One of the world’s most respected musicians has created an album comprising of British natural sounds including birdsong, crashing waves and wind breezing through a country garden.

Jarvis Cocker, best known as the former front man for the band Pulp, has worked with the National Trust to produce a soundtrack of some of its places across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The 33-minute recording titled National Trust: The Album takes the listener on an audio journey around Britain from the sounds of lapping of waves against the shores of Brownsea Island in Dorset to birdsong at Belton House in Lincolnshire and the sounds of gardeners at work at Powis Castle in Powys.

The album, which is available to download for free from the National Trust website has taken three months to produce and is designed to showcase the peace and tranquillity people enjoy when they visit the special places cared for by the National Trust. One of the properties featured is Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire where the sounds of children visiting the Mill’s Victorian Apprentice House have been recorded. Eleanor Underhill, Quarry Bank’s General Manager says: “We’re delighted that the sounds of children playing at our Victorian Apprentice House have been captured on the new album.

It’s a very natural sound and lovely to listen to. Hundreds of children who were employed as workers in the mill would have lived and played in the Apprentice House during the heyday of the Industrial Revolution – so the album is also capturing the sounds of their history through the children of today”.

The album has been produced in response to research by the National Trust that reveals 59% of people questioned in the North West claim the constant audio interruptions makes them distracted and unable to concentrate on a daily basis.

The average person can be distracted by the sounds of technology at least 21 times per day – and cannot concentrate for a prolonged period of time without being interrupted by ringing mobile phones or pinging of email alerts. Meanwhile, 54% said they find it easier to think when surrounded by natural sounds such as birdsong and the sea.

Tony Berry, Visitor Experience Director at the National Trust, comments: If rock and roll is the sound of the city, this is the sound of the country -it's the ultimate chill-out album. Millions of people come to our places for physical and mental refreshment, and these sounds are an important part of that. The release of this album is the first time the sounds of the National Trust have been given their place in the spotlight, and we’re hoping it will provide the perfect antidote to the daily interruptions of a busy life. When you’re having a hectic day, this is a holiday for your head."

Jarvis Cocker comments: “We wanted to produce an album that takes listeners on an audio journey around some of Britain’s special places, creating something that is both refreshing, but also provides a soundtrack to think to. It’s hard for people to escape the distractions of a busy life, but hopefully the album will provide 30 minutes of calm and take the National Trust experience to a new audience.”

The track-list of National Trust: The Album is: Track 1: Belton House, Grantham, Lincolnshire (garden stroll with the crunch of gravel underfoot)
Track 2: Belton House, Grantham, Lincolns
hire (birdsong) Track 3: Brownsea Island, Poole, Dorset (waves lapping against the shore)
Track 4: Ham House, Richmond, Surrey (footsteps along the Long Gallery)
Track 5: Chartwell, Westerham, Kent (creaking stairs of the grand staircase)
Track 6: Upton House, near Banbury, Warwickshire (game of billiards at play)
Track 7: Lanhydrock, Bodmin, Cornwall (music box playing in the Nursery)
Track 8: Quarry Bank Mill, Wilmslow, Cheshire (children playing at the Apprentice House)
Track 9: Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden, Ripon, York (birdsong in the water garden)
Track 10: Powis Castle & Garden, Welshpool, Powys (gardeners at work in the formal garden)
Track 11: Patterson’s Spade Mill, Ballyclare, County Antrim (mill at work)
Track 12: Blickling Hall, Norwich, Norfolk (sounds of clocks in the hall)
Track 13: Blickling Hall, Norwich, Norfolk (wind in the clock tower)
National Trust: The Album is available for download until end of June 2010 from www.nationaltrust.org.uk/soundsalbum