Tyntesfield is a Victorian
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
house and estate near
Wraxall,
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...
, England. The house is a Grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
named after the
Tynte baronets, who had owned estates in the area since about 1500. The location was formerly that of a 16th-century
hunting lodge, which was used as a farmhouse until the early 19th century. In the 1830s a
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
mansion was built on the site, which was bought by English businessman
William Gibbs, whose huge fortune came from
guano
Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
used as
fertilizer
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
. In the 1860s Gibbs had the house significantly expanded and remodelled; a chapel was added in the 1870s. The Gibbs family owned the house until the death of
Richard Gibbs
Richard "Ribbs" Gibbs (born December 5, 1955) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include '' Dr. Dolittle'', ''Big Momma's House'', '' Queen of the Damned'', the television series '' Battlestar Galactica'' and the fir ...
in 2001.
Tyntesfield was purchased by the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
in June 2002, after a fundraising campaign to prevent it being sold to private interests and ensure it would be open to the public. The house was opened to visitors for the first time just 10 weeks after the acquisition, and as more rooms are restored they are added to the tour.
The mansion was visited by 356,766 people in 2019.
History
Background
The land on which the house and its estate were developed was originally part of the
Tynte family estate. The family had lived in the area since the 1500s, but their primary residence was
Halswell House
Halswell House is a Grade I listed country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England.
Descent
Domesday Book
The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the holder of the manor of Halswell as Roger Arundel, whose tenant was Wido. It descended from Roger to ...
in
Goathurst
Goathurst is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, around 3 miles from the town of Bridgwater. The parish includes the hamlets of Andersfield and Huntstile. The village is on the route of the Samaritans Way South Wes ...
, near
Bridgwater.
By the late 1700s, John Tynte owned what is now the Tyntesfield estate; at that time the house was approached by an avenue of
elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...
trees, planted after they were bequeathed in the 1678 will of
Sir Charles Harbord to the people of Wraxall in memory of two boys he had apprenticed from the village. The Tyntes had originally lived on the estate, but by the early 1800s, John had made
Chelvey Court
Chelvey Court in the village of Chelvey near Brockley in the English county of Somerset was a large manor house built between 1618 and 1660 for Edward and John Tynte. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Establishment
Edward Tynte, who was part of ...
in
Brockley
Brockley is a district and an electoral ward of south London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham south-east of Charing Cross.
History
The name Brockley is derived from "Broca's woodland clearing", a wood where badgers are seen (' ...
his principal residence. Tyntes Place was downgraded to a farmhouse and leased to John Vowles. In 1813, George Penrose Seymour of the adjoining Belmont estate purchased the property and gave it to his son, the Rev. George Turner Seymour. He in turn built a new
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
mansion on the site of the former Saddler's Tenement, and demolished the old farmhouse. Further remodelling was undertaken by Robert Newton of
Nailsea
Nailsea is a town in Somerset, England, southwest of Bristol, and northeast of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the opposite side of the Bristol to Exeter railway line. Nailsea had a populatio ...
.
Purchase by the Gibbs family
In 1843, the property was bought by businessman
William Gibbs, who made his fortune in the family business,
Antony Gibbs & Sons. From 1847 the firm had an effective monopoly in the import and marketing to Europe and North America of
guano
Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
from Peru as a
fertilizer
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
. This was mined by indentured
Chinese labour on the
Chincha Islands
The Chincha Islands () are a group of three small islands off the southwest coast of Peru, to which they belong, near the town of Pisco. Since pre-Incan times they were of interest for their extensive guano deposits, but the supplies were mostly ...
in conditions which the Peruvian government acknowledged in 1856 had degenerated "into a kind of Negro slave trade". The firm's profits from this trade were such that William Gibbs became the richest non-noble man in England.
Throughout his life, William Gibbs and his wife
Matilda Blanche Crawley-Boevey (known as Blanche), principally lived in London, for the greater part of his marriage at 16
Hyde Park Gardens
Hyde Park Gardens, also known as Hyde Park Terrace consists of two roads running adjacent to the north western corner of Hyde Park, Westminster, Greater London. Number 1 Hyde Park Gardens runs up to Number 23 with a large private communal garde ...
, which the family owned until Blanche's death.
But as he travelled regularly on business to the
Port of Bristol
The Port of Bristol comprises the commercial docks situated in and near the city of Bristol in England. They are now operated by the Bristol Port Company, which owns both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks. Until 1991 the Port of Bristol Authori ...
he required a residence in the area; thus it was, in 1843, he came to buy Tyntes Place, which he subsequently renamed Tyntesfield.
