Two thousand acres of land in Shropshire has been safeguarded forever – protecting the landscape for generations to come, National Trust bosses said today.

The Attingham estate, near Shrewsbury, has been declared inalienable by the conservation charity’s board of trustees which means the organisation can never sell, give away or mortgage the land.

The trust said it was the biggest declaration of its kind it had announced in the region for at least 10 years.

The parkland surrounding Attingham Hall was declared inalienable in 1954 but vast parts of the rest of the land were not given such protection due to the financial situation of the estate.

But now a decision has been made to safeguard more land because of the “much improved financial position of the property” compared to when the charity took ownership more than 60 years ago.

The National Trust is the only charity in England with the legal authority to protect land in this way after it was given special powers in the National Trust Act 1907.

Mark Agnew, general manager for Attingham, said: “The future of this thriving visitor attraction and vital safe green space for the local Shropshire community has been secured.

“This means that after 60 years of work by the trust that the vast majority of this 4,000 acre estate, with the hall and park at its heart, has been safeguarded for future generations.”

The trust said the surrounding estate was important for nature conservation, archaeology – including part of Roman Wroxeter and a Second World War airfield – public access and demonstrating environmentally sustainable farming.

In conjunction with its tenants, the National Trust is improving hedges, river corridors, ponds, old trees and wet woodland across the landscape.

It also works with the local authority, Natural England and English Heritage to improve conservation and public access on the wider estate.

Peter Nixon, director of conservation for the National Trust, said: “The significance of Attingham resides in far more than solely the house and park, important though they are.

“The trust’s vision is to maintain and develop the intimate interdependence between the many historic and contemporary significances of this vibrant working estate.

“We will focus increasingly on local engagement so that Attingham is seen as the heart of its wide communities of interests, generating ever-increasing public benefit and support,” he continued.

By John Kirk