From a game of charades in the parlour to the hidden domain of the scullery maid, visitors to Tyntesfield can live and breathe Victorian life thanks to ongoing restoration work on the estate.

In a break from red-roped off areas and signs reading 'don't touch', holidaymakers can step back in time and rent out one of two properties, originally built to house the estate Chaplain.

"Everything in the house is authentic to the time period, from the William Morris wall paper to the fabric of the curtains," explains 72-year-old room interpreter Margaret Flux, one of 500 volunteers on the National Trust estate.

As she knowledgeably darts from room to room – explaining what life would be like for John Bacon Medley, the chaplain for the Anglican Gibbs family, the original owners of the house and grounds – she paints the scene of life more than 100 years ago.

She said: "You can just imagine reading the Sunday papers in a chair in the sunny parlour of the Chaplain's house or entertaining the local gentry in the dining room. Although the house isn't furnished with things from Tyntesfield House, it is all still very appropriate to the time, but of course with a few modern conveniences.

"The lodge was the home of the estate butler Mr Hemmings. He would have been in charge of all the man servants of the house, so it was quite a high-profile job. The house was built for the Reverend John Medley, you can see the links to the church in some of the architecture. His cook and housekeeper would have lived downstairs.

"I was brought up in a Regency home and I don't like modern houses, so I would love to stay here. The grounds are so peaceful, we've even had holidaymakers say they have had deer coming right up to the garden."

The refurbishment of the two buildings signifies key progress in the multi-million pound restoration project at the 500-acre estate.

Chaplain's Lodge was built in about 1840, on the then boundary of Tyntesfield. It was home to the estate gatekeeper and retains the lobby, which housed the original gate-opening mechanism. It was later occupied by the butler and his family. Through an interconnecting door, the larger Chaplain's Lodge, which also has its own entrance, is a Gothic revival house built around 1890, specifically to house the family chaplain.

In true upstairs downstairs tradition, the houses are both spread over three levels and include features such as Gothic fireplaces, built-in dressers, original wooden flooring and stone mullioned windows.

Original Victorian stained glass windows, large servants' quarters with eight servant bells and intricate architectural details illustrate that the Gibbs spared no expense on the properties.

Ms Flux added: "This really is like stepping back in time but it has been decorated so cleverly. It has all the comforts, the bathrooms have been modernised but with things in-keeping with the period."

Helen Bonser-Wilton, National Trust programme director at Tyntesfield, said: "The completion of these cottages marks an important step in the project, and it's going to be fantastic to see people enjoying these wonderful homes once again."

A STAY at the Chaplain's House is available to rent from £509 a week and accommodates six people.

Chaplain's Lodge accommodates five people and is available to rent from £469 a week. Bookings before December 18 can benefit from a 20 per cent discount.

For more information, visit www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/south_west/somerset