SCAFFOLDING work to cover Tredegar House has started as part of a multi-million pound conservation project.

The scaffolding build began on the Tredegar House: Lifting the Lid project last week.

Pen Mill Scaffolding have secured the site along the 17th-century façade and around the corner of the house into the Cedar Garden.

As the work progresses, staff will be building stairs for roof tours next season which will allow visitors to see the conservation work up close.

This will also be the first time members of the public will be able to look out over Oak Avenue and imagine how far the family estate would have stretched.

The scaffolding build is a large project which will see the framework extend up to ten metres from the house in order to provide enough weight to keep the structure stable without unnecessarily drilling into the masonry of the Grade I listed building.

Eventually, the scaffolding will progress up and over the front of the house and down into the courtyard in the centre of the building; entirely covering the iconic façade of the property.

The scaffolding work is due to be completed before the Christmas break, with the work to remove and replace the roof slates starting in January.

The project is vital for the future of the historic house as several holes in the roof have caused rain water to leak into a number of attic rooms.