Can you help us raise £150,000 to help revive and restore the fabulous interiors at Tyntesfield?
© NTPL/Andrew Butler
Beautiful collections
Four generations of one English family have lived at Tyntesfield, and happily for us, none of them believed in throwing that much away. So, if you visit us this year, as well as seeing the newly discovered items, you'll also see many of the 40,000 items that we acquired with the house and which span the full 150 years of its history. However, many of these items are under threat as they sit just metres away from buckets catching rainwater that is dripping through the roof.
Urgent repairs needed
Last year it rained for 43 of the 92 days of summer, while in 2007 flooding brought much of the UK to a standstill. At Tyntesfield, the distinctive, multi-turret Gothic roof already susceptible to leaking let through a tremendous amount of water. Almost every week we had to tackle a new leak. Thanks to the support of National Trust donors, we have now begun major repair work that will make the roof watertight. It is now essential that we address the poor conditions inside. Water ingress and damp have had a devastating effect on the fabric of Tyntesfield and its collections. The 2009 appeal for Tyntesfield needs to raise £150,000 to help protect, restore and improve conditions inside the house.
By making a donation today, you will help our team of specialised conservators and craftsmen to halt the deterioration and begin to revive Tyntesfield’s interior. It is crucial that we start this work now before the damage becomes irreversibe.
© NTPL/Andrew Butler
The fine textiles, furnishings and decorative paintwork in the house are in an extremely fragile and perilous condition. Intricate wall stencils in the hall have flaked with damp. In the drawing room, the exquisite five metre silk velvet curtains, made in 1908, are now water-stained and tattered. We estimate that restoring these alone will take 600 hours by a specialist conservator. Your gift will help us with vital restoration work and enable us to revive the interior of this spectacular and much-loved Victorian home.
Discovering Tyntesfield
It is the opportunity to get closer to Tyntesfield that makes this year so unprecedented and exciting. Every day, as carpets are rolled away and furniture moved, we are learning more about the house and the people that lived here. Discoveries range from the beautiful – dining room curtains, found in a box in Lord Wraxall’s bedroom; to the unexpected – a network of underground service tunnels, to the downright curious – ping pong balls found behind radiators in the Library. Wherever possible, visitors are able to view the restoration work at close quarters, and I hope that as a supporter whose generosity helps to make this work possible, you will feel close to Tyntesfield too. The more we discover about Tyntesfield, the more special the place becomes, and the more it deserves our support. With the roof repairs progressing so well, we are now appealing to your generosity to help restore the magnificent interior of the house and protect Tyntesfield’s precious collections for years to come.
 
© NTPL/Nadia Mackenzie © NTPL/Nadia Mackenzie
How you can help us return the splendour to Tyntesfield’s interior
You can see that we are making real progress on the restoration of Tyntesfield. Your contributions have helped make this possible. As we turn our attention to the interior, you can help us keep up the pace by making a donation today. Thank you.
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