FORTY years after starting work at Castle Howard, forestry manager Nick Cooke still feels he is doing his dream job.

The 60-year-old reached that milestone this month, having first come to the estate near Malton while a student.

Castle Howard has seen plenty of changes since 1975, but Nick has been a constant fixture caring for its trees.

Originally from Cumbria, he applied to spend a year on the estate as part of his environmental sciences university course at Bradford.

“I had never heard of it before,” said Nick. “I can still remember being dropped off here as a student and thinking ‘wow’.

“It was not just the job, the buildings and the estate, it was everything.

“The lodgings they gave me were fantastic and I joined the local rugby club in Malton.

“I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather work, to be honest.

“I am 60 now and have no plans to leave before retiring.”

Nick helped established Ray Wood while working there as a student and was keen to return full-time after completing his studies.

“I had already fallen in love with the place so I wrote to the agent and asked for a job,” he said.

“I got one as an assistant in the tree nursery, so I started back here in the summer of 1977.

“Later on, the tree nursery foreman had to retire due to ill health. They asked me if I would take it on and I said yes.

“I have always been interested in trees.

“I stayed running that until 2003 when the head forester decided to leave. They asked me if I fancied combining both roles.”

During his time on the estate, Nick’s wife Sue has also come to work there as the retail manager, while their daughter Hannah Cooke is the press and communications manager.

With their other daughter Emma also having worked part-time at Castle Howard, it has proved a real family affair. “It has been a fantastic place to bring children up,” said Nick.

He added: “I have a one-minute commute to work. I can just about cope with that.”

The last 40 years have seen Castle Howard come to focus more on tourism and retail.

Nick said: “It is really the outside staff that have changed and the house and the business have developed.” When he arrived there were ten woodmen working on the estate, while now he employs just one. Farm work is also contracted out.

Another change is the length of time people spend doing one job.

Nick said: “People ask how long I have been at Castle Howard. When I tell them, they just look at me in shock because that’s not the done thing now.

“The thing I still enjoy most is growing trees. The woodlands have certified status, I am pleased with that.

“I am also pleased that we have put all the native hard woods back on to the estate. We also have some wonderful old hedgerows and we use these as seed grafts.

“Forestry is a long-term business,” he said. “I would like to think that our decisions now will stand the estate in good stead.

“On an estate like this, it is really all about stewardship. You don’t own it, you manage it as best you can for future generations.”

He added: “Planting an oak tree is the biggest example of optimism that you can come across, but you have got to do it.”

Castle Howard grows trees for everyone, from forestry management companies to councils and individuals.

The onset of autumn leads to an increased workload.

“Winter is my busy time,” said Nick.

“I have got cutting and felling trees and then there is this big restoration of the lime avenue.”

Nick has grown millions of trees in his time at Castle Howard, but there is clearly no let-up in his enthusiasm.