Within a few years of making his purchase, Gibbs began a major program of rebuilding and enlarging of the mansion.
The architectural style selected for the rebuilding was a loose Gothic combining many forms and reinventions of the medieval style. The choice of Gothic was influenced by William and Blanche Gibb's Anglo-Catholic beliefs as a followers of the
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
.
This wing of the
Anglican Church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
advocated the view set out in the architect
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...
's 1836 book ''Contrasts'', which argued for the revival of the medieval Gothic style, and "a return to the faith and the social structures of the Middle Ages".
The Oxford Movement, of which both Pugin and Gibbs were disciples, later took this philosophy a step further and claimed that the Gothic style was the only architecture suitable for Christian worship. Thus it became a symbolic display of Christian beliefs and lifestyle, and was embraced by devout Victorians such as Gibbs.
The completion of the mansion's chapel further accentuated the building's medieval
monastical air so beloved by the Oxford Movement's devotees. When completed, the ecclesiastical design was reinforced by a dominating square tower with a steeply pitched roof adorned by four
tourelles, which was demolished in 1935.
Redevelopment
![Tyntesfield House - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Tyntesfield_House_-_geograph.org.uk_-_412294.jpg)
In 1854 William Gibbs commissioned
John Gregory Crace
Vice Admiral Sir John Gregory Crace (6 February 1887 – 11 May 1968) was an Australian who came to prominence as an officer of the Royal Navy (RN). He commanded the Australian-United States Support Force, Task Force 44, at the Battle of the C ...
, an architect he was already using elsewhere, to redesign and decorate the principal rooms at Tyntesfield. These new designs included gilded panelling, woodwork, moulding and
chimneypiece
The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ca ...
s all in the Gothic style.
Rebuilding work did not begin in earnest until 1863, when William Gibbs had the property substantially remodelled in a
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style.
William Cubitt & Co. were the builders and
John Norton was the architect. Norton's design enveloped the original house. He added an extra floor, two new wings and towers. Norton emphasised the importance of architectural continuity in restoration and rebuilding relating to several historical periods. As a result, while some walls remained plain, others were adorned with Gothic and naturalistic carvings to fit in with the previous architectural styles.
[
]
Design
The house is built of two types of Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...
, and is highly picturesque, bristling with turrets and possessing an elaborate roof. The combined effect of the architecture and chosen materials has been described by journalist Sir Simon Jenkins as "severe".[ During restoration, stonemasons either conserved or, on occasion, copy-carving new sections, carving new mouldings to replace standard architectural elements that formed the weathering, as well ]repointing
Repointing is the process of renewing the pointing, which is the external part of mortar joints, in masonry construction. Over time, weathering and decay cause voids in the joints between masonry units, usually in bricks, allowing the undesirable e ...
most of the miles of lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany ...
pointing.[ All stone was accurately matched to the original, with Veyzeys quarry near ]Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in ...
providing Cotswold
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jura ...
oolitic limestone
Oolite or oölite (''egg stone'') is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg (ᾠόν). Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 ...
. The house, which includes the servants' wing and the chapel, was made a Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in 1973, and has since been upgraded to Grade I.
The front (facing east over the gardens towards Backwell Hill) and north (entrance courtyard) are faced in one shade of ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
ous Bath Stone,[ while the south (rear), which is mainly allocated to the service area and servants quarters, is faced in cheaper red-tinged Draycott ]marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
rubble,[ and has some plastered finishes. All facades have many Gothic main windows, Tudor ]oriel window
An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found pro ...
s, chimneys and attic dormers. Norton topped the design with an irregular roof, its various pitches and gables emphasising the building's asymmetrical architecture.[ The final external addition was a huge ironwork conservatory by ]Hart, Son, Peard and Co.
Hart, Son, Peard & Co. (1842–1913) were British architectural metalworkers based in London and Birmingham, most associated with ecclesiastical works.
Founded in 1842 in Wych St, off The Strand, by ironmonger Joseph Hart, they became art ...
to the rear. The result was described by novelist Charlotte Mary Yonge
Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823–1901) was an English novelist, who wrote in the service of the church. Her abundant books helped to spread the influence of the Oxford Movement and show her keen interest in matters of public health and sanitation.
...
, a cousin of Blanche Gibbs, as "like a church in spirit".
The interiors were also in the Gothic style. Crace was again engaged to remodel the interiors, in some places extending or adapting his initial works, in others providing new schemes. Other notable features of the house are glass by Powell and Wooldridge, ironwork by Hart, Son, Peard and Co. and mosaics by Salviati. George Plucknett was Cubitt's foreman, who was related to James Plunkett of Collier and Plucknett
Collier and Plucknett were a Warwick, England based Victorian-era furniture maker, best known for their Gothic revival pieces.
