0:00:06 > 0:00:10Once we walked through that gate, we were hooked.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13When I look at that house, I just think, "Wow".
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Every time I see it I'm just like, "Wow".
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It's a castle. It's a castle!
0:00:18 > 0:00:20How can you not buy a castle?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Wow, that's some fireplace to have.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It's going to be an amazing home.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26First day of the rest of its life.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27You happy?
0:00:30 > 0:00:34We are way, way, way over budget.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I mean I am actually living in a building site.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39You have to make sacrifices.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41There are days when you just think,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44"Have we made the right decision? Are we doing the right thing?"
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I want it to look what it looked like when it was first built.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Oh, this is just such a beautiful place.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55It's like every romantic part of my brain is just firing.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01You don't have any idea how much money this is going to cost you!
0:01:02 > 0:01:03I don't think either of us
0:01:03 > 0:01:08envisaged quite as big a project as we've actually taken on.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It's still a dream. It's still a dream that we're actually doing it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12I can't wait to move in.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14It seems just to take forever.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16It's just a nightmare.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I'm telling myself not to worry.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I mean, because what can I do? I've got to finish the house.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33This is Little Naish.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It's set in the hills of North Somerset surrounded by
0:01:39 > 0:01:40a six-acre walled garden.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45The house was once a head gardener's cottage.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51It was built in Victorian times to look like a
0:01:51 > 0:01:54romantic fairytale castle.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57But sadly, its beauty is now only skin deep.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Inside it's a different story.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Little Naish has stood empty for almost a quarter of a century.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13The stone work is crumbling.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Rot is eating the wood.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20And the plaster is beyond repair.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27It's Grade II-listed but no one has stepped forward to save it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Until now.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37Because now it's been bought by retired couple Peter and Anne Hills.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39They're determined to turn this ruined fantasy
0:02:39 > 0:02:41castle into their dream home.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Originally, it was the massive garden that drew them here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53We were tempted by the garden challenge and then the house,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56we fell in love with the house as well, or what there is of it.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58We can see the potential.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Yes, it was just, just intriguing.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Once we walked through that gate, we were hooked.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08They've already started working on the garden.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Both in their sixties, Peter was divorced and Anne a widow
0:03:13 > 0:03:16when they married 14 years ago.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19They used to live in Esher, near London, while Anne's daughter
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Nicola and her children live in Gloucester, 40 miles from here.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I think we've been down here most weekends
0:03:26 > 0:03:28since they bought Little Naish.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34I love gardening, the children get to play. It's amazing.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I don't think they thought they could exist for a day without the X-Box,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40but it's been great that we can just spend the whole day down here.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44So the whole family have fallen in love with Little Naish.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I feel privileged to own it.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55It would fall down if somebody didn't take it over now.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58The garden would be left and probably lost.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I feel that we're looking after it.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02We're going to give it a new lease of life
0:04:02 > 0:04:04because it's been empty for 24 years.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Some of the worst decay is in the 20th century kitchen extension.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15We're now entering the old kitchen.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16It leaks like a sieve.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18The wall is beginning to bow
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and we'll have to do something about this in a big way.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26They're not just going to repair the old building.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28They have big plans.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34The extension will be demolished and replaced,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37creating two new bedrooms in a cedar-clad unit.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41On the other side of the tower they plan a steel
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and glass kitchen diner.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The tower's ground floor will still be the living room
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and the two floors above it will each become an ensuite bedroom.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56It's a fantastic plan
0:04:56 > 0:04:59but it's going to be a lot of work to turn it into reality.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05So now I've come to see if they're ready for the restoration to begin.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Lovely to meet you. What a delightful property.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15It's so romantic.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Oh, romantic, and I'm with the right person.- Are you?
0:05:18 > 0:05:22But you can see Rapunzel hanging her hair out of the window.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Were you looking for a property in this area? No?
0:05:24 > 0:05:25No, no. It was a Saturday night.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29We were childminding in Gloucester looked at the weekend
0:05:29 > 0:05:31property paper and saw the picture.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32So the very next day, Sunday,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35when we had to drive home in the pouring rain we came and trespassed.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Did you really?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And climbed over the five bar gate and had a look and we thought,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41"Yeah, we'll go for it."
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Is this the biggest project you've ever done?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- Yes.- Oh crumbs, yeah.- Yeah, and it's likely to be the last.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Apart from marrying Anne, this is the biggest.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I'm sure it'll be equally as successful.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I'm sure it will, yes. Ouch!
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Inside, their future living room looks bad,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03but Peter and Anne have a vision.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07We'll have a nice glowing fire and a nice wood burner.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10This ceiling will be hopefully covered in.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Yeah, it's a little sparse at the moment isn't it, the ceiling?
0:06:13 > 0:06:16And Anne's got the furnishings all lined up, the tartans.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Can you see it already?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Then you've got two big windows into the garden!
0:06:20 > 0:06:24We've got a writing desk which will fit perfectly into one of those.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31- It's a beautiful shape this staircase, isn't it?- Very windy.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Really pretty little room.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Oh! Oh, this is delightful, Anne.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41This is one of the bedrooms, yes.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Yes, it will be nothing but a bedroom
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and a shower room in the corner.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- This is the princess's bedroom. - I was going to say.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51We have a granddaughter princess who's eligible.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I mean it really is, isn't it?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56If there's not a pink frock in here quite soon then something's
0:06:56 > 0:06:57wrong with the world.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02With four bedrooms there'll be plenty of room for Nicola
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and the family to come and visit.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08And she believes living at Little Naish will help her mother
0:07:08 > 0:07:11move on from difficult memories.
