0:00:02 > 0:00:06Historic houses, both humble and grand,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09have all played their part in the story of our nation.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12But today, many are at risk, and some
0:00:12 > 0:00:15in danger of being lost for ever.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18I'm going to be following the fortunes of six properties,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21all facing their own struggle for survival.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28- Look, you can see the round. - Yes.- Wow!
0:00:29 > 0:00:33It is like walking into a kind of Tudor fantasy.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35This is not quite what I was expecting.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And they all have new owners, committed to turning them
0:00:39 > 0:00:41into their dream home.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45It is a bit like a little old lady waiting for a facelift,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and we're coming in to make her better.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51I never, ever thought I would do a project like this in my life.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57I have spent years restoring derelict old properties.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58And having poured everything
0:00:58 > 0:01:01into trying to create my perfect family home,
0:01:01 > 0:01:06I know what a challenge it is to rescue a precious old building.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Whoa, whoa!
0:01:08 > 0:01:09There is a lot riding on it and it's scary times.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12We love it, we want to finish it,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14but sometimes it just feels like too much.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It's Restoration Home.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Georgian architecture - simple, stylish, just a little bit showy.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Perfect for a country manor or a fine townhouse.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41And ask any estate agent,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45the words "Georgian" on the particulars always guarantee a speedy sale.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Well, almost always.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56In the Derbyshire village of North Wingfield, surrounded
0:01:56 > 0:02:01by modern developments, is an early Georgian house, called The Elms.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09When it was built, it must have been one of the grandest houses
0:02:09 > 0:02:12for miles around, but for generations, The Elms has been
0:02:12 > 0:02:14slipping slowly into a state of ruin.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23So now, no-one can even
0:02:23 > 0:02:26get upstairs, because the floorboards have all gone.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33For the last eight years, it's been standing empty,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36as a string of developers have tried to exploit it.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39But because it's Grade II listed,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43they weren't allowed to do cheap and cheerful conversions.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48So, The Elms would never be saved for hard profit.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52This house needed people with a stronger motive.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00That's when three generations of the Holmwood family came along -
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Suzanne, her son, Gavin, his partner, Ann Ashcroft,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07and their six-year-old daughter, Caitlin.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10And they weren't looking to make a fast buck.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The first time I saw The Elms, I can remember thinking,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17"That's a big, grand house, but it does need a lot of work doing."
0:03:19 > 0:03:23We went in, couldn't see very much. It was late at night,
0:03:23 > 0:03:24and we come out,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and I think we'd only looked around 15 minutes, and we said, "We want it."
0:03:29 > 0:03:34I think it needs a lot of work done. But...it's good.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I can see a property that is going to look amazing,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38it's going to look fantastic when it's done.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47At the moment, Gavin, Ann and Caitlin live less than 200 metres away,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50in an old farmhouse on the other side of the road,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53so they've been thinking about The Elms for years.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Then, in 2010, they finally bought it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01We purchased The Elms for 115,000.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05It did go for auction and nobody bought it.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I think that's one of the reasons why I bought it, felt kind of sorry for it.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13But this house is in such a terrible state it's going to cost more
0:04:13 > 0:04:15to restore than it did to buy.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20They've worked out a budget of 180,000,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24which would be too much money for Ann and Gavin alone.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28So, Gavin's mum, Suzanne, joined the project.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33She's keen to swap her bungalow for a part of the house.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39I thought it was a really big project to take on, but a wonderful property.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43People might think, "Oh, my God, what a nightmare!" But, actually,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45she always gives us enough space.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50I think it will work both ways, I'll be there for Caitlin, and if need, they'll be there for me.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Suzanne has put up the money to cover the purchase price, so
0:04:54 > 0:04:59now it's up to Ann and Gavin to get a loan to finance the restoration.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The plan is to divide the house into two, which should be easy
0:05:04 > 0:05:06because the building is L-shaped.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Suzanne will have the formal-looking front,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12while Gavin and Ann get the back half.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16And when the restoration is finished,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20space is something they're all going to have plenty of.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Like many Georgian buildings, the floor plan of the front half
0:05:27 > 0:05:31is simplicity itself, with two big rooms on each floor.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Suzanne is going for kitchen,
0:05:35 > 0:05:36dining room,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38lounge upstairs,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41an art room, and two bedrooms.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45The layout is not so simple in Gavin and Ann's half.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Downstairs, they'll have a kitchen-diner,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53but then turn the old kitchen into their lounge.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57On the first floor, there's a study
0:05:57 > 0:06:01and two bedrooms. Caitlin's will be en suite.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04The master bedroom will be in the attic space,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07with not just an en suite, but a dressing room, too.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12But this won't be the first house Gavin's restored.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16When he and Ann bought the old farmhouse they're living in now,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18it, too, was a ruin.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It took him seven years to restore that one, but he loved
0:06:21 > 0:06:25the process so much he decided to change his career.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Many years ago, I was an engineer.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Precision engineer, making aircraft components.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34But from that, I realised I was vastly unhappy in the job I was doing.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I didn't like factory work, I didn't like engineering.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38But I loved doing buildings.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43So, I went to university and retrained as a technical architect.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Landed a job at a local company doing commercial architecture.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49From that, I formed my own company.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54So now, Gavin works from home,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57but soon he'll be concentrating mainly on The Elms.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And until the project reaches the decorating phase,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03the rest of the family are just going to lend moral support.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09I think it will look nice and I think my dad will do a good job.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I've got every faith in him. I think he'll do a brilliant job.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18But while he's busy on the house, Ann, who's a social worker,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21will be the principle breadwinner.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24In this family, there's a clear division of labour.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26I'm going to absolutely let Gav just get on with it.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And then just ask him how his day has been.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Probably go round, obviously, at evenings,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and say, "Oh, you not done much yet?!"
0:07:41 > 0:07:45It's the middle of May, and the planning stage is complete.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47With building work about to start,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50they should now have a target deadline.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54What is your timescale here?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I'd like to think the whole project is 12 months.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02OK, so...so a year from start to finish?
0:08:02 > 0:08:06- Yes.- I don't think you can do this in a year, so I'm going to bet you,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11I'm going to bet you £5 you can't do this in your timescale, from May to May.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- May to May, £5.- Yeah, can't be done. I owe you a fiver.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17What you haven't seen is inside, so you may want to make it £50 yet!
