0:00:03 > 0:00:10All over Britain, hundreds of precious, historic buildings are in danger of being lost for ever.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20The tragedy is that these buildings are far more than bricks and mortar. They are the keepers of our past.
0:00:20 > 0:00:27I love the idea that people stood here discussing the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of Britain.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32I'm following the fortunes of six properties.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Each of these six fragile buildings has found a would-be saviour -
0:00:37 > 0:00:41new owners desperate to breathe life into these crumbling ruins
0:00:41 > 0:00:46by creating their own 21st century dream home.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- She found it. - I think it's an adorable building.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54There's a lot of work to be done, but it needs to be cared for and will be cared for.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00As our owners get down to work, architectural expert Kieran Long
0:01:00 > 0:01:06and historian Dr Kate Williams will help me unearth the fascinating secrets hidden deep
0:01:06 > 0:01:08in each building's past.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11I love old buildings and I always have
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and I've spent many years restoring various different properties
0:01:15 > 0:01:18to try and create the perfect family home,
0:01:18 > 0:01:24so I know from personal experience the hard path that our families have chosen to follow.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28- Oh!- I don't think we'd ever buy another listed building. Ever.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35It's Restoration Home.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Welcome to historic Britain.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48This time, we're in a region up to its neck in history,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51the very heartland of Heritage Britain.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Welcome to Milton Keynes.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02It might not be the first place you'd associate with a rich past,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05but when the new town was laid out in the 1960s,
0:02:05 > 0:02:12it engulfed three old towns, 13 ancient villages and a variety of historic properties.
0:02:13 > 0:02:20So here, just on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, is our restoration home - Calverton Manor.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28There is evidence of some form of hall or manor here at the time of the Domesday Book,
0:02:28 > 0:02:33though the oldest parts of this building appear to be Tudor,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38so not surprisingly, Calverton Manor is a listed building, Grade 2 star.
0:02:38 > 0:02:45That's only one grade down from places like Blenheim Palace and Westminster Abbey.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48But unlike those national treasures,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51today, Calverton is neglected and ruined.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55The manor has ended up a broken-down farmhouse,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58uncared for and on the verge of collapse.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06Enter our restoration champions, David and Jeanette Lock.
0:03:06 > 0:03:12Three years ago, they were facing the terrifying prospect of a quiet and comfortable life.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Retirement loomed.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19We weren't going to sit on our arses and just go on cruises
0:03:19 > 0:03:24and go round boot fairs or whatever it is people do when they retire. We're not that sort of person.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27We could have taken the easy route.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31We don't do that.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37They've both had successful careers in town planning.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41In fact, David was awarded a CBE for work he'd done nationwide
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and on modern Milton Keynes.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46They've also raised three daughters
0:03:46 > 0:03:51and after they left home, David and Jeanette wanted a big, new challenge.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56We stumbled over the advert. As soon as I saw the photograph,
0:03:56 > 0:04:02an aerial photograph, I went, "It's obvious. We'll have to do this." It was clear.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07- We came up here one summer's evening. We walked across the fields.- It was absolutely gorgeous.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12We said to each other, "We're going to have to give this wheel a spin."
0:04:12 > 0:04:16The property came with 45 acres, three dilapidated cottages
0:04:16 > 0:04:19and several old farm buildings.
0:04:19 > 0:04:25David and Jeanette paid 2.2 million and they moved straight into the manor house,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28even though it was in a pretty terrible state.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31We wanted to get the feel of the house.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34We didn't want to just, um...
0:04:34 > 0:04:38renovate it without knowing how to live in it.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41And it is an extremely frightening project.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46There were a couple of nights when we both lay awake, wondering what we'd done.
0:04:46 > 0:04:52As well they might. They'd blown their budget just buying the place.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58It's taken three years of hard work just to raise the money for the restoration.
0:04:58 > 0:05:04We've had to convert the cottages and sell those, get permission to convert the barns and sell those,
0:05:04 > 0:05:11but we converted this one ourselves, so we've got somewhere to live while the house is being done up.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Taking this wall down is just going to...
0:05:16 > 0:05:22At least while all that was being done, they've had time to sort out the plans and building permits.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27David and Jeanette want to create their dream home
0:05:27 > 0:05:30with five bedrooms, modern comforts
0:05:30 > 0:05:36and plenty of space for all the children and grandchildren to visit.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38But because it's a listed building,
0:05:38 > 0:05:44all proposed work has to be cleared by conservation officers from English Heritage.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Everything must be done in keeping with the historic building.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53Some people find the regulations a hindrance, but for David and Jeanette,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57the history is the reason they bought the place.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02In a way, we'd like to find a few problems. We'd like to find a bit more archaeology.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It would be exciting, even if it was a pain.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14The restoration budget is set at just over a million pounds
0:06:14 > 0:06:20and the schedule is 44 weeks, so they should be finished by Christmas.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26The most vital work is going to be simply repairing the structure and fabric of the building.
0:06:26 > 0:06:32Modern plastic windows are going to be replaced and crumbling stone ones restored.
