Waddesdon Manor is set to become a flagship for heritage sustainability after announcing plans to install the National Trust’s largest ever ground source heat pump system, replacing its ageing gas boilers with renewable heating technology while helping to protect one of Britain’s most important historic houses and art collections.
The ambitious partnership between the National Trust and the Rothschild Foundation will see the Grade I-listed Buckinghamshire estate transition away from fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions by 124 tonnes annually while creating a more stable environment for the Manor’s internationally significant collection of art, furniture and historic interiors.
Rather than simply modernising the building’s infrastructure, the project demonstrates how renewable technology can play a vital role in the long-term conservation of historic houses. A constant internal temperature will help safeguard sensitive artworks and objects by eliminating the fluctuations that can damage collections over time.
The new system will replace a heating network that currently burns almost one million kilowatt hours of gas each year. An array of 46 boreholes, each extending 160 metres beneath the North Lawn, will harness natural heat from the ground before transferring it to new heat pumps installed within the Manor’s basement. Once complete, the system will generate more than 500,000kWh of renewable heat annually, with no visible impact on the historic landscape above ground.
Work will begin in August 2026, with drilling taking place on the North Lawn before internal installation starts later in the year. The project is expected to be completed in April 2027, ahead of celebrations marking Waddesdon Manor’s 150th anniversary.
Paul Cook, Project Sponsor and Assistant Director of Operations at the National Trust, said:
“This project is a major step forward in our ambition to reduce carbon emissions across our estate. Working with the Rothschild Foundation allows us to safeguard Waddesdon Manor’s heritage while embracing modern, renewable technologies that will protect it for generations to come.”
Pippa Shirley, Project Sponsor and Director of Waddesdon Manor for the Rothschild Foundation, added:
“We are all greatly looking forward to this bold project to enable the Manor to run more sustainably and preserve its extraordinary collections, working in partnership with the National Trust. It expresses more clearly than any words the Rothschild Foundation and the National Trust’s determination to put conservation, stewardship and the environment at the heart of their long-term strategy. It’s also an opportunity for us to explain and talk about sustainable systems with the public and to show that they are possible to achieve even in a historic listed building. I know that our visitors will be as excited as we are by this statement of faith in all our futures.”
Visitors will continue to be able to enjoy the house and gardens for much of the construction period, although the North Lawn will temporarily close while the underground infrastructure is installed. The Manor will then close for the winter season from late November 2026 to allow the internal works to be completed before reopening in spring 2027.
The project marks a significant moment for one of Britain’s leading historic houses, demonstrating how ambitious sustainability measures can coexist with the conservation of heritage buildings and the protection of nationally important art collections.
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