0:08:18 > 0:08:21The interior is bad, but there's something to be positive about.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Oh, yes! Proper panelled room.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32It's big, it's huge, I can see the roof!
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- Yes, I really can see the roof. - No, that's not a good thing!
0:08:35 > 0:08:36LAUGHTER
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Being able to see the underside of the roof from the ground floor
0:08:39 > 0:08:42is un-nerving, but it does show the size of the place.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It's a massive pile, this. Now, you,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52who are going from the small house, basically to living in showbiz mansions, aren't you, really?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Just call us lord and lady of the manor!
0:08:56 > 0:08:58That's what our friends are doing.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- How do you feel about that? - Um...- Your ladyship!
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Well, delighted!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07In fact, it's Gavin's mum, Suzanne,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10who's having the more posh front of the house.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16You're going to be living in the rather grand front quarters of the house.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I am, I'm having the panelled room, as my dining room.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22You're going to be lady of the manor, aren't you?
0:09:22 > 0:09:27- Well.- A little bit. - Little bit, yes!
0:09:30 > 0:09:33When the house is finished, it's going to play a big part
0:09:33 > 0:09:35in the life of six-year-old Caitlin.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38'After all, she'll be growing up here.'
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What do you think of your new house, Caitlin?
0:09:41 > 0:09:48Well, it's really dusty and I don't know how many years it old is,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51but it's quite nice.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I really want to see how it looks when it's done, but I can't imagine it yet.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57So the whole family will be watching
0:09:57 > 0:09:59the progress of the restoration closely.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02'Though that's not hard,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05'given that Caitlin, Gavin and Ann live so close.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:10If you look out our bedroom window, you can see it.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Gav, every night before he goes to bed, looks out the window and checks on it.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- Gav does?- Yes, every night.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Do you think you have to be a particular sort of person to do this kind of thing?
0:10:18 > 0:10:20No, I think you have to be willing to take risks.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23But I see us as Mr and Mrs Average, just with a little bit more,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26"Yeah, we'll give it a go, we'll try it."
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I think it's wanting something better, seeing something,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and thinking, "I want a house like that."
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Ever since being young, even though I come from a council estate,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I used to walk past houses and think, "I want to live in a house like that.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40"I want to live in a house like that. So, for us, it's always,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44"I want to live in a house like that." And I think that's that, I want to live in a house like that.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48That's a dream, isn't it, for everybody?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50As this brave undertaking commences,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53so too does our historical investigation.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Our historian, Dr Kate Williams,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02will be delving into the archives to track down
0:11:02 > 0:11:05the people whose lives were bound up with the house.
0:11:05 > 0:11:12While architectural expert Kieran Long investigates what the building itself can tell us.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Derbyshire is famous for great Georgian buildings built of Derbyshire sandstone
0:11:18 > 0:11:19commanding great landscapes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23This one doesn't look like it does have that kind of landscape around it.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32And it's fantastic, look. Really grand, really beautiful.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35But in really poor condition.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Boarded-up windows, it looks like it hasn't been loved for some decades, really.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41From the outside, though, it has a real appeal.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Really tough looking building,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45it looks like it can withstand the Derbyshire weather.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It looks like it has taken quite a lot of it, the stone dressings
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and the string courses are blackened with age, gives it that extra kind of muscular feeling.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55So, you know, I look at it and it's a very appealing building.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01"Muscular" isn't a term often applied to 18th century buildings.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03But The Elms is clearly Georgian.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09This is a time of symmetry in buildings, of a certain compositional quality.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12And you see that in this facade, beautifully.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15All of the money is piled into this facade on the building.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16It's composed.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20We have this beautiful door surround, again, perfectly symmetrical.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22The other thing you see are these string courses
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and the differing heights of windows.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27What that is doing is creating a kind of false perspective,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31you have this sense of a base, and a middle, and a top, to try
0:12:31 > 0:12:35and give a sense of order to the architecture, which we still see now.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39When the house was surveyed in the late 1960s, there was
0:12:39 > 0:12:42a grand staircase in the entrance hall.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47This is not the Georgian splendour we might have expected from outside, is it?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It's in pretty poor condition.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53These stairs are a cheap modern rig-up,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56because the Georgian staircase has disappeared,
0:12:56 > 0:12:57though no-one knows where.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02It's heartbreaking to see it in this state,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04because all of the decoration has gone,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07or it is in such bad condition that it looks unsavable.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11But you just get a sense of how beautiful this place would have been.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Going through to the back half,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18the character of the house is becoming clearer.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22The thing to understand about this house is that it's in an L-shape.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25At the front you have that symmetrical facade, very beautiful,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26very kind of pure, geometrically.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29And, now, we're in a different kind of atmosphere.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31We're facing in a different direction, we no longer have
0:13:31 > 0:13:34sash windows, we have a different kind of stone surround to
0:13:34 > 0:13:38the windows. And we have, well, right in front of us,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40clearly a doorway through to what was a kitchen.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42So, in here, you see...
0:13:44 > 0:13:46..this huge and beautiful hearth.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Fireplace big enough for me to stand in.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Clearly intended for cooking, intended for a lot of cooking,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53cooking big meals.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58And, you know, this is very much the business end of the house, it feels like.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00The other thing is it has a very distinct
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and different architectural character. Because it's not
0:14:02 > 0:14:06so much now about that symmetrical composition,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09it's just about rambling spaces through to where they need to be.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So, this is a functional space, really.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15But which side is the true face of The Elms?
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Was it a manor house, with a practical back half,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21or was it actually a farmhouse, with delusions of grandeur?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Kieran needs to find out.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Now the groundwork's done,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Gavin is getting ready to tackle the single biggest structural problem.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Up at the top, one of the main beams that supports the floor is
0:14:41 > 0:14:44quite rotten and must be replaced.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48To prepare, they've built a scaffold platform outside,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and another one inside, to make a temporary floor to work on.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Which means that, for the first time,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Ann can get up to the top of the house.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Just explaining to boss what's going on.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- So what's this bit going to be? - From the wall there,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07this is going to become the dressing room area
0:15:07 > 0:15:10and then beyond here the en-suite.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Excellent! Very good.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- So it's quite nice and light, isn't it?- Yeah. Nice view, actually.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20But now the new beam has arrived.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23It's seven metres long, made of solid oak,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and weighs almost half a tonne.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Gavin's booked a crane to get it up onto the outside platform.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35That's the easy part, really. Lifting it up with the crane.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The hard part's going to be actually getting the new beam in there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43The beam is just too heavy to try to manhandle through the window
0:15:43 > 0:15:45but Gavin's got a plan,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48inspired by the building of the ancient pyramids.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50They're going to roll it in.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It's a tried and tested technique from the Egyptians
0:15:53 > 0:15:55rolling stuff on rollers!
