Our work outdoors at Attingham Park

A view of the river Tern with water reflections of the Park — Reflections on the River Tern at Attingham | © National Trust / Sean Hattersley

There’s more to the Attingham estate than its house and immediate grounds (Walled Garden, Pleasure Grounds and Deer Park). The entire estate covers around 4,000 acres. The daily work undertaken at Attingham maintains, preserves and restores every aspect of the outdoor environment for visitors and nature.

The estate at Attingham

The wider estate includes woodland, parkland, tenanted farms and farmland, and properties. Like all great country estates Attingham’s land has always played a vital role in providing food for the table, fuel for the fire, and income for the estate.

Attingham Park’s rangers

Attingham’s ranger team works across the estate to help conserve and care for the landscape and wildlife. Rangers react to what needs doing on the estate and their job is incredibly varied. As the cliché says, ‘no two days are the same’.

Their work can include making sure the correct signposts are present, managing the woodland or the deer herd, looking after the camping and fishing sites or helping the wider Attingham team to carry out their work. Whatever you encounter outdoors on the estate, the rangers have had a hand in some aspect of it.

As well as ongoing work like hedgelaying, carrying out our woodland management plan and general upkeep of the estate, Attingham has been home to some special projects in recent years.

Hedging: wildlife corridors

The estate has many miles of hedges, but far less than it would have had 50 years ago. To help put back what’s been lost, a dedicated team of staff and volunteers lay a mile of new hedge each year.

Hedges are important for wildlife: over 100 species are known to be significantly associated with them, from lichens, birds and insects to a variety of mammals and amphibians. Hedgerows act as wildlife corridors, connecting different habitats to each other while providing safety and a home.

Common oak tree on the Mile Walk, Attingham, Shropshire — An oak tree at Attingham Park | © National Trust

Restoring the Walled Garden

2018 marked 10 years of a restoration project to bring Attingham’s vibrant Walled Garden back to life. Out of use for many years, and after careful planning and research, the first soil of the restoration was turned in May 2008. That year a quarter of the garden was returned to cultivation.

Since that date, a small staff team of gardeners and volunteers has continued to restore and cultivate the garden, turning it back into a hive of activity, with seasonal fruit, vegetables and flowers grown throughout the year, and a haven for wildlife, including the Attingham bees.

The team has been bringing new areas into production, as well as tending the fruits, vegetables and flowers that are used in seasonal recipes in the onsite Carriage House Café and sold in the Stables Shop for visitors to take home and enjoy.