AFTER a huge £5.4 million project to save the roof of an old Tudor mansion, the historic attraction is now fully re-opened.

The Vyne, in Sherborne St John, under went extensive restoration work on its roof after heavy storm damage revealed leaks and severe problems with the chimneys.

After funds were raised by the owners of the site the National Trust, the Tudor site, which was visited by the likes of Henry VIII and Jane Austen, had its first major restoration since 1842.

Now spaces previously closed off to visitors have been opened up to host a snapshot of The Vyne’s huge roof project.

Against a backdrop of construction sights and sounds, visitors can watch bird’s-eye-view drone footage and learn how more than 3,000 precious items were protected in the house.

There is also an opportunity to watch live conservation on a grand scale too, as The Vyne’s entire library of 2,419 books is restored to its shelves – a project which is expected to take six months.

Each book is being cleaned and photographed, and any finds, from intimate margin scribblings to personal letters, will be shared with visitors as they are discovered.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the untold story of brother and sister Caroline and William Wiggett, who help save The Vyne. Newly presented rooms in the show showcase collections of the house’s past, mirroring 19th-century watercolours painted by members of the family.

Later this year, a new ‘below stairs’ experience opens in the servants’ quarters at The Vyne, inspired by personal family memoirs.

With extra dates to be announced in 2019, previously out of bounds spaces are revealed, on ‘behind the scenes’ tours, taking visitors into the atmospheric cellars, attics, and onto the newly restored roof of the Tudor mansion.

For more information on the new installation at The Vyne, go to nationaltrust.org.uk/the-vyne.