What was the house built on guano

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A.� Not the most elegant turn of phrase, but you must be referring to Tyntesfield, built with the fortune made by William Gibbs, who shipped bird droppings from Peru for use as fertiliser. < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� And what's so special about Tyntesfield

A.� It's a magnificent Victorian country house, said to have a silhouette worthy of Harry Potter's Hogwarts school, seven miles west of Bristol, with spectacular views to the Mendip Hills and across the Severn Estuary. It will be sold unless the National Trust and other groups can raise at least �15 million to preserve it and its contents.

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Q.� Who owns it

A.� The 2nd Lord Wraxall, who died last year, left the vast estate to be divided between 19 heirs.

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Q.� And they want to get rid of it

A.� Far from it. Many of the family still love the house, but none can afford to buy the others out. The estate is being put up for sale in April and an auction of the contents is planned because the executors do not want to look after the house for another winter.

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The National Trust, meanwhile, is trying to get approval from key committees this month and then see if cash is forthcoming from the Lottery Fund.

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Q.� It's well worth saving, then

A.� Absolutely. Tyntesfield, completed in 1875, is the epitome of the Victorian love affair with Gothic. It has numerous towers, turrets, pinnacles and gables. Painted, stencilled and papered walls are of an astonishing colour; many were decorated by John Crace, who redecorated Windsor Castle in the 1850s. Sofas and chairs are upholstered in their beautiful original fabrics. One recent visitor said: 'It's gloriously impractical. You walk miles to the bathroom and you can never find a light switch.'

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Q.� All the inspiration of William Gibbs

A.� Yes. He was a supporter of the High Church movement, financing the building of the great Victorian chapel at Keble College, Oxford, and 19 other churches. His father, Anthony had established himself in Madrid selling English cloth in Spain and sending Spanish fruit and wine to England.

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When that business crumbled, the family built a new empire based on guano - droppings that accumulated on Peruvian islets and became the most popular fertiliser in Victorian times.

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William's great-grandson, the 2nd Lord Wraxall who died last year, lived a reclusive life. Very few people, apart from family, visited him at the house.

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Q.� What are the chances of saving it

A.� Some of the estate's heirs are minors, so the executors have a duty to sell for the best price. The estate duty bill, possibly as much as �5 million, means the house and park could be accepted in lieu of tax and taken over by the National Trust.

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The trust would almost certainly seek grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

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Steve Cunningham