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Montacute House

Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor visits Montacute in Somerset, home to an impressive 400-year-old Elizabethan mansion and some of the rarest wildlife in the UK.

Montacute House is one of the jewels in the crown of Somerset’s countryside. The 400-year-old Elizabethan mansion situated at the heart of the estate is certainly impressive, but its surrounding countryside is where the real treasures lie, as it’s home to some of the rarest wildlife in the UK.

Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor explore the estate to see how its 270 acres of woodland, parkland and formal gardens are managed to support some of our rarest creatures. Margherita meets a man who has dedicated the last 70 years to protecting UK snail species and helps him reintroduce the rare Roman snail to the estate grounds. Margherita also sees how the estate is seeking to entice great crested newts to its ponds. Matt is busy creating habitats for bat species, and we find out about the ancient techniques used to preserve the interior of Montacute House.

In the Cotswolds, Adam Henson is looking at how drones could help with soil health by planting crops by air.

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54 minutes

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Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matt Baker
Presenter Margherita Taylor
Presenter Adam Henson
Series Editor Mark Beech
Series Producer Gavin Ahern

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