0:07:12 > 0:07:19She's really strong, but then my father being ill and dying
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and her having to raise two small children, that was stressful.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25But she did it, she coped, she did really well.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And again, sort of nursing my brother through cancer
0:07:28 > 0:07:30and then losing him too.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36My brother died in the cottage in Esher.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38The three of us were there with him.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43You can't but help remember and live with that.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50But here they can remember him and think about him
0:07:50 > 0:07:53but be removed from the actual, traumatic day.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Little Naish is a peaceful place to begin a new chapter,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02though with just over six acres of land,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Anne and Peter won't have much time to put their feet up.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Friends have come here and they've looked
0:08:11 > 0:08:15horrified at the upkeep of this but I think it's not that daunting.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16It's mostly grass.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Pete can handle grass with his sit-on mower.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Are you excited about it?
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Oh, ecstatic. Just can't wait.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23Mind you, we're looking at that
0:08:23 > 0:08:25there's nothing that's going to go wrong.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27It'll all go to plan.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Of course it will. Of course it will.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- Why wouldn't it?- What is there to go wrong?- Absolutely.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Exactly. What could possibly go wrong?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38The biggest worry with any build is finance.
0:08:38 > 0:08:44Peter and Anne sold their old house to buy Little Naish for £665,000.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49But the restoration budget of £400,000 will be coming
0:08:49 > 0:08:51out of their life savings.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Being on fixed pensions means they really can't afford to go
0:08:55 > 0:08:56a penny over.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12By the end of May, it's time to turn plans into action.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15The restoration build starts with clearing the ground
0:09:15 > 0:09:17and demolishing the extension.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Today is just magical.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25To see that digger doing the first bit of scraping, magic.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Inside, the bad plaster needs to be removed.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I can see changes happening. It's already drier.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And some of the 20th century concrete floors have to go.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Really, it's got a buzz of excitement about it now so,
0:09:47 > 0:09:48yes, things are moving forward.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49Wonderful.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53As rubble is removed, there's a discovery.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It's an old water tank.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Pete Brumsden is the contractor in charge of the build.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04On a job like this there's lots of unknowns.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05There'll be unknowns right the way
0:10:05 > 0:10:07through from start to finish, I would think.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09But when you're breaking the ground
0:10:09 > 0:10:11you don't know what you're going to come across.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14In the days before mains water, rain from the roof was
0:10:14 > 0:10:18stored in this tank, then used for washing in the old kitchen.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It will have to be filled in and made safe,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24which will be an extra job for Pete.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Inside, as the plaster comes down,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31more worrying discoveries have come to light.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33We've got two areas of rotten timber here.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35One we've got in the base of the tower,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39this piece here is just crumbling away, woodworm, rot.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Earlier on today, we were looking at this lintel to the kitchen
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and we can see that it's quite rotten and it's damp,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52so obviously has got to be renewed.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55So this means this has got to be repaired, restored.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58We've got to Acrow it, pull this out, put a new one in,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00re-build the brickwork behind it.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I can see the noughts going onto the build cost as we speak.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08We've also got to drop the ceilings to allow the services through it,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10so that was another expense we didn't expect.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12But, hell!
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Peter was an engineer in his working life.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's given him a good understanding of the tower's structural
0:11:21 > 0:11:25issues and made him want a hi-tech heating system.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28I'm interested in green energy and the way we can use that
0:11:28 > 0:11:32for new builds and restorations, and this really lends itself.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Peter's opted for a ground source heating system.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40If it works, it'll produce heat very cheaply,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43but it's an ambitious scheme given the tight budget.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Peter and Anne are desperate to find out as much as possible
0:11:50 > 0:11:52about their new home.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Who built it, when was that and why does it look like this?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00We're going to do all we can to solve these mysteries
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and discover the story behind Little Naish.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Our historian, Dr Kate Williams, will be delving
0:12:09 > 0:12:13into the archives to track down the people and events from its past.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17While architectural expert Kieran Long
0:12:17 > 0:12:20searches for clues in the building itself.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Oh, this is just such a beautiful place.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31It's like every romantic part of my brain is just firing.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Kind of these high, beautiful rubble stone walls,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43roses blooming to one side, and in the distance you can just see
0:12:43 > 0:12:47through the trees, the most perfect little Gothic tower.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Half-church tower, half-castle tower, so really what it is,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58is just a kind of Gothic confection, brought together
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and placed in the most romantic landscape you could imagine.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08We do know a few things about Little Naish already.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13There used to be a country mansion here called Naish House,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17but Peter and Anne's tower is all that's left of that grand estate.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22And we can date Little Naish to some time in the Victorian era
0:13:22 > 0:13:24just by its style.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27It's pure Gothic revival, at least on the outside.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33You come through this beautiful door, and you come inside
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and it's pretty, pretty plain in here, really.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Flags on the floor of irregular sizes and different shapes,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43so this is a room for coming in with muddy boots on,
0:13:43 > 0:13:44kicking them off and so on.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47This is not a fine decorated place.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50This tells us something very important about this building.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52All of the effort, decoratively and architecturally,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55is on the exterior, and inside it's pretty functional stuff,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and that tells you that was all about the building being seen in the
0:13:59 > 0:14:02landscape by the important people who probably lived somewhere else.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Not being used by them inside.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05The people who built this
0:14:05 > 0:14:08probably never really came inside and used this building.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Which fits in with the idea that
0:14:10 > 0:14:12this was once the head gardener's cottage.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18These windows are more or less the only decorative
0:14:18 > 0:14:19thing in the whole interior.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Everything else is very functional and very basic.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25But this kind of style window is something that was very
0:14:25 > 0:14:27important of course to the Gothic revival.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30These mullions would in the medieval period have been used
0:14:30 > 0:14:34because large sheets of glass were not possible to make.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Clearly by the Victorian period it was possible to make those,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39but they still have this mullion window
0:14:39 > 0:14:41just because it has all of that medieval character.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45For the Victorians that was the point of the Gothic revival,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48to make everything look like something from the Middle Ages.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54The style here goes right to the top of the tower,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57with a lead roof and battlements.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Yeah, so fantastic to be up here. So beautiful.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Such an amazing commanding position from the kind of little
0:15:05 > 0:15:07platform with its battlements.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And what's really exciting is we can get kind up close and personal
0:15:10 > 0:15:12with some of the details of this building,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16which are these amazing bits of carved stone.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19These are grotesques, of course, familiar to lots of people,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21from the great Gothic cathedrals.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23You know, opinion differs on what actually their meaning was,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26but what they certainly were, were beautiful
0:15:26 > 0:15:29moments of craftsmanship, of expression of a stonemason's art.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32And in the 19th century when this building was built,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35they were kind of discovering and enjoying all of that detail
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and reproducing it in their own buildings.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42But who was it that had Little Naish built in this style?