James Plucknett formed a partnership with Frederick Collier in the 1860s, with a showroom in Leamington Spa, and work ...
, furniture makers of Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
. The result was that Gibbs ordered a number of specially commissioned pieces from the firm, including a fully fitted bathroom for his wife.[ All of these fine pieces of craftsmanship were added to by Gibb's expanding collection of artworks.]
While the reconstruction on the house was being undertaken, William Gibbs had rented Mamhead Park
Mamhead is a rural village and civil parish near Dawlish and Kenton in Devon, South West England, in the Teignbridge local authority area. Current community venues includMamhead Village Halland The Church of England parish church, dedicated t ...
in Devon. The total cost of redevelopment to create a house with 23 main bedrooms and 47 in total including servants' accommodation came to £70,000 (equivalent to £ in ). The sum was equivalent to 18 months gross profit from all of Gibbs's business interests. After completion of the main building works, Gibbs created more cash by selling shares in Antony Gibbs & Sons to his nephew Henry Hucks Gibbs (later Lord Aldenham), which enabled him to purchase two adjoining properties – including Belmont to the east from his nephew George Lewis Monck Gibbs – to create a farming estate, founded on dairy production and forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
management. Added to further by later land purchases, at its peak the Tyntesfield estate spanned over , encompassing of forestry, from Portishead in the north to south of the valley in which the main house lay. The house and estate employed more than 500 workers.
Chapel
Gibbs' final addition to Tyntesfield was added between 1872 and 1877, when he commissioned Arthur Blomfield to add a Gothic chapel to the north side of the house. Modelled on the Sainte-Chapelle
The Sainte-Chapelle (; en, Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France.
Co ...
in Paris, it housed an organ by William Hill & Sons
William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century.
The founder
William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...
, and below a vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
in which Gibbs intended to be buried. However, combined opposition from both the vicar of the local All Saints Church, Wraxall
All Saints' Church is the parish church in Wraxall, Somerset, England. It has been dedicated "to all the Saints". The building is surrounded by an extensive cemetery.
The present building was raised in the 14th century, with tower, clock and ...
and the church's patron, a member of the Gorges family
The Gorges family was an Anglo-Norman family with lands in the southwest of England. They obtained the manors of Wraxall, Somerset and Bradpole in Dorset.
Holdings of the family
The family of Gorges derived its name from a hamlet in Lower Norm ...
, led to the Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.
The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...
decreeing that he would not sanction the consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
of Tyntesfield's chapel, through fears that it would take power away from the local population fully into Gibb's hands. Despite this, the chapel formed a central part of life at Tyntesfield, and prayers were said twice-daily by the family and their guests. Throughout their period of residence, the family would also open the chapel to local people on an annual basis, often during Rogation days and at Christmas. In praise of the resultant final building, Yonge described the chapel as the final completion of the Tyntesfield project, providing "a character to the household almost resembling that of Little Gidding
Little Gidding is a small village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. It lies approximately northwest of Huntingdon, near Sawtry, within Huntingdonshire, which is a district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county.
A small p ...
". The Little Gidding community The Little Gidding community was an extended family and religious group based at Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire (now in Cambridgeshire), England, in existence from the middle of the 1620s to the later 1650s. It gained attention in its time becaus ...
in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
was much idealized by 19th-century Anglo-Catholics.
Owners
William Gibbs: 1846–75
Seven children were born to William and Matilda. All were devout Anglicans, with William and his wife being supporters of the Oxford Movement. He was a major benefactor of Keble College, Oxford, and dedicated the later part of his life to philanthropic works. Also being teetotal
Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...
, he added to the estate's holding by buying the local Failand Inn, which enabled him to control any riotous behaviour (it was sold to Courage Brewery
Courage Brewery was an English brewery, founded by John Courage in 1787 in London, England.
History
Courage & Co Ltd was started by John Courage at the Anchor Brewhouse in Horsleydown, Bermondsey in 1787. He was a Scottish shipping agent of Fr ...
in 1962 by the second Lord Wraxall). William Gibbs died in the house on 3 April 1875. After a service at the estate chapel on 9 April, 30 estate workers carried his coffin to All Saints Church, Wraxall. He is buried within the family plot in the church grounds.
Antony Gibbs:1875–1907
The estate then passed to William's eldest son Antony. After graduating with a Master of Arts degree from Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...
