NATIONAL TRUST: THE HOUSE
Sunday 17 April 2005 8pm-9pm; 12.20am-1.20am; 2.50am-3.50am
Tyntesfield House is the true embodiment of the nation's majestic past - the resplendent, grandiose National Trust property that graces magazine pages and television screens.
When the triumphant Trust managed to raise the funds to save Tyntesfield from being auctioned off in chunks, rumours were rampant that it had been snatched from under the acquisitive eyes of Kylie Minogue and a possible heir. The Trust acted with speed to save this grand estate for the nation, raising £20 million in two months from public and private sources. But the money came with strings attached.
This episode tells the gripping inside story of the crusade to save Tyntesfield and make it the blueprint for the new thinking and modernity central to the National Trust of the 21st century. The goal: more public access and education through heritage. The problem: how?
As the public access to the estate hits huge stumbling blocks, and the Trust asks for more public money to run it - will the fairytale of Tyntesfield turn into a nightmare? MPs are already starting to ask difficult questions. Join hard-pressed staff, builders and the people holding the purse strings, to hear what happened when the National Trust acquired the mighty mansion.