0:15:43 > 0:15:47In order to find out, we need to discover who lived at Naish House
0:15:47 > 0:15:51the country mansion at the heart of the estate.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55It may not be easy, because today there's no sign of it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02To try to find out what happened,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Kate's gone to Clevedon Library to search the local newspaper archive.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Houses don't just disappear, fly off into the middle of nowhere.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13There had to be a reason why Naish Estate had gone.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I found this fascinating report that makes everything clear.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26A huge fire that ravished the estate in 1902.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29In its great moment of grandeur it was wrecked and ruined.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Looking further, along with the newspaper clippings,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Kate's found two photographs of Naish House.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45This is how it was left after the fire on Christmas Day 1902.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50At that time, the big house was being rented by the Spencer family.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Just as Mr and Mrs Spencer were about to sit down to lunch
0:16:56 > 0:16:59with their three children, a maid told them there was
0:16:59 > 0:17:01smoke in one of the upper bedrooms.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05And Mrs Spencer promptly telephoned to the volunteer fire
0:17:05 > 0:17:06brigade in Clevedon.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09They set out just before two o'clock and this manual engine,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13they didn't have an actual steam-powered engine at the time,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17it was a horse drawn cart set off to try and fight this fire.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And it says here the north-east angle of the building was
0:17:19 > 0:17:23doomed, the roof was already off and it said the west wing was saved,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27but all the rest of it was absolutely wrecked and destroyed.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Now Kate's searching further to find out what happened at Naish House
0:17:33 > 0:17:35before 1902.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40She's found a name, James Gordon.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44He made a fortune from sugar plantations in the West Indies
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and bought Naish House in 1785.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50To the average British man, a sugar plantation owner was
0:17:50 > 0:17:52rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57These men returned to Britain with huge fortunes and what they
0:17:57 > 0:18:00wanted to do was create themselves into the local aristocracy.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04The bought big aristocratic seats, big houses, huge
0:18:04 > 0:18:07parcels of land to show themselves off as men who had arrived.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13But James Gordon died years before Little Naish could have been built.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17He did, however, have a son, James Adam Gordon.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23He became High Sheriff of Somerset and made big changes at Naish House.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25This is vital.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I've found here it says that Naish House was much enlarged
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and decorated by James Adam Gordon in the florid
0:18:31 > 0:18:33pseudo-Gothic of his time.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36To me this is an absolute reference to the tower to Peter
0:18:36 > 0:18:38and Anne's house, that Gothic look.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45So now we know who built Peter and Anne's house, James Adam Gordon.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49But when exactly that was is still unclear.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51We need to dig deeper.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58While Little Naish is restored,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Peter and Anne are living in a rented house nearby,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04with most of the things from their old house still packed.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12But almost every day they come to Little Naish.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Not just to keep up with developments,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18but also to do what they can to help the work go smoothly.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The new extensions are to be faced with local stone
0:19:22 > 0:19:24by mason Farrell Cooper.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28But the heritage authorities have insisted he build a sample
0:19:28 > 0:19:33wall first, so they can make sure it really will blend in with the old.
0:19:36 > 0:19:42It's to show the colour of stone, the quality of stone,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44the pointing, the mortar
0:19:44 > 0:19:49and how well it matches the original building.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51It's quite important to get the look right
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and not make it look too modern.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58They may be committed to the ideals of restoration,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02but they still have to wait for their test wall to be approved.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Meanwhile, in the field next door...
