THE Prince of Wales appeared happy and relaxed as he strolled around Witley Court in glorious autumn sunshine yesterday.

He was there to fire up the spectacular Perseus and Andromeda fountain, recently restored thanks to a £727,500 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, but the Prince spent more than two hours at the Grade 1 listed Witley Court, happily chatting to school children and Great Witley residents.

He talked at length to Mary Cartwright, aged 77 - who remembered at first-hand the huge fire that destroyed Witley Court in 1937 - before stepping up to the podium to address the 100-strong crowd, which included council representatives, English Heritage personnel, archaeologists, consultants, contractors and crafts people.

The prince, who is president of The Fountain Society and was enjoying his first visit to Witley Court, was following in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather Edward VII, who visited when he was Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles told the crowd he was "greatly honoured to be here" and called the fountain "remarkable".

"It is enormously encouraging that the grounds and fountain have been gradually 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.

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

The fountain was completed in 1853, and cost the equivalent of more than £1m. The main jet of the fountain, which has dozens of jets hidden among giant shells, sea nymphs, dolphins and a huge serpent, reaches up to 90ft.

Sir Neil Cossons, chairman of English Heritage, called the fountain "one of the great spectacles of Worcestershire".

"We're here to celebrate the restoration of the fountain and also the parterre gardens," he said, adding he had feared it would be "kettles at dawn" to thaw the fountain's frozen water but luckily the sun had come out.

"Today marks a change in Witley Court's history and I hope we can look forward to a much more auspicious future for the house - a romantic ruin in a glorious setting."

Sir William Lawrence, chairman of Visit Heart of England tourist board, said the fountain - once coveted by Hollywood legend Bing Crosby - was unique to the region and a "great boost" for tourism.

"It is a great spectacle and I'm sure people from all walks of life will enjoy it."

The Mayor of Worcester, Coun Gareth Jones, said he had fond memories of the fountain as a boy and said it was "one of the finest in the country".

"It's absolutely marvellous. I remember it being totally derelict - a huge amount of work's been done by the conservationists.

"It is more than fitting that His Royal Highness has come here today to fire the fountain."