0:06:34 > 0:06:40In the attic, a team of conservation experts are starting to stabilise the crumbling plaster.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Most of this area will then be left alone,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48but David and Jeanette plan to turn the largest gable into a study.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54The biggest change to the layout will be downstairs.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00The plan was to remove a Georgian wall between the room called the snug and the dingy entrance hall.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05David and Jeanette will get a huge and gracious reception room
0:07:05 > 0:07:12and at the same time, they'll recreate what is probably the oldest space in the house -
0:07:12 > 0:07:14the original great hall.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18But the plans and details could change as things come to light.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24They've already discovered a Tudor fireplace lurking just behind the wallpaper.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29We've discovered by dropping small pieces through
0:07:29 > 0:07:34that the floor of the fireplace probably collapsed some time ago
0:07:34 > 0:07:38because those bits appear to be landing in the fireplace downstairs.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Calverton Manor is a time capsule
0:07:47 > 0:07:53and we'll be investigating the architectural and social history literally hidden in the walls.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Anything we find out we'll share with David and Jeanette.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00While I keep an eye on the restoration,
0:08:00 > 0:08:06our private eye of the past Dr Kate Williams will be revealing the people who have lived here,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11while architectural expert Kieran Long tries to unravel the DNA of the building itself.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20His first lead is hard to miss.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25So it's hard to say how old this building is,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29but we have a pretty good clue above us
0:08:29 > 0:08:35that 1659 was the moment where this element, this kind of portico entrance, this porch was built.
0:08:35 > 0:08:41It might seem completely obvious that the entrance to a building is important
0:08:41 > 0:08:46and should be celebrated in architectural detail, but it wasn't always obvious.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Buildings on sites like this wouldn't necessarily have had a grand front door,
0:08:51 > 0:08:57but at a certain point in the 17th century, you start to get people interested in making an impression.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01You need to arrive at the entrance facade and be impressed.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Along with the date, there's also someone's initials.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Round the back, there are no easy clues.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21The whole thing is kind of, to be honest, a complete nightmare.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26It's totally confusing, impossible to date in one singular way,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30but that's the quality of it, that's what we've got to enjoy about it.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33It's a collage of so many different eras.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Many of the doorways and windows in this building have timber lintels.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42What's interesting is that the timber lintels that were older and no longer needed
0:09:42 > 0:09:44have just been left in the wall.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50So above here, we see a broader lintel and you see a stone here and a stone over here,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53so there was once a much bigger doorway here.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59As a result, you're left with this wall with literally the history of the building written into it,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02kind of embedded in it and kept there.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The interior is even more of a collage.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15From the outside, we know that it's at least partly a 17th century house,
0:10:15 > 0:10:21but when you look at the thickness of these walls, you start to suspect something much more ancient.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Normally, you would expect a wall this size to be an external wall.
0:10:26 > 0:10:32If it is solid masonry, you'd expect it to be the former external wall perhaps of a much older building.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39It's clear the house has been altered and adapted by almost every generation that's lived here.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44For example, the drawing room has Georgian windows and a Tudor fireplace.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Strangely, the only really grand room is the servants' hall
0:10:54 > 0:10:58which was built on the back like an extension.
0:11:01 > 0:11:08Every time you walk round a corner in this house, you find another thing that poses yet another question.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Why did they build this quite large hall?
0:11:12 > 0:11:18At what point did they need this size of accommodation which is nearly as big as the ground floor of the house?
0:11:18 > 0:11:25The windows and the architectural details of the servants' hall appear to date from the mid-1600s,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28the same period as the portico round the front.
0:11:28 > 0:11:35So it looks like the mysterious SB played a big role in the architecture of Calverton Manor.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38But what about the date - 1659?
0:11:39 > 0:11:45Our historian Dr Kate Williams knows it as a very significant year.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50The 1600s were years of strife and revolution
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and 1659 was the year in which everything changed.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Since the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell had ruled the country,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01but he had just died, throwing everything into chaos.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05People were desperate for stability, so in the following year,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Charles II returned from exile to be crowned King.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11One thing is clear. Whoever this SB was,
0:12:11 > 0:12:18he was someone who was very confident and sure of himself to embark on this expansive building project
0:12:18 > 0:12:21in a time of chaos and change.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26But now, back with our own restoration,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28a discovery has been made.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- Are you down at the bottom yet?- No.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40When the builders began to take up the floor, they chanced upon something very strange.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44We have found beneath several layers of building work,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48inside the building, but once which was outside,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51some steps leading down into the ground.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56The steps seem to be going down underneath the servants' hall.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Another step, so it's definitely leading to another room.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04The steps just wouldn't finish at the bottom of a wall.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09I would think there's probably another two steps down, looking at the height of that.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14The restoration has its own professional archaeologist, Paul Woodfield.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20David and Jeanette brought him on to the project when they were first making plans.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25- Now he'll be recording everything that's revealed. - He's got something else.- Bones.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Look at that. That's a corker!
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Look, it's a... It's a butchered bone.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35And sawn through.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42Now the steps are clear, they're going to make a small hole in the wall
0:13:42 > 0:13:45to see what's on the other side.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50I can't resist discovering where this is headed.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53This is really very exciting.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59This must be just how Howard Carter felt when he was in Tutankhamun's tomb, you see.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Is the seal broken? Is the seal broken?
0:14:05 > 0:14:10But behind the wall is just more earth.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15There must have been a cellar there, but it's been filled in.
0:14:15 > 0:14:22Now the only way to discover more is to dig down into the servants' hall directly behind where the steps are.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Yeah, I can see the light.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Yeah, I can see the light through.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34My inclination would be to do a little bit of excavation here now
0:14:34 > 0:14:41from the floor of the servants' hall, so we ought to find the edges of whatever that chamber was.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46It might be a little thing or a bigger room, but we might find the edges of it.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52They're keen to investigate the cellar as it might help with one of Calverton's unanswered questions -
0:14:52 > 0:14:54where's the water?
0:14:54 > 0:14:59Long before water mains, a house this size would have had a well,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04but there's been no sign of one here, so maybe the well was in the cellar.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07David has had a closer look at those steps.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Each step has been worn down by a couple of inches,
0:15:10 > 0:15:16so you have to think what activity would take place that you would go up and down the steps so often
0:15:16 > 0:15:19that you would wear it out that much.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24The way the steps are worn, if you're a right-handed person carrying something,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29perhaps a bucket full of water, that's exactly how you would come up those steps.