, he joined the North Somerset Yeomanry
The North Somerset Yeomanry was a part-time cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1798 to 1967. It maintained order in Somerset in the days before organised police forces, and supplied volunteers to fight in the Second Boer War. It served on ...
where he attained the rank of Major. He married Janet Louisa Merivale on 22 June 1872, and returned to Tyntesfield to manage the family estate. Antony held various positions of authority, including Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
and later Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset. The couple had 10 children.
During the 1880s, Antony had Henry Woodyer
Henry Woodyer (1816–1896) was an English architect, a pupil of William Butterfield and a disciple of A. W. N. Pugin and the Ecclesiologists.
Life
Woodyer was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1816, the son of a successful, highly resp ...
redesign the hallway staircase. This allowed more light to permeate the lower floors from the glazed lantern roof, and hence turn the hallway into a reception room. Woodyer also extended the Dining Room by taking in part of the original housekeeper's room. Crace's original wallpaper – a British imitation of Japanese paper, that itself imitated Spanish tooled leather – was lightened by a 14-year-old apprentice who hand-painted in a cream background. The sideboard
A sideboard, also called a buffet, is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers ...
, which had been commissioned from Collier and Plucknett, was further extended. New items were also ordered from Collier and Plucknett.[ Simultaneously, Antony had electricity installed, an early UK example of houses being lit in this way.][ Antony spent the first night after turning on the electrical system watching the main entrance light, to ensure that it did not create a fire and was hence safe for his family.] At some point between 1868 and 1884 a water hydraulic lift
Lift or LIFT may refer to:
Physical devices
* Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods
** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop
** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobil ...
was installed by Waygood and Co., the remains of which were discovered in 2008. A wooden lift car was discovered on the ground floor and a spanning sheave
A sheave () or pulley wheel is a grooved wheel often used for holding a belt, wire rope, or rope and incorporated into a pulley
A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a ...
in the roof space.
George Abraham Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall: 1907–31
George Abraham Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall
George Abraham Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall, (6 July 1873 – 28 October 1931) was a British Conservative politician.
Early life
Educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, Gibbs was the eldest of the seven sons of Major Antony Gibbs and ...
served as a colonel in the North Somerset Yeomanry and served in the Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
campaign. On his return to England he married the Hon. Victoria Florence de Burgh Long; the couple moved to Clyst St George
Clyst St George (anciently Clyst Champernowne) is a village and civil parish in East Devon, England, adjoining the River Clyst some southeast of Exeter and north of Exmouth.
Overview and history
The village is the most southerly of six parish ...
in Devon. Between 1918 and 1928, he served as MP for Bristol West and was elevated to the peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
as Baron Wraxall
Baron Wraxall, of Clyst St George in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1928 for the Conservative politician George Gibbs. , the title is held by his grandson, the fourth Baron, who succeed ...
in 1928, for which his appointment as Treasurer of the Household
The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Ma ...
had been instrumental.
Under his ownership, the Drawing Room was redecorated in a Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
Venetian style, In the process, Crace's stencilling was over painted and then covered by damasked silk, the Norton fireplace was removed, the furniture replaced with Edwardian pieces, and the carpet dyed by Sketchleys. In 1917, to assist the war effort, the ironwork conservatory was razed, and its ironwork melted down for ammunition.
Survived by a daughter, Albina, George's first wife died at Tyntesfield from influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
in 1920. In 1927, George married Ursula Mary Lawley, a daughter of Sir Arthur Lawley (later the 6th and last Baron Wenlock). The couple had two sons, George (known as Richard) and Eustace
Eustace, also rendered Eustis, ( ) is the rendition in English of two phonetically similar Greek given names:
*Εὔσταχυς (''Eústachys'') meaning "fruitful", "fecund"; literally "abundant in grain"; its Latin equivalents are ''Fæcundus/Fe ...
. George died at Tyntesfield on 28 October 1931, aged 58.
Ursula, Lady Wraxall: 1931–79
Lord Wraxall's widow, Ursula, Lady Wraxall, was left with two children under two years of age, little income, and a large estate. Noted for her efficiency and practicality, when the clock tower, the focal point of the house, needed substantial repairs in 1935 to overcome dry and wet rot
Wet rot is a generic term used to define a variety of fungal species, such as '' Coniophora puteana'' ( otherwise known as cellar fungus) and '' Choanephora cucurbitarum''. Some species obtain their food by breaking down the cell walls of woo ...
, she simply had it disassembled, stored the metal parts for possible later usage and realigned the roof as if the clock tower had never existed.
