Shugborough Estate reopens after handover from council

Thousands of pounds have been ploughed in during recent months to improve the attraction, in Milford, Stafford, while it has been closed to the public - but regular visitors may need to take a closer look before they notice the changes.

First of all there is immediate bad news and good news for those going along today with two of the estate's biggest attractions still closed.

The iconic Shugborough Hall will not be open until Thursday with repainting work taking longer than anticipated. Perhaps more disappointing is the fact Lord Lichfield's historic apartments will not be available until the summer.

Trust spokesman Matt Critchley said: "There is still a lot of conservation work going on and we are talking to the Lichfield family about getting more of his belongings in there.

"We have also got work to do with his private entrance and spiral staircase which the public will be able to see, but we need to make sure it is secure."

One of the most controversial changes previously announced is the new £12 entry fee - scrapping the council's three-tier structure.

While the charge will save some users money, it will be a big increase for those who could simply enter the gardens for as little as £3.50 before.

But for the time-being entry has been halved to £6 until April 1 with children able to go for free due to the trust recognising they have not completed all of the work they had wanted by this time.

So what has changed?

First of all visitor car parking has expanded, with more spaces created for general and disabled users while electronic charging points set to arrive in the near future.

The car park has also been made 'all-weather' to support the new business model which now sees Shugborough open every day of the year except Christmas.

The visitor reception has been relocated to the car park, although currently in a temporary building with a new one in the pipeline to replace it. The old reception has been converted into a plant shop selling produce from the Walled Garden.

A new cafe at Park Farm is up and running, while the Mansion tea room will be ready for Easter.

Maintenance work has been carried out in the popular Midden garden which is home to the refurbished and expanded National Trust shop.

Reams of fencing have been removed to open up the Grade I listed estate and new walks have been introduced, including one up to the iconic Triumphal Arch.

On a more subtle note new signage has been installed across the site in keeping with other National Trust properties, to help people navigate the land.

Pathways and driveways have also been resurfaced and come spring the gardens are expected to be drenched in colour after volunteers planted more than 8,000 bulbs over the winter.

One of the main aims has been to introduce subtle decor to help tell the story of Shugborough's beginnings.

The trust shop, painted in its distinctly nautical theme, is a perfect example of how the trust wants to celebrate the tale of the two Anson brothers.

It was of course Admiral George Anson's capture of a Spanish galleon during his circumnavigational expedition in the 1700s which enabled his brother Thomas Anson to build 'the perfect paradise' and 'arcadia' that is Shugborough Estate.

Development of Shugborough's 'stories' including its links to Lord of the Rings writer JRR Tolkien as well as the mysterious cipher, are in the pipeline but the trust have said more research is needed before they can actively promote those features.

The National Trust took over Shugborough from Staffordshire County Council last November with the authority vowing to invest £20m over the next three years as a condition of ending its 99-year-lease halfway through.

The charity's vision is to treble visitor numbers from around 84,000 last year to 250,000 although they have said it will likely take a decade to achieve all the changes they want.

Hayley Mival, project manager for Shugborough, said: "Over the winter period the Shugborough team have focused on investing in visitor facilities and starting urgent conservation works, as well as ensuring the site is safe for our visitors. I am really excited to be able to share this work with our visitors and invite them to join us on our 10 year journey in to unchartered territory as we put in place our vision for the future for Shugborough.

"The team at Shugborough invite you to join them on this exciting journey as Shugborough continues to develop over the next ten years and looks forward to welcoming visitors on site to see all exciting changes and work that has taken place in the last few months."