0:15:29 > 0:15:35You would turn, so the wear would all be to the outer edge here as you would turn.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39While the location of the well is forgotten,
0:15:39 > 0:15:45there is one historic detail of Calverton Manor that everyone round here remembers.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48300 years ago, there was a murder.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51The victim was the lady of the house -
0:15:51 > 0:15:55a rich widow named Grace Bennett.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00She wasn't at all liked. She'd done some bad things in the village, upset people.
0:16:00 > 0:16:07And the butcher from Stony Stratford and his apprentice decided she must have some money up here hidden away,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11so they came up for it and she insisted there wasn't any.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16One thing led to another and they murdered her in this hall somewhere.
0:16:18 > 0:16:24They caught the butcher and his apprentice in a wood near Beachampton, not far from here.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29They were both hung at Galley Hill, about half a mile away.
0:16:29 > 0:16:36Their bodies were put in gibbets hanging on Gib Lane, which was the old lane past the village,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and then their skulls were exhibited on our garden wall
0:16:39 > 0:16:44where there's a carved gallows as a warning to other people.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54But how much of the story is fact and how much is folklore?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Kate has gone to the county archives to find out.
0:16:59 > 0:17:05This book here about murders and mysteries and plots of the time has a big piece about Grace Bennett,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08saying she was miserable, she lived by herself
0:17:08 > 0:17:15and had so much money in her house that a butcher artfully got into the house and barbarously murdered her.
0:17:15 > 0:17:21But there's a few problems here. There's no footnotes. We don't know how reliable this source is.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25He says the murder took place in 1691.
0:17:25 > 0:17:31Then we've also got the stone in the Calverton farm wall that says the murder took place in 1693,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35then it also says that the man was hanged in 1694.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39So there are certainly conflicting pieces of evidence.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44What we need to discover more about the history of Calverton are some hard facts.
0:17:44 > 0:17:50Which is what they're after back in the servants' hall and now they've found something -
0:17:50 > 0:17:52a floor.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Well, I'm damned!
0:17:57 > 0:18:03We've got bricks there, then there's like a flagstone and then it's cobbled.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And the well could be close by.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11That's wet. It's very wet.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15But now David is getting cold feet.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20The men would like to dig it out, the archaeologists would like to dig it out.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25I'd like to dig it out, but this is going to take another day.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- It will.- And, er...
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Oh, dear. Jeanette, what do we do?
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Eventually, they reach a compromise.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37They're going to carry on digging,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41but with mechanical help to speed things up.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49The plan is to excavate a couple of trenches to find the edges of the old cellar.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Meanwhile, Kate has found the financial accounts
0:18:54 > 0:18:59of what was spent on the trial and execution of Grace Bennett's murderers.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Curiously, the whole thing was paid for by the Bennett family
0:19:03 > 0:19:07and there's a clue that the victim really was quite unpopular.
0:19:08 > 0:19:14Grace Bennett was so hated by the people around her, the local people,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16that there was no sympathy for her.
0:19:16 > 0:19:23In fact, no-one would give evidence at the trial, it seems, so every witness had to be paid to testify.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28The Bennett family want a special gallows made for the murderer where he can be hanged.
0:19:28 > 0:19:34The bill for the building of the gallows - two guineas, 12. And they paid for the body to be taken away.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41After four days, the servants' hall dig has had to stop.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45If they go any further, it could undermine the walls.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48They haven't found any real proof of a well,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52but the archaeologist has dated the cellar floor to medieval times
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and they've worked out what happened next.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00So it goes something like this - the servants' hall made in about 1660.
0:20:00 > 0:20:06Probably the cellar was still there then with a wooden floor over the top of it. As the years go by,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08that floor rots and collapses.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14They level the floors up and decide to fill in what's left of the cellar,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18about 1810, 1820, we think, from the fill material.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22Now that's settled, the builders can go back to building.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27And they've just started a dangerous job at the top of the house.
0:20:29 > 0:20:36When SB made his alterations, there was a big window in the gable end that was later filled in.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39The plan is to open it up again
0:20:39 > 0:20:43to give their new attic room a stunning view.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47But for building conservationist Alan Walker, it's quite a challenge.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It is a very tricky operation.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56We need an awful lot of supports, so we can retain as much of the original stone facade as possible.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00We've got about three-quarters of a tonne above of stonework
0:21:00 > 0:21:04and we can't take out a lintel without supporting it properly,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07so we can get a new lintel in its position.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11It's always a nerve-wracking job when dealing with historic buildings.
0:21:11 > 0:21:19They're putting in modern lintels of steel and concrete bedded into new mortar, but there's a snag.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21There's a real problem there.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26We might have to take this out.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30The scaffolding prop is in the way. They need to move it over a little.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36While they do that, there won't be anything to stop that stonework from collapsing.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42It's quite fragile. You really notice how fragile it is when you haven't got it supported properly,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45then obviously, you find out pretty fast.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01Now the only thing holding up the gable end is a few centuries of tradition.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11When the lintel is safely in position, the building can really move on.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23And as the building work proceeds, discoveries are coming to light everywhere.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31In the yard at the back, they've uncovered a medieval drain.
0:22:32 > 0:22:38When it was first exposed, everyone thought it was a foundation of a wall running out,
0:22:38 > 0:22:44but Jeanette and I levered a couple up and found this amazing conduit
0:22:44 > 0:22:46with clay tiles to form its base,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49lovely stones on either side,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52then flat stones placed on top.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56This then goes all the way through into the 13th century kitchen,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00so it suggests it's contemporary with the original house here.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Behind the wallpaper in the drawing room,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08they've discovered fragments of newspaper from 1827.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10It was used as a liner.