During the Second World War, Clifton High School was relocated to the property, and in 1941 the U.S. Army Medical Corps established a facility for wounded soldiers, known as the 74th General Hospital, in the estate grounds. The construction of this temporary tented village resulted in the US Army Engineers breaching what was then England's longest holly
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
hedge
A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoin ...
. With many tents later replaced by prefabricated building
A prefabricated building, informally a prefab, is a building that is manufactured and constructed using prefabrication. It consists of factory-made components or units that are transported and assembled on-site to form the complete building.
Hist ...
s and some nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure for military use, especially as barracks, made from a half-cylindrical skin of Corrugated galvanised iron, corrugated iron. Designed during the First World War by the American-born, Canadian-British ...
s, at one point in the war following D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
it became the largest US Army hospital in Europe. During the hostilities, management of the estate's farmland was assumed by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), leaving Lady Wraxall only the Home Farm.
Bombs often landed on the estate during the blitz of Bristol. In September 1940, during a raid on the Bristol Aeroplane Company factory at Filton
Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...
, bombs cut off the estate's water supply, and during a later raid, one bomb badly damaged the lantern roof light over the hallway. In 1946, after the end of the war, Lady Wraxall applied to the Ministry of Defence for a repair grant, but was turned down. As a result, damp, and latterly birds, entered the house through the roof light, until the house came into the ownership of the National Trust and was repaired.
Richard Gibbs, 2nd Baron Wraxall: 1979–2001
George Richard Lawley Gibbs, known as Richard, was born on 16 May 1928, and was educated at Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
and Sandhurst. He spent eight years with the Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
. He never married and was succeeded by his brother, Sir Eustace Gibbs, a diplomat, who became the third Baron Wraxall.
Richard died unmarried in 2001 from complications arising from an asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
attack, having reduced his usage of the substantial accommodation within Tyntesfield to just three rooms.
National Trust purchase
Concerned with the demolition and desecration of various historic country houses since the end of the Second World War – 450 great houses were completely demolished in England between 1945 and 1955 – in the 1970s the National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
commissioned architect Mark Girouard to catalogue and assess the remaining Victorian country houses across the United Kingdom for significance and structural integrity. He published his findings in a report, and later in the book ''The Victorian Country House'', which in the revised second edition of 1976 included Tyntesfield as allowing access. With the Trust as a result placing Tyntesfield second on its list of priorities for preservation, Girouard said of the property:[
In his later life, Richard Gibbs recognised that the diverse interests of the large family, and the need to invest heavily in even basic refurbishment of the house to make it weather-secured and habitable, would require the family to sell Tyntesfield. Recognising also that substantial ]death duties
An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died.
International tax law distinguishes between an es ...
would become payable on his death, Richard drew up a will based around a trust that would allow his fortune to pass to the surviving children of his brother and half sister, a total of 19 beneficiaries.
When Richard died, the trust he had set up stated that, should the trustees agree by majority that the estate should be sold, such a sale should be completed within 12 months, and to the highest bidder. The house and estate of of farmland, of woodlands, plus 30 houses and cottages, were listed for sale by Savills
Savills plc is a British real estate services company based in London. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
The business was established by Alfred Savill (1829–1905) in 1855 in London. B ...
in three main lots (total estimated at £15 million); with Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
contracted to secure the sale of the house and estate contents via a separate auction
An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...
(total estimated at a further £15 million).
Having not bought a county house since the 1991 purchase of Chastleton House
Chastleton House () is a Jacobean country house at Chastleton, Oxfordshire, England, close to Moreton-in-Marsh (). It has been owned by the National Trust since 1991 and is a Grade I listed building.
History
Chastleton House was built betwe ...
, which took seven years to open to the public, and competing with no special status amongst the bidders, the rumoured competitors to the Trust were listed by the media to have included composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
, and pop stars Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
and Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
. However, the new Director-General of the National Trust, Fiona Reynolds
Dame Fiona Claire Reynolds (born 29 March 1958) is a British former civil servant and chair of the National Audit Office. She was previously Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and Director-General of the National Trust.
She is the current ...
, launched a £35 million appeal in May 2002 via the ''"Save Tyntesfield"'' campaign, with support from designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Laurence Roderick Llewelyn-Bowen (; born 11 March 1965) is an English interior designer and television personality best known for appearing on the BBC programme '' Changing Rooms''.
Name
He is sometimes credited as "Laurence Llewelyn", and th ...
, newsreader Jon Snow and several top architects and historians. The Trust's appeal collected £8.2 million in just 100 days, with: £3 million+ from the public; and two substantial anonymous donations of £1 million and £4 million. The Trust also received funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up in 1980 to save the most outstanding parts of the British national heritage, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. It replaced the National Land Fund which had fulfilled the ...