0:20:08 > 0:20:11..it looks as if Peter has recreated the Battle of the Somme.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17This is all for his hi-tech ground source heating system.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21It will collect heat from underground by circulating
0:20:21 > 0:20:24water through a network of buried pipes.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29When you weigh this up, it's a green solution.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33It's a very cheap ongoing form of heat,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37but the size, the actual involvement has quite startled us.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42The problem is the network needs to be huge.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44So far, it's taken a digger two
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and a bit days to excavate 600 metres of trench at a cost of around
0:20:49 > 0:20:54£5,500, which is far more than Peter budgeted.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00We did expect it to be a large undertaking.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03However, the amount of machinery required has been far
0:21:03 > 0:21:09exceeded expectations, and therefore the cost has gone spiralling.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12We have literally sunk our savings into this trench.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16With a tight budget, Peter
0:21:16 > 0:21:20and Anne will have to cut something else to pay for this overspend.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24So they certainly can't afford any more surprises.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30So far, our investigators Kate
0:21:30 > 0:21:34and Kieran have discovered Naish House burnt down in 1902.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Its neo-Gothic style dates Little Naish to some
0:21:39 > 0:21:41time in the century before that.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Now Kieran's come to the Somerset archives to try to get a more
0:21:48 > 0:21:50accurate idea of when it was built.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57He's found a map of the estate from 1824.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03This map is really exciting because it's the earliest map we've found.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05What we don't have is any evidence of Little Naish.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10We've got Naish House, Naish Estate, but we don't have any Little Naish.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12And so what we need to find next is a map where we can see it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22This is a map from 1872, so we now can see a building
0:22:22 > 0:22:25outlined on the spot of Little Naish.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27We know it is because it's surrounded by a very,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30very beautifully drawn walled garden, so now we can
0:22:30 > 0:22:34confidently date that Little Naish was built between 1824 and 1872.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37There's more.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41We already have pictures of Naish House after it was burnt down.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Now Kieran's discovered an earlier photograph.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52At last, we can see what it looked like before the fire.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57There's no other information with the photo,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01so Kieran needs to decode the building.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06This is obviously a Regency or Georgian house with this
0:23:06 > 0:23:11kind of distinctive five bay and stone-dressed windows.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Now we know these houses from the late 18th century,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15early 19th century, but it's been gothified.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Got a large monumental octagonal tower at one end,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22complete with battlements,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and those battlements have been extended all the way across the
0:23:25 > 0:23:29front of the facade and we end up with this bizarre, frankly, hybrid
0:23:29 > 0:23:33of a country house which is half Regency Georgian and half Gothic.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39While Naish House was being converted into Gothic,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Little Naish was being built from scratch in the Gothic style.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It might be that Little Naish was in fact the most beautiful
0:23:47 > 0:23:49and purest architectural piece of the whole complex.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59It's the beginning of September, and the heritage authorities have
0:23:59 > 0:24:02approved Farrell the stonemason's test wall.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Now he can crack on.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11This isn't the first time he's worked here.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I've been a stonemason for 20 years now.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19My first job was up here with a local mason called Simon Cosnett,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and we came up here and we started restoring all the tower.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Quite strange coming back here, really.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Now, building a new wall to match the old is a different
0:24:30 > 0:24:32kind of challenge.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35This is a freshly quarried stone, so because of that, it's all been
0:24:35 > 0:24:39guillotined to roughly the same size shapes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Trying to match the size of stone.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46You can break it and shape it.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50It's called dressing the stonework, see,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53making it match in and just dressing it into a certain shape.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It's like a jigsaw puzzle and you're trying to make a nice face
0:24:58 > 0:25:01out of it, but you just learn by your mistakes and, you know,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05when you start laying walls and you start getting into a style
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and you know what stone you want to pick up, basically.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11And then it just comes, it's like anything, like cutting hair or
0:25:11 > 0:25:14writing a book, you just get into it and, you know, you get used to it.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18It's your mark on the landscape, isn't it, so you want to
0:25:18 > 0:25:22do as best as possible and it's your reputation on the line, you see.
0:25:25 > 0:25:32Kate discovered that Little Naish was built by James Adam Gordon as a cottage for his head gardener.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36To find out more about the role of a head gardener on a great estate,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40she's come to the Royal Horticultural Society library in London.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Ideally I'd like to find out who was the gardener of Little Naish,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46but that will be very difficult
0:25:46 > 0:25:49as these kind of men don't always leave records behind them.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52But what I find from here is what his job would have been like,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55what his responsibilities were like and what an important
0:25:55 > 0:25:57position it was to be the head gardener.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03The library holds a large collection of Victorian gardening magazines.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07The articles and advertisements show what was of interest back then.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11Looking at all this, you can
0:26:11 > 0:26:14see how vital gardens were to the Victorians.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17They wanted beautiful flowers, wonderful vegetables
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and they were willing to pay a lot of money for it.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25An aristocrat ideally wanted two things from his garden.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Number one, beauteous landscapes,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30so he could take people around on a lovely walk.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Number two, marvellous exotic fruits
0:26:32 > 0:26:34so when everyone sat down to dinner he could whip out a pineapple.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39So you really needed to get a good gardener onside
0:26:39 > 0:26:43and people would poach them and fight over a good gardener.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Without records, we may never know the names of the head gardeners
0:26:47 > 0:26:50who lived in Little Naish.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54But Kate's still got one name to follow up, James Adam Gordon.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Back at the build, there have been some more unforeseen costs.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07The structural engineer insisted on extra steelwork
0:27:07 > 0:27:10to go into the foundations of the new kitchen.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16And the rotten wooden beams they found need to be replaced
0:27:16 > 0:27:19with steel joists.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Working from home, Peter is trying to keep a close eye on the invoices.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28He's getting more and more worried.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Must have been a few weeks ago
0:27:30 > 0:27:32and I did wake up in a cold sweat thinking, "What have we done?"
0:27:32 > 0:27:35The nub is the unknown spending.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Peter, the builder, is getting things done which need to be done.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Just run the tape on it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Right, what have you got?
0:27:43 > 0:27:46But is it in the original budget? Is this extra?
0:27:46 > 0:27:47How do I know?
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Is he keeping an eye on my expenditure?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54To that end we actually put together a list, gave it to Peter and the
0:27:54 > 0:27:58nub of it is that if you're going to spend extra money, let us know.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Even when budgets are tight,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09listed buildings have to be restored in accordance with strict rules.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Little Naish's new plasterwork must be put up with lime
0:28:12 > 0:28:16plaster in the traditional way.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20So we put a bit on that side, put a bit more on that side
0:28:20 > 0:28:22and with the trowel, you bend it round.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Bill Flood has been working with lime plaster
0:28:26 > 0:28:31since the age of 15 when he was an apprentice to his father.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34It's a long time, 50 years.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Yeah, 50 years, so I'm getting the hang of it now.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43These walls will need three coats and each coat can take more
0:28:43 > 0:28:50than a week to dry, so lime plaster is not easy and it's not fast.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53You can't rush this stuff, cos this lime is a natural product.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56It's got its own life. It does its own thing.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59It's not like plasterboard. It's a totally different ball game.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04There's a big problem with using lime plaster at this
0:29:04 > 0:29:09time of year, because as long as it's wet, it's vulnerable to frost.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13If the temperature drops, the water in that will freeze.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18And then when it does thaw out in summer or spring that will start
0:29:18 > 0:29:22cracking, what they call shelling, and then it'll just come off.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25That's a no-no.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29This is, it's our deadliest enemy actually, frost and cold.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33If the frost gets in and the plasterwork cracks,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36it will all have to be done again.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39There's still no heating in the house
0:29:39 > 0:29:44so everyone has to hope the weather doesn't take a turn for the worse.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Kieran found out that Little Naish was built in the gothic
0:29:49 > 0:29:53revival style in order to match the renovations done on Naish House
0:29:53 > 0:29:57by James Adam Gordon.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00As Naish House burnt down in 1902,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04it's impossible to know what it was really like.
