Custodian entrepreneurship: An examination of entrepreneurial activities in English country houses

Rana, Helen; Sukumar, Arun; Prabhakar, Guru; Hamzi, Lotfi

Abstract

English country houses are unique institutions that form an essential fabric in the country’s landscape. They highlight British history and are a significant element in the country heritage sector. The literature on country houses has examined various facets of them but there is a scarcity of literature about the type of entrepreneurial activities that are being undertaken at the houses. By examining 68 English country houses, this paper explores their entrepreneurial activities and determines that they can be organized according to physical areas, products and services, users, stakeholders and tactics. A typology depicting the entrepreneurial activities of these houses has been developed. This study makes an original contribution to both theory and practice by introducing the innovative concept of “custodian entrepreneurship” and opening discussion about entrepreneurship in this distinctive part of the UK’s heritage sector.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 17, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Mar 24, 2025
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Journal: International Studies of Management & Organization
• Print ISSN: 0020-8825
• Electronic ISSN: 1558-0911
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00208825.2025.2482366
• Keywords: Custodian entrepreneurs, typology, English country houses, succession, heritage, tourism.
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13973236
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00208825.2025.2482366#abstract