, totaling £17.4 million after negotiations with its chair, Liz Forgan
Dame Elizabeth Anne Lucy Forgan, DBE (born 31 August 1944) is an English journalist, and radio and television executive.
Early life
Forgan was educated at Benenden School, Kent, and St Hugh's College, Oxford, then an all-female college.
She ini ...
, its largest single grant ever which caused some controversy. The National Lottery has earmarked a further £25 million for the major conservation work that is needed.[
As a result of the auction, the former "Tyntesfield Estate" no longer exists. The National Trust purchased only the main central part of the Estate which comprises the house, the kitchen garden, and the park. The trust also sold off additional lands. The resultant preserved house and surrounding gardens sat on a total of of land are now simply known as Tyntesfield. Charlton Farm, is now home to Children's Hospice South West, which provides ]palliative care
Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...
to children with terminal illnesses. Charlton House
Charlton House is a Jacobean building in Charlton, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. Originally it was a residence for a nobleman associated with the Stuart royal family. It later served as a wartime hospital, then ...
was sold into private hands, having been since 1927 the home of the Downs School.
Initial conservation
After taking ownership in 2002, National Trust staff secured the house and gardens, preserving them and the contents, and then catalogued the contents of the house which had been collected by the four generations of the family. Starting out with a staff of 30 volunteers, by 2013 the total of employed and volunteer staff exceeded 600, more than the number engaged by any other National Trust property.
The initial conservation work focused around weatherproofing the house. The repair of the roof, which is 20 times the size of the average British family's home, was made possible by the erection of an extensive free-standing scaffold roof structure. At the height of the restoration works, of scaffolding
Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely use ...
tubes covered the building's entire exterior. This allowed repairs and restoration to take place over 18 months, including the final restoration of the original bold red and black tiled geometric diaper
A diaper /ˈdaɪpə(r)/ (American and Canadian English) or a nappy ( Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate
Defecation (or defaecation) follows dig ...
pattern. The entire property was rewired with special cabling, copper sheathed (fire and rodent proofed). Much of the original lead piping was replaced and a fireproofing scheme, mainly through the design of a suitable compartmentation system was designed and implemented. Interior scaffolding was installed in the high hallway to repair the lantern rooflight, and to provide access to other high points of the interior. These initial works cost more than £10 million, much of which was raised through donations via the ''"Save Tyntesfield"'' campaign and the sale of lottery tickets to visitors.
The Trust had been reluctant to allow visitors to the house while work was underway, especially taking into account the costs of Health and Safety
Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wo ...
requirements and the delays these could cause to the essential preservation works. But the need for cash dictated the answer, and the Trust learnt that, through giving the public close access to the preservation works, they actually gave more additional donations as a result of seeing where their money was going and how they were making a difference.
Estate
House interior
Principal rooms include the Library, Drawing Room, Billiard Room
A billiard room (also billiards room, or more specifically pool room, snooker room) is a recreation room, such as in a house or recreation center, with a billiards, pool or snooker table. (The term "billiard room" or "pool room" may also be us ...
, Dining Room and Chapel. During restoration, the National Trust, for the first time, allowed visitors to become involved in the restoration process and "witness the challenge of bringing Tyntesfield back to life."
The Library is regarded as the most important gentleman's library in the possession of the Trust. The carpet and some of the furnishings in the Library were designed by Crace, whilst the book collection is the most extensive Victorian library collection owned by the Trust.
The centre of the house is occupied by the hallway and staircase, which show the greatest number of changes since the original design.
Once the Trust took ownership, scaffolding was placed in the hallway to repair the roof lantern. While this was in place the architectural paint analyst Lisa Oestreicher was able to examine the decorative scheme that had been used in the spaces and room frequented by the public. Three principal phases were identified: 1860s original; 1870s updates and adaptions; 1887–90 redecoration, which returned the main spaces to the original green colours and motifs created by Crace. Once lantern repairs were complete, the Trust replaced the elderly chenille carpet destroyed by contractors working for Christie's with a new Wilton carpet with a replica design by Linney Cooper, bought with £45,000 from public lottery donations.
Contents
Christie's originally estimated the house contents at in excess of 10,000 items, but by 2008 a total of 30,000 items had been listed including: William Butterfield
William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy.
Biography
William Butterfield was born in Lon ...
designed silver; original print books by Pugin and Ruskin; an unexploded Second World War bomb; a jewel-encrusted chalice; a roll of 19th-century flock wallpaper; and a coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
with carved face and hair. By 2013 the inventory had risen to 47,154 items, with still more rooms to unpack and catalog.
