0:00:07 > 0:00:10Once we'd walked through that gate, we were hooked.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Well, look at that house.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13I 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.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25It's going to be an amazing home.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26First day of the rest of its life.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Are you happy?!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28SHE LAUGHS
0:00:30 > 0:00:35We are way, way, way over budget.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I mean I am actually living in a building site.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40We all have to make sacrifices.
0:00:40 > 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 > 0:00:48I want it to look what it looked like when it was first built.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Well, this is just such a beautiful place.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55It's like every romantic part of my brain is just firing.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02You don't have any idea of how much money this is going to cost you!
0:01:02 > 0:01:06I don't think either of us envisaged quite as big a project
0:01:06 > 0:01:08as 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 > 0:01:15I can't wait to move in. It seems just to take for ever.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16It's just a nightmare.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19I'm telling myself not to worry, I mean, cos what can I do?
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I've got to finish the house.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34This is Barnhill.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38An extraordinary house packed with surprises.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44From its lantern-style cupola...
0:01:46 > 0:01:48..to the church-like entrance.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The interior is equally striking and atmospheric.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03A landmark in the village of Brampford Speke in south Devon,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06it's surrounded by magnificent trees and has glorious views
0:02:06 > 0:02:08over the River Exe.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16But everything that's unique about Barnhill is crumbling from neglect.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19The gutters have been missing for over three decades.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24The building is riddled with dry rot and damp, and the cupola
0:02:24 > 0:02:25is a tottering monument to decay.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33Without intervention, Barnhill would not be much longer for this world.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41But now, there's a chance it can be rescued because Kevin and Geri
0:02:41 > 0:02:44have decided it must have a future.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Fate. Definitely fate.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I love it. It's an amazing place.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53I feel really privileged to be here in this space, make it my home.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Kevin works in London, so it's Geri who'll be masterminding
0:02:58 > 0:03:00the restoration of Barnhill.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Years ago she renovated their current home.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07And here and possibly on that...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10She's a great sort of motivator, she's very firm
0:03:10 > 0:03:14but extremely nice and she's very good at getting things done
0:03:14 > 0:03:16properly, at the right price.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22It all began after their children flew the nest and the couple
0:03:22 > 0:03:26wanted to downsize from their house in the Kent commuter belt,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28to a relaxing country home.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Geri spotted an advert in a Sunday paper.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I mentioned it to my husband.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39We thought it might be fun to spend a weekend in Devon.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Arrived - glorious, glorious sunny day.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Fell in love with the crazy, crazy house.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Within days they'd decided to buy.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55I think things are much better done spontaneously.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Too much planning you tend not to do it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02But will Geri and Kevin's haste be their downfall?
0:04:02 > 0:04:05They didn't have time to get a survey done before they
0:04:05 > 0:04:11successfully bid £320,000 at auction for Barnhill in March 2012.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Although a local builder suggested it might take around £200,000
0:04:16 > 0:04:20to restore the house, within weeks of buying it, the couple
0:04:20 > 0:04:22faced a major crisis in the kitchen.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25The builder that we brought along with us said that we could
0:04:25 > 0:04:26underpin the walls,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29but as soon as I got a structural engineer involved,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32he just said straight away, "It's just got to come down."
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Barnhill is not listed, so the practical answer was to
0:04:37 > 0:04:40demolish then rebuild the kitchen and the master bedroom above it
0:04:40 > 0:04:41in block work.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Geri and Kevin plan to pay for the restoration
0:04:48 > 0:04:51of the house entirely from their savings...
