WORK on a scheme to restore a ruined stately home is set to begin next year at a cost of nearly £1 million.

Witley Court, in Great Witley, has been given a £727,000 boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help renovate gardens and the Grade I listed Perseus and Andromeda fountain, which fell into disrepair when the house was destroyed by fire in 1937.

The scheme, which will focus on the South Parterre garden, is set to begin next autumn and will be finished in time for Easter 2003.

It will cost £970,000, 75 per cent of which will be covered by the grant.

English Heritage took over guardianship of Witley Court in 1984 and has since carried out repairs to the house, improved visitor access and used previous grants to buy and restore woodland walks to the north of the 60-acre site.

The gardens were created by prominent Victorian designer William Andrews Nesfield, while the house was frequently visited by royalty and aristocracy when home to the Earl of Dudley in the 19th century.

English Heritage regional director Mary King said: "When the works are completed, visitors will again be able to enjoy what was historically one of the most important gardens in central England."

Witley Court last month became home to the Jerwood Sculpture Park, the first permanent attraction of its kind in the West Midlands.