Paintings
Many of the family's extensive collection of paintings, most sourced from Spain by William, were donated to the Trust. In part this was due to their poor condition, which involved not just water but also ironically guano damage. The most important painting in the collection is the 17th-century work by Zambrano of St Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...
, which hangs in the middle of one of the walls of the hall. It was cleaned and repaired by local art conservators Bush and Berry, who are based in a chapel William Gibbs built in the village of Flax Bourton
Flax Bourton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, with a population of 715, is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset, on the edge of Nailsea Moor on the A370 road south west of Bristol city centre.
...
. In 2011 the Trust bought the painting ''The Mater Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows)'' by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporar ...
at Christie's auction in New York, which had hung at Tyntesfield since William purchased it until some time after 1910.
Home Farm Visitor Centre
The Home Farm buildings were built in the 1880s, split over two levels. To the south is a two-storey covered yard with a timber roof structure, used for the rearing of farm animals. On the upper level is the main yard, where to the east and west are two wings, one side of which housed the former piggery. The farm offices make up the north wing, to fully enclose the square but gently south-sloping yard.[
The Grade II* listed buildings needed full renovation, which took a secondary priority in the Trust's plans after the house. The Trust have converted the buildings into an integrated and self-contained visitor centre, which opened in mid-2011 with:]
*Upper yard:
**Ticket and information office
**Demonstration area: country crafts from visiting crafts people
**Plant centre: excess plants raised by the gardeners are sold to raise funds
**Farm-themed play area
**Secondhand books stall: proceeds from which raise funds for the Trust
*Restaurant: the former two-story covered yard has been fully renovated and converted into a cafe/restaurant; it also houses the gift shop. A new-build staircase, lift and bridge walkway all in steel provide access from the upper yard
*A separate building to the east provides power and heat to the visitor centre, using a combination of solar thermal panels, photovoltaic cells and a biomass boiler.
Park
The house sits within of parkland, which the Trust gained from the auction and retained around the property to preserve the house within its environment. The wooded park leads down a tree-lined drive to balustraded terraces, and paths lead to the rose garden
A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...
, summer house
A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...
s, the aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Av ...
and the former concrete-lined lake, which has been empty since the Second World War.
From the latter part of the nineteenth century onwards, William Gibbs and descendants added interesting specimens to the existing trees in the two areas of parkland to the South and West of the house and gardens. The estate now has fourteen Champion Trees on The National Tree Register
A five year project by the National Trust, underway in 2022, to conserve ancient, veteran and notable trees, in a number of sites across Bristol, included Tyntesfield. The Tyntesfield site is of additional national significance because its many ancient and veteran trees support populations of rare, vulnerable and endangered invertebrates
Kitchen garden
The kitchen garden
The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...
includes glasshouses and frames, the large classical Orangery
An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very lar ...
and quarters for the gardeners.
Orangery
The Grade II* listed Orangery was once the architectural focal point of the kitchen garden complex. But when the Trust bought the property, the Orangery was in such a precarious state of deterioration that it was on English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
's Heritage at Risk Register
An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for actio ...
in the highest priority category, A.[
Built in 1897, it is a rare surviving example of a late Victorian orangery in the Classical style, constructed from ]ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
and red brick. It has a seven-bay east/west plan with central entrances and three bays north–south, topped by a fully glazed ironwork hipped-roof. An entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
with protruding horizontal geison
{{other
Geison ( grc, γεῖσον – often interchangeable with somewhat broader term cornice) is an architectural term of relevance particularly to ancient Greek and Roman buildings, as well as archaeological publications of the same. The ge ...
sits above Ionic half-column supports and corner pilaster
In classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s. The centre entrance bay on the west front towards the kitchen garden breaks forward as a portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
, with pairs of giant engaged columns and broken pediment with a small oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following
Architecture
* Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...
. Between each pair of columns are large round-headed windows with Gibbs surrounds and keystones.
To preserve and restore the Orangery, the Trust teamed-up with City of Bath College
Bath College is a Further Education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset and in Westfield, Somerset, England. It was formed in April 2015 by the merger of City of Bath College and Norton Radstock College. The College also offers Higher E ...
and Nimbus Conservation Ltd in an innovative partnership, whereby 12 trainee stonemasons worked alongside professional craftsmen to hone their skills and carry out the specialist stonework needed. The Trust also introduced workshops for other restoration professionals, academics and eventually opened them to interested members of the public, where all were educated in a hands-on environment in the skills required to repair the building. For this crafts-based training initiative, in 2011 the Trust won a ''Daily Telegraph
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' sponsored English Heritage Angel Award.