0:04:51 > 0:04:53but that was a big chunk gone straight away.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The costly surprises haven't stopped there.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04To be sure of eliminating all the dry rot, plaster throughout
0:05:04 > 0:05:08the house is being stripped off but it triggers another disaster.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The architects, builders and structural engineer
0:05:12 > 0:05:14have been called in.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15So the whole thing has sunk.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21One of the most important walls in the house is literally
0:05:21 > 0:05:23crumbling to dust.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Not only did that pull the cob wall down in this section,
0:05:27 > 0:05:28upstairs as well.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30So it's dropped about four inches.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Cob was widely used in Devon's old buildings.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40It's a mix of clay, sand and straw which can last hundreds
0:05:40 > 0:05:42of years if it's well maintained.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47The cob at Barnhill does not impress mason, John Twitchen.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50It's become very brittle, as you can see,
0:05:50 > 0:05:56so it's dried right out so there's no strength or life in it now.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Geri's lead architect, Nick Gilbert Scott, is concerned
0:05:59 > 0:06:01by the cause of the weakness.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05There's a real design fault in this building.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The cob walls were built from ground level upwards
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and they should be on a stone base
0:06:09 > 0:06:12and the last owner didn't look after the gutters on the building,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14so all the rain water's been splashing down
0:06:14 > 0:06:16onto the ground adjacent
0:06:16 > 0:06:21to these cob walls and - surprise, surprise - they've been collapsing.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Geri's team will have their work cut out finding ways
0:06:24 > 0:06:26to keep Barnhill standing.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30But despite everything, she's determined to press ahead.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It is crying out for someone to love it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37It has been ignored and violated for such a long time.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41This is its time and it's going to be beautiful again.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Geri and Kevin plan to retain
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Barnhill's quirky neogothic features,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and complement them with contemporary design to create
0:06:52 > 0:06:54a light, spacious home.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00On the ground floor there will be a large kitchen/breakfast room
0:07:00 > 0:07:02with a conservatory and veranda,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04plus a sitting room,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06dining room and library.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10On the first floor there will be three en-suite bedrooms plus
0:07:10 > 0:07:12the master bedroom with bath
0:07:12 > 0:07:13and wet room.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15While the whole of the top floor
0:07:15 > 0:07:17will become a music room for Kevin.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19The distinctive lantern cupola
0:07:19 > 0:07:22will be a space for reading
0:07:22 > 0:07:23and enjoying the views.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Geri and Kevin have found a unique property, but is it really
0:07:29 > 0:07:31worth saving?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Is Barnhill a restoration too far?
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I want to find out why they're prepared to take on this
0:07:38 > 0:07:41potential money pit.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Lovely to meet you. Aw, it's lovely to meet you too.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45And this is your extraordinary house?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48It is my extraordinary house. It's amazing!
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It's a folly, I think, in many, many ways.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55I knew instantly that it needed a fair bit of work,
0:07:55 > 0:07:56but I don't know, it's kind of...
0:07:56 > 0:07:59it has a personality that's lured me in.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Was it love at first sight for Kevin as well?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I think so...
0:08:02 > 0:08:04BOTH LAUGH
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Kevin loves what I love. I've been with him now for long enough,
0:08:08 > 0:08:09he knows that's the thing to do.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Passion for a restoration project is great but I'm wondering if Geri
0:08:15 > 0:08:20and Kevin's savings will stretch far enough to cope with all this.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21What did you pay for it?
0:08:21 > 0:08:26320.320.Yeah.And so it could end up costing you...same again?
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Oh, God, no, that will be nice. Much more than that.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Much more than that.Really?
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Yeah. I just don't know.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36So, we'll see how far we get with the money that I've got.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45There's nothing here!
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Not so much a house, more some breeze blocks and no roof.
0:08:54 > 0:09:00Geri and Kevin have set aside an absolute maximum of £400,000
0:09:00 > 0:09:04to achieve a really top-notch restoration with luxurious finishes.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Oh, this is beautiful.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09So this is the master bedroom, is it?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14From the first floor, it becomes obvious why Geri sees such
0:09:14 > 0:09:16potential in this crumbling building.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23The room is designed for the bed to be placed in exactly
0:09:23 > 0:09:25the right position to get the views.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And so you'll see right down the river. Perfect.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32How beautiful.Yeah.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38The bath is going to be angled out, like that, for the view.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43It's really bold what you're doing, isn't it?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45None of it's straightforward.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48No. That would be really boring, wouldn't it, and prescribed.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49You're a very brave woman
0:09:49 > 0:09:54because you don't have any idea of how much money this is going
0:09:54 > 0:09:58to cost you and you're just taking it all as it comes.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Yup. It's that carpe diem thing, isn't it?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02You have to just seize the day.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07In January 2011,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Geri survived a potentially life-threatening medical condition.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15I had a cerebral oedema so I had a swelling in my brain
0:10:15 > 0:10:17when I was on... I was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21I had a lot of time afterwards, months afterwards to think.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27So I kind of now like to do things that enrich my life
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and I think this will enrich my life.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Geri and Kevin bought Barnhill knowing almost nothing about
0:10:37 > 0:10:41the history of their new home and how it came to look so remarkable.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46We're going to do all we can to unravel these mysteries
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and discover the story behind Barnhill.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Our historian, Dr Kate Williams, will comb the archives
0:10:56 > 0:10:59to trace the people and events from its past.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02While architectural expert Kieran Long will search for clues
0:11:02 > 0:11:04in the building itself.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Wow! Well, it's just an amazing place, isn't it?
