'Leeds is home now': The director of Harewood House on why she moved from London to Yorkshire

The broadcaster did not deny rumours that surfaced earlier this month claiming that up to 90 per cent of staff based in the capital would refuse to move with their roles to Leeds and would opt for redundancy instead.

Channel 4 respond to claims that 90 per cent of staff will not move to Leeds

Their employees' lukewarm response to Channel 4's bid to establish a regional nerve centre in the old Majestic nightclub building next to Leeds Station sparked major debate about whether there was 'snobbery' from Londoners towards opportunities in the north.

But moving to Leeds was an easy decision for a former director of London's prestigious Royal Academy of Arts.

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Jane Marriott had worked in the capital for 20 years when she decided to up sticks in 2014 to take a job at the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

She had held positions at the Tate Modern and was responsible for the Royal Academy's New York office, but was supported by her husband and two sons in her decision to move. Five years on, the family are happily settled in Boston Spa and Jane is now director of the Harewood House Trust.

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Jane Marriott: From London to Harewood House

" ‘You’re moving where?’ ‘But you love London!’ were some of the many responses to my move to Yorkshire in 2014, after 20 years working in London. I had worked in publishing; opened Tate Modern; supported Barclays Arts sponsorship; and then became Director of Development at the Royal Academy of Arts. I had to raise £15million per year and launch a major capital campaign. I also travelled a lot, with responsibility for our New York office, Japan and starting a new venture in Hong Kong. It was wonderful and exhausting.

There came a tipping point when my husband, a freelance graphic designer, realised he no longer needed to be in London to retain his clients. My boys were in primary school and we knew now was the time to move. The destination was very much driven by my job choice. I wanted to work somewhere as ambitious and exciting as the RA, to be next to vibrant cities and I needed to be able to get back to London easily.

The Hepworth Wakefield offered all of this and more. Only three years old then, the opening had been a huge success, but the gallery needed to recalibrate its vision for the next five years, in the face of significant funding challenges. This provided the challenge and quality of work I needed, in the context of some great cities and beautiful landscape.

The quality of life here is excellent – it is a cliché, because it is true. My move to Harewood House gave me an irresistible opportunity to run a beautiful historic house, grounds and accredited museum. We have significant ambitions for a new masterplan, we have opened our first craft Biennial to great acclaim, and I’ve launched the first chain ferry (in my life!) across the lake to the walled garden.

Will we move again? I’m not sure we will. My husband has become all things Yorkshire; playing cricket, cycling and joining the beer festival committee and our boys are settled in school. We still marvel at the amount of excellent cultural, food and outdoor offers on our list ‘to do’. I may be tempted to work elsewhere, but I suspect Leeds will always remain home."