THEY have clocked up more than 120 years' service between them on the estate of Burton Agnes Hall.
Now, the dedication of Ron Clark and Keith Hawkins is to be recognised with Service Awards at the Great Yorkshire Show.
Mr Hawkins started working around the Elizabethan home in 1942, aged 14, shadowing his uncle, the estate joiner.
Now 84, he is still part of the team employed as a guide in the hall, where he shares his wealth of knowledge, local insight and keen sense of living history with visitors.
"I've always enjoyed my time working at the hall and it is something I will keep doing as long as I can," Mr Hawkins said. "Being a guide definitely keeps me fit, walking up and down the stairs."
It is the second long-service award Mr Hawkins has received, having also been rewarded for his work at the Driffield Show more than two decades ago.
For the majority of his time at Burton Agnes, Mr Hawkins was responsible for the maintenance of the 40 estate properties, which in the 1940s had no electricity or running water, let alone the modern luxuries of central heating and indoor bathrooms.
"I remember Burton Agnes under Marcus Wickham- Boynton, when a horse-drawn carriage was still in use and gas lamps illuminated the house," he said. "I have been here since long before Simon Cunliffe-Lister, who is now in charge, was born and I have watched him grow up.
"The estate is home for me and it would certainly take some beating as a place to work.
"There was always a job that needed doing and, over the years, I learnt everything, from being a joiner, electrician and plumber, on the way round."
His colleague Mr Clark started his 50 years of service on the estate farm aged 15 and remained there as the farm's foreman until his retirement last year.
He has seen the farming activities at Burton Agnes grow from 150 acres at the start of his career, to more than 2,500 acres farmed today.
Despite his retirement, Mr Clark still worked more than 40 hours last month on the estate.
"I'm not one for fuss, but I am quite proud and honoured to receive the award," he said, having also received a Long-Service Award at the Driffield Show previously.
"I started going to the estate from when I was five and used to help during the harvest when I was at school. It was hard work.
"It was a dream job. I like using machinery and loved tractors when I was younger.
"I have enjoyed my job. There has been such variation and I have worked for good bosses."
Mr Cunliffe-Lister, who nominated the pair for the award, said: "They have each dedicated their working lives to agriculture and estate work, to the Burton Agnes estate and to Burton Agnes Hall.
"I am keen to celebrate their achievements and show my gratitude for their unerring loyalty and support."
The awards will be presented next month at the Great Yorkshire Show.
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