A 100 tonne crane stole the view at Dyrham Park this week as it arrived on site as part of the house’s £3.8 million conservation project.


Scaffolding is being erected around the 17th-century house in order to provide builders access to the leaking roof as part of the major conservation project and the giant crane arrived yesterday to lift large trusses onto the scaffolding to form a protective temporary cover for the building while the roof is replaced.


The repair work is vital to safeguard the future of the 17th century National Trust historic house in Dyrham as the roof, which is 150-years-old, no longer protects the rooms and collections from the elements.


Scaffolders starting working on site on January 5 and now the crane has been brought in to move nine large roofing modules onto the roof with each module measuring 2.5m x 38m and weighing approximately 2.5 tonnes and is made up of aluminium beams and tube.


Colette Cuddihy, project manager at Dyrham Park, said: “We’ve had a few smaller cranes on site and they’re been impressive enough, but this crane is something else.”


The structure is due for completion at the end of April with a fully accessible scaffold walkway due to open in May, when rooftop tours will begin.


The entire project is expected to finish in mid-2016.