(CNN) – Laura Jamieson and Michael Smith fell in love while working at an 800-year-old castle. But they never expected to live at their workplace.
“Who else can say they were locked up in a castle?” says Smith, 28, a real estate manager.
Temporary excavations
In the real world, the couple, who have been dating for a year and a half, live in an apartment in Cross, a small town about five kilometers from the castle.
Laura Jamieson and Michael Smith, employees at Ashford Castle (and also a couple), never expected to move into the majestic excavations.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
Nothing set them up to move into the Guinness family’s former farmhouse, with a 32-seat cinema, two gourmet dining rooms, a spa, wine-tasting tunnels, and 83 rooms.
It was transformed into a luxury hotel in 1939; Previous guests have included American presidents and celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Brad Pitt. Pierce Brosnan, who filmed an episode of the television series “Remington Steele” in Ashford, returned to marry Keely Shaye Smith here in 2001.
Both Smith and Jamieson, who is in charge of guest services, were surprised, and excited, when General Manager Niall Rochford asked if they might consider moving in for a spell. They suspect it is because they complement each other as a team.
“She does everything very well inside and I have a lot of experience outside and on the ground, so it was almost perfect yin and yang,” says Smith. “We balance each other out. So I have to believe that’s one of the reasons why they asked.”
Are you already having fun?
Was it scary at first to be the only occupants of such a large place? Slightly.
During the day, some of the hotel staff come to perform various work functions, but the couple is largely alone.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
For starters, there was the Dessert Fiasco.
“We have a five-star kitchen, but between us we are a two-star chef,” says Smith, who grew up in Perthshire, Scotland. “We both have a sweet tooth, so we tried the banana bread. It was a disaster. When you turned on a smoke alarm in the house, it was only in the kitchen. But when you turned it on in a hotel, the whole place went off.”
The castle, which dates back to 1228, is a huge space for just two people.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
Then there was the ghost from Ashford’s past, or at least the one in their heads.
“The castle dates back to 1228 and we stayed in the Victorian wing,” says Jamieson, who has been in Ashford for five years. “You have all these paintings from the owners through the centuries. You almost feel like you’re in someone’s house and they are looking at you.”
Her boyfriend has been having fun jumping in front of her “to make sure she’s alert.”
“It wears out very quickly,” admits Smith.
A day in the life of the castle.
A typical day he finds them awake at 8 am, when they stroll through the 350 acres of private gardens and forests and then head to the premises for coffee. It’s a normal eight-hour work day, packed with Zoom meetings and saying hello to colleagues who have come to the castle for a few hours. They could stop by stables or falconry school to see hawks and owls.
A typical day finds Jamieson and Smith awake at 8 am. They will proceed to work a full eight-hour day.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
Then the fun really begins.
As part of their additional care responsibilities, they must vacuum floors, dust Waterford glass chandeliers, and shower in each room. The real calorie burn comes from the 160 toilets they flush every day, just to keep everything running.
“It has been a good exercise for us,” says Smith, who estimates they log 25,000 to 30,000 steps on an average day, which could last until 7 or 8 pm
To keep the castle in good working order, Smith and Jamieson run all the showers and flush all the toilets (160 total) every day.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
Once a week, they have an evening date at the 32-seat cinema, which “looks like something from the 1920s,” says Jamieson.
They bring candy, popcorn, some wine, and pretend they are in a movie theater, rather than their own private movie theater. The first movie they saw was “The Quiet Man” by John Ford, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, which was shot in Ashford.
They have also enjoyed “Game of Thrones” and “The Greatest Showman” – “things that are worthy of being on the big screen,” says Smith.
Date night often takes place in the empty cinema.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
The couple met three years ago, when Smith started working at the hotel. Jamieson was working in different departments, wearing a different uniform in each, and soon caught Smith’s eye, although he was confused if it was a person or a set of sisters. “But I managed to narrow it down,” she says, and she finally dared to invite her out.
The couple has been converted into a luxurious state room in the original castle wing (circa 1228), with antiques, tapestries, Connemara marble, Murano glass chandeliers, an antique grandfather clock, 15-foot ceilings, and magnificent views from the lake.
Taking photos with a Polaroid has been a fun post-work activity for the young couple.
Courtesy of Laura Jamieson and Michael Smith.
Before they moved in they bought a Polaroid camera to document their experience. “We have been creating a scrapbook for ourselves,” says Jamieson. “This is not real life. It makes us look smarter than we are.”
The hardest part, they say, has been not being able to see your friends and family in person. But they do FaceTime with them, usually from a different part of the property for a virtual tour.
Michael Smith is from Scotland and Laura Jamieson is Surrey from England, but they fell in love across the Irish Sea.
Courtesy of Red Carnation Hotel Collection.
Imminent ‘eviction’
The Castle is scheduled to reopen on July 2. At this time, they are not sure when they will be evicted. “We are avoiding asking the question,” says Jamieson.
Although the castle will reopen on July 2, the couple are unsure when they will be asked to leave.
Courtesy of Ashford Castle.
Beyond the novelty of playing Eloise, they have learned a lot about themselves as people and as a couple. “We are a relatively young couple and it has been the craziest experience,” says Smith. “I’m not saying this is a Disney story. I’m sure there is a time when she wants me to go to the other side or send me to the dungeon. But we have not had fights or tired of each other.”
But, she adds, “she could change her mind at any time.”
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