THE conservation team at both Cotehele House and Cotehele Mill are busy with the last bits of cleaning, waxing and polishing in preparation for re-opening on Saturday.

New this year, the public will be able to visit the house seven days a week for the first time since the National Trust acquired the Tudor mansion and estate in East Cornwall. In the past, visitors were not able to go into the house on Fridays because it was closed for conservation work.

Cotehele's house and collections manager Rachel Hunt said: 'In the last few years, visitors' interest in our conservation work has deepened.

'On a daily basis, the team battle against the damaging effects of dust, light, wear and tear, pests, dampness and dryness — or what we call the agents of deterioration.

'By opening seven days, our visitors will become increasingly exposed to this conservation work, so we're introducing a "CSI" (Conservation Scene Investigation) trail to help families develop the detective skills they need to care for fragile objects and old buildings.'

This year visitors will be able to experience the second year of 'Around the World', a self-guided tour in the house, during which visitors can stop to look at exotic or rare objects collected by the Edgcumbe family who owned Cotehele for almost 600 years.

Also making a return is the popular First World War exhibition featuring personal artefacts loaned from the local community.