"My father was Edward William Howes, butler and valet to Sir Michael Duff from when Michael was about 18 years old. He took over the Vaynol household in 1927, the youngest butler to run a household I think - he was only about 27. I was born and grew up on the Vaynol and was christened in the estate's church with Sir Michael as my godfather. We had a house in the grounds, a garden cottage near the dairy.

An old fella, John Jones, was the odd job man and house porter. He would often be looking after me when my mother was working part time on the estate. When my father was at dinner in the evening, mother would be pressing all the gentlemen's clothes. When I was older I was a shoe boy, or I'd help in the pantry when there was a big dinner on, doing all the washing up of the glasses and dinner plates.

We were often in the big house as my father had his own room. As you came in through the back door, just off the hall was the staff dining room and pantry. Behind there was the big safe and my father's room. Next to his room were the stairs, taking you up to Mrs Thorpe's room, who was in charge of staff. Or you could go down a passageway next to my father's room which took you down to the kitchens where Mrs Foster was in charge. She was assisted by Edna Hughes and her two sisters, Dilys and Megan, worked there as maids too.

Before the war, there were 45 staff. The gentry always addressed my father as 'Edward' and other staff addressed him as 'Mr Howes'. There was a real social structure. All the under butlers and footmen had their own grey livery and the buttons had Sir Michael's crest on it, two hands clasped together.

Sir Michael was a very nice gentleman, really pleasant, always spoke to you when he bumped into you on the estate. Later on, when I moved to Northumberland and would call home, because all telephone calls went through the main house you'd speak to Sir Michael first and he was always really pleasant.

As I'm talking, I'm looking at a photo of Lady Caroline. You always knew where she was because of the smell of her perfume - it would hit you before she'd come in the room! She was very keen on her roses in her little garden round the side of the house and enjoyed pottering around there. When Eddie Henderson and Anne Rankin took the flowers in, she would very much be in attendance to see how they were arranged in the house.

I remember Charlie Duff too. I couldn't believe it was him when I saw BBC TV programme about the Vaynol. I didn't know about the adoption and things like that. I've got a photo of him with the Duke of Edinburgh in the Lôn y Wîg garden, the prettiest garden which looked over Snowdonia. It was in front of where the current front door is, up some steps and near the pond.