0:23:12 > 0:23:18We've got an amazingly grim story here of a dreadful accident.
0:23:19 > 0:23:25"He was in the act of incautiously pushing a boat from the shore
0:23:25 > 0:23:28"with a large gun when it went off
0:23:28 > 0:23:35"and the charge tore one of his hands and shattered the arm so dreadfully
0:23:35 > 0:23:39"that it merely hung on by a small piece of flesh."
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Out in the barn, Jeanette is looking after the artefacts
0:23:44 > 0:23:47that are coming from behind the walls and under the floors.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50There's a Tudor wine bottle.
0:23:50 > 0:23:57They must have a good time drinking from that because they broke the bottle afterwards.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And all kinds of crockery and china.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Someone with some wealth had a plate like that.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12'High summer and the builders have been at it for five months.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16'By now, there should be some real progress.'
0:24:16 > 0:24:20David, Jeanette, how far have you got?
0:24:20 > 0:24:25The contractor assures us we're exactly halfway through the contract -
0:24:25 > 0:24:3022 weeks into a 44-week contract more or less exactly today.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35- Are you aching to move into the house?- I really do want to see it moving on.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39- I really do want to get in. - Can I come and have a look?
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- Yeah, we love to show people round. Come on, let's have a look.- Lovely.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Right...
0:24:48 > 0:24:52So you're exactly halfway through, you say?
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Yes. It does look a mess, doesn't it, at the moment?
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Well, it's...it's... It's got a way to go, hasn't it?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03'I know the house is work in progress,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07'but I didn't imagine it would be so bad.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:12This room's not much further on, is it? This one's still quite...
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- You need a great deal of imagination now.- Yeah.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27We thought this room was going to be the one that would need least intervention,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30but it's been like pulling a thread on a jumper.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34The architect wanted to take the 1970s plasterboard off
0:25:34 > 0:25:40and that led them to the stud work to be pulled off, then we found a lot of the plaster came off.
0:25:40 > 0:25:46It's like peeling the house back and tracing its history that way.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Now we have much more information about the house.
0:25:50 > 0:25:57'For example, they have discovered why there are Georgian windows in a room with a Tudor fireplace.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'The windows weren't always Georgian.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:04This is the original Tudor window opening.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Then when we get to Georgian times, Tudor windows are regarded as a bit naff,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13so this window then gets filled in to about there,
0:26:13 > 0:26:18so what you see is a series of interventions of the fashion of window openings.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23Do you remember that period where people started to nail plywood on to pine doors
0:26:23 > 0:26:26because they wanted them all smooth and modern?
0:26:26 > 0:26:31- Then we've spent our last 20 years peeling them off again. - Scraping the paint off.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- You love this house, don't you? - Yeah, I do, I do.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38It's just a very welcoming house
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and it's full of interest.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45We love our history as well. And I love architecture.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I love the idea that people were stood here like this,
0:26:48 > 0:26:56discussing, you know, the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of Bosworth and the Battle of Britain.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01All these conversations have taken place in this very place.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And of all the occupiers of Calverton Manor,
0:27:04 > 0:27:10the one who has made the biggest contribution to the architecture must be the mysterious SB.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11But who was he?
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Kieran is checking out a special collection on local history.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Our first step has been to consult a county history of Buckinghamshire.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28And in this text, we've now found out who the SB was -
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Mr Simon Bennett.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37It turns out that this Simon Bennett was the husband of Grace Bennett
0:27:37 > 0:27:41who was later murdered long after Simon died.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46And it seems the Bennetts weren't always the lords of the manor round here.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50They bought their way into the landed gentry.
0:27:50 > 0:27:58It says here that in 1616 the Manor of Calverton was sold to Sir Thomas Bennett.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03Then it says he was a knight, a citizen of London, and Lord Mayor in 1603.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Sir Thomas was the grandfather of our Simon Bennett.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10My impression from this is that Sir Thomas Bennett was an entrepreneur,
0:28:10 > 0:28:16along the lines of today the great kind of representative figures of British business,
0:28:16 > 0:28:21a Lord Sugar or a Richard Branson. I think Thomas Bennett was one of these kinds of figures.
0:28:21 > 0:28:27Like his grandfather, Simon was an entrepreneur and he must have done well.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Not only did he completely re-model Calverton,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34but it seems the family also had another manor nearby -
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Beachampton Hall.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Kieran has his next lead.
0:28:41 > 0:28:47Meanwhile, back at the restoration, I've got a tricky question for David and Jeanette.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51When are you going to move into this house?
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Well, it should be ready for Christmas.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59Um... I think when we're ready as well.
0:28:59 > 0:29:05It would be really nice to move in for Christmas, but we don't actually think it will be ready.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14There's a census coming up. When is that? That's next year?
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Yeah, I think I'd like to be on the census here.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Don't you think?
0:29:20 > 0:29:27- That would be a good date to go for. It would be really nice to be on the history of this house.- Yes.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32As having been the residents here in 2011. That's a good one.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34We'll use that as a marker.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39To be recorded for posterity as the holders of Calverton Manor,
0:29:39 > 0:29:46David and Jeanette will need to be in residence on 27th March, 2011.
0:29:51 > 0:29:57The National Archives at Kew in south-west London is where those census records are kept,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01along with all sorts of historic documents.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Kate has just made a discovery.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11What I've got here is the will of Simon Bennett of Calverton.
