AN IMPRESSIVE new visitor centre has been opened a Tyntesfield with numerous original features retained for authenticity.

Home Farm on the National Trust estate in Wraxall has been converted into a vast facility including a shop, restaurant, second-hand bookshop, garden shop, wildlife hub, straw-bale ticket and information building and farm-themed play area.

The majority of the features in the Grade II-listed, Victorian buildings, which were built in the 1880s, have been preserved, including animals’ drinking bowls, cow byres and feeding stalls.

The covered yard, used originally to rear farm animals, is now a specious welcome area, shop and restaurant and a new staircase, lift and steel-framed bridge take visitors to the upper yard where they will find the cafe, book shop and other facilities.

The piggery energy centre on the upper yard is also where visitors can learn about Home Farm’s green credentials, including its biomass boiler, solar thermal panels and photovoltaic cells.

The transformation of Home Farm was completed thanks to funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Tyntesfield general manager Anna Russell said: “The completion of Home Farm Visitor Centre marks another major step in the transformation of Tyntesfield.

“Light and airy, brimming with the original sense and spirit of the Victorian farm, the new facilities provide a fantastic first impression to our visitors.

“While the house and gardens have always offered a great day out, visitors now have a new dimension to add to that enjoyment - especially as Home Farm is free to visit and open 364 days of the year.”