Tyntesfield

Just opened fully in 2010. We had not been before but as members of the national trust we were very impressed. Advertised as their jewel in their crown and we said it was the best property we have seen. Strongly recommend it for a visit.

A nice house in pleasant ground. It’s a fair walk from the car park, which includes the shop, toilets and café, to the gardens and house though. Getting a ticket for the house can be a lottery as there is restoration work ongoing, so tickets are timed and limited.

I wanted to visit this amazing gothic house ever since it was featured on the local news. The house is a National Trust property now and they have been spending the years since its purchase cataloguing every room, cleaning and restoring and making it return to its former glory.
It was built in the 19^th century from money made by South American bat guano. There is a large family chapel and a good chunk of land as part of the estate. The gardens are well-​worth viewing, especially if you are there when everything is in bloom.
When we visited, they had finished the library restoration and were working on the massive sitting room and dining room. I enjoyed seeing the billiards room and the kitchen & scullery. The upstairs was off-​limits, though, time has moved on and may be partially open by now.
It’s one of those places you can visit every year (or multiple times in a year) and see the improvements and restorations change each time.

I really did love this place but if I did have to make a comment, its not exactly child friendly, well young baby friendly anyway! I went here when my son was very young and it was a bit of a pain and my dad had to stay outside with the buggy whilst we went in with the other children. I suppose this is not really that shocking since it’s an old house but it was just a long way to walk from the car park to the house but we still really enjoyed looking around the house.

One of the National Trust sites near Bristol, Tyntesfield is a great day out. And popular too considering we went on a Tuesday and it was pretty busy.
You need to spend at least half a day there given all that there is to see and absorb. The gardens are beautiful to just sit in, admire the view and mull over all you will have seen. I could easily imagine myself in a Victorian novel and way of life as I walked around. You can wander at your own pace or join some of the guided tours the staff are abundant, helpful and passionate about the house and history (there is someone in every room to answer questions and point out interesting facts). It is easy to be transported to a bygone era with the enormous rooms, stone and wood carving, tiles, marble, stain glass windows and opulent fabric and furnishing s.
It is an ongoing restoration project with a £20 million injection of capital in 2006 there is much to see at the moment and even more to come we were only able to see downstairs.

A beautiful nineteenth century mansion in Wraxall. It is in the process of being restored by the National Trust so things can seem a bit haphazard with a temporary café and people pottering around inside the house itself doing cleaning and other jobs. This adds to the charm though, rather like visiting an archaeological dig while it is in progress. The parking is also rudimentary but adequate. There is a small bus from the café area down to the house itself which is useful for those with small children or mobility problems as the walk is a bit steep in places.
The house itself is beautiful and a real gem of Victorian gothic baronial architecture and design. The chapel in particular is lovely. Be warned that access is by timed ticket and they tend to run out very quickly at busy times like weekends and bank holidays so turn up early if you want to see the house. The gardens are lovely in their own right though with a huge expanse of lawn that is just begging to be lazed around on. There is also a kitchen garden with occasional sales of produce.

Masterpiece of Victorian art and architecture, privately owned until five years ago but now in hands of National Trust. Original features preserved by generations of the family who also filled the house with extravagant works of art and furniture

Well, first let me admit that I am a little bit biased towards Tyntesfield. I did some work experience there a while back and it was AMAZING.
Tyntesfield is an amazing and unique property situated in Wraxhall, near Nailsea (many busses from Bristol Bus Station run right next to it). It has remained virtually untouched since the early 20^th centure, and as such is one of the greatest Historical properties in the country.
It is definately worth a visit, although there are a few downsides. Like many National Trust Properties it has been developed with um. more elderly people in mind. Although this is no bad thing it can meant that younger visitors feel a bit alienated when they visit. If you are younger and are interested in visiting I would suggest doing some volunteering there, its much more exciting as you get to really explore the house!

Tyntesfield is a gorgeous 19^th-​century estate with beautiful gardens and great views of the surrounding countryside. The guides are friendly and know a lot about the history of the place, which includes the fact that the family built the house from the money they made by selling bat guano.
Try and find out what its busiest times are, and avoid them, because if you’re walking through the house they do tend to try and hurry the visitors through to avoid congestion. I understand why they do this, but it does leave me feeling like I haven’t enjoyed the place is much as I could have.