Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CASE STUDY
Longleat: a private limited company
Introduction
In 1949 Longleat became the fi rst stately h o me to
be opened to the public on a fully commercial basis.
This was the way forward to meet the ever-increasing
costs of maintaining the large house and extensive
estate, plus meeting heavy death duties. In 1966
Longleat offered the British public another unique
attraction - the fi rst drive-through safari park outside
Africa. It was the Marquess of Bath who, together
with circus owner Jimmy Chipperfi eld, worked on
this innovative development which attracted very
large numbers of visitors. Today, Longleat has many other attractions for visitors, including the World's
Longest Hedge Maze, Postman Pat Village, the Adventure Castle, Sa f ari Boats, Doctor Who Exhibition and
Longleat Railway. Visitor numbers have been growing in recent years, due i n no small part to the televising
of the BBC's Animal Park series. In 2005, Longleat welcomed 716,000 visitors (excluding repeat visitors).
Aims and objectives
Longleat's stated business aim is:
'To maintain and conserve Longleat House and Estate for future generations. To maximise Longleat's
commercial viability at the same time as achieving the highest standards of conservation, visitor satisfaction
and employee care - always meeting Lord Bath's requirements'.
Longleat's mission statement is:
'To encourage appreciation and awareness of the world's natural environment and herit ag e through
recreation, education, biological study and conservation'.
Structure and organisation at Longleat
Longleat is a two-fold business consisting of Longleat Enterprises Limited and the Longleat Estate. The
leisure businesses at Longleat are operated by a private limited company - Longleat Enterprises Limit e d.
The company is, in effect, the Marquess of Bath's trading arm. His Lordship is the Managing Director o f
the company and there are two other directors. The Marquess of Bath and his Trustees meet annually to
make policy decisions about the company and to assess performance and the year's results. The day-to-
day management of the company is the responsibility of the General Manager who reports directly to
the Marquess on a weekly basis. Longleat Enterprises Limited leases Longleat House together with the
 
 
 
 
 
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