0:11:15 > 0:11:16This kind of Gothic fantasy.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26The first thing that strikes you is this array of pointed windows,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29mixed together with these kind of castellations.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35And then the sheer kind of sparkling beauty of the cupola.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38It's just a bit insane, this house.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39HE LAUGHS
0:11:39 > 0:11:42You can see that this was once one big house and has since been divided
0:11:42 > 0:11:45into two, but it's interesting that all of the money, all of the
0:11:45 > 0:11:49effort, all of the architectural atmosphere is loaded to this end.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52It's not just the design that's erratic,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54so is the use of building materials.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The stone is the most expensive material by a long chalk,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and they've invested all of it on this amazing doorway.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02But the rest of the building is just in brick
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and the thing that really interests me are these arches.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08They're not really kind of archeologically accurate.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10There's nothing exactly medieval about these,
0:12:10 > 0:12:11apart from the pointed arch.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14It's not at all trying to say, "We're a true Gothic building."
0:12:14 > 0:12:15It's trying to say,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19"No, we're going to give you an atmosphere of the Gothic."
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Barnhill's exterior echoes medieval Gothic architecture...
0:12:27 > 0:12:30..and the interior follows suit.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Brilliant, isn't it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It's really jamming all that Gothic atmosphere into as small
0:12:34 > 0:12:36a space as possible.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Little niches, little spaces.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43I think I can see five or six Gothic arches in this tiny little lobby.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Think of a medieval monastery or something in miniature,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48that's what it's trying to evoke.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53Whoever built the additions had big ideas but little money or skill.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56The infill walls are really low quality brickwork.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00There's nothing good quality about this construction.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Regardless of quality, the ambition expressed in the tower
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and cupola above is striking.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10This is just an amazing space.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14This looks like some kind of stair tower.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I'm surrounded by windows and with bits of carving
0:13:17 > 0:13:19and bits of decoration.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23The church-style brickwork exterior seems to indicate Barnhill
0:13:23 > 0:13:27dates from the Gothic Revival of the 19th century,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31but the cob walls hint at something older.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Cob wall is a technique that's been used for 500 years,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36so it suggests to me that this
0:13:36 > 0:13:41building could be earlier than the frilly Gothic facade made of brick.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43There are two buildings, one within another.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50There's one which is a substantial cob wall and another which is
0:13:50 > 0:13:53almost like a screen, a wrapping around that house designed to
0:13:53 > 0:13:56elevate it and make it a bit more enjoyable, a bit more theatrical
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and, you know, that suggests somebody moved in here
0:13:58 > 0:14:02at some point. Loved the spot, added this Gothic dressing.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Someone used the windows and arches to transform Barnhill and
0:14:06 > 0:14:10their work reached right up to the cupola, a wonderful vantage point
0:14:10 > 0:14:13as well as a spectacular addition to the roof line.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's quite beautiful proportionally and these triangle
0:14:18 > 0:14:21pieces of glass, particularly, are really, really nice.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24As the sun shines through it, it does seem to symbolise something,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27it's just like it may be a symbol like of knowledge or enlightenment.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30But of course it also has a brilliant function, which
0:14:30 > 0:14:33is channelling light down into that staircase.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Barnhill's been a real thrill for me cos the Gothic Revival
0:14:39 > 0:14:42is one of my most favourite eras of British architecture.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45It's a very special example with this kind of ancient cob wall
0:14:45 > 0:14:48construction, combined with this sort of florid rather
0:14:48 > 0:14:51decorative Gothic construction.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55I think it's one of the most exciting buildings we've seen.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Now the key challenge for Kate
0:15:01 > 0:15:04is discovering who transformed Barnhill.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09She begins by trawling all the usual historical sources...
0:15:11 > 0:15:12..but draws a blank.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19In search of a lead, she meets up with Andrew Wiles, chairman
0:15:19 > 0:15:23of the parish council to pick his brains for local knowledge.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Andrew, a house like this really dominates the village.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29It's huge and so it's somewhere that people would've always talked about.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Yes. The most common phrase people use to refer to it
0:15:32 > 0:15:33as the Bishop's summer palace
0:15:33 > 0:15:37because the understanding in the village is that the Bishop
0:15:37 > 0:15:41of Exeter had this from about, we think, the mid-19th century.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45He would've been a very significant individual at the time?