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Obviously there's a wall in the way,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02so builder Nick Taylor is going to cut a hole in it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03It's quite a strategic job -
0:16:03 > 0:16:06we don't want to take out more stone than we need to.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13They're keeping as much of the original stone as possible
0:16:13 > 0:16:16so the wall can be carefully restored later.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Hullo!
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Not all of the old beam is rotten
0:16:33 > 0:16:35so Gavin's cutting it up to re-use a good section
0:16:35 > 0:16:40for the supporting cross-beam that needs to be set in the wall.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42It all sounds simple.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Go on, mate.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Grab hold of it.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Right... Let it go down. Watch your fingers.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57That's really high, this end. What's it sat on?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59It's not...
0:17:01 > 0:17:02This is the right size.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05It's just that everything else around it's too tight!
0:17:05 > 0:17:10The problem is now, we've got to roll it in.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11Yeah.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15And the whole point of doing that was so we didn't have to lift it.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Now they're going to need a lot of manpower.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21- You feeling strong?- Not really!
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Because the rollers, the hole and platform inside,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26don't quite line up.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30- Right, ow! Me toe!- BLEEP!
0:17:30 > 0:17:32GRUNTING AND GROANING
0:17:32 > 0:17:35That was almost a nasty accident.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It's OK, start again.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40That were right lucky that.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44One two, three, lift and push.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53The rollers are working a treat. The Egyptians would be proud.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58Lads? Just take it steady. It's should roll and slide. Go on.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01Slide.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03OK. In.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06Catch it.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Now, keep coming.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10Right.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Whoa, whoa!
0:18:12 > 0:18:15That's it. Well done. Thank you lads.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19Very good beam installation. I'm very happy.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20It went well.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23While Gavin and the team work to restore The Elms
0:18:23 > 0:18:25to how it used to be,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28we're trying to find out what kind of a house it was.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Kieran has come to the county town of Matlock
0:18:33 > 0:18:36to use the Derbyshire Record Office.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37The position of a house can show a lot,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40but now that the village of North Wingfield
0:18:40 > 0:18:43has been filled with modern developments
0:18:43 > 0:18:45it's hard to tell if The Elms once sat in the middle of a farm,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48or in a grand park at the end of a stately drive.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54But that should be revealed by maps.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58The oldest large-scale one Kieran can find dates from 1842,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and it has every building marked including The Elms.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05One of the things that's really interesting about this
0:19:05 > 0:19:08is that it shows that The Elms was part of a village.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12It's not a building sat on its own in the landscape -
0:19:12 > 0:19:14it sat amongst lots of buildings
0:19:14 > 0:19:17without any particular architectural order.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21They look like they were working buildings of different kinds
0:19:21 > 0:19:24all with relationships with different kind of plots of land.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28This is a farming landscape, farming community, a working community
0:19:28 > 0:19:31of which The Elms is, if you like, the heart.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36In fact, this map could reveal a lot more than that.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38This is a tithe map
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and what's interesting about that is that it records land ownership
0:19:42 > 0:19:47and here it is - we have the name Clay, John Wilkinson
0:19:47 > 0:19:51so this is extremely exciting - this is the name of the man
0:19:51 > 0:19:54who's occupying The Elms in 1842.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56But there's more.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00There's a load of numbers here and, turning the page, even more.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07A wide variety of properties, a range of different plantations
0:20:07 > 0:20:13and planted farming and yards and so on, all owned by John Wilkinson Clay
0:20:13 > 0:20:18and according to this, occupied by himself - he was farming it.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20This is a kind of gentleman farmer.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23And as we look down this list of occupiers, we see other names.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25So not only was he farming himself
0:20:25 > 0:20:30he was renting out land to other farmers.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33His landholdings cover two and a half pages of this catalogue
0:20:33 > 0:20:36So let's say he could be one of the principal landowners
0:20:36 > 0:20:40of North Wingfield, a substantial farmer.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41What I'm excited to do next
0:20:41 > 0:20:44is to take this knowledge that we've gained now,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48of understanding The Elms as one of a group of buildings to do with farming
0:20:48 > 0:20:50And go and see if we can find some of them.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53We need to go to North Wingfield and see if we can identify
0:20:53 > 0:20:58any of these traces of what North Wingfield and The Elms used to be.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00While Kieran continues to investigate how
0:21:00 > 0:21:02the building fits in to the landscape,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04it'll be up to our historian Kate Williams
0:21:04 > 0:21:07to follow up on that name he found
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The Elms' one-time owner, John Wilkinson Clay.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15But now, back with the present owners,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17there's another key job to tackle.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Today, we're putting in steel beams.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25While Gavin is keen to use traditional materials, like oak,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29there are places where modern standards of structural safety
0:21:29 > 0:21:32mean they really need to use modern steel beams.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38So one RSJ is going in above the door in the old kitchen,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and another will be used to reinforce the fireplace.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51In fact, all over the site things are coming on apace.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54The steel's here, the steel's going in, partition walls are going up,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58we got temporary floors delivered yesterday
0:21:58 > 0:22:01so that we can start decking out all the floors
0:22:01 > 0:22:05to actually get up there, so in two weeks time, basically, the front half
0:22:05 > 0:22:10will be ready for the first fix, this half might just be a week behind.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Which is not bad, given that Gavin and Ann have run into a cash crisis.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20They can't get an ordinary mortgage on The Elms,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23because it's classed as derelict.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24So to finance the restoration
0:22:24 > 0:22:29they've organised a short term development loan for £150,000.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34When The Elms is in a fit state
0:22:34 > 0:22:38they can then pay that back with a regular mortgage.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41But right now the paperwork for the development loan
0:22:41 > 0:22:42has caused delays.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Well, the first instalment of funds were meant to arrive in the bank
0:22:48 > 0:22:55eight to ten weeks ago from our point of view, that hasn't happened.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Really worrying time, obviously.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59So I pretty much had sleepless nights.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02That's pretty much all you think about.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08When you start getting to the last dregs of money in the account,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10every £50 counts.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I didn't really want to stop the build
0:23:12 > 0:23:14because, as you can see, fantastic progress has been made.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19So, effectively, I've borrowed more money.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23We've basically borrowed money to replace the money we didn't have,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28and the money that's coming, that's just going to replace money we borrowed.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It's just, that's effectively kept the programme going
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and enabled us to move on quite well inside.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Now that the steel beams are in, the house is safe from collapse,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43let's just hope the finances hold up too.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Our historian, Dr Kate Williams, is trying to find out
