Tyntesfield Rose Garden I
The flower beds in the rose garden at Tyntesfield.
A work in progress 150 years after its original completion, Tyntesfield is a spectacular example of the National Trust in action.
Built around 1813-20 as a country house with a sizeable estate near the city of Bristol, it was acquired by the wealthy Gibbs family and family head Walter in 1843. The family undertook much work on expanding the main house, completing the construction in 1865, and the house and its gardens stayed in the family for four generations.
The death of the last member of the Gibbs family, George Richard Lawley Gibbs, the 2nd Lord Wraxall, in 2001 saw the house put up for auction and bought by the National Trust, who opened it to the public within 10 weeks.
In the eight years since, the National Trust have carried out preservation, conservation and restoration work to the grand house and gardens while visitors have been invited to see the work as it goes on.
Many original features – carpets, wallpapers and fabrics – have survived remarkably well, due to the care and diligence of the Gibbs family.
As well as the main house, the land now owned by the Trust includes a sawmill, stables, extensive kitchen gardens and lodges – all of which are accessible to visitors.
During my visit, work was almost complete on the roof of the main house, with people able to climb the scaffolding to the top and see the house and the patterned roof tiles from a unique perspective. The house itself was shrouded in a giant tarpaulin sheet, hiding many of the exterior features, though the gardens and the outer buildings were complete in many areas.
Tyntesfield Rose Garden I
The flower beds in the rose garden at Tyntesfield.
A work in progress 150 years after its original completion, Tyntesfield is a spectacular example of the National Trust in action.
Built around 1813-20 as a country house with a sizeable estate near the city of Bristol, it was acquired by the wealthy Gibbs family and family head Walter in 1843. The family undertook much work on expanding the main house, completing the construction in 1865, and the house and its gardens stayed in the family for four generations.
The death of the last member of the Gibbs family, George Richard Lawley Gibbs, the 2nd Lord Wraxall, in 2001 saw the house put up for auction and bought by the National Trust, who opened it to the public within 10 weeks.
In the eight years since, the National Trust have carried out preservation, conservation and restoration work to the grand house and gardens while visitors have been invited to see the work as it goes on.
Many original features – carpets, wallpapers and fabrics – have survived remarkably well, due to the care and diligence of the Gibbs family.
As well as the main house, the land now owned by the Trust includes a sawmill, stables, extensive kitchen gardens and lodges – all of which are accessible to visitors.
During my visit, work was almost complete on the roof of the main house, with people able to climb the scaffolding to the top and see the house and the patterned roof tiles from a unique perspective. The house itself was shrouded in a giant tarpaulin sheet, hiding many of the exterior features, though the gardens and the outer buildings were complete in many areas.