A NATIONAL Trust property in Dorset is set to appear in a BBC TV show’s second series.
Hidden Treasures of the National Trust will feature Kingston Lacy, near Wimborne, as the series aims to reveal new and compelling stories about the work going on behind the scenes at trust properties.
It also aims to highlight the passionate staff and volunteers who care for them.
Kingston Lacy features in the first programme of the series, where a wall of Bankes’ priceless art collection is in jeopardy due to a broken picture rail threatening with sending Old Masters to the ground.
In the grounds, the 2,000-year-old Philae Obelisk, a 29-foot Egyptian souvenir from one of Bankes’ expeditions along the Nile, is in need of repair.
The Obelisk took him several years to bring back to Kingston Lacy, where it was installed in pride of place in the grounds.
Megan Berrisford, collections and house manager at Kingston Lacy, said: “It was wonderful to be able to highlight the variety of collections projects we are carrying out every day - particularly our important repair of the picture rail in the Saloon which led to an exciting redisplay of the paintings, for the first time in 40 years.”
Alistair Pegg, BBC Arts commissioning editor, said: “I’m delighted to be delving behind the scenes once more at the National Trust, uncovering hidden histories of houses and their owners, secrets of the painstaking conservation carried out on beautiful objects and buildings, and the wonderful staff and volunteers who work, often unsung, across the country.”
Tarnya Cooper, curatorial and conservation director at the National Trust, said: “History comes to life before you at National Trust properties. Across hundreds of sites we have well over a million objects, which tell fascinating stories of the generations of people who commissioned, made and loved them.
“Looking after such diverse objects and places takes dedicated teams of people as well as expert conservators, and we hope BBC viewers will enjoy learning more about them and their work on wonderful collections ranging from must-see paintings and furniture to books and textiles to amazing architectural features.”
The first episode of the series will air on May 10 on BBC Two and iPlayer.
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