0:23:54 > 0:23:57about the people who once owned The Elms.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Kieran chanced upon a name, and now she's going see where it leads.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Well, we know already that John Wilkinson Clay owned The Elms.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I've been looking through the records to try to find out more about him,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and what I've found is this beautiful register of the parish of North Wingfield
0:24:12 > 0:24:16that gives us all the records of the parish
0:24:16 > 0:24:20from 1751, where it starts, to 1812.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23And what we have here are the baptisms, the marriages and the deaths.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I know that John Wilkinson Clay was a land owner in the 1840s,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33so, I'm roughly guessing at that point
0:24:33 > 0:24:36he was somewhere between 40 and 60 years old.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39So, then, what I've got to go and do is go to the parish register
0:24:39 > 0:24:44and look at all the possible baptisms 40 or 60 years before,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48and rather luckily, I found him pretty early on in that period.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51So, here he is, John Wilkinson Clay, I found him in 1779,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54he was baptised on June the 30th,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57so he might have been born up to a year before then.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00But what's fascinating is that he is not legitimate,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03John Wilkinson Clay is of spurious birth,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06which is a term for illegitimate in the register.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10And he is listed as John Wilkinson, the son of Sarah Clay.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13We don't know the name of his father at all.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15It's my suspicion that the father's called Clay as well,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and Sarah Clay has taken on his name
0:25:17 > 0:25:21because that's what often a common law wife would do.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25So, I think this is a local girl who's taken up with a Mr Clay,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and she's taken on his name.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30So, it's marvellous that I found him, that's a great start.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33But actually, the mystery has now deepened,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36cos I've got to try and find out who the father was,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and why it was that he had an illegitimate child.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Back at The Elms there's been some great news.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49The development loan has now come through,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and up in the attic a discovery's been made.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57When they finally got floors down
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and proper access to the attic space,
0:26:00 > 0:26:05Gavin found an alcove that had been boarded up to make a secret closet.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06No-one knows who,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11but someone deliberately hid these things for safe keeping.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Basically, it's all the old staircase from the ground to the first floor.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Putting in a Georgian-style staircase was going to be
0:26:18 > 0:26:21one of the most costly parts of the restoration.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24I think, in my head, on paper,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27provisionally, I'd allowed about 10 to 15 grand.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31So this is a very welcome saving,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34especially now that the plasterers have started.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It's an expensive process, particularly
0:26:37 > 0:26:40because they're using traditional lime mortar.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42The head plasterer is Andrew Lawson.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45We've been here four weeks,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and we've managed to cover two rooms,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50and only one ceiling in those two rooms.
0:26:50 > 0:26:56The amount that we've used in these two rooms is four tonnes of mortar.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59If they were covering the walls with modern plasterboard,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02they'd probably be finished by now.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06But as a Grade II listed property
0:27:06 > 0:27:10there are rules about how the restoration work is done.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15Not only is Gavin supposed to keep the fabric of the original building safe,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17but all new work has to be done in sympathy
0:27:17 > 0:27:19with the historic structure.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22You get a feeling that you're doing the right thing,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26and also that you're doing something that was practised hundreds of years ago.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Lime plaster is a mixture of sand, water and lime,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36which is made by heating crushed limestone in a kiln.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It's usually put on in three layers,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and each one can take up to a month to set.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46The first two layers also contain another vital ingredient,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48animal hair.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51The hair that used to be used in the old days was cow hair.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53What we actually use now is horse hair,
0:27:53 > 0:27:58and basically, the hair is teased into the mortar,
0:27:58 > 0:28:03and basically, the hair acts as a matrix and holds the lime together.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Working with lime plaster requires patience and dedication,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and craftsmen like Andrew are a vanishing breed.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16I'm a lime geek, and I'm just crazy about the material,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20but if my wife catches hold of this message again, she'll just say,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23"oh, it's lime again, and it's continuous."
0:28:23 > 0:28:26She's had enough of lime, I think, basically.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28She hates it.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31The plasterers have a long way to go.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33They've been here for four weeks,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36and they've got another seven months to do.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40So, in this job, it probably helps to be a lime geek.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Looking at the maps, Kieran discovered that The Elms
0:28:49 > 0:28:53was always at the heart of the village of North Wingfield.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55The old village may have been obliterated,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58but we've managed to find one place
0:28:58 > 0:29:01where that lost world still survives,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04in the memory of someone who grew up there.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11Joe Holmes is 88 years old, and comes from a local farming family.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13His grandfather bought The Elms,
0:29:13 > 0:29:18and when Joe was a youngster in the 1930's his Uncle Percy lived in it.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23The front part of it, um, was...
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- ..that was like the posh part.- Right.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31And the back, towards there, that was a farm.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36So, all of the men in dirty boots and so on
0:29:36 > 0:29:39would be coming in from the other end?
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Oh, yes, they didn't come to the front part, no, no.
0:29:42 > 0:29:43That was only...
0:29:45 > 0:29:48..high days and holidays you went through the front door,
0:29:48 > 0:29:53you always went in from the side door off the farm yard.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54What did you enter into?
0:29:54 > 0:29:57It was a huge kitchen,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01there was always a roaring fire,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05and there was a large table,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09and all the people who worked on the farm
0:30:09 > 0:30:13came in there and had their meals in there.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16And they were always a jolly good meal.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22Eventually, my uncle Percy sold The Elms.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Since then, it's had several owners.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31The world that Joe remembers from before the war
0:30:31 > 0:30:35would have changed little since the Clay family owned the house.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38I suppose, before, we looked at The Elms as a place
0:30:38 > 0:30:41that had this very composed, symmetrical, nice facade,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44and we thought this could be some kind of manor house.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Some kind of house for pleasure, a lovely place in the landscape.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50What we've realised now from the maps and from meeting Joe,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53is that it was first of all a farming community,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56a farmhouse, placed at the centre of a productive landscape.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Which makes the Georgian front all the more surprising.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Where did that come from? What were the Clays looking at?
