MORE than £1 million worth of work on all the services at Broadlands House are set to get under way next year.

It will mean that the house, which has been open to visitors for guided tours again this summer, will be closed at least for the next two summers.

And while the project is under way, Lord and Lady Brabourne, who live in the house, will take up residence in a house on the Broadlands Estate.

The decision to renew all the wiring, plumbing, heating and fire alarms has been taken by Lord Brabourne and it is his aim that as many local contractors and suppliers will be involved in the work.

The new systems will be designed by Romsey-based mechanical and electrical engineers, EDP, of Bell Street.

Broadlands director, Richard Jordan-Baker, said: “It is also the hope of the management team of this project what, whenever, possible, local companies and contractors will be used.”

Much of the existing wiring and plumbing is more than half-a-century old and Mr Jordan-Baker added: “Certainly, some of the wiring that is in now dates way back to the 1940s and the plumbing is a pretty mixed bag, because it has been added to over the years, so it is time to look at it all.”

Before the work takes place, the house will be completely emptied of its contents, which will be stored off site by a professional removal and storage company.

“It is going to be an extremely thorough project and we are going to take advantage of the house being empty and try and future-proof it as far as we can and make it as safe as possible. The aim is to do all this work to the highest standard and to meet all the current regulations.”

The estate land surrounding the house is home to such major events as Romsey Show and other outdoor shows, as well as a number of summer concerts and they will not be affected.

“We are in the process of planning a full and varied year of events, as usual,” added Mr Jordan-Baker, who confirmed that the house would be closed in 2009 and 2010, with 2011 still in the balance.