Georgian glasshouse discovered at Attingham Park

Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the remains of a large Georgian glasshouse on a country estate.

What was thought to be a service building at Attingham Park near Shrewsbury, has been revealed to be a much larger building.

Lead archaeologist Viviana Caroli said the glasshouse would have been imposing and costly.

"We were not expecting such a big building," she said.

Remains of the summer house were first discovered on the Shropshire estate in 2018, during routine assessment work.

There had been no historical record of the building, thought to date back to Georgian times (1714-1837) but over the last five years more of the area has been dug up.

Ms Caroli said her team was "in shock" when they discovered the extent of the glasshouse, which she said could be described as a "heated garden room".

It was known the owner of Attingham Park at that time spent a lot of money and the glasshouse would have been "a big expense for the estate", she added.

The National Trust said it has been learning more about the late Georgian building, which had a brick-walled enclosure, an oval brick-built pool and a piped water system supply.

It said the dig is due to end on 27 July, but it will leave the site open for a while longer, for visitors to see.

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