0:30:05 > 0:30:11However, not far away is a house that could tell us that.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16It's the neogothic masterpiece of Tyntesfield House.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20This house is in fact just like Naish House was - two houses in one.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23You've got this amazing Victorian fantasy that we see here now,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25but behind it is in fact an older house,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28a Georgian house that was the original.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31This is well over-the-top compared to what we saw Naish House have,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34but it gives you an idea of what they were dreaming of.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40The Gothic exterior is just a taste of what lies inside.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54I mean, this hall is just crazy.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58It's just so huge that the scale of it is almost absurd.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01I think that's one thing I love about this style.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07When we look at Naish House and the history of it,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10we don't know what James Adam Gordon's interiors were like,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13and maybe we'll never know that, but this is the kind of thing
0:31:13 > 0:31:16that was at the kind of top of the tree of his aspirations.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19This was an interpretation of the Gothic,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22an interpretation of how to impress the hell out of your friends.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25And it's an interpretation of how to do interior furnishings
0:31:25 > 0:31:27in a medieval style that James Adam Gordon would have
0:31:27 > 0:31:31been thinking about while planning his own home.
0:31:31 > 0:31:32The question remains...
0:31:34 > 0:31:38..why were the Victorians so obsessed with the Gothic style?
0:31:41 > 0:31:44They used it everywhere, from the Houses of Parliament...
0:31:48 > 0:31:50..to St Pancras railway station.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Well, I think we have to see the Gothic Revival as a major
0:31:58 > 0:32:01intellectual current in Victorian society.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04If you were well-read, you would have looked at this style and thought,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07"No, there's something in this that speaks to me as an industrialist,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10"as a man of the future, as a man of money and of capital.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13"I need something that represents another set of values,"
0:32:13 > 0:32:14and the medieval style did it for them.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17And I think that's an interesting quirk of this neogothic style
0:32:17 > 0:32:20that you end up, therefore, with a gardener's cottage
0:32:20 > 0:32:23made into something like a medieval castle keep.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30But was James Adam Gordon one of those well-read thinkers,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32or does Little Naish look like this just
0:32:32 > 0:32:35because that was the style of the day?
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Kieran and Kate need to find out more.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44So far, Anne and Peter's restoration of Little Naish has been
0:32:44 > 0:32:47dogged by unexpected problems and costs.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- How are you?- 'When many retired couples might be slowing down,
0:32:50 > 0:32:54'they've resolutely been on-site almost every day.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57'I've come back to see how they're bearing up.'
0:32:57 > 0:33:03When I last saw you, you had no plans to be sort of hands on,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05and you're here all the time.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Have you enjoyed that part of the process? Cos you had no intention of doing that.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13No, I look forward to coming here every day and I even don't mind making teas and coffees.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16- You do that all day? - All day, three times a day.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18For about a dozen people sometimes.
0:33:18 > 0:33:19That one's Bill's.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22'It adds up to a lot tea bags and sugar,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25'with various trades on-site as the work progresses.'
0:33:27 > 0:33:30- Has this been a fun place to work? - Yeah, it's good with all the angles
0:33:30 > 0:33:35and the falls in the floors that I've got to get over. It's good. Bit different.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37- It's quite unusual, isn't it? - Yeah, it is unusual, yeah.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Very interesting, though. Interesting old property.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43'Peter is rapidly becoming one of the boys.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46'Determined to keep the build moving ahead,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49'he's lined up a number of jobs for himself.'
0:33:49 > 0:33:53So I was talking to the tiler this morning and I'm going to be his mate.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Can't be bad, can it?
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Sounds awful to me, I have to say! Can't think of anything worse.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- It's the half past seven starts which worry me.- Yeah, yeah!
0:34:02 > 0:34:05I thought the idea was that you were retired
0:34:05 > 0:34:08and you would watch this from a distance with your feet up?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Well, I don't think quite with the feet up,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14but yes, we did plan on sort of not being quite
0:34:14 > 0:34:17so heavily involved, but it's just caught us and we just get involved
0:34:17 > 0:34:20and yeah, you just go deeper and deeper, don't you?
0:34:20 > 0:34:24'Peter's approach isn't just about enthusiasm.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26'Mucking in hastens the time
0:34:26 > 0:34:29'when the couple start the new chapter of their lives.'
0:34:29 > 0:34:35You seem to love, I mean, every aspect of this, but I also get
0:34:35 > 0:34:38a sense of actually what you really love is making Anne happy.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Oh, yeah. She's my life, period.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44She's had a pretty traumatic life
0:34:44 > 0:34:46and I want to make up for that for her if I can.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50- Psychologically, I feel that the sooner Anne is living here, the better, really.- Oh, yeah.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- Do you think that? - Yes, yeah, very much so.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55The sooner we're living here, the better all round, from relaxation...