0:30:14 > 0:30:20Simon has a lot to leave, but he's really most of all concerned about his daughters
0:30:20 > 0:30:26because he's leaving them very wealthy women. He says, "I give and bequeath unto my two daughters
0:30:26 > 0:30:29"Grace and Frances Bennett
0:30:29 > 0:30:36"the sum of £20,000 to be paid to them on their 25th birthday or their marriage,
0:30:36 > 0:30:41"whichever shall first happen." And on this he's very clear.
0:30:41 > 0:30:48"Such marriage may not occur until they attain to their full age of 16 years."
0:30:48 > 0:30:53If they marry before they're 16, they get half, half the £20,000.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56They only get £10,000 each.
0:30:57 > 0:31:04Even £10,000, by the way, is the equivalent of almost £1 million in today's money.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Just three years after writing this will, Simon died,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13leaving his wife, Grace, and their two daughters.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Frances was still very young.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Frances was only 12 when this will was proved,
0:31:20 > 0:31:25so what I need to find out next is what happened to her.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35For David and Jeanette, discovering the building's historical secrets
0:31:35 > 0:31:42is the best part of restoring Calverton Manor, but now less welcome secrets have been revealed.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46Everything here is just totally... Well, it's gone, basically.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Hardly held up by anything.
0:31:50 > 0:31:57There have been one or two surprises at the last minute. The main beam through the house -
0:31:57 > 0:32:02an electrician lifted the floorboard and the last 3 feet weren't there.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Peter Howard, the restoration's architect, is taking a look.
0:32:06 > 0:32:13We've discovered that the end of this major beam has been reduced to dust by...
0:32:13 > 0:32:15worm of some sort or another.
0:32:15 > 0:32:21And it may have been on the point of collapsing into the room below.
0:32:21 > 0:32:27The woodworm is now long gone, so it could have been like this for decades.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31But this isn't the only hidden problem that's come to light.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37Conservation engineer Ralph Mills has been called in to look at the kitchen fireplace.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42What's happened is with this being removed from there,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46- it's weakened the whole construction. - This is very serious.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50The chimney is a supporting structure.
0:32:50 > 0:32:56You can see here that the construction there is very, very weak.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00This has been planted on to the original masonry...
0:33:00 > 0:33:03The original masonry.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08It seems that the cowboy builder is not just a modern phenomenon.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13- It is on the point of collapse, really.- They need to take off the surface masonry
0:33:13 > 0:33:21to discover the full extent of the problem. And while they investigate the structural secrets,
0:33:21 > 0:33:27Kieran is piecing together how the architecture fits into the historical landscape.
0:33:27 > 0:33:33He discovered that back in the 17th century, the Bennett family owned another manor nearby -
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Beachampton Hall.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46So we're here at Beachampton Hall, if you like Calverton's twin.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Just across the valley, owned by the same family.
0:33:49 > 0:33:55And it's absolutely beautiful, astonishingly beautiful 16th-17th century house.
0:33:55 > 0:34:03What's even more satisfying to see is that this one's finished. It's complete, it's been cleaned,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06the stone is new, in beautiful condition.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Architecturally, we can definitely see so many similarities
0:34:10 > 0:34:14from the period of the building to details of the stonework.
0:34:14 > 0:34:20We can see here the remains of the old stone window surrounds.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24Very similar to the ones we saw at Calverton. This is much more grand.
0:34:24 > 0:34:32Beachampton Hall is still a family home, though it no longer belongs to the Bennetts.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Their descendants sold the place in 1807.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42This room is exactly what Calverton Manor doesn't have -
0:34:42 > 0:34:48a grand kind of almost baronial hall-like space, higher than it needs to be,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52all about a certain kind of grandeur, a certain geometry.
0:34:52 > 0:34:59Maybe the Bennett family had this and didn't need another one at Calverton
0:34:59 > 0:35:06and made a place of a very different character, more homely, whereas this was for showing off.
0:35:06 > 0:35:11But if Simon Bennett owned the much grander Beachampton,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15why call himself Simon Bennett of Calverton on his will?
0:35:15 > 0:35:21So the next question for Kieran will be what made Calverton Manor more important?
0:35:25 > 0:35:30The structural engineer was right to worry about that fireplace.
0:35:30 > 0:35:37In fact, it's worse than anyone thought. Site manager Alan Houghton now has a big problem.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39We started chopping the plaster off
0:35:39 > 0:35:46and most of the wall has been repaired very badly. There's a lot of big cracks.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51In fact, the whole chimney structure has been declared unsafe.
0:35:51 > 0:35:58Well, obviously it's a load-bearing wall as it goes right upstairs to one of the chimneys as well.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01He's estimated 50 tons above us.
0:36:01 > 0:36:07The bottom two metres will have to be completely rebuilt.
0:36:07 > 0:36:13When David and Jeanette planned the restoration, they allowed extra money to cover unforeseen disasters,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17but still it's come as a bit of a blow.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I'm not depressed by it.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25We did our homework, we knew it was going to be expensive,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28but I would just like to get in,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31get it finished and enjoy it.
0:36:31 > 0:36:36The fact is, every week overrun does cost real pound notes.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41Restoring any old property is an unpredictable process,
0:36:41 > 0:36:46but maybe that's the price you pay to live in a house with real history,
0:36:46 > 0:36:50let alone a murder from three centuries ago.
0:36:51 > 0:36:58Having the lady of the manor brutally murdered in your servants' hall is something to dine out on,
0:36:58 > 0:37:04but as is constantly the case with Calverton Manor, we've unearthed another story.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09Grace Bennett wasn't the only woman to set tongues wagging locally.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14Apparently, her daughter Frances also caused a bit of a stir.
