From Downton to Shropshire: Author Julian Fellowes has Attingham in his sights

Julian Fellowes has revealed that Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury, will be the backdrop for his next novel.

The story, titled Belgravia, will launch in April and the park and its grounds have been used for ideas behind a fictional mansion within the story.

Lord Fellowes, who won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his first produced film Gosford Park, will release the book in short episodes over 10 weeks.

Mark Agnew, general manager at Attingham Park, said: "As each instalment is released, we'll be on the lookout for elements of the story that identify the fictional home as Attingham."

• Julian Fellowes is an Oscar winner, for Best Original Screenplay for Gosford Park.

• He is very posh – and influential. His official title is Baron Fellowes of West Stafford after entering the House of Lords in January 2011.

• As creator, writer and executive producer of Downton Abbey, he has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards.

• Downton has given him worldwide fame – it is a ratings hit in the US as well as the UK.

• In 2005, he made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Separate Lies, and received the Best Directorial Debut award from the National Board of Review.

• He is also known for writing Piccadilly Jim (2004), Vanity Fair (2004), The Young Victoria (2009) and The Tourist (2010). He also wrote the four-hour mini-series Titanic (2012).

• He has written novels, including the international bestsellers Snobs (2005) and Past Imperfect (2008/2009).

• Lord Fellowes has also had a go at children’s literature, writing the children’s book The Curious Adventures of the Abandoned Toys in 2007.

The tale will open on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 at a ball thrown by the Duchess of Richmond for the Duke of Wellington.

And after a life-changing event the story follows two families 25 years later at their country homes, one based on Attingham and another on Montacute House in Somerset.

Catherine Turnbull, National Trust engagement and conservation manager for Attingham Park, said everyone was thrilled to find out the news.

She said: "We are proud to be part of this new project. We have no idea how Attingham will be portrayed in this so we hope with it being a fictional work that we will be able to see bits that identify the park.

"It is certainly exciting to be a part of. It was something that when we opened the email to find out we would be a part of it it sent a real ripple of excitement around the office.

"Downton Abbey is something that everybody loves and I think there is a real appetite for historical stories, novels and dramas now. For us at the National Trust it is about getting things historically accurate so people can see the different eras.

"We don't know where this will take us, it is obviously in written form at the moment but we don't know what will happen in the future."

The novel will be in a new format for readers and will launch as a free app containing the first episode which can be downloaded on to smartphones and tablets.

Then a further 10 episodes will be released week by week which can also be listened to as audiobooks.

Each episode will contain extra content around the story such as video, music, character portraits, maps of Belgravia, background information on the history of the period, fashions, family trees and competitions.

Ms Turnbull said: "We are proud to be part of this new project which will see new ideas using new technology based on old traditions. We are really chuffed to be part of something like this."

During the opening of the story at the ball, word comes that Napoleon had unexpectedly crossed the border and Wellington and his troops have to leave immediately to prepare for war.

At the ball are James and Anne Trenchard, who have made their money in trade.

Their daughter Sophia has caught the eye of Edmund Bellasis, the son and heir of one of Britain's most prominent families.

An event takes place at the ball that has a huge effect on all their lives.

Then, 25 years later when the two families are settled in the newly developed area of Belgravia, the consequences of the terrible secret come back to haunt them.

Lord Fellowes said he was "intrigued from the start" by the idea of releasing each episode a week apart in the tradition of Charles Dickens. He said: "

To marry the traditions of the Victorian novel to modern technology, allowing the reader or listener an involvement with the characters and the background of the story and the world in which it takes place that would not have been possible until now."