Fertile Fortune : The Story of Tyntesfield

Tyntesfield, with its pinnacles and turrets and its soaring Gothic chapel set against a backdrop of hanging woods, is a magical place.

In 1843, William Gibbs bought the house, then a modest Regency villa just outside Bristol, and began to enlarge it, using his huge fortune from guano - bird droppings from South America - that made excellent agricultural fertiliser.

William and his wife Matilda were fervent promoters of the Oxford Movement, paying for 19 churches to be built or restored, including the superb chapel at Tyntesfield, designed by Arthur Blomfield.

Antony, their eldest son, shared his parents' religious beliefs and appreciation of Gothic architecture.

He moved into Tyntesfield with his family in 1890, following major alterations to the house.

His love of craftsmanship can be seen not only in the decorative details of the house, but also in the objects that he collected.

Antony's portrait shows a country squire, with gun in hand, but his son George, who inherited the estate in 1907, pursued a much more luxurious lifestyle, carrying through a programme of redecoration of the house, and major changes to the garden and estate. In 1928 he was made Baron Wraxall of Clyst St George.

George died unexpectedly in 1931, leaving his elder son Richard heir to the estate at the age of three.

For half a century Tyntesfield was presided over by Richard's mother, Ursula, Lady Wraxall.

After her death, Richard led a very quiet life here, making it one of the most mysterious and least-known of English country houses.

When he died in 2001, Tyntesfield faced an uncertain future: the most likely scenario was that the house, estate and contents would be split up and sold off.

With remarkable speed, another solution was found. A substantial contribution, over #17 million, from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, together with generous donations large and small from members of the public, enabled the National Trust to acquire Tyntesfield.

The National Trust opened the house to visitors in April 2003.

This book traces the history of the house and estate through the four generations of the Gibbs family and their various interests.

James Miller first visited Tyntesfield in the 1980s, and recalls the particular atmosphere of the house in the autumn of its life. He has also been involved in the transfer of the estate to the National Trust, and has the most complete knowledge of the family's history and of the wealth of contents remaining at Tyntesfield.