The National Trust bought Tyntesfield in August 2002 as a result of a phenomenally successful public appeal raising £8.2m in 100 days, and (at £17.4m) the largest ever single grant by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
When the Trust took over the property the Trust made it clear it would be seeking additional funding support. The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced that the Trust’s application for £20 million has been granted a Stage One pass. The Trust will now work towards submitting a detailed Stage Two application which it hopes to complete during 2006. If successful, the money will be used to adapt the estate for full public access and enjoyment, to carry out essential capital repairs and through the creation of an endowment fund – to provide long–term support for operating costs.
When completed Tyntesfield will be enjoyed by over 150 000 people per year.
75 000 people have given donations to the project.
We anticipate 35 000 visitors next year, increasing to 150 000 by 2007.
Since acquiring the estate, we have taken action to prevent further decay at Tyntesfield, emergency work has been carried out and advisors have prioritised what work needs to be done.
We have worked with local bat groups and experts to identify rare species and find ways to restore the property without disturbing them (this work was featured on BBC1’s Blue Peter).
We placed the Orangery on English Heritage’s risk list, so we can identify funding to save it. We will arrest its decay and then use its repair as a project linking master craftsmen with apprentice masons.
Throughout Tyntesfield’s first year we have worked closely with the local community of Nailsea, North Somerset and Bristol, and we will build on these links in the future.