The budget for the works was £420,000, with initial work focused on stabilising the foundations and lower masonry. Much of this was achieved through the injection of stabilising materials into the foundations, which needed time to cure and solidify. Works then progressed to the walls and roof, and finally the decorative embellishments. Today, while part of the Orangery is a dedicated café, the rest is an international education centre of excellence for the Trust, training new craftsmen and restoration specialists.
Aviary
The aviary at Tyntesfield is situated to the west of the house, adjacent to the footings of the old conservatory. It was built in 1880 to house exotic birds, but was converted into a playhouse for Doreen, the first Lord Wraxall's daughter. The aviary is considered one of the most distinctive features of the estate, and is Grade II listed.
Sawmill
Located on a site originally occupied by a foreman's office when the land was used for quarrying, the new sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
building was completed in 1899, providing electricity via two enclosed steam engines and pneumatic power across the estate. The engines were housed in what is now called the Engine Room, while the Lantern Room held multiple lead acid batteries
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut ...
. After opening, the decision was made to relocate the estate's entire sawmill to the building, to enable better access to electrical power. The steam engines were replaced by diesel generators, and electricity was provided from the national grid post-WW2. In the 1960s, the sawmill was decommissioned and all wood sold to third party contractors to be converted into sawn wood products.
Under the Trust's ownership the sawmill has been renovated and converted into a combined learning, educational and rentable function space for businesses and members of the public. It is most often used by National Trust staff and volunteers to educate visiting school groups. The building now houses the biomass boiler for the main house, which saves 141 tonnes of CO2 a year over the old oil-fired boiler. Another section of the former wood shed was used as a new roost site for bat species, creating a "bat palace". The centre was opened in May 2009 by Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
, who partially funded the works.
Wildlife
Bats
Ten of the seventeen species of UK bat are found on the property, eight within the structure of the house alone. Species found include the rare and threatened lesser horseshoe bat and greater horseshoe bat
The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe an ...
. Maintenance work is timed to fit in with hibernating and mating schedules, and new roosts are created during any building work. Visitors may see some of the property's bats on a closed-circuit television system.
Visitor access
Visitor access is via the main entrance on the B3128 road, which can be accessed from the M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
following the signs from either junction 19 or 20. Pay & Display Parking is available from the Home Farm Visitor Centre and ticket office. The nearest train station is Nailsea & Backwell, which is just over away. A frequent bus service runs from Bristol bus station
Bristol Bus and Coach Station serves the city of Bristol in the west of England. It is situated on Marlborough Street, near the Broadmead shopping area. The original bus station and onsite depot were opened in 1958 by the Bristol Omnibus Comp ...
.
The Home Farm Visitor Centre is the first point of access, and provides various services including a cafe, restaurant, shop, toilets and the ticket office. Charges for entry are made either to the estate and gardens, or the house and estate gardens. Entry to the house is via timed ticket in 30-minute entry blocks. There is a walkway from the visitor centre to the house through the gardens and some woods, or a bio-diesel bus can be taken along a route via the house to the Orangery.
Attractions vary by season, but include six geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific l ...
trails. Various walks focusing on wildlife and habitats are all located on public rights of way, enabling them to be access without charge throughout the year.
In popular culture
In 2002, after its purchase by the National Trust but before its opening to the public, the house and its contents were explored in the Oxford Films documentary, ''The Lost World of Tyntesfield'', hosted by art historian Dan Cruickshank
Daniel Gordon Raffan Cruickshank (born 26 August 1949) is a British art historian and BBC television presenter, with a special interest in the history of architecture.
Professional career
Cruickshank holds a BA in Art, Design and Architecture ...
. The house was featured in the 2017 film ''Crooked House
''Crooked House'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in March 1949 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 23 May of the same year.
The action takes place in and near L ...
'', an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name starring Glenn Close
Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...
, Terence Stamp, Max Irons and Christina Hendricks. It also featured in the BBC television series ''Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock'' in the episode "The Abominable Bride" and ''Doctor Who'' in the episode "Hide (Doctor Who), Hide".
See also
* Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset
* List of National Trust properties in Somerset
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
{{Commons category, Tyntesfield
Tyntesfield information at the National Trust
Tyntesfield photographic/panoramic tour from the BBC
Wikidata List of paintings at Tintesfield
Houses completed in 1863
Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset
National Trust properties in Somerset
Historic house museums in Somerset
Gothic Revival architecture in Somerset
Structures on the Heritage at Risk register in Somerset
Country houses in Somerset
Grade I listed houses in Somerset