View source for Tyntesfield

{{short description|Country house in North Somerset, England}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Tyntesfield
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| former_names = Tyntes Place
| alternate_names = 
| status = 
| image = Tyntesfield - Time to re-roof - panoramio.jpg
| image_alt = 
| image_size = 
| caption = Tyntesfield, south side
<!--{{collapsed infobox section begin|div=yes|Location map and quick summary}}-->
| map_type = Somerset
| map_caption = 
| altitude = 
| building_type = [[English country house|Country House]]
| architectural_style = [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]
| structural_system = 
| cost = £70,000
| ren_cost = 
| client = [[William Gibbs (businessman)|William Gibbs]]
| owner = [[National Trust]]
| current_tenants = 
| landlord = 
| location = 
| address = 
| location_town = [[Wraxall, Somerset|Wraxall]], [[North Somerset]]
| location_country = England
| coordinates = {{Coord|51|26|26|N|02|42|42|W|display=inline,title}}
| groundbreaking_date = 
| start_date = 
| completion_date = 1863
| opened_date = 
| inauguration_date = 
| renovation_date = 
| demolition_date = 
| destruction_date = 
| height = 
| architectural = 
| tip = 
| antenna_spire = 
| roof = 
| top_floor = 
| observatory = 
| other_dimensions = 106 rooms<ref name=NTRoof/><br />26 main bedrooms, 43 in total including servants quarters
| floor_count = 
| floor_area = {{cvt|40000|sqft}}
| seating_type = 
| seating_capacity = 
| elevator_count = 
| architect = [[John Norton (architect)|John Norton]] <small>(Main house)</small><br />[[Henry Woodyer]] <small>(Internal adjustments)</small><br /> [[Arthur Blomfield]] <small>(Chapel)</small>
| architecture_firm = 
| structural_engineer = 
| services_engineer = 
| civil_engineer = 
| other_designers = [[James Powell and Sons|Powell]]; [[Harry Ellis Wooldridge|Wooldridge]]; [[Salviati (glassmakers)|Salviati]]; [[Hart, Son, Peard and Co.]]; [[Collier and Plucknett]]
| quantity_surveyor = 
| main_contractor = [[William Cubitt|William Cubitt & Co.]]
| awards = 
| designations = [[Listed building|Grade I listed]]
| ren_architect = 
| ren_firm = 
| ren_str_engineer = 
| ren_serv_engineer = 
| ren_civ_engineer = 
| ren_oth_designers = 
| ren_qty_surveyor = 
| ren_awards = 
| parking = 
| website = [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/ Tyntesfield @ National Trust]
}}
'''Tyntesfield''' ({{respell|TINTS|feeld}})<ref>{{cite web |title=Tyntesfield |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaByC_bZPNU |website=NTSouthWest |publisher=National Trust |access-date=8 January 2024}} 3m 47s</ref>
is a Victorian [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] [[country house]] and estate near [[Wraxall, Somerset|Wraxall]], [[North Somerset]], England. The house is a Grade I [[Listed building (United Kingdom)|listed building]] 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 and shooting in the United Kingdom#Hunting lodge|hunting lodge]], which was used as a [[farmhouse]] until the early 19th century. In the 1830s a [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] mansion was built on the site, which was bought by English businessman [[William Gibbs (businessman)|William Gibbs]], whose huge fortune came from [[guano]] used as [[fertilizer]]. 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, 2nd Baron Wraxall]] in 2001.

Tyntesfield was purchased by the [[National Trust]] 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.<ref name="ALVA 2019 visitor numbers">{{cite web |title=ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions |url=https://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |website=www.alva.org.uk |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307140834/https://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{TOC limit}}

==History==

===Background===
The land on which the house and its estate were developed was originally part of the [[Tynte baronets|Tynte family]] estate.{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=1}} The family had lived in the area since the 1500s, but their primary residence was [[Halswell House]] in [[Goathurst]], near [[Bridgwater]].{{sfn|Dunning|1992}}

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]] trees, planted after they were bequeathed in the 1678 will of Sir Charles Harbord (1596–1679) to the people of Wraxall in memory of two boys he had apprenticed from the village.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=9}} The Tyntes had originally lived on the estate,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tyntesfield, Bristol, England |url=http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/3337/history |work=Parks and Gardens UK |publisher=Parks and Gardens Data Services Ltd |access-date=28 January 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041439/http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/3337/history |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num=1000570 |desc=Tyntesfield|access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref> but by the early 1800s, John had made [[Chelvey Court]] in [[Brockley, Somerset|Brockley]] his principal residence.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=7}} Tyntes Place was downgraded to a farmhouse and leased to John Vowles.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=17}} In 1813, George Penrose Seymour of the adjoining Belmont estate purchased the property and gave it to his son, the Rev. George Turner Seymour.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=9}} He in turn built a new [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] mansion on the site of the former Saddler's Tenement, and demolished the old farmhouse.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=9}} Further remodelling was undertaken by Robert Newton of [[Nailsea]] in Somerset.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reverend George Turner Seymour |url=http://farringford.co.uk/tennyson/reverend_george_turner_seymour.htm |publisher=Farringford |access-date=30 January 2014 |archive-date=30 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230034015/http://farringford.co.uk/tennyson/reverend_george_turner_seymour.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=39}}

