The Spectator's Notes | 24 July 2010

Hillsborough, Co. Down

The castle here, which, despite its name, is really a handsome Georgian house, has seen some changes. It was built for the Marquises of Downshire, who laid out the elegant, almost French village, but sold up at Partition in 1922. Then it became the residence of the Governors of Northern Ireland. Since direct rule began, each secretary of state for Northern Ireland has lived here. ‘Saint’ Mo Mowlam was one, well known for throwing her wig at the staff and shouting, when offered excellent local produce, ‘Go out and get me a f***ing pizza!’ Peter Mandelson lived here too. In his memoirs, he tut-tuts about Mowlam and her drunken guests ‘bouncing up and down on the Queen’s imposing bed’. His own reign, he says, was ‘decidedly sober in contrast’. He loved being at Hillsborough, and soon acquired a golden retriever puppy, Bobby (so named, at Tony Blair’s suggestion, because Peter was vaingloriously known as Bobby Kennedy to Tony’s Jack). A photo of Bobby looking more monarchist than Mo when the Queen visited is on display. Today’s occupant is Owen Paterson, who, with his wife Rose, have been friends of ours for more than 30 years. He took over from Labour’s last man in the post, Shaun Woodward. I notice that members of his team appear slightly dazed by the fact that the Patersons always make sure they are being fed when they escort them to engagements. Words like ‘thank you’ (though, to be fair, Mandelson was an exception to this) were not prominent in the New Labour vocabulary.