ITS fine 18th Century ceiling murals and elegant gardens have made it one of Worcestershire's most popular attractions.

But Hanbury Hall is equally beloved for its fictitious counterpart - Lower Loxley Hall in the famous radio soap opera The Archers.

Next month, Hanbury's role as the inspiration for Lower Loxley will be celebrated as part of its tercentenary and the soap's 50th anniversary.

The Archers' Eddie Grundy, played by Trevor Harrison, and Hedli Niklaus - better known as Cathy Perks - will be guest speakers at a special celebration dinner.

Hanbury Hall has long been identified as the model for Lower Loxley.

In the show, the hall bears a plaque commemorating its completion as 1702 - one year after Hanbury.

It lies just a few miles from Inkberrow, one of several villages believed to be the fictious Ambridge, where the nightly soap is played out.

Just as Hanbury is now owned by the National Trust and is used for a variety of purposes, so Lower Loxley attracts visitors as a stately home, conference centre and wedding reception venue.

In The Archers, it is the home of former wildman Nigel Pargetter, married to Elizabeth Archer.

"Nigel's mother, whom he calls Mummy, also lives there and has been known to throw one or two spokes in the wheels of their marriage," said Hedli.

"You could say the hall reflects the struggles to keep it as a going concern because in the show. Nigel's mother was against it being used as a conference centre and having all these members of the public turning up."

Hanbury will also find itself uprooting and moving into Birmingham's National Indoor Arena in September when key rooms are recreated as part of a complete Archers set, with village green and pub, for a celebratory exhibition.

Hanbury property manager Stewart Alcock said he was "delighted" Trevor and Hedli were joining the celebrations.

"We are proud of our links to the series and glad that while we are celebrating 300 years of the present hall, The Archers have their own birthday celebrations of 50 years," he added.

Tickets for the black tie event, on Friday, July 6, cost £45 each and can be booked by calling the National Trust events box office on 01985 843601.