===Purchase by the Gibbs family===
In 1843, the property was bought by businessman [[William Gibbs (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]] from Peru as a [[fertilizer]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopædia Britannica Ninth Edition |article=Guano |publisher=[[Adam & Charles Black]] |date=1880 |title-link=Encyclopædia Britannica Ninth Edition}}</ref> This was mined by indentured [[Coolie#Chinese coolies|Chinese labour]] on the [[Chincha Islands]] in conditions which the Peruvian government acknowledged in 1856 had degenerated "into a kind of Negro slave trade".<ref>{{cite book |author=Stewart, Watt |title=Chinese Bondage in Peru |url=https://archive.org/details/chinesebondagein00stew |publisher=[[Duke University Press]] |date=1951 |page=[https://archive.org/details/chinesebondagein00stew/page/22 22]}}</ref> The firm's profits from this trade were such that William Gibbs became the richest non-noble man in England.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=34}}

Throughout his life, William Gibbs and his wife [[Blanche Gibbs|Matilda Blanche Crawley-Boevey]] (known as Blanche), principally lived in London,{{sfn|Hall|2009|p=103}} for the greater part of his marriage at 16 [[Hyde Park Gardens]], which the family owned until Blanche's death.<ref name=OUPGibbs>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/article.jsp?articleid=89656&back= |title=William Gibbs |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=21 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821200425/http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/article.jsp?articleid=89656&back= |url-status=live}}</ref> But as he travelled regularly on business to the [[Port of Bristol]] he required a residence in the area; thus it was, in 1843, he came to buy Tyntes Place, which he subsequently renamed Tyntesfield.<ref name="OUPGibbs"/> Within a few years of making his purchase, Gibbs began a major programme of rebuilding and enlarging of the mansion.{{sfn|Miller|2006|pp=59–64}}

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  followers of the [[Oxford Movement]].<ref name="Building Conservation.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/tyntesfield-interiors/tyntesfield-interiors.htm |title=Tyntesfield Interiors |publisher=Building Conservation.com |last=Schmitz |first=Sarah |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816043520/http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/tyntesfield-interiors/tyntesfield-interiors.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> This wing of the [[Anglican Communion|Anglican Church]] advocated the view set out in the architect [[Augustus Pugin]]'s 1836 book ''Contrasts'', which argued for the revival of the medieval [[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]], and "a return to the faith and the social structures of the Middle Ages".<ref name = "Guardian">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/24/pugin-gothic-architect |title=Pugin, God's architect |author=Hill, Rosemary |date=24 February 2012 |access-date=19 March 2012 |publisher=guardian.com |archive-date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212100024/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/24/pugin-gothic-architect |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.puseyhouse.org.uk/house/history/oxfordmovement/ |title=Oxford Movement |publisher=Pusey House |access-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131120124846/http://www.puseyhouse.org.uk/house/history/oxfordmovement/ |archive-date=20 November 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Thus it became a symbolic display of Christian beliefs and lifestyle, and was embraced by devout Victorians such as Gibbs.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> The completion of the mansion's chapel further accentuated the building's medieval [[monastery|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 [[Turret (architecture)|tourelles]], which was demolished in 1935.{{sfn|Pevsner|1973|pp=348–349}}

===Redevelopment===
[[File:Tyntesfield House - geograph.org.uk - 412294.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|View of the approach to the house from the west via the visitors centre, effectively to the rear of the property. Architect [[John Norton (architect)|John Norton]] designed an irregular roof to emphasise the asymmetrical design. This picture was taken in September 2005, before the restoration of the roof and its distinct [[Diapering|diaper-pattern]].]]
[[File:Tyntesfield1866.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Image of Tyntesfield in an 1866 edition of ''[[Building (magazine)|The Builder]]'' magazine (the central clock tower shown was demolished in 1935 at the decision of Lady Wraxall, owing to dry rot)]]

In 1854 William Gibbs commissioned [[John Gregory Crace (designer)|John Gregory Crace]], an interior decorator he was already using elsewhere, to redesign and decorate the principal rooms at Tyntesfield. These new designs included gilded panelling, woodwork, moulding and [[chimneypiece]]s all in the Gothic style.<ref name="OUPGibbs"/>

Rebuilding work did not begin in earnest until 1863, when William Gibbs had the property substantially remodelled in a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style. [[William Cubitt (politician)|William Cubitt & Co.]] were the builders and [[John Norton (architect)|John Norton]] was the architect.{{sfn|Miller|2006|pp=63–64}} 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.<ref name=Minerva/>

====Design====
The house is built of two types of [[Bath stone]], 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".<ref name=VicWeb/> During restoration, stonemasons either conserved or, on occasion, copy-carved new sections, carving new mouldings to replace standard architectural elements that formed the weathering, as well as [[repointing]] most of the miles of [[Lime (material)|lime]] pointing.<ref name=Minerva/> All stone was accurately matched to the original, with Veyzeys quarry near [[Tetbury]] providing [[Cotswolds|Cotswold]] [[Oolite|oolitic limestone]].<ref name=Minerva>{{cite web |url=http://minervaconservation.com/projects/tyntesfield.htm |title=Tyntesfield |publisher=Minerva Conservation |access-date=4 April 2013 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023061756/http://minervaconservation.com/projects/tyntesfield.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The house, which includes the servants' wing and the chapel, was made a Grade II* [[listed building]] in 1973,<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Servants' wing and chapel |num=1129053 |access-date=18 July 2007}}</ref> and has since been upgraded to Grade I.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England |num=1129053 |desc=Tyntesfield House, servants wing and chapel |access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref>