0:37:18 > 0:37:25Simon Bennett had two daughters and he was adamant they should not marry under the age of 16,
0:37:25 > 0:37:30yet just less than a year after he died, that was exactly what happened.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Frances was married at age 13.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38It would have been her mother, Grace Bennett, who arranged it
0:37:38 > 0:37:41and she probably thought it was a perfect match -
0:37:41 > 0:37:47Frances, the merchant's daughter from Calverton, married James Cecil, the Earl of Salisbury,
0:37:47 > 0:37:52and came to live in one of the great palaces of England, Hatfield House.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04She became the Countess of Salisbury and he got his hands on her money.
0:38:04 > 0:38:11Kate's searching the Hatfield House archives for contemporary accounts to find out what he was like.
0:38:15 > 0:38:22Well, poor Frances. What a tragedy. She's married off at 13 to a man who was the laughing stock of England.
0:38:22 > 0:38:29James Cecil is fat, he's buffoonish. He is also incredibly greedy and quite cruel.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34The day after his marriage, the Earl sets off on the Grand Tour
0:38:34 > 0:38:38leaving 13-year-old Frances alone in Hatfield House.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40And he's cruelly neglectful to her.
0:38:40 > 0:38:46She has all this money and he forces her to live in utter penury.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51And what was the Earl doing with all this money, this huge dowry?
0:38:51 > 0:38:57Well, this teenager, he set off on the Grand Tour and he spent it all on gambling.
0:38:57 > 0:39:03In the pleasure palaces of Paris and Rome, he had a whale of a time at the card table.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08When he eventually came home in 1687,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12there was a new king on the throne, the Catholic James II.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Cecil was soon a leading courtier.
0:39:17 > 0:39:23He became Gentleman of the Bedchamber, he had a regiment of cavalry and, finally,
0:39:23 > 0:39:29critically, he became a Catholic. But James II's Catholicism made him incredibly unpopular
0:39:29 > 0:39:35and eventually a group of Protestant nobles requested William of Orange to come and be king.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39James II fled, leaving Cecil in the lurch.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Cecil was accused of treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48But he did have one consolation.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53Rich prisoners were allowed to take their wives and servants in with them.
0:39:57 > 0:40:05So this is exactly the type of room that Frances Bennett would have been imprisoned in with James Cecil,
0:40:05 > 0:40:09the 18-year-old girl living here in the Tower.
0:40:09 > 0:40:16But it wasn't quite as grim as we might have thought. This was the Ritz of prisons.
0:40:16 > 0:40:22James and Frances were rather a wealthy couple living here and they made the best of the Tower.
0:40:22 > 0:40:29Almost two years after he was locked up, Cecil received a royal pardon.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Finally, her husband was released, but he died not long after from ill health.
0:40:34 > 0:40:41For many, Frances's life then would have been bleak. To her, it was freedom and opportunity
0:40:41 > 0:40:43and she left all this behind her.
0:40:43 > 0:40:50Frances was just 24 when she was widowed and it seems she made the most of her freedom.
0:40:50 > 0:40:56She's been recorded as one of the very first British women to go on the Grand Tour.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Back in the 21st century, winter's approaching.
0:41:04 > 0:41:11The structural problems caused delays, so the plasterers are starting much later than hoped.
0:41:11 > 0:41:17They're obliged by the Grade 2 Star listing to use traditional lime plaster.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21But there could be a problem - it's temperature sensitive.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25The cold's a massive consideration for lime work.
0:41:25 > 0:41:31We've got to watch out for frost. If we have frost, we can get into trouble.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36It'll probably delaminate and start peeling off, falling off.
0:41:36 > 0:41:43Round the back, the conservation stone masons are already in trouble with traditional materials.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Glyn Horwood was using lime mortar to rebuild a wall.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50The temperature's too cold, too damp.
0:41:50 > 0:41:57And, basically, that means that the wall just won't go off quick enough.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02This was laid two and a half weeks ago. If you actually look,
0:42:02 > 0:42:08it's still soft. It can take anything up to three months to dry now.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Awkward. To say the least.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15All they can do now is hope the weather doesn't get any worse.
0:42:20 > 0:42:26Kieran is trying to find out why Calverton manor was more important to Simon Bennett
0:42:26 > 0:42:29than his grander house at Beachampton.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35Maybe it's to do with location, so he's checking out the old maps.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42The local town is Stony Stratford and Calverton Manor is much closer than Beachampton.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47In fact, one side of the town is marked Calverton End.
0:42:54 > 0:43:01So we're on the high street of Stony Stratford. But this was the old Roman road.
0:43:01 > 0:43:07About 50-odd miles in that direction is London and all the way there is Chester and the north-west.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11This was a critical junction on that long route.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16There were coaching inns, goods being transported and exchanged
0:43:16 > 0:43:21and this street was effectively the motorway between London and the north-west.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25The connection with this town and the Bennetts is
0:43:25 > 0:43:30everything on this side of the street was in the parish of Calverton.
0:43:30 > 0:43:36As lords of the manor, they were in charge of this side. It has the marketplace,
0:43:36 > 0:43:40where all of that trade would have gone on,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44and every time an exchange was made, the lord of the manor took a cut.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49So hoping Calverton brought Simon Bennett money and power.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53No wonder he put his initials on the front of the manor.
0:43:57 > 0:44:03But now, coming up to Christmas, the weather has brought work to a standstill
0:44:03 > 0:44:08and, round the back, the lime mortar that wouldn't dry...froze.
0:44:10 > 0:44:18The face has gone. It's completely gone. This will all want raking out and completely repointing. 100%.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21So now it needs redoing.
