WINTER sun welcomed Prince Charles on his first trip to the district when he dropped into historic Witley Court for a not-so-flying visit on Monday.

The president of the Fountain Society spent more than two hours at the Grade I listed 19th century stately home - where he fired up the spectacular Perseus and Andromeda fountain, which has been restored with £727,500 lottery cash.

And the Prince of Wales proved he was enjoying his visit when he came to do the honours.

"I'm not quite sure why you fire a fountain. I have a feeling you should flush a fountain, not fire it!" he quipped.

He chatted to schoolchildren and Great Witley residents - and enjoyed a lengthy conversation with 77-year-old Mary Cartwright, who remembers the huge fire that destroyed Witley Court in 1937.

And the heir to the throne told the gathering of about 100 council representatives, English Heritage staff, archaeologists, consultants, contractors and craftspeople he was "greatly honoured" to be there.

"It is enormously encouraging that the grounds and fountain have been brought back to life - there is nothing more rewarding - and there is a great debt of gratitude to everybody who's been involved in the restoration in the last 20 or 30 years."

Completed in 1853, the fountain cost the equivalent of more than £1 million. The main jet reaches up to 90ft.

Prince Charles was following in the footsteps of his great-great grandfather Edward VII, who visited Witley Court when he was Prince of Wales.