SNOWSHILL Manor and Garden is now open seven days a week until the end of the autumn half term; the first time visitors have been able to visit all week.
Normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, the National Trust, which runs the manor, was granted planning permission to open for longer hours earlier this year.
On the two new open days, volunteers will be running special guided tours, sharing their stories of the huge collection of objects brought to Snowshill Manor by the collector and craftsman Charles Wade.
"It has become increasingly obvious to us that people want flexibility in which day they choose to come to visit us," said Dominic Hamilton, Snowshill’s general manager.
"Our volunteer-run guided tours on Mondays and Tuesdays will give visitors a rare chance to see the manor as Charles Wade might have shown it to guests when he lived here. This is perhaps the best way of understanding what can be a puzzling place, and a chance to hear the stories of how the remarkable objects he collected were made.
"Normally Sundays and Wednesdays are our busiest days so we’d expect the Mondays and Tuesdays to be a bit quieter.
"And since we are open longer, we will have plenty more space for more volunteers to join our team – so if anybody is interested in giving their time to help to bring Snowshill to life, we’d love to hear from them."
In addition to being able to see the house on guided tours, Snowshill Manor is running a special Conservation in Action week from September 14 to 20 when experts will be on hand to show how the team maintains such a vast collection in top condition.
"We are hoping to return our visitor numbers to the level they were at a few years ago. We know many of our visitors also support local businesses so we are aware that the future success of the manor is important to the local economy. We have worked with the community here to make sure that we have a minimal impact on the peace of this gorgeous corner of the Cotswolds,~" added Mr Hamilton.
More information about the new opening hours at Snowshill Manor and the opportunities available for volunteers, is on www.nationaltrust.org.uk/snowshillmanor
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here