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Who were they mixing with who were giving them these ideas
0:31:06 > 0:31:08that a rural community, a farmhouse,
0:31:08 > 0:31:12should have such a composed, you know, elegant facade.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20With its boarded up windows, the Clays' elegant facade
0:31:20 > 0:31:22has been blind for almost a decade.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27Every single one of its 38 windows has to be replaced.
0:31:27 > 0:31:33And now the first batch of custom-made wooden sash windows has arrived
0:31:33 > 0:31:37and it's up to Gavin and Chris Orme to put them in.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42We've never put sash windows in, but we read about it on the internet.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48It's a bit of a sequence to it, you have to...
0:31:48 > 0:31:50It's a bit like a jigsaw,
0:31:50 > 0:31:54you have to put each one back in the exact sequence to get...
0:31:54 > 0:31:57First, you have to put the bottom one in, put the middle bead back in
0:31:57 > 0:32:00then you have to move the sash window up then put, etc, etc.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04So, it is quite a lot more time consuming than just normal windows.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Once the first one is cracked, we've got the pattern of how to do it.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13Sash windows began to appear in the second half of the 17th century.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18The term, by the way, comes from the French "chassis", meaning frame.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22One of the first great buildings to be fitted with sash windows
0:32:22 > 0:32:26is only about ten miles away, Chatsworth House.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29To the style-conscious Georgians
0:32:29 > 0:32:33they fitted perfectly with the new elegant architecture,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36a key feature being that when you open a sash window,
0:32:36 > 0:32:38it doesn't spoil the look.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42For two and a half centuries, the sash reigned supreme,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46but their use declined through the 20th century,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48mainly due to the cost of the skilled labour
0:32:48 > 0:32:49needed to make and fit them.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Though, Gavin and Chris seem to have worked it out.
0:32:59 > 0:33:00Fantastic.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03I daren't!
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- That's right, we've done it. - That's it, perfect.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Look at that.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14That's sweet, isn't it?
0:33:15 > 0:33:16Fantastic.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21So that's one down, 37 to go.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27The search for the people who lived at The Elms two centuries ago
0:33:27 > 0:33:30has brought Kate to the Record Office in Lichfield.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36She discovered that John Wilkinson Clay was born illegitimate.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43She's now found the name of his father, John Clay.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45And it seems that four years after the birth,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48his parents did get married.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51So, what did that mean for John Wilkinson Clay?
0:33:51 > 0:33:53Kate has found his father's will.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57This is not quite what I was expecting.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00There are two children talked about here, John Wilkinson Clay
0:34:00 > 0:34:02and William Clay.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06William Clay is born in wedlock, John Wilkinson Clay is not,
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and it's John Wilkinson Clay who's the main heir, which is not normal.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Usually, what would happen in this occasion is that the natural son
0:34:13 > 0:34:15would be excluded from the property rights,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17but what we read here is,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20"I'm leaving it to my natural son, John Clay,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23"begotten by me on the body of Sarah, my now wife,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26"previous to our inter-marriage."
0:34:26 > 0:34:30So, he is essentially saying, my son John Wilkinson Clay,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33spurious birth, he's not spurious anymore.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39The very act of this will makes his entire life different,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42much more so than simply the marriage of his parents
0:34:42 > 0:34:46because you can't legitimise a child retrospectively,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49the marriage of his parents would not make him legitimate.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53What I find really ironic here is that he says here,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56"the entire estate must go to my said natural son,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59"and the heirs of his body, lawfully issuing."
0:34:59 > 0:35:02So, what's rather funny here is he, John Clay,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05has had an illegitimate child, but you're not allowed to do that,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09John Wilkinson Clay, your children, get married first.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16The middle of November,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18and it's halfway between my first visit
0:35:18 > 0:35:22and their target deadline of May 2012.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23Time I checked on progress.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Ooh, lovely windows.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31- Hello, Gavin.- Caroline.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33- Fabulous windows.- Thank you.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35I bet they cost next to nothing.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37They were pennies.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40No, yeah, expensive, but well worth it.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41How much?
0:35:41 > 0:35:47I think windows and doors came to, I think, it was 37,000 or something.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Bless your heart, that's a lot of money, isn't it?
0:35:50 > 0:35:52It is, it's the most expensive single item.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Has Ann been happy with the build so far?
0:35:55 > 0:35:58I think so, yeah, we're in negotiations about kitchens.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00What do you mean, you don't want the same thing, or?
0:36:00 > 0:36:02I want the cheaper one, she wants an expensive one.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04OK!
0:36:04 > 0:36:08But generally speaking, you think you're within budget at the moment?
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Yeah, I'm pretty happy, I think the kitchen is pushing it over,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14so, obviously, we haven't placed an order for them yet.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16- Would you like me to have a word with Ann?- Please, yeah.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Rumour has it, you've got extremely expensive taste.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Well, not deliberate expensive taste,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I know that's what Gav says, and we've had many a discussion about,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31- yes, the kitchen, of all the things. - Yes, yes, the kitchen.- The kitchen.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Are we having granite? Yes, of course we're having granite,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37but money's tight because obviously it's gone on plastering,
0:36:37 > 0:36:39electrics, it's gone on plumbing,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42all the things that is needed, but you don't necessarily see.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Then I think, well, why is there none left for my kitchen?
0:36:45 > 0:36:47So, what kitchen did you like?
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Well, it took ages to choose doors.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Have you ever looked at kitchen doors? It's the most boring thing in the world.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56And kitchens are like, well, none of them are speaking to me,
0:36:56 > 0:36:58none of them you're saying, "wow."
0:36:58 > 0:37:01So, he pulls out this kitchen door, and I'm like, "That's the one!"
0:37:01 > 0:37:05He's like, "Yeah, I only brought you this out to point out
0:37:05 > 0:37:07"that this is the Ferrari of kitchens."
0:37:09 > 0:37:13If Ann and Gavin ever agree on the kitchen it could soon be going in,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16because downstairs in the back half,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18where the lime plasterers have finished,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21a transformation has taken place.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Oh!
0:37:23 > 0:37:28Oh, this is looking absolutely fantastic, this is fantastic!
0:37:28 > 0:37:32I have to say, the plastering is extraordinary.
0:37:32 > 0:37:38It is, it's really special. The lime plastering, it does look amazing.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41In fact you could say, like Ann's kitchen,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45the lime plaster is the Ferrari of wall coverings,
0:37:45 > 0:37:47with a price tag to match.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Yeah, it's six or seven times more, plus the labour, yeah,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51so it's ten times more.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- So, thousands of pounds to plaster the house?- Yeah, basically, yeah.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57There's still quite a long way to go,
0:37:57 > 0:38:02and with your, um, pot of money dwindling away a bit,
0:38:02 > 0:38:03at the moment.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- Is that a bit unnerving for you? - Absolutely, yeah,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09especially when you've got expensive kitchens that need to be fitted.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Unfortunately, the kitchens aren't the only major expense
0:38:15 > 0:38:17that remains outstanding.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20The Georgian facade has now been restored
0:38:20 > 0:38:23but the fine rooms at the front need a lot of work,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and the elegant staircase is still in bits.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32So this restoration has a long way to go.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Back in the archives,
0:38:37 > 0:38:41Kate is digging deeper into the Clay family history.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Despite his spurious birth,
0:38:43 > 0:38:50John Wilkinson Clay inherited The Elms in 1793 when he was just 14 years old.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54But what happened when he died in 1866?
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Kate has discovered a copy of his will.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02Well, I first found John Wilkinson Clay illegitimate in the parish register.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03No father.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04Here, we have a wealthy man
0:39:04 > 0:39:06leaving a significant amount of property.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11Of course, the bulk of his estate goes to his only daughter, Sarah, who's a widow.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16But what's most fascinating to me of all in this document is the first section.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19The first section is not about his daughter.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22It's actually about his very faithful servant.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26He says, "I give unto my old and faithful servant,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28"Dorothy Roberts, the bed in which she usually sleeps,
0:39:28 > 0:39:33"and also all the household furniture in the room which she sleeps."
0:39:33 > 0:39:35It's more than most servants got.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40She also has this annuity of £52 every year, which is a rather good annuity as well.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43I mean, you can live quite well on that.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45What's fascinating in this will
0:39:45 > 0:39:47is that John Wilkinson Clay's really looking after the women.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51He thinks about Dorothy. He leaves his estate to his daughter, Sarah.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53If she dies without issue, it goes to his second cousin.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58She's called Eliza Penelope Clay. And the estate goes to her.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01There is a male heir, a closer male heir who could get it.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05His nephew could get it, but instead he gives it to his second cousin.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09At the time, there's a convention that a man wouldn't leave money to his female relations.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14You usually leave it to a male relation and say, "Look after the women."
0:40:14 > 0:40:16But John Wilkinson Clay is very different to this.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20And I'd like to think it's because he saw, as a young illegitimate boy,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23what kind of struggle women have.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26He was dependent on his mother for the first four years of his life,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28and then his father died when he was 14.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31So he saw how women struggle and have to make their own money.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35I like to think that he didn't want to see any of his family suffering in the same way again.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41When the windows were restored,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43local people began to take notice of The Elms.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Now, slowly,
0:40:45 > 0:40:47it's regaining its place at the centre of the community.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Alan Allsop is an amateur photographer
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and he's come forward with some vital information.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59I did this on a computer course.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01I did The Elms as a project.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Alan was here ten years ago when there were rumours going around
0:41:04 > 0:41:08that The Elms was going to be demolished.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13So I took a further interest into photographing of the inside
0:41:13 > 0:41:15before it got demolished,
0:41:15 > 0:41:20to try and preserve the history of the building.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25And at that time, the Georgian staircase was still up.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28That's what I've been wanting, because I've got to put that back together.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31We've found all these spindles and these side caps now.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35I think we've even got that section there, so that's fantastic.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37We can put it back like that.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42I have scoured high and low trying to find a photo like that.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45So I'm really grateful you've got that one.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47That's fantastic.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50With these extra photos, Gavin is now confident
0:41:50 > 0:41:53that he'll be able to solve the puzzle of the stairs.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Meanwhile, Kieran is on the trail of another mystery.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03How did all that Georgian style come to be in a farmhouse
0:42:03 > 0:42:05up in the hills on the edge of the Pennines?
0:42:07 > 0:42:13He's come to Derby to take a look at the city's remaining Georgian buildings.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Derby was an incredibly important place in the 18th century,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20intellectually, scientifically and, therefore, in terms of taste
0:42:20 > 0:42:22and design and so on for the region.
0:42:29 > 0:42:35This is the kind of corner that tells you so much about Georgian architecture and how it works.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38You can see that all the money is spent in the first six inches of the building.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42And then behind, it's just brick, the breezeblock of its day,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45the cheapest building material you could find.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48The phrase was always, "Queen Anne at the front, Nell Gwyn at the back."
0:42:48 > 0:42:51That's the phrase people used to describe Georgian houses.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54They were all up front, and behind, a mess of whatever needed to be there.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57The Elms, to me, is exactly that example.
0:42:57 > 0:43:03Manor house at the front, farmhouse at the back, in the same way that these buildings in Derby are,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07kind of stone temple at the front and brick outhouse at the back.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Stone temple is, of course, the look they were going for,
0:43:12 > 0:43:18because Georgian architecture was inspired by the buildings of ancient Greece and Rome.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21In the 18th century, it's a time of great scientists,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23of the Industrial Revolution just around the corner.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26And they found in the styles of Greece and Rome
0:43:26 > 0:43:28something that reflected to them that sense of progress,
0:43:28 > 0:43:32that sense of, you know, a country in transformation.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36It was looking back and saying, "We are the new Rome. We are the new Athens."
0:43:39 > 0:43:42When we look at the Georgian architecture in a place like Derby,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46we see Georgian architecture doing all its tricks, if you like.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49I suspect The Elms has much more modest pretensions,
0:43:49 > 0:43:51in a very charming way.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54I think the Clays were probably looking at the style of the time,
0:43:54 > 0:43:57and the taste of the time, and saying to themselves,
0:43:57 > 0:44:00"How can we bring a bit of that to a rural setting?"
0:44:00 > 0:44:01And that, to me,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04there's something very elegant about that, the symmetry of the building
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and the restrained nature of the decoration give it a real charm.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16The middle of February,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20and the Georgian interiors are slowly coming back.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23The plasterers have been here for six months,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25with another eight weeks to go.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29But now, Gavin and Ann have run into another financial crisis
0:44:29 > 0:44:34that's threatening to bring the whole restoration to a standstill.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38We took out a loan, a development loan, if you want to call it,
0:44:38 > 0:44:43and now we are at a stage where we need to repay that loan with a traditional mortgage,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47whereby now the house is habitable, it can take on a traditional mortgage.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Whereas before you can't get traditional finance,
0:44:50 > 0:44:54as in a normal mortgage, on a derelict building.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58The problem is, that development loan has a time limit,
0:44:58 > 0:45:03and now getting a normal mortgage is proving harder than expected.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06We're waiting for a phone call from the bank,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09hopefully to confirm we can have a mortgage.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11It's either a yes or a no at this point.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Basically a lot's depending on today.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19If it's a no, basically we'll have to tell the plasterers to stop working.
0:45:21 > 0:45:26So, yeah, I keep checking my phone a lot for missed calls and e-mails.
0:45:29 > 0:45:35Deep down, I want to be confident, but I just don't know.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38There's a lot riding on it, and it's scary times.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51Kate has been investigating the member of the Clay family
0:45:51 > 0:45:53who owned The Elms longer than anyone else.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58John Wilkinson Clay was born illegitimate
0:45:58 > 0:46:04but inherited the property in 1793, and then held it for 73 years.
0:46:05 > 0:46:11In his will, he was careful to make sure his housekeeper, Dorothy Roberts, was looked after.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14But it turns out, he did more than just that.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Actually, she's in the grave with him.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22So along with his father and his mother and his sons
0:46:22 > 0:46:25and his wife, is Dorothy.
0:46:25 > 0:46:26She's there.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30To be buried with your servant is something... I mean, you hardly ever see it.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32It's really uncommon.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35It may have been shocking in a very class-conscious society,
0:46:35 > 0:46:40but when Dorothy died, John Wilkinson Clay was still the head of the family,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42so he could do what he liked.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48You've got a whole really touching story here.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Because the wife died when she was in her 60s, in 1849,
0:46:51 > 0:46:52and he carried on living.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56And he carried on living with Dorothy. He died in 1866, at 87.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00She died a few years earlier at 80.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02So, kind of, she was his final companion.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06So he wanted to have them both in the grave, both his beloved wife and dear Dorothy.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10And really, he's not only caring about her, he's lifting her status.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14He's saying, "She's not just a servant. She is a friend and companion.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18"And she's going in the grave with me and my father and my children."
0:47:20 > 0:47:24Born out of wedlock, it seems that John Wilkinson Clay
0:47:24 > 0:47:28was destined to defy convention from the cradle to the grave.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38Back at the house, it's late and Gavin's here alone,
0:47:38 > 0:47:41because he had to let the builders and the plasterers go.
0:47:41 > 0:47:46His mortgage request was turned down at the last minute.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50When you've got all your life and everything depends on that moment,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52that particular phone call, that moment in time,
0:47:52 > 0:47:57it's absolutely devastating when you hear that kind of feedback.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02Obviously, Ann was really upset about it as well.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07Caitlin does understand cos she's clever, really switched on for her age,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11but she did end up telling my mum that she thought we were going to lose The Elms,
0:48:11 > 0:48:15which isn't quite technically the case.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18With his mum, his partner and his daughter depending on him,
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Gavin wasn't going to let the mortgage refusal be the end.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24It was just a turning point.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29From that point, I sent a load more information off
0:48:29 > 0:48:33and justified why we are doing what we're doing and how we can do it.
0:48:34 > 0:48:35And after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39that's when it came back and we got the compromise, basically.
0:48:39 > 0:48:40We got 50% of what we needed.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Basically, it's going to take longer to do it
0:48:42 > 0:48:45cos it's going to be me building most of it,
0:48:45 > 0:48:48instead of paying someone to do it.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52So, yeah, it's late, dark, and I'll be back tomorrow.
0:48:59 > 0:49:05We've been following progress here at The Elms for over a year now.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08It's ended up with poor Gavin having to do most of the work on his own.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10I've come to find out how he's coping.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13But before I do, Kieran and Kate
0:49:13 > 0:49:18are going to tell them some of the things they've discovered about their extraordinary house.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22Yeah, so this is a map from 1844 just describing
0:49:22 > 0:49:25land ownership around North Wingfield.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27So we know that the person occupying this house,
0:49:27 > 0:49:32and owning many more parcels of land, was a man called John Clay.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34I found a Clay in the register of baptisms.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37But, very bizarrely for a family of this stature,
0:49:37 > 0:49:42he's of spurious birth, which means illegitimate.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44So we had one scandal about the illegitimate son,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46and then we get another bit of scandal.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49John Wilkinson Clay, when he writes his will,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52is rather preoccupied by one of his lady servants.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56She's his main focus, this lady, Dorothy Roberts.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00That's a great story when I've got friends round with a bottle of wine. Marvellous!
0:50:06 > 0:50:07Since the 18th century,
0:50:07 > 0:50:11The Elms has stood majestically in the centre of the community.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14The 21st century has seen it decay
0:50:14 > 0:50:18to a point where it was doubtful it could be saved at all.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Missing floors, boarded up windows,
0:50:20 > 0:50:24and the once grand fabric rotting to dust.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30They've been hard at work since the beginning of 2011,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33but it was always an ambitious project.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35Gavin was convinced it could be done.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37So much so, in fact,
0:50:37 > 0:50:42that we have £5 riding on whether they could move in after a year.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43So, how has he got on?
0:50:43 > 0:50:47- Lovely to see you.- And you. - Lovely to see you.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Hand it over, then.
0:50:50 > 0:50:55- Oh, he has! I'm only joking!- I've only got ten.- Oh, bless your heart!
0:50:55 > 0:51:00- So, I'm assuming, by the swift action on the wallet, it's not finished.- It's not finished.
0:51:00 > 0:51:05- No. Quite a big delay on some finance.- Yeah.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10I was absolutely fed up with the stress and pressure over money.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12But it's got sorted,
0:51:12 > 0:51:14and we're getting back on track.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18- Was it frightening?- Yeah, it was extremely frightening. Extremely.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20I was thinking, "We're going to lose everything.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22"We're going to lose this, the other house."
0:51:22 > 0:51:25I thought, "Have we been greedy?" So it was really frightening.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27I'm pushing, because I want to get moving in.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31Dead excited about getting in there, drink of wine, parties.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33You're so good! You're so good.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36Because it's hard to come back from that kind of beating,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39but you're really up and at 'em again, which is great.
0:51:42 > 0:51:43So they've not quite finished.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45But a year ago,
0:51:45 > 0:51:49the rear part of the house, where Gavin and Ann plan to live,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51was in a terrible state.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54The fireplace was in danger of collapse.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57There were no floors and the walls were just rubble.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01A less homely room would be almost impossible to imagine.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19- This has come on hugely!- Yes.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22I know you're not finished, but it's so different.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Yeah, it's got a great feel now.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Gavin's been focusing his efforts on getting this part of the house completed,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34but it hasn't come cheap.
0:52:34 > 0:52:41He's gone £55,000 over his original budget, spending 235,000,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44which has meant borrowing more money.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47How are finances now? Have you got enough money to finish the house?
0:52:47 > 0:52:53- There's enough money to finish both halves, just.- To do both?- Just.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58We've got most of the stuff ordered, so all the stuff's on site.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00- Do you think you think you can make it to the end?- Yes.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04- I think we can just scrape through and get both halves done.- Just.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08This was always going to be somewhere to retire to after supper, wasn't it?
0:53:08 > 0:53:11You can come in, light the fire, having had supper.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14Which brings me neatly to the Ferrari of all kitchens.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16- Can I have a look at it?- You can.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Thank you very much.
0:53:30 > 0:53:36- Ann! You've got it!- Yay.- You've got your dream kitchen. It is dreamy.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38- It is a dream kitchen. - Isn't it?- Yeah.
0:53:38 > 0:53:43When I first met you, you said this house
0:53:43 > 0:53:45was the sort of house that little girls dream of.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47I can't believe, sometimes...
0:53:47 > 0:53:52After sleepless nights thinking you're going to lose everything, cos that's always my fear,
0:53:52 > 0:53:57trying to have something really beyond what you should.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59I know it sounds a bit weird.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03But it's like, "Really, should we have this?"
0:54:03 > 0:54:05Do you think you don't deserve it?
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I don't know that I think I don't deserve it.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10It's just, I can't quite believe it.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14And when you get it you're like, "Oh, my God, this is amazing."
0:54:15 > 0:54:19And Ann's house is well on its way to becoming exactly that.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21On the first floor,
0:54:21 > 0:54:25bathrooms are going in and bedrooms are getting done.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29The half-ton beam that Gavin struggled to fit
0:54:29 > 0:54:30is part of the ceiling to a guest bedroom,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34and holds up the floor in their master suite.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39It's in the front section of the house,
0:54:39 > 0:54:43where Gavin's mum will live, that there's still the most work to do.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47Before Gavin started, the windows had been torn out,
0:54:47 > 0:54:52and there hadn't been access to the top floor for years.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57A year on, and Suzanne may not have moved in,
0:54:57 > 0:54:59but she can finally have a good look round.
0:55:01 > 0:55:06This is such a beautiful, beautiful room. Isn't it?
0:55:06 > 0:55:10- Yes, I love the fireplace. - It's divine, isn't it?- Really nice.
0:55:10 > 0:55:15Gavin is steadily restoring original features that have survived.
0:55:15 > 0:55:16And for the first time in years,
0:55:16 > 0:55:19there's plaster on some of the walls,
0:55:19 > 0:55:24done here in a more formal style, compared to the other parts of the building.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28You haven't let it get you down that it's been slower than you thought?
0:55:28 > 0:55:32- No, no. I thought it would be a long job, actually.- Did you?- Yeah.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Do you have any idea when you're moving in?
0:55:34 > 0:55:39I've not got a clue, no. Probably Christmas, at this rate.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44This project has always been a family affair,
0:55:44 > 0:55:49but everyone has their ups and downs, including seven-year-old Caitlin.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53- What does it say here?- "To Mummy and Daddy, congratulations on The Elms.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57"I'm sorry for saying about it, 'it's horrible.' It is not horrible.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59"The Elms looks lovely. Love, Caitlin."
0:55:59 > 0:56:02She came one day and I'd done loads of work and I said,
0:56:02 > 0:56:04"What do you think of it?"
0:56:04 > 0:56:09She went, "It's horrible. Hate it." I was a bit upset, like, "OK. I'm trying."
0:56:09 > 0:56:12And she basically made that sorry note.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15- She didn't want to hurt your feelings.- I think then she realised,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18she could see the potential in what she was going to get, so...
0:56:22 > 0:56:28- Is it still your dream home? - Yeah.- It is, yeah.
0:56:28 > 0:56:33Yeah, I mean this house, for us, for me, it will become my heart and soul.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35We'll love it. It will be filled with memories.
0:56:53 > 0:56:59Gavin and Ann have watched this place deteriorating for nearly ten years,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02and they decided that they were the ones to save it,
0:57:02 > 0:57:06even though loads had gone before and failed.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Now, they're not rich, like the Clay family who built this house.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13But they are brave and they are determined.
0:57:13 > 0:57:19This house has pushed them to their very limits, both emotionally and physically.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21And even when the finances all went wrong
0:57:21 > 0:57:27and they were in grave danger of losing everything, they stuck with it.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29And soon, very soon,
0:57:29 > 0:57:33Gavin, his mum, Ann and Caitlin, will be moving in
0:57:33 > 0:57:36and calling this extraordinary house...
0:57:37 > 0:57:38..home.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47On the next Restoration Home,
0:57:47 > 0:57:51a fragile old house filled with treasures.
0:57:51 > 0:57:56The revealing thing up here is just what a terrible state this structure is in.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59But what will it cost to rescue it?
0:57:59 > 0:58:02I've spent about 100,000. So far.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05And, to be honest, it doesn't look like a house any more.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07It's a chimney with sticks round it.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10And can it be saved at all?
0:58:10 > 0:58:13We think the render is holding the walls together.
0:58:39 > 0:58:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd