OWNING and living in a castle isn’t always the fairy tale one might imagine.

Last year viewers were given a unique insight into the responsibilities and financial struggles that come with a castle when Viscount Crichton opened the doors of his own ancestral home, Crom Castle in County Fermanagh.

John (Viscount Crichton) will one day inherit it from his father, the Earl of Erne.

In the latest episode of BBC One’s True North series he goes in search of some advice to prepare for the future and to see for himself how the owners of another of Northern Ireland’s finest stately homes manage the commitments that come with inheriting a family estate.

In True North: Minding Our Manors on Monday, February 24, John travels to Co Down to meet Lord and Lady Dunleath who own Ballywalter Park.

John gets exclusive access to the Lord and Lady of the house as they give viewers a candid insight into what goes on behind the closed doors of their home, the pressures they face and their own hands-on approach.

John said: “I’d no idea how much the Dunleaths do. Everything. From cooking to shooting and jam making to growing Christmas trees. Our situations are quite different as I don’t have the land they do. But the dedication and passion for our homes is very similar. And I suppose the truth is that when it comes to keeping them there isn’t one solution to fit all.” True North: Minding Our Manors airs at 10.35pm on Monday, February 24.