National Trust's Oxburgh Hall put at risk by drought and rising temperatures as moat dries up
Record breaking heat and dry weather is putting at risk a 500-year-old stately home just weeks after the National Trust completed a £6m refurbishment project.
Completed in 1482, Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk is a popular attraction known for its architecture, gorgeous gardens and moat that surrounds the building.
But with record-breaking heat and dry weather caused by climate change the moat's water levels are dropping, and the clay within the foundations needs to be wet to prevent structural problems arising.
The danger has arisen just weeks after a replacement of the hall's roof - all 14,000 tiles - was completed, in a project that saw 31 miles of scaffold tubing erected around the hall.
Staff say they have found a solution to keep water in the moat - and therefore keep the building safe - but it has prompted a serious warning from the charity.
“We shouldn’t be surprised by these temperatures, it’s what the science has been saying for decades," said Keith Jones of the National Trust.
“But even with years of planning, some of the effects are stark, and we are still learning the precise impacts extreme weather events like this can have.”
The National Trust has had to take extreme measures at many of its sites:
Brancaster Staithe on the Norfolk coast suffered a serious fire which saw houses in the village alight and spread to the Brancaster Estate. The fire ruined vegetation along the flood bank and killed many invertebrates.
At Ickworth in Suffolk the ranger team is predicting they could lose between 50-70% of their yearling trees this year due to lack of rainfall, even with watering.
At Houghton Mill in Cambridgeshire river levels on the River Great Ouse have dropped to a point where the water wheel is no longer able to mill flour.
Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk has adapted its gardens, including creating a "drought tolerant" one that has only required watering once as it is filled with dry plants from Australia and the Mediterranean.
Across National Trust sites dead animals were found as a result of July’s heatwave, including young birds, mice and frogs.
The National Trust suggested everyone can play their part in mitigating the effects of climate change.
“Practising sustainable gardening is one way of doing this – avoiding peat based composts and insecticides, installing water butts, creating habitats for wildlife and choosing drought tolerant plants,” added Mr Jones.
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