0:44:21 > 0:44:28In 2010, we were hit by the second coldest December since monthly temperatures were first recorded,
0:44:28 > 0:44:33which, coincidentally, was in 1659.
0:44:38 > 0:44:45The lads plastered this ceiling last week. We're trying to keep the house warm. These heaters aren't coping.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49I think it will all fail. It's more frost.
0:44:50 > 0:44:56All the plaster that's failed will have to be pulled down and completely remade.
0:44:56 > 0:45:01It's the end of a year which has been quite hard work and stressful.
0:45:01 > 0:45:07We're fed up with living in cardboard boxes. There's not been a lot happening in the last few days.
0:45:11 > 0:45:17Despite the house being far from finished, David and Jeanette go ahead with their carol concert
0:45:17 > 0:45:20in the servants' hall.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23ORGAN PLAYS
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Are we ready?
0:45:27 > 0:45:30# Deck the hall with boughs of holly
0:45:30 > 0:45:34# Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la... #
0:45:34 > 0:45:40With the schedule slipping and the costs rising, this is just what they need.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43# Don we now our gay apparel... #
0:45:43 > 0:45:49Because when things are looking dark, there's nothing like a good sing.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53# ..ancient yuletide carol Fa-la-la-la-la... #
0:46:02 > 0:46:07Six weeks into the new year and there's some good news and some bad news.
0:46:07 > 0:46:14The good news is that the unsafe wall behind the fireplace is well on the way to being repaired.
0:46:16 > 0:46:22They had to put in four massive steel joists to hold the upstairs up while the walls were being rebuilt.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25It was even trickier than thought.
0:46:25 > 0:46:30The wall was made up with such big stones and so many small stones,
0:46:30 > 0:46:35it was just falling down. Nothing was tied in. It was just loose rubble.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38But it's all back in and solid now.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41That was the good news. And the bad news?
0:46:41 > 0:46:47David and Jeanette won't be in residence when the 2011 national census is done
0:46:47 > 0:46:51at the end of March. The builders have recalculated
0:46:51 > 0:46:55and announced a finish date in early summer.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59# I hear that you're building your little house... #
0:46:59 > 0:47:04I can't tell you that it is a traumatic moment of awfulness,
0:47:04 > 0:47:10and had led to us putting Leonard Cohen on and take a warm bath with some razor blades,
0:47:10 > 0:47:15but certainly it was disappointing and irritating,
0:47:15 > 0:47:22but we're not broken-hearted about it yet. If it slips again, we shall get very grumpy.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27But now, little by little, bit by bit,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30progress is being made.
0:47:52 > 0:47:57Kieran is following one last lead to a country church a few miles away.
0:48:00 > 0:48:06Somewhere here is the last resting place of the man who added more than anyone else
0:48:06 > 0:48:10to the architecture of Calverton Manor - SB.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23In fact, his memorial is the largest in the church
0:48:23 > 0:48:28and the bust was done from his actual death mask.
0:48:30 > 0:48:35It's unmistakable. Here he is, the man himself.
0:48:35 > 0:48:41Simon Bennett. And this is just an amazing find, just an astonishing thing to see.
0:48:41 > 0:48:48The face of the man that added all that grandeur and architectural excitement to Calverton
0:48:48 > 0:48:55and, you know, is such an important figure for this landscape. I've been chasing around and here he is.
0:48:55 > 0:49:02This amazing text brings together our whole cast of characters from the whole Bennett story.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06Of course, Simon Bennett, the man who added so much to Calverton
0:49:06 > 0:49:10and is the architectural driving force behind that building.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13The evil Grace Moorwood is here.
0:49:13 > 0:49:18And right at the bottom is Frances, who married the Earl of Salisbury.
0:49:26 > 0:49:32'Before we find out if the new owners have managed to save the home of Simon Bennett,
0:49:32 > 0:49:39'Kate and Kieran will fill Jeanette and David in on everything they've discovered about its history.'
0:49:39 > 0:49:42The house was re-fronted in 1659.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46We're trying to understand why. What were Simon Bennett's intentions?
0:49:46 > 0:49:53Why does he, with a grand house like Beachampton, choose to put his name and improvements down here?
0:49:53 > 0:49:59I can only feel it's something to do with the manorial boundaries of Calverton itself.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03It's the perfect place for diversified commercial activity.
0:50:03 > 0:50:08But the most intriguing discovery is the link between their home
0:50:08 > 0:50:11and one of the country's grandest.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14It became massive London gossip, a scandal.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17He's used her money and gone.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21Yes, particularly that he left her in such penury and deprived state.
0:50:21 > 0:50:26We didn't know any of that. We knew there was this link.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28This is the church at Beachampton
0:50:28 > 0:50:33- and inside we found Simon himself. - This is so exciting.
0:50:33 > 0:50:40We didn't know he was there! We've had this property four years and didn't know his bust was there!
0:50:40 > 0:50:44We're really happy to tell you. It's a really fine monument.
0:50:44 > 0:50:49- He was a cool-looking guy. - This is from his death mask.- Yes.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52That is a real find for us.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00350 years ago, Simon Bennett transformed Calverton Manor
0:51:00 > 0:51:06into a place of legend. Whilst the story's remained, the house became fragile
0:51:06 > 0:51:08and in danger of complete collapse.
0:51:08 > 0:51:13Whilst restoring the manor, David and Jeanette have ripped up the rule book,
0:51:13 > 0:51:18but also the schedule. They were due to move in at Christmas.
