Lord Wraxall's will gave Tyntesfield to 19 relatives and ordered a fast sale, and the public raised millions to buy it

William Gibbs bought Tyntes Place near Bristol in 1843 and renamed it Tyntesfield. His family firm, Antony Gibbs & Sons, held an effective monopoly on importing Peruvian guano into Europe and North America from 1847. Richard Gibbs, 2nd Baron Wraxall, used three rooms of the house and died unmarried on 19 July 2001, aged 73. His will set up a trust for the surviving children of his brother and his half-sister, 19 beneficiaries in all^†. If a majority of the trustees agreed to sell, the sale had to be completed within 12 months, to the highest bidder. The trustees chose to sell. Savills offered the house, about 1,000 acres of farmland, 650 acres of woodland and 30 houses and cottages in three lots at an estimated £15 million. Christie's estimated the contents at another £15 million. The National Trust launched an appeal in spring 2002. It raised £8.2 million in 100 days, including two anonymous gifts of £1 million and £4 million. The National Heritage Memorial Fund pledged £17.4 million, its largest single grant^†. The Trust bought the house, park and kitchen garden in June 2002, and the rest of the land was sold. By 2013 the Trust had listed 47,154 objects in the house. The title passed to his brother Eustace. In 2026 the National Trust owns and shows Tyntesfield.