DYRHAM Park’s new roof is being put back together and visitors have made their mark on the final part of the project.

People with a love of the National Trust property, a 17th century Baroque mansion built by William Blathwayt, have been signing slates which will make up the new roof for several months and construction workers are now ready to start laying them in place.

It follows four months of work removing the 150-year-old old leaking roof which had been leaking and was in danger of causing permanent damage to the historic building.

Head of fundraising Sharon Hale said laying the signed slates was a touching moment for all involved in the £3.8million refurbishment project.

“This is a very special moment for us here at Dyrham Park – seeing all these wonderful messages being put into place as part of the new roof,” she said.

“We’ve been thrilled with the response to our sign a slate campaign which we’ve since seen mirrored elsewhere. People are delighted to learn they can support us by signing a slate and we’ve seen some really creative pieces.”

So far more than 5,000 people have signed a slate, including The Countess of Wessex, Lord Julian Fellowes, Dave Sproxton CBE from Bristol-based Aardman Animations and street artist and National Trust collaborator Luke Jerram, boosting fundraising for the work by £25,000.

On the signed Welsh slates, handprints have been a popular message, as have family trees, hearts and well wishes as well as poignant messages for lost ones and celebratory birthday, birth and marriage messages. Local groups have signed slates, including Girl Guides, Scouts and the local WI and staff and volunteers have also done so.

Mrs Hale, who also runs the National Trust shop on site which sells items made from the recycled slates, added: “We’re very grateful to everyone who’s supported us on this and hope they feel a key part of this important project – helping to safeguard the future of this special place.”

Site Manager Andy Nicholls, from Ken Biggs, said: “We’ve never done anything like this before – it really is special.

“We’re being extra careful with the slates as we know we’re dealing with people’s history here. We’re laying them using traditional techniques and mixing them in with the blank slates.”

Since the roofing project began in May, visitors have been able to view the ongoing work up close via a fully accessible rooftop walkway in the scaffolding. The walkway has been visited by tens of thousands of people, many of whom went on to sign a slate.

The sign a slate campaign is still open. People can sign their name on a shared slate (£5 donation), write their family message on their own slate (£25 donation) or see their message or photograph etched onto a slate which they can sign at a VIP evening drinks reception on the roof (£250 donation) for a few more weeks.

All the slates are expected to be back on the roof late in December, which is when the rooftop walkway will close and the scaffolding is due to start to come down.