AN ambitious £750,000 project to peel back the centuries at a top Herefordshire attraction is underway with hopes of restoring its original Georgian glory.

Over 200 years ago Fishpool Valley, part of Croft Castle’s 1,500-acre grounds at Yarpole, was designed as a pleasure park in the Picturesque style. Now the National Trust, which took ownership of the estate 60 years ago, is embarking on work to revive the late 18th century vistas, a series of seven dams and pools, a pumphouse, grotto, limekiln and icehouse.

Plans for this largely forgotten valley, popular with dog walkers, have received received criticism from some. But the National Trust is keen to point out that a decline in management of the landscape during the late 19th and early 20th centuries has left the Picturesque features in a poor state of repair.

Part of the grotto has already disappeared, the banks of the fishpools have eroded and key vistas have been lost. This valley was originally laid out with carriage rides, walks and spectacular viewpoints, though trees planted back in the reign of George III as part of the original design have long since been obscured.

An enthusiastic team of 17 volunteers is working alongside head ranger Jason Wood to thin trees and undergrowth, among them David Holmes, whose devotion to Croft Castle and its grounds is shared by three generations of his family.

“It’s a wonderful place and it’s very exciting being part of this major project,” he said.

Much of Fishpool Valley is dedicated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its wealth of bird life, aquatic plants and lichens, not to mention protected species of bat and the endangered white-clawed crayfish. This means that ongoing efforts to restore the area has to be done with great sensitivity.

An in-depth conservation plan as well as archaeology and wildlife reports have been scrutinised by project manager, Imogen Sambrook. She explained: “We need to get the timing just right to ensure there are no adverse effects on the valley and that our plans enhance and improve habitats for flora and fauna.” Work will be halted during the spring and summer when birds are nesting, she said.

General manager, David Bailey praised supporters whose funding has enabled the project to go ahead, though it’s hoped that donations will continue to be made as the area becomes accessible to more visitors.

“Thanks to them we’re able to restore this almost forgotten valley,” he said. “It’s a fascinating site which, in its heyday, would have been a working valley, supporting the castle and family to live off the estate.”

He continued: “We’re keen to see the dams repaired, the woodland and wildlife brought into better condition and some of the original features brought back to life so visitors can experience it as it would have been more than 200 years ago.”

The project is likely to take several years to complete, when it is envisaged that Fishpool Valley will be a living example of a parkland drafted two centuries ago.