0:00:02 > 0:00:05One year ago we followed the stories of six historic buildings,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08each crumbling and at risk of being lost forever.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Six brave new owners made a commitment to save them,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18attempting to transform them into their dream homes.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Well, she found it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29But there was more to rescuing these incredible buildings
0:00:29 > 0:00:30than anyone imagined.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35I don't think we'd ever buy another listed building. Ever.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40With architectural expert Kieran Long and historian Dr Kate Williams,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44we've not only been following the restoration of these magnificent buildings,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46we've dug deep into their history
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and uncovered some extraordinary stories.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53One thing led to another and they murdered her.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55In this hall somewhere.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Now, we are going back to discover
0:01:01 > 0:01:04what happened to these buildings and their owners, one year on.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Today we're revisiting two Restoration Home's
0:01:16 > 0:01:19that had done battle with the elements.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Floods had devastated Thomas A Becket Church
0:01:22 > 0:01:27which then became one man's epic struggle to turn it into a home.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Fire had once gutted Stanwick Hall,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34whose external beauty masked darker secrets inside.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38But one year on, what new discoveries have been revealed?
0:01:38 > 0:01:41And then the builders knocked on the door and said,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43"We found a tunnel."
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Do you know far it goes down?
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Has work finally been completed?
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It will be the first finished room in the house.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56And does the end result live up to expectations?
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Oh, good Lord. You've gone to town here a bit.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02We've gone for it, yeah.
0:02:08 > 0:02:14Our first building is Thomas A Becket church in Pensford, Somerset.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16When we first arrived two years ago
0:02:16 > 0:02:20it had been neglected and empty for decades.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26With a Victorian nave and a medieval tower,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30the whole church attracted a grade II star listing,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32the second highest grading for an historic building.
0:02:32 > 0:02:38But despite its architectural importance, without a use,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41the church was facing complete dereliction.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49That was until Paul and Laura Baxter decided to take it on.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54They were working their way up the property ladder
0:02:54 > 0:02:58when Paul spotted the church in 2007.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03I was looking for a flat in Bristol and nothing came up that I liked.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05This was up for sale by auction.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Went and had a look, thought it was ridiculously large,
0:03:08 > 0:03:09couldn't afford it.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12It's leaking, it's rotten.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15But we thought, "This would be wicked if we could sort it out."
0:03:15 > 0:03:18So then we started thinking that it was a great idea!
0:03:19 > 0:03:25For £120,000 they bought the nave and obtained listed building consent
0:03:25 > 0:03:28to create a three-bedroomed home over three floors.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31They didn't buy the tower,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34which remained the property of the church's conservation trust, and
0:03:34 > 0:03:40the centuries old graveyard had to remain open to the visiting public.
0:03:40 > 0:03:46Their restoration budget was a modest £140,000.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48To have any chance of doing it for this amount,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Paul would have to do all the work himself.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And Laura, who's an accountant, would be bankrolling the project.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59I don't have a problem with being the breadwinner, it's fine.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Right from the start of our relationship,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Paul said the wanted to renovate property,
0:04:05 > 0:04:06he didn't want to get a job.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09He'd never had what I would call a proper job.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15Building their home became Paul's job and he had to train himself
0:04:15 > 0:04:19in a completely new range of skills, including becoming a roofer.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24I've done an 11-month crash course in roofing,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27because on the first phase I got a lot of roofers in to help me,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31and I made sure that at every stage I was doing it with them.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Having learnt from the roofers, he continued on his own.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39Out in all weathers, Paul spent a solid year fitting 7,000 slates.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44As Paul was throwing himself into the work of restoring his church,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48our historian Kate Williams had been delving into its past
0:04:48 > 0:04:51to try and discover why it had been abandoned.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54What she found was that over the years,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Thomas A Becket Church had paid a heavy price
0:04:57 > 0:05:02for its location on an island in the middle of the River Chew.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05There has been a terrible history of flooding.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Over and over again, the church has suffered.
0:05:08 > 0:05:131807, 1809, two years later, another flood.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Then throughout the 18th century and the earlier periods.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25But it was a flood in 1968 that hit the whole valley,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28which was to prove disastrous for the future of the church.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32And it's an event that's etched on the memory of the locals.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Come down through the valley here like a raging torrent.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Anything that was loose was gone.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44Cars, garden sheds, you name it, it was gone.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48The church wasn't used for years after that. Years.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51So really the flood was sort of the absolute end?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Basically, the end of it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56The catastrophe proved to be the last straw
0:05:56 > 0:05:59for poor old Thomas A Becket church.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03It was deconsecrated and subsequently fell into disrepair.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It was just nothing but a cold, empty shell.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12That was the last time I looked inside it.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It was awful. The centre of the village looked derelict.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16It looked horrible.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20But not everyone was behind Paul's plans.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23How do you feel about it being a house now?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Not a lot.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- Not happy?- No. It should still be a church.- Right.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Whilst the conversion of Thomas A Becket Church into a house
0:06:34 > 0:06:36was causing concern to some in Pensford,
0:06:36 > 0:06:41over at our next restoration project in Northamptonshire,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45there were no such objections as it had always been a home.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49But Stanwick Hall in Northamptonshire
0:06:49 > 0:06:52had troubles of a different kind.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55A Grade II star listed Georgian House,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58it seemed picture-book perfect from the outside.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Inside, it was anything but.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Years of neglect had left the walls running with damp.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13With broken roof tiles and rotten timbers,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17one good storm could have brought the whole thing down.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Its future was getting worse until the day
0:07:21 > 0:07:24when Simon and Gina Russell first arrived, looking for a house.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30I remember the first time I drove onto the drive.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33It was almost surreal, really.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39I'm thinking how perfect the shape was and the chocolate box look of it.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43It just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It was just love at first sight.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51The bit I remember most was, we walked round the garden,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55it was only when we got to the gate and looked back
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and saw the house with the sun reflecting off it,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00against the stones,
0:08:00 > 0:08:05it was like a sledgehammer blow of, "Wow. That's going to be our home.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07"That is our house."