0:34:55 > 0:34:59- Peace, yeah, yeah.- ..peace, quiet, just enjoying the space.- Yes, yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Despite the inevitable surprises and extra costs of restoration,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Peter and Anne seem well on the way to living in their new home.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19In mid-November, there's a shocking setback
0:35:19 > 0:35:22for everyone at Little Naish.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25In the dead of night, thieves have broken in.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Anne and Peter are devastated.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33He's come to check the damage.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37The burglars' target seems to have been
0:35:37 > 0:35:40the lead on the roof of the tower.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Basically, what they've done is they've lifted the flashing,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45they've taken the whole surface of this area.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Once they've stripped it and peeled it, they pushed it over the parapet,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52we think, and it went, and it clipped this stone as it went.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56That fell below and then on the way down it clipped
0:35:56 > 0:35:59the edge of the roof on the lounge bay, which is the only stone bay
0:35:59 > 0:36:05which is of value, and done the damage down there.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09It's now got a waterproof membrane on it to protect the building,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13but had water started getting into the tower through this roof,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16they'd have had thousands of pounds worth of damage.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20The thieves weren't just after the lead.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Pete has lost hundreds of pounds worth of equipment.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I'm not very happy that we've got to replace tools, cos no matter
0:36:28 > 0:36:31what insurance you've got, you never get it covered, and this, we lost
0:36:31 > 0:36:36a complete day, three blokes lost a day having to try and make security.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40And we've got a container there now that we've got to put stuff in.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43It's just appalling, really, why somebody thinks
0:36:43 > 0:36:45they can just have your stuff,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49they're entitled to take your stuff, it's just totally frustrating.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55The problem now is that we fear the second visit,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57because they will think something's been fixed.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00They've seen what's in the building, they've seen the copper work,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03they've seen all the electrical wiring installed.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08We've put in security measures now, high-degree security measures.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14We know they're going to come back on another visit, and have to wait and see.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19It's a terrible blow, and living in fear is anything
0:37:19 > 0:37:22but the new chapter Peter hoped for.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Kate found out that James Adam Gordon was the man
0:37:33 > 0:37:38responsible for building Little Naish in the Gothic style.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41She also discovered he held the position of High Sheriff
0:37:41 > 0:37:46for the county of Somerset, which is why she's come to the Houses of Parliament.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55I'm here in the Parliamentary Archives
0:37:55 > 0:37:58because we know James Adam Gordon was a high sheriff, and this is a
0:37:58 > 0:38:02place in which records about people of power and influence are stored.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Well, this is great, because for the first time
0:38:13 > 0:38:17from this 1841 census, I know he was living at two houses.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20He was also living in Hertfordshire.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And what I found here is not only that James Adam Gordon was living
0:38:23 > 0:38:27there, but also that apparently he was a friend of Sir Walter Scott,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30the great Victorian novelist, and that Scott visited him there.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Gordon's friendship with Scott makes Peter
0:38:35 > 0:38:37and Anne's house more significant than we thought.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44Because Sir Walter Scott was hugely influential.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48In fact, the entire Gothic Revival began on the pages of his novels.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57The Victorians idolised Scott.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00His monument still dominates the centre of Edinburgh.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05He was made a baronet and became the first multi-millionaire novelist.
0:39:07 > 0:39:13He used his fortune to build himself a great Gothic mansion - Abbotsford,
0:39:13 > 0:39:17in the Scottish Lowlands - currently undergoing its own restoration.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Walter Scott is critical to the Gothic Revival.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26If you think of a novel like Ivanhoe which still today is
0:39:26 > 0:39:30probably our dream of the medieval, courtly kind of life, but then
0:39:30 > 0:39:33just as it is now, that formed people's idea of this medieval life.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36And it was an idealistic world, it was a beautiful world,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40it was a just world, and in a way, he was forming those ideas here.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43And he was conversing with the great intellectuals and powerful
0:39:43 > 0:39:46men of the day to try and communicate those ideas, not just
0:39:46 > 0:39:50as a style but as a whole way of seeing the world, a whole idealised,
0:39:50 > 0:39:54political structure as well as an architectural and design mode.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02So if James Adam Gordon was one of that group,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05what does it mean for Little Naish?
0:40:05 > 0:40:07There are two ways to look at the Gothic.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10One is it's dressing up in medieval clothes.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12The other one is a much more serious, deep intellectual
0:40:12 > 0:40:15enquiry for which medieval sources are the inspiration.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20I think James Adam Gordon's link with this place shows that he was serious about those ideas.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23You don't come and visit Walter Scott without participating
0:40:23 > 0:40:27in the discussion about what those medieval sources really meant.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33To me, this is like the wellspring of the ideas that generated Little Naish.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48At Little Naish, the entire team has rallied round after
0:40:48 > 0:40:50the shock of the burglary.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52It's coming up to Christmas.
0:40:52 > 0:40:57The site is a hive of activity, and Anne's on tea duty again.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59- The tea lady...- There you go. - Oh, thank you, darling.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04There's a really good mood on the site.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Everybody's really, really purposefully doing stuff,
0:41:07 > 0:41:11and it just takes lots of cups of tea to keep them going.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15There's a serious reason behind the frantic activity.
0:41:15 > 0:41:21Since the burglary, everyone's been worried the thieves could come back.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25The thing now is we've got two weeks until the Christmas build break
0:41:25 > 0:41:27starts and that's two weeks' holiday.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30So everybody's trying to seal the building.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34The glass arrives next week to seal the back bit, and we'll all
0:41:34 > 0:41:38feel a lot easier then, cos I mean they're putting cabling up,
0:41:38 > 0:41:44plastering up, skilful jobs, and it could all be ripped out by a vandal.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49So everybody's really pushing on now to seal and secure the building.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Anne was particularly upset by the burglary,
0:41:53 > 0:41:57so now she's doing what she can to hurry the work on.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59There are hundreds of things you could do at home in the warm,
0:41:59 > 0:42:04but making tea here seems a bit more important at the moment.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Where have they gone?