The front (facing east over the gardens towards [[Backwell Hill]]) and north (entrance courtyard) are faced in one shade of [[ochre]]ous Bath Stone,<ref name=Minerva/> while the south (rear), which is mainly allocated to the service area and servants quarters, is faced in cheaper red-tinged [[Draycott, Somerset|Draycott]] [[marble]] rubble,<ref name=Minerva/> and has some plastered finishes. All façades have many Gothic main windows, Tudor [[oriel window]]s, chimneys and attic dormers.<ref name=VicWeb>{{cite web |url=http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/homes/1d.html |title=Tyntesfield |publisher=Victorian web |access-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503114221/http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/homes/1d.html |archive-date=3 May 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Norton topped the design with an irregular roof, its various pitches and gables emphasising the building's asymmetrical architecture.<ref name=Minerva/> The final external addition was a huge ironwork conservatory by [[Hart, Son, Peard and Co.]] to the rear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=77e9afb6-76c6-44ec-bec4-465a260aedbe&rd=2%7Cconservatory%7C%7C1%7C20%7C88%7C150 |title=Tyntesfield conservatory |publisher=[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life Magazine]] |access-date=4 April 2013 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023061637/http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=77e9afb6-76c6-44ec-bec4-465a260aedbe&rd=2%7Cconservatory%7C%7C1%7C20%7C88%7C150 |url-status=live}}</ref> The result was described by novelist [[Charlotte Mary Yonge]], a cousin of Blanche Gibbs, as "like a church in spirit".<ref name="OUPGibbs"/>

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 [[James Powell and Sons|James Powell]] and [[Harry Ellis Wooldridge]], ironwork by Hart, Son, Peard and Co. and mosaics by [[Salviati (glassmakers)|Salviati]]. George Plucknett was Cubitt's foreman, who was related to James Plunkett of [[Collier and Plucknett]], furniture makers of [[Warwick]]. The result was that Gibbs ordered a number of specially commissioned pieces from the firm,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=c69f5064-50b9-4a51-a7f9-079d2d5c33fa&rd=2%7Ctyntesfield%7C%7C1%7C20%7C34%7C150 |title=Tyntesfield Hallway |publisher=[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life Magazine]] |access-date=4 April 2013 |archive-date=8 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108171143/http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=c69f5064-50b9-4a51-a7f9-079d2d5c33fa&rd=2%7Ctyntesfield%7C%7C1%7C20%7C34%7C150 |url-status=live}}</ref> including a fully fitted bathroom for his wife.<ref name=Telg3301273/> All of these fine pieces of craftsmanship were added to by Gibb's expanding collection of artworks.<ref name="OUPGibbs"/>

While the reconstruction on the house was being undertaken, William Gibbs had rented [[Mamhead Park]] in Devon.{{sfn|Hogg|2011}} 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 £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|70000|1863|{{Inflation-year|UK}}|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation-year|UK}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK}} The sum was equivalent to 18 months' gross profit from all of Gibbs's business interests.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=59}} After completion of the main building works, Gibbs created more cash by selling shares in Antony Gibbs & Sons to his nephew [[Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham|Henry Hucks Gibbs]] (later Lord Aldenham), which enabled him to purchase two adjoining properties&nbsp;– including Belmont to the east from his nephew George Lewis Monck Gibbs{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=12}}&nbsp;– to create a farming estate, founded on [[Dairy farming|dairy production]] and [[forestry]] management. Added to further by later land purchases, at its peak the Tyntesfield estate spanned over {{convert|6000|acre}}, encompassing {{convert|1000|acre}} of forest, from [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]] in the north to south of the valley in which the main house lay. The house and estate employed more than 500 workers.<ref name="OUPGibbs"/>

===Chapel===
[[File:Chapel of Tyntesfield House, North Somerset, England arp.jpg|thumb|The chapel, built 1872–1877, is modelled on [[Sainte-Chapelle]] in Paris. The chapel was licensed for family services, used daily for prayers, but was never consecrated.]]
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]] in Paris,<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> it housed an organ by [[William Hill & Sons]],{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=106}} and below a [[Burial vault (tomb)|vault]] in which Gibbs intended to be buried. However, combined opposition from both the vicar of the local [[All Saints Church, Wraxall]] and the church's patron, a member of the [[Gorges family]], led to the [[Bishop of Bath and Wells]] decreeing that he would not sanction the [[consecration]] 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.<ref name="OUPGibbs"/> 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.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=34}} 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]]". The [[Little Gidding community]] in [[Huntingdonshire]] was much idealized by 19th-century Anglo-Catholics.<ref name="OUPGibbs"/>

==Owners==

===William Gibbs: 1846–75===
[[File:TyntesfieldGibbFamily.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|William and Blanche Gibbs and family at Tyntesfield, c.&nbsp;1862–63]]
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 [[Teetotalism|teetotal]], 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]] in 1962 by the 2nd Lord Wraxall).{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=36}} 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.<ref name="OUPGibbs" />

===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]], he joined the [[North Somerset Yeomanry]] where he attained the rank of [[Major (United Kingdom)|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]] and later [[Deputy lieutenant]] of Somerset. The couple had 10 children.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=116}}

During the 1880s, Antony had [[Henry Woodyer]] 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.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/>{{sfn|Pevsner|1973|pp=348}} Woodyer also extended the Dining Room by taking in part of the original housekeeper's room. Crace's original wallpaper&nbsp;– a British imitation of Japanese paper, that itself imitated Spanish tooled leather&nbsp;– was lightened by a 14-year-old apprentice who hand-painted in a cream background. The [[sideboard]], which had been commissioned from Collier and Plucknett, was further extended. New items were also ordered from Collier and Plucknett.<ref name=Telg3301273/> Simultaneously, Antony had electricity installed, an early UK example of houses being lit in this way.<ref name=NTRoof/> 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.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> At some point between 1868 and 1884 a water hydraulic [[Elevator|lift]] 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 {{convert|55|inch|adj=on}} spanning [[sheave]] in the roof space.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=David A. |title=Report and assessment of the waygood luggage/passenger lift |url=http://www.cibseliftsgroup.org/docs/THE%20WATER%20HYDRAULIC%20LIFT%20AT%20TYNTESFIELD%20HOUSE.pdf |publisher=National Trust/CIBSE Lifts Group |access-date=10 July 2013 |archive-date=27 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327065915/http://www.cibseliftsgroup.org/docs/THE%20WATER%20HYDRAULIC%20LIFT%20AT%20TYNTESFIELD%20HOUSE.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===George Abraham Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall: 1907–31===
[[File:Tyntesfield staircase.JPG|thumb|left|upright|The staircase gallery]]
[[George Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall|George Abraham Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall]] served as a [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in the [[North Somerset Yeomanry]] and served in the [[Boer War]] campaign. On his return to England he married the Hon. Victoria Florence de Burgh Long; the couple moved to [[Clyst St George]] in Devon. Between 1918 and 1928, he served as [[Bristol West (UK Parliament constituency)|MP for Bristol West]] and was elevated to the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom|peerage]] as [[Baron Wraxall]] in 1928, for which his appointment as [[Treasurer of the Household]] had been instrumental.{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=3}}

Under his ownership, the Drawing Room was redecorated in a [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Renaissance Revival]] [[Venetian Gothic architecture|Venetian]] style,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=e1c7652e-d805-499c-95e5-8b9c4f9ae980&rd=2%7C%20decorative%7C%7C1%7C20%7C46%7C150 |title=Tyntesfield Drawing Room |publisher=[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life Magazine]] |access-date=4 April 2013 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225627/http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=e1c7652e-d805-499c-95e5-8b9c4f9ae980&rd=2%7C%20decorative%7C%7C1%7C20%7C46%7C150 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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 [[Johnsons Cleaners UK|Sketchleys]].{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=3}} In 1917, to assist the war effort, the ironwork conservatory was razed, and its ironwork melted down for ammunition.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=159}}

Survived by a daughter, Albina, George's first wife died at Tyntesfield from [[influenza]] in 1920. In 1927, George married Ursula Mary Lawley, a daughter of Sir [[Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock|Arthur Lawley]] (later the 6th and last Baron Wenlock). The couple had two sons, [[Richard Gibbs, 2nd Baron Wraxall|George (known as Richard)]] and [[Eustace Gibbs, 3rd Baron Wraxall|Eustace]]. George died at Tyntesfield on 28 October 1931, aged 58.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tyntesfield, Bristol, England |url=http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/3337/history |work=Parks and Gardens UK |publisher=Parks and Gardens Data Services Ltd |access-date=21 January 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041439/http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/3337/history |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ursula, Lady Wraxall: 1931–79===
[[File:Tyntesfield Dining room.JPG|thumb|The Dining Room]]
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 rot|dry]] and [[wet rot]], 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.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/>

During the Second World War, [[Clifton High School, Bristol|Clifton High School]] was relocated to the property, and in 1941 the [[Medical Corps (United States Army)|U.S. Army Medical Corps]] established a facility for wounded soldiers, known as the 74th General Hospital, in the estate grounds.{{sfn|Boyce|2012|pp=71–85}}{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=26}}{{sfn|Wright|1990|p=}} The construction of this temporary tented village resulted in the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|US Army Engineers]] breaching what was then England's longest [[holly]] [[hedge]].{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=26}}{{sfn|Wright|1990|p=}}{{sfn|Wakefield|1994|p=101}} With many tents later replaced by [[prefabricated building]]s and some [[nissen hut]]s, at one point in the war following [[Normandy landings|D-Day]] it became the largest US Army hospital in Europe.{{sfn|Wright|2003|p=26}}{{sfn|Wright|1990|p=}}{{sfn|Wakefield|1994|p=101}} During the hostilities, management of the estate's farmland was assumed by the [[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)]], leaving Lady Wraxall only the Home Farm.{{sfn|Wright|1990|p=}}

Bombs often landed on the estate during the [[Bristol Blitz|blitz of Bristol]]. In September 1940, during a raid on the [[Bristol Aeroplane Company]] factory at [[Filton]], bombs cut off the estate's water supply,{{sfn|Wright|1990}} 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 (United Kingdom)|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.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/>

===Richard Gibbs, 2nd Baron Wraxall: 1979–2001===
[[File:Tyntesfield Drawing room.JPG|thumb|right|The Drawing Room]]
[[Richard Gibbs, 2nd Baron Wraxall|George Richard Lawley Gibbs]], known as Richard, was born on 16 May 1928, and was educated at [[Eton College]] and [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Sandhurst]]. He spent eight years with the [[Coldstream Guards]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Rayfield |first=Suzanne |title=Tyntesfield House |url=http://www.probuspontivyfr.org/TyntesfieldHouse.htm |work=Club de Pontivy |publisher=Probus |access-date=21 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202094355/http://www.probuspontivyfr.org/TyntesfieldHouse.htm |archive-date=2 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=4}} He never married and was succeeded by his brother, Sir [[Eustace Gibbs, 3rd Baron Wraxall|Eustace Gibbs]], a diplomat, who became the third Baron Wraxall.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=9}}

Richard died unmarried in 2001 from complications arising from an [[asthma]] attack,{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=4}} having reduced his usage of the substantial accommodation within Tyntesfield to just three rooms.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=170}}

==National Trust purchase==
Concerned with the demolition and desecration of various historic country houses since the end of the Second World War&nbsp;– 450 great houses were completely demolished in England between 1945 and 1955&nbsp;– in the 1970s the [[National Trust]] 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.{{sfn|Girouard|1979}} With the Trust as a result placing Tyntesfield second on its list of priorities for preservation, Girouard said of the property:<ref name=BBC2045513/>
{{blockquote|There is no other Victorian country house which so richly represents its age as Tyntesfield.}}

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 [[Inheritance tax|death duties]] 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.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=170}}

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 {{convert|1000|acre}} of farmland, {{convert|650|acre}} of woodlands, plus 30 houses and cottages, were listed for sale by [[Savills]] in three main lots (total estimated at £15 million); with [[Christie's]] contracted to secure the sale of the house and estate contents via a separate [[auction]] (total estimated at a further £15 million).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1871591.stm |title='Remarkable' house for sale |work=BBC News |date=13 March 2002 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=19 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819152117/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1871591.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Having not bought a country house since the 1991 purchase of [[Chastleton House]], which took seven years to open to the public,<ref name=Telg3301273>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/propertymarket/3301273/Faith-hope-and-a-charity.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227101103/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/propertymarket/3301273/Faith-hope-and-a-charity.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2010 |title=Faith, hope and a charity |author=Giles Worsley |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph|Daily Telegraph]] |date=20 April 2002 |access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref> 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]], and pop stars [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] and [[Kylie Minogue]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1938469.stm |title=Historic estate goes on sale |work=BBC News |date=19 April 2002 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=20 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820000238/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1938469.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the new Director-General of the National Trust, [[Fiona Reynolds]], launched a £35 million appeal in May 2002 via the ''"Save Tyntesfield"'' campaign, with support from designer [[Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen]], newsreader [[Jon Snow (journalist)|Jon Snow]] and several top architects and historians.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1958370.stm |title=Famous flock to save historic hall |work=BBC News |date=30 April 2002 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=25 November 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125034230/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1958370.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The Trust's appeal collected £8.2 million in just 100 days,<ref name=BBC2045513>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2045513.stm |title=Trust 'hopeful' of buying historic mansion |work=BBC News |date=14 June 2002 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=19 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819195128/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2045513.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> with: £3 million+ from the public; and two substantial anonymous donations of £1 million and £4 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Campaign To Save the Tyntesfield Estate |url=http://www.everettgenerations.com/EveredInEng.htm |publisher=Everett Generations |access-date=30 January 2014 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225627/http://www.everettgenerations.com/EveredInEng.htm |url-status=usurped}}</ref> The Trust also received funding from the [[National Heritage Memorial Fund]], totaling £17.4 million after negotiations with its chair, [[Liz Forgan]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2019546.stm |title=Lottery cash pledge for Tyntesfield |work=BBC News |date=31 May 2002 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=19 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819193045/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2019546.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> its largest single grant ever which caused some controversy.<ref name="bombsandbears">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/aug/05/heritage |title=Bombs, bears and a carved coconut: inside a neo-Gothic treasure trove |last=Siddique |first=Haroon |date=5 August 2008 |work=The Guardian |page=8 |access-date=5 August 2008 |archive-date=20 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220012144/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/aug/05/heritage |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] has earmarked a further £25 million for the major conservation work that is needed.<ref name=Minerva/>

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 {{convert|150|acre}} of land are now simply known as Tyntesfield. Charlton Farm, is now home to [[Children's Hospice South West]], which provides [[palliative care]] to children with terminal illnesses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charlton Farm |url=http://www.chsw.org.uk/charlton-farm |publisher=Children's Hospice South West |access-date=20 May 2013 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201220429/http://www.chsw.org.uk/charlton-farm |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Charlton House, Wraxall|Charlton House]] was sold into private hands, having been since 1927 the home of the Downs School.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of the Downs |url=http://www.thedownsschool.co.uk/the-history-of-the-downs/ |publisher=Down's school |access-date=20 May 2013 |archive-date=8 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108190527/http://www.thedownsschool.co.uk/the-history-of-the-downs/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Downs School, Wraxall, The, (also known as Charlton House), Bristol, England |url=http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/1123 |publisher=Parks & Gardens UK |access-date=20 May 2013 |archive-date=19 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219165811/http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/1123 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===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.{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=4}}

The initial conservation work focused around weatherproofing the house.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tyntesfield Grade I listed building, Bristol UK |url=http://www.harsco-i.co.uk/case_studies/?view=1305 |publisher=Harsco |access-date=30 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202154245/http://www.harsco-i.co.uk/case_studies/?view=1305 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> At the height of the restoration works, {{convert|28|mi}} of [[scaffolding]] tubes covered the building's entire exterior.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conserving the house |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/our-work/projects/conserving-the-house/ |publisher=National Trust |access-date=21 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201174806/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/our-work/projects/conserving-the-house/ |archive-date=1 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> This allowed repairs and restoration to take place over 18 months, including the final restoration of the original bold red and black tiled [[Geometry|geometric]] [[Diapering|diaper]] pattern.<ref name=NTRoof>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356399096669/ |title=Tyntesfield roof uncovered after years under wraps |publisher=[[National Trust]] |access-date=2 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219165216/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356399096669/ |archive-date=19 December 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> 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 {{convert|43|ft}} high hallway to repair the lantern rooflight, and to provide access to other high points of the interior.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> 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.{{sfn|Miller|2006|pp=174–175}}

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 at Work etc. Act 1974|Health and Safety]] 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.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/>{{sfn|Miller|2006|pp=174–175}}

==Estate==
[[File:Tyntesfield 2.jpg|thumb|centre|750px|Panoramic view of the entrance area, showing (left to right) the library, entrance hall, main house, bedroom wing and chapel]]

===House interior===
[[File:TyntesfieldDrawingRoom0.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The Drawing Room, photographed in 1878 by [[Bedford Lemere]]]]
Principal rooms include the Library, Drawing Room, [[English billiards|Billiard Room]], 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."{{sfn|Lilwall-Smith|2005|p=119-122}}

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,{{sfn|Steven|2011|p=4}} whilst the book collection is the most extensive Victorian library collection owned by the Trust.<ref>{{cite web |title=English Country House Libraries (page 4) |url=http://www.beautiful-libraries.com/3500-4.html |publisher=Beautiful Libraries |access-date=30 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715145115/http://www.beautiful-libraries.com/3500-4.html |archive-date=15 July 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Trust libraries gazetteer |url=http://copac.ac.uk/about/libraries/ntgazetteer.html |publisher=copc |access-date=30 January 2014 |archive-date=1 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101003710/http://copac.ac.uk/about/libraries/ntgazetteer.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The centre of the house is occupied by the hallway and staircase, which show the greatest number of changes since the original design.{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=137}}

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.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> Once lantern repairs were complete, the Trust replaced the elderly [[chenille fabric|chenille]] carpet destroyed by contractors working for Christie's with a new [[Wilton carpet]]<!--- note: there are other references to "Wilton Carpet" and "Wilton Carpets" that may be created---> with a replica design by Linney Cooper, bought with £45,000 from public lottery donations.<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/>

===Contents===
[[File:TyntesfieldWindow.jpg|thumb|upright|Tyntesfield is decorated with large amounts of [[stained glass]].]]
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]] designed silver; original print books by Pugin and [[John Ruskin]]; an unexploded Second World War bomb; a jewel-encrusted chalice; a roll of 19th-century [[Flocking (texture)|flock wallpaper]]; and a [[coconut]] with carved face and hair.<ref name="bombsandbears"/> By 2013 the inventory had risen to 47,154 items, with still more rooms to unpack and catalog.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/search/highlights/Tyntesfield,-Somerset/1 |title=Highlights from Tyntesfield, Somerset |publisher=National Trust Collections |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=24 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624003620/http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/search/highlights/Tyntesfield,-Somerset/1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===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 [[Alonso de Llera Zambrano]] of [[Lawrence of Rome|St Lawrence]], 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]].<ref name="Building Conservation.com"/> In 2011 the Trust bought the painting ''The Mater Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows)'' by [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]] at Christie's auction in New York, which had hung at Tyntesfield since William purchased it until some time after 1910.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Old-Master-Tyntesfield-s-great-hall-100-years/story-12325600-detail/story.html#axzz2PP5QABBq |title=Old Master back in Tyntesfield's great hall&nbsp;... after 100 years |publisher=Western Daily Press |date=29 March 2011 |access-date=2 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202112827/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Old-Master-Tyntesfield-s-great-hall-100-years/story-12325600-detail/story.html#axzz2PP5QABBq |archive-date=2 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===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.<ref name=TiS12740095/>

The Grade II*listed buildings{{efn|Grade II*[[Listed building (United Kingdom)|listed buildings]] are particularly important buildings of more than special interest, whereas Grade II buildings are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/Principles_Selection_Listing.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121204113822/http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/Principles_Selection_Listing.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-12-04 |title=Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings |publisher=Department of Culture, Media and Sport |date=March 2010 |access-date=21 January 2014}}</ref>|group="nb"|name="Grade II*"}} 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:<ref name=TiS12740095>{{cite web |url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Farm-buildings-opened-public-enjoy-Tyntesfield/story-12740095-detail/story.html#axzz2PP5QABBq |title=Farm buildings opened up for public to enjoy at Tyntesfield estate |publisher=Western Daily Press |date=9 June 2011 |access-date=2 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202112824/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Farm-buildings-opened-public-enjoy-Tyntesfield/story-12740095-detail/story.html#axzz2PP5QABBq |archive-date=2 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
*Upper yard:
**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===
[[File:Tyntesfield House - geograph.org.uk - 1207964.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|View from the eastern formal gardens looking up towards the house, April 2008]]
The house sits within {{convert|150|acre}} 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]], [[summer house]]s, the [[aviary]] and the former concrete-lined lake, which has been empty since the Second World War.
{{sfn|Miller|2006|p=166}}

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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Tyntesfield |publisher=National Trust |isbn=9781911384977}}</ref> The estate now has fourteen [[Champion Tree]]s on [[The Tree Register]]. [https://www.treeregister.org/]

A five-year project by the National Trust, underway in 2022, to conserve ancient, veteran and notable trees,<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Woodland Trust |date=21 August 2022 |title=What are ancient trees |url=https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/1836/what-are-ancient-trees.pdf |website=woodland trust.org.uk |access-date=21 August 2022 |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006195311/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/1836/what-are-ancient-trees.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> 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. [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/leigh-woods/features/conserving-bristols-ancient-and-veteran-trees]

===Kitchen garden===
The [[kitchen garden]] includes [[Greenhouse|glasshouses]] and frames, the large [[Classicism|classical]] [[Orangery]] and quarters for the [[Gardening|gardeners]].{{sfn|Greenacre|2003|p=39}}

===Orangery===
[[File:Tyntesfield Orangery.JPG|thumb|left|The 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]]'s [[Heritage at Risk Register]] in the highest priority category, A.<ref>{{cite web |title=South West England |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/HAR_Register_South_West_2009/southwest-2009-har-register.pdf |work=Heritage at Risk |publisher=[[English Heritage]] |access-date=30 June 2010 |page=177 |archive-date=9 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609181327/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/HAR_Register_South_West_2009/southwest-2009-har-register.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Telg8763221/>

Built in 1897, it is a rare surviving example of a late Victorian orangery in the Classical style, constructed from [[ashlar]] 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]] with protruding horizontal [[geison]] sits above [[Ionic order|Ionic]] half-column supports and corner [[pilaster]]s. The centre entrance bay on the west front towards the kitchen garden breaks forward as a [[portico]], with pairs of giant engaged columns and broken pediment with a small [[Oculus (architecture)|oculus]]. Between each pair of columns are large round-headed windows with Gibbs surrounds and keystones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-489537-orangery-at-tyntesfield-park-wraxall-and |title=Orangery at Tyntesfield |publisher=BritishListedBuildings.co.uk |access-date=3 April 2013 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201193611/http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-489537-orangery-at-tyntesfield-park-wraxall-and |url-status=live }}</ref>

To preserve and restore the Orangery, the Trust teamed-up with [[City of Bath College]] 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 ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' sponsored English Heritage Angel Award.<ref name=Telg8763221>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/angel-awards/8763221/The-Angel-Awards-Tyntesfield-Orangery-Somerset.html |title=Tyntesfield Orangery |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=17 September 2011 |access-date=3 April 2013 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022202003/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/angel-awards/8763221/The-Angel-Awards-Tyntesfield-Orangery-Somerset.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://innorthsomerset.co.uk/news/tyntesfield-wins-major-award-for-restoration-of-orangery |title=Tyntesfield wins major award for restoration of Orangery |publisher=InNorthSomerset.co.uk |date=3 November 2011 |access-date=3 April 2013 |archive-date=20 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920220549/http://innorthsomerset.co.uk/news/tyntesfield-wins-major-award-for-restoration-of-orangery |url-status=live}}</ref>

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 used for training new craftsmen and restoration specialists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/our-work/projects/the-orangery-restoration/ |title=The orangery restoration |publisher=[[National Trust]] |access-date=21 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201174803/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/our-work/projects/the-orangery-restoration/ |archive-date=1 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===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,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Twittering-1880s-style/story-11278323-detail/story.html |title=Twittering 1880s style at Tyntesfield estate |publisher=Bristol Evening Post |access-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226015638/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Twittering-1880s-style/story-11278323-detail/story.html |archive-date=26 December 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> and is Grade II listed.<ref>{{NHLE|grade=II|desc=Aviary immediately north west of Tyntesfield House|num= 1061329|date=29 April 2002}}</ref>

===Sawmill===
[[File:Tyntesfield Sawmill.jpg|thumb|Tyntesfield Sawmill buildings, now fully restored and converted to a Learning Centre]]
Located on a site originally occupied by a foreman's office when the land was used for quarrying, the new [[sawmill]] building was completed in 1899, providing electricity via two enclosed steam engines and [[Pneumatics|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 battery|lead acid batteries]]. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356393353175/ |title=The story of the Sawmill Centre at Tyntesfield |publisher=[[National Trust]] |date=6 May 2009 |access-date=2 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009160003/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356393353175/ |archive-date=9 October 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

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 heating system|biomass boiler]] for the main house, which saves 141 tonnes of [[Carbon dioxide|CO<sub>2</sub>]] a year over the old oil-fired boiler.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8644000/8644149.stm |title=Tyntesfield House's biomass boiler to be switched on |work=BBC News |date=26 April 2010 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203090553/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8644000/8644149.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> 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]], who partially funded the works.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8034000/8034267.stm |title=Tyntesfield gets new learning hub |work=BBC News |date=6 May 2009 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203092246/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8034000/8034267.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Wildlife===
[[File:Tyntesfield Stable block.JPG|thumb|The stable block at Tyntesfield, the roof of which is a bat roost]]