0:08:07 > 0:08:11So they bought it for just over £1 million and budgeted another
0:08:11 > 0:08:16half million to turn Stanwick into their dream seven-bedroomed home.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Gina and Simon, who both run financial services businesses,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24were still working full-time in London
0:08:24 > 0:08:28and living with their 18-month-old son Jude in their city pad,
0:08:28 > 0:08:3070 miles from the build.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Simon had two other children from a previous marriage,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Harry and Madeleine,
0:08:37 > 0:08:42and the eventual move to Stanwick would make seeing them much easier.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47I think we should start with the Harry Potter front door.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53If you look at it from here, it just looks like a normal front door.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56But when you go and stand next to it,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00it suddenly becomes an enormous front door.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07I don't think we'll get a replacement in B&Q easily.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08Right.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11But it was beyond the front door
0:09:11 > 0:09:14that the condition of the house became more worrying.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17It's in an absolutely appalling state,
0:09:17 > 0:09:23there are big cracks, gaping holes, lots of damp.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Actually, the house is in worse condition than it possibly
0:09:26 > 0:09:31might appear at first sight, it's only when you start
0:09:31 > 0:09:35to tour the interior you realise just how bad things have got.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Ooh! Christ! Don't go through the floor.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43That'd be a good bit of footage, if I plummeted through the floor.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44HE LAUGHS
0:09:44 > 0:09:48As Simon and Gina were discovering just how precarious
0:09:48 > 0:09:52the current state of their home was, our architectural expert
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Kieran Long was on a mission to find out more about its past.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Well, I think it's just the most charming little early-Georgian house.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06There's something very modest about it, to look it.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10I think it has that simple domestic architecture
0:10:10 > 0:10:12that English people love to imagine.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13Speaks so well of our nation.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19But further inspection was to reveal darker secrets of its history.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24He came across clear evidence that it had once been devastated by fire.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34We can see some strange discolouring of the limestone up here,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36where it's gone red.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41It suggests to me that there's been a fire here,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43and that the stone has suffered accordingly.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46We don't know, we'll have to do a lot more digging to find out.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And digging further into the archive,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Kate indeed found evidence of a fire.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59One night in 1931, a blaze ripped through the house,
0:10:59 > 0:11:00gutting the inside.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Oh, my goodness.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Look at this 1931 picture from the local newspaper,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12about how Stanwick Hall appeared after the fire.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18It has been utterly decimated. It's ruined, it's a blackened shell.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Amazingly, no-one died in the fire.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28The biggest casualty, however, was the original Georgian staircase
0:11:28 > 0:11:31which had been replaced by a less distinguished model.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37What we're faced with is the most abject piece of joinery
0:11:37 > 0:11:39that you've ever seen, really.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42A really poor quality staircase, which is clearly nothing to do with
0:11:42 > 0:11:46the Georgian roots of this building. Who knows when it comes from.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It's not the right thing here.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56The house was throwing up more questions than answers.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59There was gloss covered panelling,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03the style of which seemed to be older than the house.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08And down in the cellar, there were other interesting features.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11So, we have descended into the earth here,
0:12:11 > 0:12:16we're into the belly of the house, the cellar.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21You can hear, underneath here, water running.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23There's a well down there.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The house was surrounded by rumours of a secret tunnel
0:12:28 > 0:12:33and Kieran went in search of possible clues to the mystery.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37So we're in this strange arched space,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43with flagstones on the floor. This odd passageway,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47and soon enough, look, we come to the end of the line.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Somebody's blocked up this passageway,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53and wherever it goes, we can't go any further.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Even if one starts to take this stuff out,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01all we can see beyond is just more fill, so is this the end of
0:13:01 > 0:13:06the line or is this just blocking up a route that really goes somewhere?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08We don't know.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14But mythical tunnels below the house
0:13:14 > 0:13:18were the least of Simon and Gina's worries.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22They had much more urgent problems up at the top.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Their very first job was to remove the very heavy roof tiles,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28which were weighing down the building.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30They did that just in the nick of time
0:13:30 > 0:13:34because a few weeks later the country was hit by snow.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It was said that one good snow fall might have brought the roof down.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Last night we did have one good snow fall, as you can probably see.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47That could have been it, had the tiles remained.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50But it wasn't all good news.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Their new house was about to give them some very unwelcome surprises.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Removing the roof slates had revealed that
0:13:56 > 0:14:01more of the timbers would need to be replaced than originally thought.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Even with my limited structural knowledge,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09this isn't right.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12The weight of the roof has pushed down on this
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and split it in the middle.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I mean, this is major work.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22The contract for the roof alone is £120,000.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24If we stay on budget
0:14:24 > 0:14:31then £600,000 for the whole refurbishment will be a result.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33But as everybody knows with building projects,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35numbers don't always pan out as you think.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41It's scary. Of course it's scary. Financially, it's scary.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Emotionally, it's scary. Spinning all these plates and not dropping them
0:14:45 > 0:14:48over the next year and half is scary.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52But, like I say, if you overanalyse you become paralysed,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55so we've just decided to get on with it.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59And things weren't about to get any easier
0:14:59 > 0:15:02as there was news of an addition to the family.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06We have a baby on the way.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It's coming in about six months.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13That was an interesting development.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Obviously, we're overjoyed, but I do feel slightly fearful
0:15:17 > 0:15:20about just how much we've got on our plate.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- Oh!- Oh, no!
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- Tragedy.- Oh, dear.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30But Gina and Simon remained convinced
0:15:30 > 0:15:32they could keep the restoration on track.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Fingers crossed, a year from now, I'm going to put my life on the line
0:15:37 > 0:15:44and say we would be preparing to have Christmas in the Hall.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49We have Christmas next year firmly in our sights.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57Gina and Simon refused to be defeated by the slipping schedule
0:15:57 > 0:16:01at Stanwick Hall and 150 miles away,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05at Thomas A Becket Church, Paul was also trying to remain positive
0:16:05 > 0:16:08whilst tackling a monumentally tedious task.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15Every time that you, you know,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18try and do something with the old bit of the building, it just hits you.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21You kind of think, "I'll just take the paint off these stones."
