Quarry Bank restoration 'could cost £100,000'

The the landslide has left much of the site's ornamental gardens covered in mud

It could cost "in excess of £100,000" to restore a National Trust estate after it was badly damaged by heavy rain and flooding in January, the charity has said.

Quarry Bank in Cheshire was severely affected when the River Bollin broke its banks and caused "extensive erosion and a major landslide in the gardens", a representative said.

They said it was "too early" to be certain of the full cost of restoration, but it was expected to run into six figures as it needed to cover "clear-up, monitoring, prevention works and any redevelopment".

The country park, which includes a mill from the late 18th Century, draws about 250,000 visitors every year and has annual running costs of at least £2.2m.

Heavy rain and flooding caused significant damage at Quarry Bank estate

Estate general manager Roz Stone told BBC North West Tonight that "the level of rainfall and the speed at which it came" caused significant damage" to the estate, which lies in a valley in Styal, near Manchester Airport.

She said surface water from nearby roads and fields had flowed down a steep incline in the garden and caused a landslide which blocked paths.

She said the site had "definitely seen an increasing number of flood and bad weather events [and] a high number of storm closures this winter.

"We haven't had a landslide on the site previously so this has been a more significant event, but we are noticing that [poor weather] is becoming more and more the norm and a real challenge," she added.

The charity has launched an appeal for donations to help cover the cost of the restoration

The charity said experts would monitor and survey the area over the coming months to check for further land movements before they decide upon what action to take.

Ms Stone said the restoration "may not be as straightforward as restoring the area to how it was before".

"We've got to think about the fact that this type of event is more common now and could happen again," she said.

"So, potentially, we might want to take a different approach to planting or how we manage the landscape in the area."

Senior gardener Lisa Rogers added that Quarry Bank, which has featured in the BBC's Countryfile programme as well as Channel 4 drama The Mill, was "a rare example of a complete garden from the industrial picturesque age" with an "idyllic" landscape backed by a large mill.

"It is part of the irregularity and we do not hide from that, we embrace it."

The charity has launched an appeal for donations to help cover the cost of the restoration.