0:42:07 > 0:42:11If there's any coffee left in this cup by the time I finish, it'll be amazing.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Peter is also busy on-site.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18He's volunteered himself to paint wood preservative
0:42:18 > 0:42:21on the cedar that will become the exterior cladding.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23And there's lots of it.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25This is my third day.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30Yeah, so it's all valuable time saved on the build,
0:42:30 > 0:42:34cos if I'm doing this, they're doing something else which is more beneficial to the end product.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Farrell the stonemason is now tackling one of the most
0:42:39 > 0:42:41skilled parts of the restoration.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47When Peter and Anne bought Little Naish, one of the bay windows
0:42:47 > 0:42:53had the original stonework, but the other was a UPVC replacement.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57It had to go, and now the masons are busy carving new windows.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07To match the old windows, they must be done in Bath stone.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11I love Bath stone. Definitely is one of the best building things.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14It's durable, flexible, you get a great finish on it,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16it gets better with age, I think.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20Bath stone is relatively soft.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23It can even be cut with a wood saw.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25But there is a downside to that.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28You can make a mistake quite easy if you're not careful.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33You've got to know what you're doing,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36cos otherwise, all your hard work can be damaged in seconds.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40And now the masons are working against the clock.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Like everyone else, they're determined to get the house
0:43:47 > 0:43:50safe and secure in time for Christmas.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01Our investigation into the Gothic Revival style has revealed
0:44:01 > 0:44:03Little Naish is the real deal.
0:44:05 > 0:44:10It was built by James Adam Gordon, a man of taste and intellect,
0:44:10 > 0:44:15in touch with the people and ideas behind the whole Gothic Revival movement.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21But it seems there was a darker side to his character.
0:44:23 > 0:44:28Kate has dug up the records from when he was High Sheriff of Somerset.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31The Lord High Sheriff was essentially in charge of law and order
0:44:31 > 0:44:35and decreeing what was fair and unfair and administering the law.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37And it was a position that wasn't paid,
0:44:37 > 0:44:40but it gave you a huge amount of power.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44While he was High Sheriff, James Adam Gordon made one
0:44:44 > 0:44:48judgment in particular that has gone down in history.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53I found this incredible account of the last public
0:44:53 > 0:44:55execution at the scene of the crime in Britain.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57The Kenn Hangings of 1830.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01This was a big scandal about illegal cider selling.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Essentially, selling cider without a licence.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Six men were given the death penalty at the local jail and
0:45:07 > 0:45:12they weren't just given the death penalty, it would be much worse.
0:45:12 > 0:45:17In those days, the judge had complete freedom when it came to sentencing.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22James Adam Gordon chose an outdated punishment that went back centuries.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25On the morning of the execution, the men travelled with their coffins
0:45:25 > 0:45:29for six hours back to the village of Kenn, where the crime took place.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Normally, scaffolds were erected with a drop trap, but in this case,
0:45:33 > 0:45:36James Adam Gordon said that a farm wagon should be used instead.
0:45:36 > 0:45:41The difference was that with a drop trap, you got a broken neck, so it was a pretty swift death.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44With the farm wagon, it was death by strangulation.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46It was long, it was drawn out and very painful.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51When I was first looking into James Adam Gordon, it seemed very likely
0:45:51 > 0:45:53he was just another rich man of his time,
0:45:53 > 0:45:56but this now shows us a man who was very different.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58The story tells us a lot about James Adam Gordon.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01He's not a man of mercy. He's not a man of kindness.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03He's taking the law to the absolute extreme.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09So James Adam Gordon believed in punishments that,
0:46:09 > 0:46:13like his taste in architecture, went back to the Middle Ages.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23Back at Little Naish, things are going well.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26The house remained secure over Christmas,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28and even though the weather has deteriorated,
0:46:28 > 0:46:32the lime plaster was finished and dry before it changed.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36With the plaster done,
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Daryl the carpenter can get on with the skirting board.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43The plasterer's rounded corners pose a challenge.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46What we don't want to do is that, really.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48That ain't going to work.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50So what we have to do,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53we try and get the curvature with regards to the skirting.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59We've kind of got to guess the angle, and it's a bit of trial and error.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01So I've made several cuts there.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03It's pretty close, it's not perfect,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06but a little bit more fiddling around and I'll get that spot on.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14The interiors may still look rough,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17but this restoration is now in the home straight.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27It's still a dream. It's still a dream that we're actually doing it.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30Is that Ian? Where would you like your drink?
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Intravenous!
0:47:38 > 0:47:39One finger.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47'It looks like a home already.'
0:47:50 > 0:47:52Yeah, I'm quite happy with that now.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55Once that's painted up, that'll just look like a sweeping curve.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Before we discover whether Anne
0:48:06 > 0:48:09and Peter have managed to give Little Naish a happy ending, they're
0:48:09 > 0:48:13going to find out all that we have about their fairy tale castle.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18It's been a really exciting journey for me.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23There's this huge fire in Naish House on Christmas Day, 1902.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Oh, yes.
0:48:25 > 0:48:26That's fascinating.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30KIERAN: What we found were some photos of the house before the fire.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33- Ours is quite tiny compared to that huge mansion.- Yes.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37And the most exciting thing we found out of all
0:48:37 > 0:48:39about James Adam Gordon is that he was friends
0:48:39 > 0:48:42with Sir Walter Scott, the great Gothic novelist.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44They visited one another's houses.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46It's just unbelievable.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49I'm absolutely amazed at the link with Sir Walter Scott.
0:48:49 > 0:48:50Your mind will drift now.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55If you had Sir Walter Scott and his enclave coming along, who else went?
0:48:55 > 0:48:59- Yeah.- Now, why we felt that it was a magical place, it makes sense now. - Yes, that's right.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02We walk in the steps of history, darling.
0:49:02 > 0:49:03THEY LAUGH
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Anne and Peter began restoring their crumbling miniature castle
0:49:14 > 0:49:16in May 2012,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19and now I can't wait to see how they've got on.
0:49:23 > 0:49:29When they bought Little Naish, it had stood empty for 24 years,
0:49:29 > 0:49:31with disastrous consequences.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Plaster was crumbling...