0:16:21 > 0:16:23But there's no just about it.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26You scrape off the white top layer
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and then underneath there's this blue stuff that just will not come away.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33You're sanding it and you're scraping it
0:16:33 > 0:16:37and you're putting the poultice on it, and you're like "Urgh", and
0:16:37 > 0:16:40then Laura comes on at the weekend and she's like, "It's a bit blue."
0:16:40 > 0:16:43HE LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY So it is.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45HE LAUGHS
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Paint scraping is one thing, fitting bespoke secondary glazing
0:16:51 > 0:16:55in the draughty leaded windows is quite another.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Jack of all trades Paul thought he was up to the job,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02but Laura wasn't so sure.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Paul seems to think that he can do anything.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08A lot of the time, he is really good with his hands.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11I do have to reign him in a bit and say,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13"Actually, I want it done properly. You're not going to do this."
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Put your foot down a bit.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I said I'd have a crack at that and Laura kind of went,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23"What makes you think that you're able to do that?
0:17:23 > 0:17:27"We'll get someone in for that. We'll definitely get someone in for that."
0:17:27 > 0:17:31So we got a load of quotes in, and Laura looked over the quotes
0:17:31 > 0:17:34and after a few moments reflection, she turned to me and said,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36"So is there any reason why you can't this yourself?"
0:17:36 > 0:17:38HE LAUGHS
0:17:38 > 0:17:39That was pretty much it.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42What it is, this one here is the test case,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45so I'm going to make this one frame, and then Laura's going to come
0:17:45 > 0:17:50in with white gloves and peruse it, check it over with the microscope,
0:17:50 > 0:17:55and decide whether or not I'm going to be released on the other windows.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Before he could fit the glass,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Paul had to make the frame for this DIY double-glazing.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06The trickiest bit was bending the wood.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08But true to form,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Paul built a homemade steam box to fashion his arch.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19And then the two of them go together like that, there's your arch.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22But while making the frame had been pretty straightforward,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25fitting the glass was a different matter.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36The adhesive strip should hold the glass in place if it fits the frame.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39But the most important thing was to make sure
0:18:39 > 0:18:44the inside of the glass was completely clean before being fixed.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Just one thumbprint could do it in.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55It'd be like the Hubble Space Telescope all over again.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59I'd have to take it all down and redo it at huge cost.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04With Paul confident the inside of the glass was spotless,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07it was the moment of truth.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Will it fit? Please fit.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Ah-ha-ha!
0:19:21 > 0:19:23HE LAUGHS TRIUMPHANTLY
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Yes!
0:19:25 > 0:19:28HE WHOOPS
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Who'd have thought that secondary glazing could bring so much happiness?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38HE LAUGHS
0:19:38 > 0:19:39Yeah, I'm well pleased with that.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I hope that wipe's on this side.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Is this going to be... Oh, you little BLEEP.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51I can't take it off now. Hopefully the beading will cover most of that.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Yeah, that's all right. We can soak that up.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01But the church was Laura's home too
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and understandably she wanted it to be perfect.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Can't really see it.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Hooray!
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- Can I go up here? - Yes, of course you can. Why not.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- What's this stuff?- That's a swipe.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- Does it come off?- No.- No? - Certainly not.
0:20:23 > 0:20:29- Are you serious?- That's the only... - On the inside?- Yeah.- That looks bad.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35The problem is, I cleaned the window twice, but when I put it in...
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- What is it? Glue?- No, it's a wipe.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42They put a number on the wrong side of the glass.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49It just looks awful, and I don't think this should be set back.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I actually like it like that, that's my preferred appearance.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54And I don't.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56SHE LAUGHS
0:20:56 > 0:20:58The verdict is, generally, it looks really nice,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01but it's not quite there yet.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04HE LAUGHS
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Phew!
0:21:05 > 0:21:10Well, I'm going to take that as meaning it can stay, just,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12but the next one better be better.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- That's exactly it. - OK. Phew! That'll do.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21A few months later, I dropped in to see how they were getting on.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26Paul had been making great headway, rooms were beginning to take shape
0:21:26 > 0:21:29and his list of tricks of the trade were increasing.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33I'm right, aren't I, in thinking you're not trained in any of this?
0:21:33 > 0:21:35No, I'm not trained in anything.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37THEY LAUGH
0:21:37 > 0:21:40But are you reading books, manuals, are you...?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43He tends to ring people up in a builder's accent
0:21:43 > 0:21:45and get it really cheaply.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47And then say, "How do you install it?"
0:21:47 > 0:21:50OK. What's a builder's accent?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Well, you'll ring the first one and go...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55"Excuse me, I was wondering what you call those scaffolding clips
0:21:55 > 0:21:57"where one goes through the other?"
0:21:57 > 0:21:58"That's called straight, mate."
0:21:58 > 0:22:02"Thank you. What do you call the ones that turn?" "That's a swivel."
0:22:02 > 0:22:04You get this whole list of jargon and just say,
0:22:04 > 0:22:05"Thanks very much" and hang up.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07And then you ring up as another builder?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10You ring up another scaffolding firm...
0:22:10 > 0:22:13"Awright, mate, could I get 400 straights, 35 swivels,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15"probably looking about 6K.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17"Have you got that?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20"Second hand. Wonder price."
0:22:20 > 0:22:21"I'll see what I can do."
0:22:21 > 0:22:23THEY LAUGH
0:22:23 > 0:22:26You're not really a builder, you're an actor.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The part of the church Paul was busy converting into their home
0:22:29 > 0:22:33was the Victorian nave and Kieran suspected that there was more
0:22:33 > 0:22:37to this local church than met the eye.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41In the Somerset Archive, he discovered that it had been
0:22:41 > 0:22:46built in 1868 and designed by architects Giles and Robinson.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It became clear that they had been influenced by an architectural
0:22:49 > 0:22:53movement that was sweeping the nation, the Gothic revival.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00To find out more, Kieran went to Cheadle in Staffordshire
0:23:00 > 0:23:04to a place considered to be the very embodiment of the Gothic Revival,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06the church of St Giles.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10It's exciting to be here because I'm convinced
0:23:10 > 0:23:13that Giles and Robinson would have visited this building,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17and so we're here to find out a bit more about the DNA,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19the history, of Paul's church.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22St Giles was designed in the 1840s by one of the most
0:23:22 > 0:23:27influential architects of the last two centuries, Augustus Pugin.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30And St Giles of Cheadle was his masterpiece.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38This church is the manifesto of the man
0:23:38 > 0:23:42who changed British architecture in the 19th century, forever.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46The moment where Roman and Greek models were given up
0:23:46 > 0:23:50substantially, in favour of the Gothic.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53The other great architects were persuaded that Gothic
0:23:53 > 0:23:55was the great style of their time.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00People like Gilbert Scott, the designer of St Pancras Station,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03hugely inspired by this building.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Of course, we later see Pugin's work with Barry
0:24:07 > 0:24:10on the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Perhaps the most important statement of our national identity.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Didn't take long before it dominated the British landscape
0:24:16 > 0:24:18as the appropriate style for houses,
0:24:18 > 0:24:23villas all over the suburbs that were being built in the 19th century.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25When Giles and Robinson would have walked in to this church,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28they'd have seen things that were out of their league,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30way out of their budget, they would have looked at them
0:24:30 > 0:24:32and thought, "How can we reproduce that?
0:24:32 > 0:24:34How can we get some of that style
0:24:34 > 0:24:37into this small provincial church that we're making?"
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And one of the grandest features architects Giles and Robinson
0:24:44 > 0:24:48incorporated was the stunning stained glass windows,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53which would eventually be in Paul and Laura's dining and kitchen area.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57But over the years they had been damaged and it was going to be
0:24:57 > 0:25:00tricky work to restore them to their former glory.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Paul carefully removed the broken pieces, which were then sent
0:25:04 > 0:25:09to professional stained glass restorer and artist Graham Dowding.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16Working hard to preserve this legacy of British craftsmanship,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Graham and his team spent painstaking hours
0:25:19 > 0:25:22making a new angel's head and fixing the disciple's knee.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26With the pieces finished,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29getting them back into the delicate leaded window was next.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34But that is the most difficult part of the whole process.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38To put the piece of glass back in to its lead-work is always critical
0:25:38 > 0:25:40because the point at which you can break it.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43It's Graham's colleague Tim who had the heart-stopping job
0:25:43 > 0:25:45of fitting the new pieces.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Tim is very patient. He's known as the Zen master
0:25:55 > 0:25:59The new piece wasn't an exact fit, so Tim would have to trim it,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02ever so gingerly, a millimetre at a time.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09So, I'm actually just paring away the glass very gently.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15It's a bit like a wild animal.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18It can sense that you're nervous of it,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and if you show it too much respect, it will crack on you.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31She's in!
0:26:35 > 0:26:38But restoration is a never-ending task,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and he had to start all over again on the angel's face.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48They've done a brilliant job.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53Yes, I'm very, very pleased that I can see it from my living room.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55She's in.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Thank goodness, she's in.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00A lot easier than the other piece.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04And with that, the spectacular stained glass window
0:27:04 > 0:27:05was complete once again.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12As the restoration of the church was visibly moving forward into the next stage,
0:27:12 > 0:27:16down in London, the owners of Stanwick Hall, Simon and Gina,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19were starting a new chapter of their own,
0:27:19 > 0:27:24finally saying goodbye to their city pad and moving house.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25That's my handkerchief collection.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Baby's just about to be born any moment,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32maybe even today,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35so we want to be in Stanwick full-time.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39But with the hall still far from finished,
0:27:39 > 0:27:46Simon, Gina and Jude moved into the two-bedroomed cottage in the old stables that came with the house.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50As they settled into their temporary home, Kieran went on the hunt
0:27:50 > 0:27:55to find out just who it was who designed their future home.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58He suspected that such a beautifully designed building
0:27:58 > 0:28:01was the handiwork of more than a provincial builder.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And trawling through lists of architects
0:28:04 > 0:28:08working in the 18th century, he discovered who it was.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Here we are, Stanwick Hall.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Under the entry for William Smith.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17The eldest surviving son of Francis Smith of Warwick,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and these were architects and master builders.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24So here we have the individual who designed and built Stanwick Hall.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27There's a long list of works here, of different churches, houses,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29large-sounding houses.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32It suggests to me that the architect is somebody of note,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35and makes the building just that bit more important.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40It was clear that the Smiths were far more than provincial builders.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Kieran discovered that they had some rather well-to-do clients.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49And 20 miles from Stanwick was the Smiths' crowning glory.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00They created the west wing of Stoneleigh Abbey for their most aristocratic customer -
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Lord Leigh.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06What we're seeing here is the Smiths of Warwick bringing out all the toys.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09They're really bringing tricks, all the architectural tricks
0:29:09 > 0:29:12they have learned. It's a grand house for a very prestigious client.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18What's really exciting is that Gina and Simon have a house that is connected,
0:29:18 > 0:29:23through its architect, to one of the major pieces of architecture in the country.
0:29:28 > 0:29:34And it was here that Kieran found the greatest example of a Smith-designed staircase.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35Fabulous.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41At Stanwick Hall, we have no idea what the staircase was.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43It's destroyed, it was lost in the fire.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46And here we have a Smith staircase, a real, original one,
0:29:46 > 0:29:51and we can perhaps start to make some connections about what might have been there at Stanwick.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54The shallow treads making this a kind of processional stairway,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56you know, you walk up this stair slowly.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00It's not just for getting you upstairs, it's an experience,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03it's about the procession around this incredible double height space.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Almost three centuries later,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Simon and Gina were starting work on their new, improved staircase,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26and the first thing was to remove the old one.
0:30:28 > 0:30:34- It's a lovely smell. It's real, old timber.- Yeah, sorry!
0:30:34 > 0:30:38But before any new staircase could go back in,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41there was one major piece of work which needed to be finished.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44The roof.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47The original budget for the roofing work had been £120,000.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51But then, this was no ordinary roof.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56It wasn't covered in slates but with a special kind of limestone
0:30:56 > 0:31:00that gets its name from the local village of Collyweston in Northamptonshire.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04When Stanwick was built it was widely used.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07But it's no longer quarried,
0:31:07 > 0:31:12and virtually the only remaining source now is reclaimed salvage.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Collyweston tiles are also really difficult to work with,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19not least because they're all irregular shapes and sizes.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Richard Elliot is one of the few people who are keeping the craft alive.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27He comes from a long line of Collyweston tilers.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Sometimes you'll pick a slate up,
0:31:31 > 0:31:35and you automatically know it doesn't sit next to that one very well,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39so you put it down and you get another one, until you get the right...
0:31:39 > 0:31:41So the roof flows.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47A few weeks later, I went to catch up with Simon and Gina,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49and, of course, their new baby.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53- Hello.- Hello.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Hello, Lily! Hello, Lily! Say hello to everybody, Lily.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03They know you already. So, come on, how's it gone? Tell me the truth.
0:32:03 > 0:32:04Tell me the truth.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09- God, it's been seriously hectic, hasn't it?- Has it?- Yeah.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Gina stopped work on Thursday, we moved here on Friday,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15and then Lily arrived on Monday.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19And you appear to be upright, which is absolutely awesome.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- How are you feeling?- Knackered. Very.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Any idea when you're going to be in?
0:32:25 > 0:32:31Erm, our original goal was the end of this year, Christmas '10.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33But, erm, it's difficult to guess, now.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36- I can't wait to have a look inside. Is that OK?- Yeah.- Yeah, sure.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42- The scaffolding coming down will be a fabulous day.- Yeah.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46- When is the scaffolding going to come down?- Any week now. - THEY LAUGH
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Oh, the new staircase!
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Oh, it's fantastic!
0:32:55 > 0:32:58- Pleased?- Delighted.- Fantastic.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Quite a major thing, seeing this in place.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07- Yeah.- This is actually the first time I've seen it in situ. I'm amazed. It's beautiful.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10The detail I love is this little bevelled edge. Can you see?
0:33:10 > 0:33:13It's just like a little point. Beautifully made.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16'They had re-instated a handmade oak staircase
0:33:16 > 0:33:18'in traditional Georgian design.'
0:33:18 > 0:33:23So hit me with it, Simon, how much does a Georgian staircase cost?
0:33:23 > 0:33:26A Georgian staircase, for you?
0:33:26 > 0:33:27£40,000.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Which, I'm just thinking, is about £1,000 a step, actually, as you go up it.
0:33:31 > 0:33:37- Probably slightly more. It's refreshingly expensive. - THEY LAUGH
0:33:37 > 0:33:38It is lovely.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42'And it wasn't just the staircase that was an expensive job.'
0:33:42 > 0:33:45Again, hope not an indelicate question,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48But how much did it cost you to put that beautiful roof on?
0:33:48 > 0:33:50An absolutely huge amount.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55I mean, you could have bought another house for it. It's scary.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56100,000?
0:33:56 > 0:34:00- More than that.- Keep going. - 200,000?- About that.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05I think we broke through the £200,000 mark. It's a great roof.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08It is a great roof. It's really beautiful.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12And it's actually saving the life of a very, very beautiful building.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17I think the house is probably in a more precarious condition than even we had imagined.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- Yeah, definitely.- It sounds like it was a kind of, you know,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23five minutes to midnight scenario for this place, really.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26You were just catching it before it collapsed.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I think, without being too melodramatic, we probably were.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Additional work had completely derailed the schedule in Northamptonshire,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38so I went down to Somerset to see if things were still on track
0:34:38 > 0:34:40at Thomas A Becket Church.
0:34:41 > 0:34:42- Hello, hello!- Hello. - How have you done?
0:34:42 > 0:34:46- Let's have a look, I can't wait to see what you've done.- This way.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54This was how Paul and Laura's church looked when their restoration began -
0:34:54 > 0:34:58a huge space, but almost unimaginable as a home.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03- This is it. - SHE GASPS
0:35:04 > 0:35:08- Well, it's beautiful. - Thanks very much.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10It's beautiful. It's stunning.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15The neo-gothic nave had been transformed into a modern,
0:35:15 > 0:35:2221st-century home, with open living spaces and three bedrooms.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Upstairs, they'd created stunning views from multiple mezzanines.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30I love the fact that you can see right up to the roof.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33It's the first thing that greets you as you walk in,
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- so you haven't pretended you are not in a church.- Oh, no.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46You have created a beautiful entertaining space,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48with en suite altar.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52- Yeah.- With three bedrooms, four bathrooms.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Obviously we're really pleased, but when you say
0:35:55 > 0:35:58three bedrooms for bathrooms, we haven't actually got any bathrooms in,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00and you couldn't stay in any of the bedrooms.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05A little bit of work to go, but I think we'll get there on budget.
0:36:05 > 0:36:11Paul and Laura's restoration of the church had been a fantastic achievement.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14But with no bedrooms or bathrooms, last time we saw them
0:36:14 > 0:36:17they still weren't living in the church.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24It's now one year on.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Paul and Laura have at last moved in.
0:36:27 > 0:36:33- Arch, arch, arch.- Yeah.- Line. - Yeah, and then straight, straight, straight.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35And it's almost finished.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39They're working on the final touches to the interior.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42It's just that they have been rather distracted of late.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Big thing that's happened since you were here before
0:36:48 > 0:36:49is that Joshua has arrived.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52- Me and Laura's son. - He's a big distraction for daddy?
0:36:52 > 0:36:58He is a big distraction for Daddy. If I'm walking past him and he's...
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I just want to pick him up.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Paul and Laura moved into the church just four days before Joshua was born,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12and had been living there for just over three months.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14It's really nice living in such a big space,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17particularly with her little baby, because, you know,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20just having a change of scenery, and I think it's fun for him, too.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Because we've got the big chandelier, he loves looking at that. All the pretty lights.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Yeah, it's just so different from having, you know, a flat.
0:37:30 > 0:37:36This project has only been possible because of Paul's free labour and Laura's monthly salary.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38But as she's now on maternity leave,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41their income has significantly dropped.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47Creating their home has been Paul's life for the last four years.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51As the end is fast approaching, thoughts are turning to what comes next.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55- Paul's got to get a job, that's what's next.- Aha-ha!
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Because I'm on maternity leave, and not getting any more pay
0:38:00 > 0:38:04other than statutory pay, so one of us has to work,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06cos we haven't got any money.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Spent it all on sofas and things like that.
0:38:09 > 0:38:15With the last remaining funds, they are working on the final push.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Kieran will be returning to the church and we will find out
0:38:22 > 0:38:25what he and all the locals think of the finished building.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33One year ago at Stanwick Hall, any thoughts of a finished building
0:38:33 > 0:38:37were still looking rather far-fetched.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41- Lovely to see you. How are you? - Really well, I...
0:38:41 > 0:38:45I'm just gazing up at your ceiling there,
0:38:45 > 0:38:46and there's still a massive hole.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50Come this way. Come to my office, I want to have a word.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- I'm not a detective, but I... - THEY LAUGH
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- I don't think this house is finished.- What makes you say that(?)
0:38:58 > 0:39:02- Yeah, you're quite right. - There are a few subtle clues.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05- So have you made huge headway that I can't see?- Yes.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08What have you been up to?
0:39:08 > 0:39:13Well, the cellars have all been dug out by hand, which was a monstrous job,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16and the floor relayed in there, and the walls all cleaned down.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- Yes.- We've put a back door in, where a back door used to be.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Every window frame in the house has been replaced.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27The Victorian kitchen has been demolished and rebuilt. Admittedly not finished.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30The big, heavy structural stuff is done now.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Once we get that clad in stone and the roof on, then we're really in to plumbing and plaster.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Do I need to wear a hard hat?
0:39:37 > 0:39:40- Probably.- No, you'll be all right.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45I love what you've done with this hall, I really do, but I...
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- Yes, acrow props, always a good feature.- Yeah.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54- Oh, you've gone for the double use, that's very nice. - THEY LAUGH
0:39:54 > 0:39:58On the ground floor things didn't appear to have moved forward,
0:39:58 > 0:40:03but up on the top floor, the children's rooms were finally beginning to take shape.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- Whose room is this going to be? - This is Jude's.
0:40:09 > 0:40:15- And who will be in this one, then? - This is Harry's room.- Harry.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- So where is Lily going to be? - Lily is over there.- In here? - In the corner. Yep.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23I wish we could show you the finished result, but... Soon.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- But you are nearly there.- Yep.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Very exciting.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37It's now one year on, and the Hall really is in the final stages.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46Our bedroom is no longer pink, so that's ready for decorating.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49There are the shutters, waiting to go back on.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51We're nearly there, we're on the home straight.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55I feel like I may have said that before, but we really are.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Plasterers are plastering, tilers are tiling,
0:40:57 > 0:41:02we're picking paint colours and carpets, and the end is in sight.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Sink's in, loo's in, bath's in.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09This is actually the first finished room, or very nearly finished.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12It will be the first finished room in the house.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16I don't think I've ever had quite so many people ask me
0:41:16 > 0:41:18if we've moved in after the programme went out.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22It has been so embarrassing. I can't walk down the street without people saying,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25"Going to be in by Christmas?" Which has been a bit awful.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29But, yeah, we are actually going to make it, this year.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35Oh, it's so lovely to actually see some heat in the house,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38for maybe the first time, I'm guessing, in ten years.
0:41:38 > 0:41:44And Gina and Simon have been overwhelmed by the public response.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49Since the programme went out, we had so many lovely letters.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53People who had stories and memories of the Hall.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Quite a lot of older people had written in,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59and their relatives had been associated with the Hall.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02One person who contacted the Russells
0:42:02 > 0:42:05was a descendant of a man who had lived at the hall
0:42:05 > 0:42:07over 100 years ago.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11They had a copy of Mr William Blackwell's diary,
0:42:11 > 0:42:17starting in 1887, and sent some extracts to Simon and Gina.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19There's one here, I'm looking at it now,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and obviously talking about the village of Stanwick,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24and it says, "Went to town meeting
0:42:24 > 0:42:27"to discuss what should be done to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee."
0:42:27 > 0:42:32Which is, of course, exactly what's on the mind of the whole country right now.
0:42:32 > 0:42:38Though in 1887, that would have been Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41And there's all sorts of anecdotes about the village and about his life.
0:42:41 > 0:42:48It's a very rural life, there's lots of talk of horses and cows and harvest, as you might expect.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52And he also talks about his wedding. September 25th, 1887.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57"Married today in Stanwick, to Church, by Reverend Bonnar.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00"Left for Scarborough for honeymoon."
0:43:00 > 0:43:03No mention of the wife, but I guess she was there at some point.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05So it's fascinating.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09It's a fascinating glimpse into the life of somebody who was linked to our home.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12I think it's lovely. There's an extract in there which says,
0:43:12 > 0:43:17"Stayed up all night with the cow man tending the horse."
0:43:17 > 0:43:21And you just think, was that in that cottage that we live in now,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24or was it one of the buildings here?
0:43:24 > 0:43:27It's just great. It's just lovely to see.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31It strengthens the reality that you are simply
0:43:31 > 0:43:34the custodian of an old building.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38You are the latest little snippet of history, but that's all you are, really.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43But in the last year there has been one incredible find
0:43:43 > 0:43:45that once and for all confirmed the local rumours.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Ever since we purchased the house, local people have always talked about a tunnel,
0:43:53 > 0:43:58and we tried to find it with no luck, and then one winter's evening
0:43:58 > 0:44:02the builders knocked on the door and said, "We've found a tunnel."
0:44:04 > 0:44:06I'm so excited about the tunnel.
0:44:06 > 0:44:11Really, quite frankly, behaving like a complete school child.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13I read the Famous Five when I was younger,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15and they always found a tunnel!
0:44:17 > 0:44:20There are many stories surrounding the Stanwick Hall tunnel.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24Local legend has it it was once a passageway connecting
0:44:24 > 0:44:28the house to the church down in the village, but no-one knows for sure.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Today those legends will be put to the test.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39Someone who can give Simon and Gina answers is archaeologist
0:44:39 > 0:44:42and tunnel expert Tim Upson-Smith.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45He's solved countless subterranean mysteries -
0:44:45 > 0:44:49everything from secret passages under monasteries
0:44:49 > 0:44:54to mysterious tunnels below stately homes. Tim has seen them all.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02So, Tim. What is it?
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Well, it's a bit gloomy, but it's beautifully made, isn't it?