====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]]. 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/8069573.stm |title=Tyntesfield's bat policy praised |work=BBC News |date=27 May 2009 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=30 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530173310/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8069573.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Visitor access==
Visitor access to Tyntesfield is via the B3128 road. The nearest train station is {{convert|2|mi}} away at [[Nailsea and Backwell railway station|Nailsea and Backwell]]. Bus services are available from [[Bristol bus station|Bristol]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timetables {{!}} First Bus |url=https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/timetables |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=www.firstbus.co.uk |language=en |archive-date=25 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225020814/https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/plan-journey/timetables |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/how-to-get-here/ |title=How to get here |publisher=[[National Trust]] |access-date=4 April 2013 |archive-date=18 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318115812/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/how-to-get-here/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The grounds include six [[geocaching]] trails.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningpicturegalleries/8259515/Top-calorie-busting-National-Trust-walks.html?image=4 |title=Top calorie-busting National Trust walks |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=4 April 2013 |archive-date=29 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129012105/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningpicturegalleries/8259515/Top-calorie-busting-National-Trust-walks.html?image=4 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==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 Scientific Films|Oxford Films]] documentary, ''The Lost World of Tyntesfield'', hosted by art historian [[Dan Cruickshank]].<ref>''The Lost World of Tyntesfield'', Oxford Films, https://oftv.co.uk/work/lost-world-tyntesfield/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818202705/https://oftv.co.uk/work/lost-world-tyntesfield/ |date=18 August 2022 }}</ref> The house was featured in the 2017 film ''[[Crooked House (film)|Crooked House]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTyntesfieldNT%2Fposts%2F1969770746372643 |title=Log into Facebook |website=Facebook.com |access-date=10 November 2021 |archive-date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110222235/https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https://www.facebook.com/TyntesfieldNT/posts/1969770746372643 |url-status=live }}</ref> an adaptation of the [[Crooked House|Agatha Christie novel of the same name]] starring [[Glenn Close]], [[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]]".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-04-14/doctor-who-call-the-midwifes-jessica-raine-previews-hide/ |title=Doctor Who: Call the Midwife's Jessica Raine previews Hide |access-date=7 October 2018 |archive-date=7 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007223157/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-04-14/doctor-who-call-the-midwifes-jessica-raine-previews-hide/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset]]
*[[List of National Trust properties in Somerset]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist|notes=}}

'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Boyce |first=Michael |title=Tyntesfield in WWII: The Story of an American Army Hospital 1943–45 and the Tyntesfield 'village' 1946–60 |year=2012 |publisher=SilverWood Books |isbn=978-1-78132-071-6}}
*{{cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18531 |contribution=Goathurst: Manors |editor-last=Dunning |editor-first=R. W. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1992 |title=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6: Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and neighbouring parishes) |isbn=978-0-19-722780-0 |access-date=28 January 2014 |archive-date=24 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424035243/http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18531 |url-status=live }}
*{{cite book |title=The Victorian Country House |url=https://archive.org/details/victoriancountry0000giro |url-access=registration |first=Mark |last=Girouard |author-link=Mark Girouard |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |date=1 July 1979 |isbn=978-0-300-02390-9 }}
*{{cite book |last=Greenacre |first=Francis W. |title=Tyntesfield |year=2003 |publisher=National Trust |isbn=978-1843590804 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tyntesfieldnorth00fran }}
*{{cite book |last=Hall |first=Michael |title=The Victorian Country House: From the Archives of Country Life |year=2009 |publisher=Aurum Press |isbn=978-1-84513-457-0}}
*{{cite book |title=My Dear Uncle William, Tyntesfield Letters |first=David J. |last=Hogg |isbn=978-0-9554457-2-9 |year=2011|publisher=D.J. Hogg }}
*{{cite book |last=Lilwall-Smith |first=Andrew |title=Period Living & Traditional Homes Escapes |year=2005 |publisher=Jarrold Publishing |isbn=9780711735941 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5NS_jmUTVLMC&q=Tyntesfield+restoration+public&pg=PA119 }}
*{{cite book |title=Fertile Fortune&nbsp;– The Story of Tyntesfield |first=James |last=Miller |publisher=National Trust |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-905400-40-9}}
*{{cite book |title=The buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol |first=Nikolaus |last=Pevsner |author-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |year=1973 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-071013-7}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.lovetts.eu/Tyntesfield.pdf |title=History of the House and Family at Tyntesfield |first=Terry |last=Steven |publisher=Kennet Valley National Trust |date=17 January 2011 |access-date=8 November 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111202/http://www.lovetts.eu/Tyntesfield.pdf |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book |last=Wakefield |first=Ken |title=Operation Bolero: The Americans in Bristol and the West Country 1942–45 |year=1994 |publisher=Crecy Books |isbn=978-0-947554-51-4}}
*{{cite book |title=Villages at War |first=Peter |last=Wright |year=1990 |publisher=Peter Wright |isbn=978-0-9516257-0-5}}
*{{cite web |last=Wright |first=Peter |url=http://www.ndlhs.org.uk/ebooks/Tyntesfield-Local-Memories.pdf |title=Local Memories & Research&nbsp;– Pennant Special No.8: Tyntesfield |publisher=Nailsea and District Local History Society |date=June 2003 |access-date=3 April 2013 |archive-date=12 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812123828/http://www.ndlhs.org.uk/ebooks/Tyntesfield-Local-Memories.pdf |url-status=live }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=Diaries of Tyntesfield |first=David J. |last=Hogg |isbn=978-0-9554457-3-6 |year=2009 |publisher=David J. Hogg}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tyntesfield}}
*[https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield Tyntesfield information at the National Trust]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/in_pictures/360_panoramas/tyntesfield/index.shtml Tyntesfield photographic/panoramic tour from the BBC]
*[https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_sum_of_all_paintings/Collection/Tyntesfield Wikidata List of paintings at Tintesfield]
*[http://www.minervaconservation.com/projects/tyntesfield.htm Stonemasons working at Tyntesfield]

[[Category:Houses completed in 1863]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset]]
[[Category:National Trust properties in Somerset]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Somerset]]
[[Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Somerset]]
[[Category:Structures on the Heritage at Risk register in Somerset]]
[[Category:Country houses in Somerset]]
[[Category:Grade I listed houses in Somerset]]