National Trust's Stourhead pantheon gets £260k boost

Stourhead is one of the most photographed National Trust gardens in the country

One of the most photographed National Trust sites in the country is be given a £260,000 charity grant.

Stourhead in Wiltshire is the South West's most visited trust property, while the pantheon across the lake is one of its most important features.

According to the trust the listed building has a leaking roof and cracked steps and is in urgent need of repairs.

Mike MacCormack, from the trust, said Stourhead's "iconic views would not be the same if the pantheon wasn't there".

Modelled on the pantheon in Rome, by architect Henry Flitcroft, it was carefully placed in the landscape along with 20 other buildings and structures. The last time work was carried out on the pantheon was in the 1980s when its dome and interior was restored.

Now cash from the Sita Trust, a charitable organisation which distributes donations from the waste management firm Sita UK, will be used to repair the building.