0:45:06 > 0:45:08- So beautifully made.- Superb arch.
0:45:08 > 0:45:13It's a local limestone, but they are using very much the rubble-y sort of stuff to build it with.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Do you know how far it actually goes down?
0:45:15 > 0:45:18Yes, it goes quite a long way, actually. 20, 25 metres.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22- So it's quite a distance, then? - It's quite a distance.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Does appear to be blocked at the far end.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28It looks like somebody has been down there, cos we've got
0:45:28 > 0:45:35- looks like a probably late 19th century, early 20th century ceramic pipe down there.- Yes.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37- This tunnel is certainly obviously a lot older.- Yes.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40And I have no problem with suggesting it's 18th-century,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43- obviously contemporary with the house itself.- Oh, really?
0:45:43 > 0:45:45You know, it's quite a major feat of engineering,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47especially for the period.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49It's quite an impressive thing, I have to say.
0:45:49 > 0:45:54So it dates back to the time of the house, but why was it built?
0:45:54 > 0:46:00And looking at it, cos where it comes through, obviously, behind us,
0:46:00 > 0:46:02it's been filled in, hasn't it?
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Yes, it looks like it's been deliberately filled in.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07But it does seem to go through,
0:46:07 > 0:46:09- and lines up quite nicely with the cellar, doesn't it?- Mmm.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13- And I gather there's a well in the cellar, isn't there?- There is, yeah.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16So this sort of feature would have been built
0:46:16 > 0:46:19to take any excess water off from the well,
0:46:19 > 0:46:23- and then it would then go down... - It's a drain.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27- It's a very nice train, and we love it very much.- A beautiful drain.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30- But it's a drain. - A drain, nonetheless.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32Well, we'll love it even if it is a drainage tunnel.
0:46:34 > 0:46:40Simon and Gina are the proud owners of a very unique feature in their back garden.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44But now it's what's going on inside the house that's their main focus.
0:46:44 > 0:46:49Final interior decisions are coming thick and fast,
0:46:49 > 0:46:53and with all trades on site, it's a race to the finish.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Kieran will be back soon, so will Stanwick Hall finally be finished?
0:47:01 > 0:47:06Three counties away in Somerset, the great news is that
0:47:06 > 0:47:10Thomas A Beckett Church has completed its restoration journey.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Before taking a look inside, Kieran is off into the village
0:47:14 > 0:47:16to find out what the locals think of it now.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21I had reservations at one time, you know,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25but to see the building being used now is quite nice, really.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29To see a light on in there is kind of heartening for the village.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33Yeah all the work he's done, when you enter there, it still gives you the impression
0:47:33 > 0:47:35that it's still church-y, if you know what I mean.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38- Well, I call him St Paul, actually. - Right.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Because he must have been a saint to take it up, take it on like that.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43It didn't look like much when he took it on, did it?
0:47:43 > 0:47:45No, and he's really done well,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48and I think the whole village are behind him.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49He's done a cracking job.
0:47:49 > 0:47:54Well, I'm amazed, absolutely amazed at what they have done
0:47:54 > 0:47:55and how they've done it.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58But the best thing of all, is in the evening,
0:47:58 > 0:48:02when you go outside and you can see the lights in the stained-glass window,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04and there's life in there. It's wonderful.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10And it seems Paul and Laura's restoration has had an even greater impact.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Whilst they were restoring the nave,
0:48:12 > 0:48:17the Churches Conservation Trust restored the medieval tower.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19It's given the island a new lease of life.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21There's great interest.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26We get many more visitors coming to have a look at the church,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29have a look at the island, and general interest.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34So this heart of the village is alive again. Which is wonderful.
0:48:34 > 0:48:35It's great.
0:48:39 > 0:48:45It took Paul and Laura four and a half years of painstaking hard work
0:48:45 > 0:48:47to rescue Thomas A Becket Church.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51But saving a decaying Gothic church is one thing -
0:48:51 > 0:48:54living in one is quite another.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56I've come to see how successful they've been
0:48:56 > 0:49:00at transforming a place of worship into a place to live.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26- Nice to see you. There's one more of you.- Yeah.
0:49:26 > 0:49:27Are you going to say hello, Joshy?
0:49:27 > 0:49:30- Hello.- Are you going to smile? - BABY CRIES
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Oh, no!
0:49:32 > 0:49:33And are you pleased with the result?
0:49:33 > 0:49:38- Really pleased.- What do you think of all the work?- It's a shame it's over.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42- Really?- Personally, I find it very sad that it's coming to an end.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44- Really?- Yeah, I loved it, absolutely loved it.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50Paul's tireless hard work has created a unique home.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53They've certainly not shied away from making the most
0:49:53 > 0:49:55of the church's original features.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Do you ever get somebody coming here and saying, "How can you live here
0:50:00 > 0:50:04"with this altar and these, kind of, religious things all around you?"
0:50:04 > 0:50:08We've had people come and say, "When I came before, I thought
0:50:08 > 0:50:12"this would be a problem, but now it's finished I see that it's not."
0:50:12 > 0:50:16I'm so used to it, and I was brought up with religion, so I'm not scared of it.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19I think the only people that seem to have a problem, I think,
0:50:19 > 0:50:22with the concept of living in a church generally are people who haven't...
0:50:22 > 0:50:25it's not around them. It feels...
0:50:25 > 0:50:27It doesn't feel that strange to me, that all.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Apart from the altar mantelpiece,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35the public living spaces have a clean, minimal decor.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41In the private bedrooms, however, it's another story.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Oh, good Lord! You've gone to town here, a bit, then?
0:50:46 > 0:50:47We've gone for it, yeah.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51It's the master bedroom, you know, it's got to have something going on.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55And I really like these kind of Chinoiserie rooms,
0:50:55 > 0:50:57that's very much of the era.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59- But I love that you're just having so much fun with it.- Yeah.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02You've enjoyed the latter stages.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04We've had a lot of fun, and I really like this room.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06- You've even got a hidden door. - We have.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09- It's not that hidden then, is it? - Well spotted!
0:51:11 > 0:51:13Oh, wow!
0:51:14 > 0:51:17It's like a combination of hunting lodge
0:51:17 > 0:51:19and some small room in a castle.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25With gold paint, antlers on the walls and a solid copper bath,
0:51:25 > 0:51:30Paul and Laura have embraced the Victorians' love of opulent and eclectic interiors.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39As well as the master suite, Paul and Laura have finished two further bedrooms,
0:51:39 > 0:51:43three more bathrooms, and a leather-and-oak panelled study.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49And up here we have the living room. At last.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52- So, your finished living space. - Yes, this is it.- Fantastic.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56And here is where you really feel, you know,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59like you're inhabiting this amazing space up here, don't you?
0:51:59 > 0:52:02- It must be great. - Yeah, it's really nice.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Paul and Laura managed to bring their build in
0:52:05 > 0:52:10for just £10,000 over their modest £140,000 budget.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15What's next for this project, Paul?
0:52:15 > 0:52:18I mean, this has been your life for nearly five years.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20- It has, it has.- What are you going to do, next?
0:52:20 > 0:52:23I'm not sure. "Job" has become a bit of a four letter word,
0:52:23 > 0:52:26but I'm just going to have to get with the programme, I guess,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29cos little Joshy here is not going to pay his way for a while,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32- and somebody has got to pay the electricity bills, so...- Yeah.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34But, you know, I'm open to the idea that
0:52:34 > 0:52:37I might actually like what's coming more than I have what's been.
0:52:37 > 0:52:38I just don't know what it is yet.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01The thing I've loved about coming to Thomas A Becket Church today,
0:53:01 > 0:53:05is to see how Paul and Laura's taste for the Victorian Gothic
0:53:05 > 0:53:08has added a new, showy layer to this already amazing building.
0:53:08 > 0:53:13It's not everybody's cup of tea, but for them, what they've done is
0:53:13 > 0:53:16transform a church into a really warm family home.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31We've come from Somerset where Paul and Laura have achieved the unlikely
0:53:31 > 0:53:33in transforming a church into a lovely place to live,
0:53:33 > 0:53:36and we come to Northamptonshire where Gina and Simon
0:53:36 > 0:53:40have taken on a building that always looked like the perfect home,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44but in fact turned out to be the most challenging restoration of them all.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51- Hello!- Hello, Kieran.- Hello. - So nice to see you again.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54- Good to see you.- Nice to see you. And how are things?
0:53:54 > 0:53:58We're just so close now. We really are genuinely at the final stages.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01- It's tantalising.- Yeah. - You know, you can almost reach it.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04They're just finishing, really, the finishes and the final stages.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08- So you haven't got rid of builders quite yet?- No, we haven't.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11But you're very close to that moment you've been waiting for for nearly four years.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13- Yes, that's right, we are. - Yeah, nearly there.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Well, this is quite a transformation in here.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27I mean, when I first came here,
0:54:27 > 0:54:32this was where a wall was running with dirt and water,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35and now you've got walls with just,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37a lick of paint away from being finished.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40- How does that feel? - Brilliant. Really good.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48So, on the first floor there's still a fair bit to do,
0:54:48 > 0:54:52but up here you just get a sense of how close you are to completion.
0:54:52 > 0:54:59All that needs doing is just a little bit of wallpapering, and the carpets.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01- And then it's a world for the kids, really.- Yeah.- It's done.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13It's really nice to see these rooms within reach of
0:55:13 > 0:55:16coming back to life completely, but there's one place I've been
0:55:16 > 0:55:18really looking forward to seeing, and that's the kitchen.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Is it finished, is it there?
0:55:20 > 0:55:24Yes, it's finished, yeah. The new part of the house is done.
0:55:33 > 0:55:38Wow, well, this is an extraordinary kitchen, it really is.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42Look at the size and scale of it! This is like the heart of the home.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44I love to cook and I love to entertain.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48You know, a house is nothing without guests and people, is it?
0:55:48 > 0:55:50So, this will be where it all happens, I think.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53So, one of the other critical questions, of course,
0:55:53 > 0:55:57is how much it costs to achieve this, to save a historic building
0:55:57 > 0:56:00and to make it into a family home. What's the damage?
0:56:00 > 0:56:05We estimated half a million to renovate the house when we first began,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09and I think the final figure is probably 1.1.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Well, that's... That's...
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Yeah, it has a huge impact, but once you've started,
0:56:14 > 0:56:17you have to finish, so you just keep going until you get there.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21You took on a historic property, a four-year journey.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23Do you ever think, we could have just done our own thing,
0:56:23 > 0:56:24we could have built a new house.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26No, not really.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29You wouldn't have the soul of the house if it was all new.
0:56:29 > 0:56:34It's more about the property and our family.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37So the two things coming together. It's a dream come true.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41A lot of it is the visualisation of the children enjoying the house
0:56:41 > 0:56:45having their bedrooms, running down for their meals, and so on.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48That's what gets you through, that's what you focus on,
0:56:48 > 0:56:52is the happy times with the family that you will have in the house.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56What pleases you individually is what's important,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59and it really pleases us, we love the house much,
0:56:59 > 0:57:01and we love the thought of all living here together.
0:57:12 > 0:57:17Secret tunnels, fire damage, decades of neglect.
0:57:17 > 0:57:22The restoration of Stanwick Hall was never going to be easy or come cheap,
0:57:22 > 0:57:26but now, more than two years after work began here,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29Simon and Gina are on the brink of moving in.
0:57:29 > 0:57:34I believe that saving a building as special as Stanwick Hall needs more than just money.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38It needs someone to love it, and need someone with the imagination
0:57:38 > 0:57:43to give it a future life as long and illustrious as its past.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47And that's exactly what Simon and Gina have given Stanwick Hall.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01Next time, we're revisiting two more ambitious restoration projects.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06It's just amazing to see a building almost completely ruined.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10We'll reveal what secret World War II links have come to light at Calverton Manor.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14This was where a lot of the radio transmissions to our secret agents
0:58:14 > 0:58:17in the low countries actually took place.
0:58:17 > 0:58:22Big House was a ruin with a history. Could Alun Lewis save it?
0:58:22 > 0:58:27We're just ordinary people trying to attempt the nearly impossible with next to nothing.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd