Scores clamour to be a hermit

Shugborough, in Milford, Staffordshire, is reviving an old tradition by inviting a guest to live in isolation for two days next month as part of an exhibition.

Corinne Caddy, spokeswoman for the 300-year-old home, said applications had come from men and women from all over the country, as well as Pakistan and Poland.

One contender was a former monk who wanted to experience life as a hermit before returning to a monastery, she said.

Mrs Caddy added: "We are very pleased with the response we have had so far, given that we only began advertising a fortnight ago.

"We have had a huge range of people from all walks of life.

"One has been a former monk who is thinking of going back to it and others have been from people keen to get away from an office job and out of the rat race for a couple of days."

The hermit will spend the weekend of 21 and 22 September at Shugborough for an exhibition called Solitude, as part of National Heritage Week.

'Spiritual text'

The successful applicant will be allowed to take only the clothes they are wearing into the grotto and a "spiritual text" of their choice, while their food will be prepared and provided by estate staff.

Visitors to the house, which is home to photographer Lord Lichfield, will be led on an evening visit to the hermit as part of the exhibition.

Mrs Caddy said Shugborough was looking for someone with "an inspiring personality" to take on the role of the hermit, whose job traditionally ranged from acting as a sage to the more "frivolous" task of frightening walkers enjoying a quite stroll around the gardens.

Artist Anna Douglas, who came up with the idea, said: "In the 18th Century, it was very fashionable to have a hermit living in a remote corner of your estate.

"We are keen to see whether we can recreate this fashion and whether people are as equally eager to escape from the pressures of everyday life as they were in the 18th Century."