0:49:36 > 0:49:40woodworm and rot were destroying vital timbers...
0:49:42 > 0:49:44..and water was penetrating.
0:49:46 > 0:49:47But now...
0:49:48 > 0:49:50..it's been saved.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02- Hello.- Hello.- Hi.- How are you?
0:50:02 > 0:50:05I can't quite believe how different this place is!
0:50:05 > 0:50:07THEY LAUGH
0:50:08 > 0:50:12The place is looking so beautiful.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14- Thank you.- It's amazing, isn't it?
0:50:16 > 0:50:18The last time I was here, this was like the Somme.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Everything was covered in mud and water.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25- Thanks for the memories!- Yeah! Does it feel like a distant memory?
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- It does.- Yes, it does.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31We could be in an Italian courtyard.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34- We can't afford the fountain! - THEY LAUGH
0:50:36 > 0:50:40- I mean, this stone work is a triumph, isn't it?- Yes.- Yes.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43He's done this marvellous job in producing this stonework to
0:50:43 > 0:50:46match the original, just astonishing.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48It's a transformation, isn't it?
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Yes. It's a rescue as well.
0:50:57 > 0:51:02Anne and Peter's sitting room was a barren void of rafters and peeling walls.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06The concrete floor had to come up, and the original stone window
0:51:06 > 0:51:10had been replaced with an ugly modern plastic version.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18Now things couldn't be more different.
0:51:24 > 0:51:25Yes!
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Oh, it's lovely!
0:51:29 > 0:51:30It's really good.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38It's very simple and relaxing, isn't it?
0:51:38 > 0:51:40It is. This is such a comfortable room.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Ah, look what I've just seen.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47It's a perfect little desk.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51- Are you going to write your memoirs here?- I am, actually.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53- "Dear Mr Darcy..." - THEY LAUGH
0:51:53 > 0:51:56And the window is a triumph, isn't it?
0:51:56 > 0:51:58Yes, it's idyllic.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Stonemason, Farrell, dedicated himself to ensuring Little Naish
0:52:03 > 0:52:08looks good once again, with stunning results.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10To watch that skill and craftsmanship,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12you don't get that very often.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17And now they're part of your house, those wonderful trades.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- It'll always be here.- That's right.
0:52:23 > 0:52:24In the tower bedroom,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27the plaster had long since given up on the walls.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31It took weeks of craftsmanship to replace it.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Oh! It's lovely.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It's much bigger than I thought.
0:52:47 > 0:52:48Surprising.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55The plastering is exceptionally good, isn't it?
0:52:55 > 0:52:58It is. And I love the way he's got the curves.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05It is sill the princess's bedroom, isn't it, this?
0:53:05 > 0:53:09I think so. She's spent a lot of time up here rearranging things.
0:53:14 > 0:53:18It's indisputably a romantic building, this.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20It's just unique.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25The tower is the piece de resistance, isn't it, really?
0:53:25 > 0:53:26- It's just magical.- Yeah.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34The second bedroom in the tower is a haven for visiting grandchildren.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40And there's more.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45The decrepit extension is gone.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50In its place is a new unit, clad in the cedar
0:53:50 > 0:53:52so painstakingly treated by Peter.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58It houses two further simple but stylish bedrooms for Anne
0:53:58 > 0:54:00and Peter and for their guests.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Outside, where First World War-like trenches were dug to
0:54:09 > 0:54:14accommodate eco-friendly heating, there's now level ground
0:54:14 > 0:54:16and plans to make a beautiful meadow.
0:54:25 > 0:54:26But...
0:54:31 > 0:54:35..the most ambitious part of the whole plan was an entirely new
0:54:35 > 0:54:38kitchen/diner built from steel and glass.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00And this is...perfect, isn't it?
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Absolutely beautiful.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13And this really is what this house is about, isn't it?
0:55:13 > 0:55:14The new, the old...
0:55:15 > 0:55:19..the inside, and then the great outdoors.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26Really, the dream was sort of to live in the garden, wasn't it?
0:55:26 > 0:55:29- It is amazing how much vision you have.- Yeah.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33What I really love is that you've got this huge, open,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35modern glass expanse.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37And then you look back here,
0:55:37 > 0:55:41and you can pass underneath the beautiful old arch.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44- I mean, it's really wonderful, isn't it?- It is.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Will you ever move out of this house?
0:55:56 > 0:55:58- No.- I don't think we will.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05I think we've saved the property, but it has done us a huge favour in return.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10- We've kept this building going for another 100 years or so.- It's kept you going.- Kept us going!- It has.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14And how do you see the next few years?
0:56:14 > 0:56:18We have a three-year plan to get the garden back to nature
0:56:18 > 0:56:20and bring it to a Victorian-type style.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22- Doing it together?- Yeah.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26I get a real buzz out of growing things and dividing them
0:56:26 > 0:56:29and getting the seed and getting all this for nothing.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36We invested most of our life savings in the property,
0:56:36 > 0:56:38but what an outcome.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42- Yeah, we're very happy.- Yeah, I'd go along with that.- Yeah, very happy.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21Everything about this place is like a fairy tale.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24A beautiful castle built by a rich and powerful man,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28now in ruins and in desperate need of rescuing.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Enter our two valiant heroes,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34battling the odds to achieve their dream.
0:57:34 > 0:57:39Peter and Anne have poured everything into this fairy tale
0:57:39 > 0:57:44to try and make it have the happy ending it so richly deserves.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48Now, it's time for them to sit back and enjoy themselves.
0:57:50 > 0:57:51Or not.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03On the next Restoration Home,
0:58:03 > 0:58:06an old Scottish school house falling to rack and ruin.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11It was not going to be long before it started coming apart at the seams.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14Once the heart of a small rural community,
0:58:14 > 0:58:17now two friends are giving their all to save it.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21It just takes over your life.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24Completely and utterly takes over your life.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd