VISITORS to Croome Court, near Pershore, can now learn more about a “Hidden House” which lies behind the mansion’s walls.

The current mid-18th century house hides an earlier house inside its walls which dates back to the mid-17th century.

A giant model of the older property has been created out of playable building blocks and aims to provide a hands-on activity for history enthusiasts.

Model-maker Will Datson, who created the piece, said: “Working on the ‘Hidden House’ was both a challenge and a pleasure.

“My intention was to create a model which was not only accurate and of high quality, but also a work of art that is fun for visitors to interact with.”

Tom Bennett, creative director at Croome, added: “We thought this project was a great way for visitors to physically and visually see how the two houses that make up Croome Court fit together.

“We want to encourage visitors to dismantle the pieces and have fun trying to rebuild them.”

The process of creating the model was somewhat complex.

No historical drawings or plans survive of the earlier “hidden” Carolean house, which was re-modelled by famous landscape designer Capability Brown into the Palladian Georgian mansion house seen today.

Many features of the old house can be seen in the current house including blocked up doorways, old sections of floors and even a hidden glazed iron window recently uncovered from inside two walls in the basement.

Extensive research was undertaken by architectural historian Catherine Gordon and artist David Birtwhistle on the house behind the walls.

Using their findings, David Birtwhistle was able to produce a beautiful and intriguing painting of what Croome Court used to look like.

This painting was then used by model-maker Will Datson to create a model of the two houses, one which fits within the other.

Croome Court in miniature can be taken apart to reveal the older house underneath.

Visitors can play with the Hidden House in Croome Court every day from 11am to 4.30pm, except on Tuesdays when the site is closed.