than modern dress.

Like if they're looking after the kitchen, i'd like them to be cook etc. According to the period their room is decorated.

Oh I love the volunteers. I went a tiny NT property in Bath once where there was just one volunteer guide, must have been in his 80s. He was so delighted to see us that he gave us a personal guided tour round the whole place. At one point there was supposed to be a short film about the property's owner (who had achieved some amazing things) screened in a cinema room but it had broken down so he sat us down to watch it on his personal laptop. At the end he wiped away a tear and said "I've seen it hundreds of times but it always gets me!" Absolutely adorable.

That said, I can understand why people don't like them and think the sticker idea is genius.

God yes. They latch on to me like cats who can sense I don't like them. The joy of NT places for me is looking at the things I'M interested in, and imagining stuff and perhaps not even thinking at all, and it's like they can sense this and so insist on telling me as much boring crap about something I'm not interested in as they can!!!!! I KNOW they are volunteers etc but they ruin these places for me. Please just let me look.

Fuck off Stickers are an excellent idea.

I'm totally with you on this OP!! We visit NTs regularly and I like to be left alone. In fact, such a philistine I am that I don't even like learning about the art etc in most properties. I just like to 'wander' through and take it all in!

Some of them are fantastic, and can judge body language and know when/how much to speak. Some have great humour and lots of knowledge, others won't let you go through their room without telling you their lines (which are word for word out of the leaflets left dotted around the room!).

I'm more annoyed with NT's pushy renewal process - my membership is due at the end of the month yet they've written to tell me they will renew it and take my money three weeks early - not so much as a "hope you've enjoyed it and would you like to renew!). It's actually made me seriously think of leaving. And why don't they do OAP rates for new members?? My mum would like to join but won't get OAP rates until she's been a constant member for five years - she's in her late 70s now. I think it's very poor. They have lots to work on!

I am a NT member and visit properties quite often but I have never had this problem.

I usually find the guides keep their distance unless you specifically ask a question or they hear you "wondering " about something. Even if they do rush in unasked how hard is it to listen politely for a couple of minutes and then smile and say "thank you" and move on? Sometimes they have interesting anecdotes you might not otherwise hear.

I came across a love old lady at a Cheshire property recent. She must have been well in to her 70s. I actually approached her with a question about one of the exhibits. She tried to answer then realizing she didn't actually know she suggested I might be able to Google it! Bless!

I like the Staff at Chatsworth, which is privately owned and run (misses point of the thread).

I actively avoid NT properties for this precise reason. There is a gorgeous one very near my house that I would love to visit regularly, get to know the history, use the cafe, gift shop etc but have only set foot in it twice in... gosh, 33 years!

I sound like a right meanie... I love volunteers and I have a lot of time for history and listening to people's pet passions... but this particular one makes you feel like a baton being passed from volunteer to volunteer through the rooms and by the end I feel I've spent 90 minutes nodding and smiling at a succession of people rather than experiencing the property at all!

I just smile and nod then swiftly move on. I'm a published historian though, with a degree in History of Art so I prefer to be left alone to draw my own conclusions about the places that I visit. I can see how other people, perhaps with more limited historical knowledge but plenty of interest, might find them useful though. :)

You could wear headphones of some type if you want to be left alone.

I think the volunteers are great, for the most part.

I remember when my DD was 3 and we visited a National Trust castle we were on a ' princess hunt' to keep her entertained, as she was getting restless. One of the guides approached us and my DD eagerly said to her that she was looking for the princess. The guide replied in the most haughty tone, "oh there are no princesses here and there never have been" my DDs little face crumpled and the visit was spoiled. Of course there were no princesses but she didn't have to be so rude. Its put me off the guides because they always seem a bit stuffy and unfriendly.

Johnny I'd like to come to your lecture!

Liquid That's so adorable. (Not the rude woman part)

I think the stickers idea is brilliant. So easy to implement and follow and a book of green and yellow dots would be inexpensive.

Or I guess green for 'go' and red for piss off stop.

The ones that got on my tits were at the John Soane Museum, who followed me around as if I was a shoplifter.

An upside of this thread is that it got me on to the National Trust in AustraIia, and I've found two places I'd never even heard of in ten years in Melbourne, The Briars and Labassa. Nowhere near so old or grand as the UK, but I'm in. Will report if the guided are aresholes.:o

Talking about the people who lived there isn't dumbing down. I'm much more interested in the history and atmosphere of a place than architecture.

Rather than moan on MN, why not give some feedback to the NT?

John Soane is one where you usually have to have a guide to take you around, for obvious reasons.

Why do you have to have a guide at the John Soane?

I never have.

It's a while since I've been to the John Soane but I remember just exploring.

Isn't it Dennis Severs' house where they only do guided tours?

YANBU.

I really appreciate the volunteers giving up their free time as I know how invaluable it is but I try my hardest to politely avoid them. I usually just say that I'd like to look around on my own but some are very persistent 😂
DDs and I had a great time in an industrial museum trying to shake off a museum volunteer. We ended up creeping about and hiding from him. We had politely told him that we wanted to walk around on our own but he still followed us around like a lost puppy.

Don't forget that the room guides are also there to stop people stealing the things on display !
But they should not be forcing themselves on you and following you round.

The NT has been hijacked by marketing people who are pushing hard to get to the next million members. Families are one of their target audiences, hence the dumbed down interpretation.

We are members of the NT and livery in Wales. Whenever we go we have found the tour guided fantastic, they have been there if we need them. At one property we went to recently you can actually sign up to go different tours of the house and these were brilliant.