0:51:18 > 0:51:23That didn't happen. Then spring came and went and now it's summer
0:51:23 > 0:51:29and I'm here to find out if the unpredictable restoration of Calverton Manor is finally over.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35This is how Calverton looked a year and a half ago.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37As efforts to save it progressed,
0:51:37 > 0:51:42it was discovered the whole house was on the brink of collapse.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50This is how it looks today.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56- Hello!- Hi!- Hello!
0:51:57 > 0:52:03- It's looking really...- I know. - ..really, really wonderful! Well done!
0:52:03 > 0:52:07- Isn't it pretty? - You've done it!- I know.
0:52:07 > 0:52:14- It's been a long, long haul, but we're so pleased with it. With the sun on it...- It's smiling.
0:52:14 > 0:52:21- It's beautiful.- It should be the happiest it's been since 1659 when it was last given a makeover.
0:52:21 > 0:52:27- I think your initials should be above the door with Simon Bennett's. - We've put ours on the chimney.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31We'll show you later. We felt we'd earned our spurs.
0:52:31 > 0:52:36- Can I go and have a look?- You can. - Can I see what's occurred?
0:52:36 > 0:52:41'And we're lucky enough to be the first to see the house finished.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45'David and Jeanette only got the keys from the builders this week
0:52:45 > 0:52:47'and haven't moved in yet.
0:52:47 > 0:52:54'When they started, this room had been split into two during the Georgian era.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59'More worrying was the load-bearing beam eaten away by woodworm.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03'Now the original hall has been reopened.'
0:53:06 > 0:53:11- This is unrecognisable! - It is amazing, isn't it?
0:53:11 > 0:53:17Completely different. And this is a beautiful fireplace.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20- It is, yes. And now it's in proportion.- Yes.
0:53:20 > 0:53:25'The once dingy hall is now also flooded with light
0:53:25 > 0:53:30'thanks to their discovery of an original window seat.'
0:53:30 > 0:53:34You can sit on this window seat and look right out the front door.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38And across the garden. And isn't it gorgeous?
0:53:40 > 0:53:46'When I was here last time, the drawing room showed the size of the task ahead
0:53:46 > 0:53:52'with its rotten floors and newspaper-covered walls telling of gruesome tales.'
0:53:52 > 0:53:54I remember this room.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Well, look.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00We have a floor.
0:54:00 > 0:54:06OK, I'm going to come clean and tell you when I left here I said to the crew,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09"They're never going to do it."
0:54:13 > 0:54:19'By reopening the window at the gable end, as it would have been in Simon Bennett's time,
0:54:19 > 0:54:22'they've created a beautiful attic room.
0:54:22 > 0:54:28'And on the first floor there are now five bedrooms and a series of stunning bathrooms.'
0:54:31 > 0:54:37- Are you going to be inundated with people wanting to stay?- Em... - We'd like that.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Would you?
0:54:39 > 0:54:45But I think we could become, or perhaps we have, serious bores about it.
0:54:45 > 0:54:52We know so much, we could talk for hours on any aspect - ironmongery, lime plaster, paint,
0:54:52 > 0:54:54joinery...
0:54:55 > 0:55:01'But the part of the house that was most at risk was in the old kitchen,
0:55:01 > 0:55:05'where they discovered the fireplace was seriously compromised
0:55:05 > 0:55:11'and 50 tons of Calverton Manor could come tumbling down at any moment.'
0:55:11 > 0:55:15It's on the point of collapse, really.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21And this...this place...
0:55:21 > 0:55:24- THEY LAUGH - This is...
0:55:24 > 0:55:27not the same room.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32It's one of those what you'd call a close shave
0:55:32 > 0:55:38and you lie awake in bed the next day and think supposing it had happened that night?
0:55:38 > 0:55:42The bloke could have gone home early and the whole lot could have gone.
0:55:42 > 0:55:49It would have pulled down with it the entire north end of the building, all the floors.
0:55:53 > 0:55:58'Having narrowly avoided disaster and with their huge list of discoveries,
0:55:58 > 0:56:04'the final restoration bill for Calverton Manor was £1.2 million.'
0:56:06 > 0:56:12If you're embarking on a restoration project of this sort, you can't do it on the cheap,
0:56:12 > 0:56:20- you can't do it quick, you can't cut corners... - And you won't make any money!- Yes!
0:56:24 > 0:56:30What would have been lost to the nation, lost to the country id this house had gone?
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Because it's a listed building, it would be reconstructed,
0:56:33 > 0:56:39but the difference between a reconstruction and a conservation is what we have often spoken of,
0:56:39 > 0:56:45the sense of the voices that have been absorbed into the plasterwork,
0:56:45 > 0:56:52the hands that have touched the doorknobs. You can build a fake manor house and it would look right,
0:56:52 > 0:56:59but it wouldn't have that absorbed DNA of many generations of people.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02And the breath of ages, really.
0:57:09 > 0:57:14Facing a quiet retirement, David and Jeanette took on a fragile old house,
0:57:14 > 0:57:20but it was in much worse state than they ever imagined. But it was never just a restoration headache.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24They fell for the history oozing out of every stone.
0:57:24 > 0:57:30Saving Calverton Manor uncovered the exciting story of the Bennett family,
0:57:30 > 0:57:35but for David and Jeanette, this wasn't a quiet archaeological dig,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38this was a roller coaster.
0:57:38 > 0:57:44For them, the adventure has only just begun because now they get to call this place home.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58Next time, another restoration home.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00Ohh!
0:58:00 > 0:58:06- Right, come on. - And another intriguing journey into Britain's past.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11At least 40 people perished in a moment when the pit was flooded.
0:58:14 > 0:58:22It's just amazing to see a building almost completely ruined. I'm really glad I'm not doing this restoration!
0:58:36 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011
0:58:41 > 0:58:43Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk