Hidden Treasures of the National Trust: BBC documentary series back for a second run

However, it seems that as well as making for a nice day out, the National Trust can also provide us with an entertaining night in. Last year, BBC2 brought us the series Hidden Treasures of the National Trust, which went behind the scenes of the organisation, meeting the dedicated teams of volunteers, experts and curators battling to keep our priceless heritage alive.

Episodes followed everything from an attempt to precisely recreate the wallpaper in Paul McCartney’s childhood home to the work involved in preparing a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I for a tour of North America.

It proved to be such a hit with viewers that the BBC is now bringing the documentary series back for a second run, as the National Trust takes us behind closed doors once more.

Tarnya Cooper, Curatorial and Conservation Director at the National Trust, says: “History comes to life before you at National Trust properties. Across hundreds of places 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 opening episode features two houses which reflect the unconventional natures of their former owners.

Located on the Devon Coast, A La Ronde is a unique 16-sided building, which was built in the late 18th century for two unmarried cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter.

The crowing glory of the property, which was taken on by the National Trust in the 1990s, is the Shell Gallery.

A single round room at the very top of the house, its walls are covered in over 26,000 sea shells, but after two centuries, it is looking its age. Conservator Rachel Lawson and her team have the tricky job of restoring it to its former glory.

We also travel 60 miles along the coast from A La Ronde to Kingston Lacy, the ancestral seat of the Bankes family.

When explorer and art collector William John Bankes inherited the property in 1834 he set about transforming the house with new interiors inspired by Venetian palaces.

Sadly, he never got to see his vision fulfilled. After being charged for a second time with homosexual acts, at a time when gay relationships were punishable by death, he went into self-imposed exile. However, he continued to collect artworks and artefacts, which he then sent home.

They include the 2,000-year-old Philae Obelisk, a 90-metre-high Egyptian souvenir from one of Bankes’ expeditions along the Nile, and a whole wall of Old Masters.

Sadly, lichen, moss and a broken picture rail are putting his collection at risk, and cameras follow the National Trust experts who are working to save them.