TENTS-field

England

North Somerset

Somersetshire

Wraxall

51.44347

-2.73316

1863

1866

Fully Extant

Grade I

Unknown

No

Yes

08448-004-966

01275-461-900

The National Trust

Visitor Attraction

Rev. George Turner Seymour, early 19th century (Seymour occupied the earlier house called Tyntes Place). William Gibbs, 19th century. Baron Wraxall.

The current Victorian house was built around an earlier house (early 19th century) called Tyntes Place, after the Tyntes family, who lived near Wraxall in the 16th century.

William Gibbs

Amazingly, Tyntesfield contains virtually all of its original fixtures, including fittings by Blomfield, Woodyer, Crace, and Norton. The house was rebuilt for William Gibbs (1790-1875), who famously made a huge fortune importing guano (bird droppings) from Latin America for use as a fertilizer. The 43-bedroom house was designed by John Norton in 1863 around the core of an early 19th century house called Tyntes Place. The Library and Drawing Room are each 40 feet long. The House cost the huge sum of £70,000 to rebuild (equivalent to £4,416,136 in 2005 inflation-adjusted values). A square tower that originally stood over the porch was demolished circa 1935. Tyntesfield House was upgraded to a Grade I listing in 2002. The National Trust purchased the Estate in June 2002, with the buildings and land costing £9 million and the contents a further £9.5 million. This initial total of £18.5 million was met from the £17.4 million granted by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the balance being made up with donations from individuals and foundations. Figures now available suggest that the total cost of saving the property could exceed £50 million. A further £14 million is required for immediate repairs and education, training and access. In January of 2004 The National Trust will submit an application for £20 million to Heritage Lottery Fund to fund a variety of projects at the property. The Trust has broken its own rule at Tyntesfield and has taken on the Estate without an endowment; the establishment of an endowment will require an additional £18 million.

Tyntesfield is frequently called the greatest Victorian house in Britain. James Miller, writing in "Fertile Fortune: The Story of Tyntesfield," calls the house "one of the greatest Gothic houses ever built in England."

The grounds contain many outbuildings, some of which are listed Grade II* and Grade II, including a classical style Orangery (built 1897), lodges, Gothic garden seats, a late 19th century timber framed Aviary, a Summer House, a Saw Mill of circa 1865-70, and the Gas Works (late 19th century).

John Harris has called the Chapel at Tyntesfield "…the grandest private chapel in England, as large as a parish church." It was designed by Arthur Blomfield and built 1873-75. Pevsner called the stained glass in the Chapel "exceptionally good." The stained glass in the nave was designed by Wooldridge in the style of Walter Crane and executed by firm of Powell's.

"Antiques Roadshow" (2005 - TV BBC documentary, episode 27.18). "Dracula" (2006 - TV). "Angel" (2007).