Chloe Hadjimatheou
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And if Martin Hemming's office was his home, his staff were an extended family.
But behind the scenes, there were difficulties.
Despite being a workaholic, Martin's business didn't seem to be making that much money.
Some months, the Hemmings' only source of income was Ros's National Trust wages, which were extremely modest, barely minimum wage.
The family operated on a shoestring.
The Walkers seemed to be doing OK, though, with new cars and holiday homes.
But by 2008, Martin Hemmings was in serious trouble.
He wasn't even sure he could pay Sally and the rest of the small team their salaries.
Rose remembers how stressed he was.
It wasn't a lot, but the ยฃ600 would at least ensure the staff got paid.
But sometime later, when Martin tried to access the money in his business account, he couldn't find it.
The bank manager knew Martin well and she could see how distressed he was.
When Martin Hemmings died in 2012, Ros sold that estate agents and it was taken over by someone else.
And it's still operating as an estate agents today.
It's been refurbished in recent years, but the layout of the old shop hasn't changed all that much.
And then where would Sally work?
Sally worked on the top floor.
Was that because she needed quiet to sort of do the books?
Was that the idea?
Walking around Porthelly, I feel like such a Londoner.