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Yes, and we do know certainly that there was a private path
0:15:49 > 0:15:53and a private bridge from this house to the church which will
0:15:53 > 0:15:56take us through these very good-looking trees which must've,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I guess, all have been planted around about the same time.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Now Kate has a lead but it's just hearsay
0:16:06 > 0:16:08until she can research it further.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Well, talking to Andrew was a real revelation
0:16:12 > 0:16:13and it really intrigues me
0:16:13 > 0:16:16the idea that this is possibly the Bishop of Exeter's summer palace.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17In cases like this,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20it's just vital to tap into that local knowledge because although
0:16:20 > 0:16:23some of it might be rumours, some of it might also be true.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Geri is overseeing the restoration of Barnhill, mostly from the
0:16:35 > 0:16:39family house in Kent until it's sold, but the structural
0:16:39 > 0:16:42engineer's report on the collapsed cob wall calls for a trip to Devon.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49It's not just that wall, it's our neighbour's property...
0:16:49 > 0:16:53It's this wall, it's the wall above it, so there's basically four
0:16:53 > 0:16:56rooms that have been affected and a whole other house.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Some of the cob is in such a bad state,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02the only answer is demolition.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10It has to be done slowly by hand, for fear it could make other
0:17:10 > 0:17:12walls collapse.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The better parts of the cob can be saved,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26but only with extensive underpinning.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It's so fragile, it has to be done a foot at a time making it a
0:17:30 > 0:17:32slow and costly process.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36It was completely unexpected and it was a bit of shock, actually,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39to discover the extent of the damage.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Yeah...it's um...
0:17:41 > 0:17:44SHE LAUGHS ..all a bit depressing, really.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Despite the expense, architect Nick Gilbert Scott is relieved
0:17:48 > 0:17:53to see stability built back into Barnhill after years of neglect.
0:17:53 > 0:17:59It's just been a sort of magnificent Gothic fantasy which
0:17:59 > 0:18:02everybody's rather mesmerised by.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06You buy the dream but actually when you get into the reality,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10you realise that the whole thing wants to die as a building.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14We're making a very, very sturdy structure out of it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18So, although it wanted to die, it's not going to.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20HE LAUGHS
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It's not all big structural work.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33The delicate 19th-century features are getting a new lease of life too.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Mason, Chris Lee, is enjoying restoring the brick arches.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42You've got big building sites where you could stay there for six months
0:18:42 > 0:18:47and just go from one four-bedroom house to another four-bedroom house.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52On this project it's, well, it's different, it's exciting because you
0:18:52 > 0:18:56know you're putting back something that was as it was years ago.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Kate's established some local residents believe Barnhill
0:19:02 > 0:19:04was once the summer palace of the Bishop of Exeter.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09She's come to the Devon Heritage Centre
0:19:09 > 0:19:11to try to verify the information.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19So I know the house has been talked about,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22so what I thought was perhaps it's been talked about in the local
0:19:22 > 0:19:24newspapers, so I began looking through them.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28And then I found my jackpot.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35September 27th 1828, the lady of John Mudge Esq of Barnhill
0:19:35 > 0:19:37was delivered of a son.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39That is pretty exciting.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42We know that Barnhill was there in 1828.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47It's fascinating to find proof Barnhill existed so early,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51but it doesn't throw light on local talk of a bishop's palace.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53But, you know, John Mudge Esq
0:19:53 > 0:19:56is certainly not His Grace, the Bishop of Exeter.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04John Mudge may not be a bishop but he's the best lead Kate has.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07She continues by looking for more about his life at Barnhill.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15So here I am in August 1849, the entire Barnhill estate is
0:20:15 > 0:20:18being sold by John Mudge, so that's pretty disappointing for me.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I thought I had this great lead and no sooner had I got him,
0:20:21 > 0:20:22I've lost him again.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28It's a setback, but the newspaper reports do show the name
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Barnhill has been in use for centuries and that will help Kate.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34And now I've got the name of the house,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37it's going to be much easier to find the families who have it later and
0:20:37 > 0:20:40we can see whether or not the Bishop of Exeter was a resident there.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49With Kate focused on finding past occupants of Barnhill,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Kieran heads for the National Archives
0:20:51 > 0:20:54looking for clues about when the house acquired its Gothic layer.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00A tithe map provides a great start.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Well, what we've found here is really exciting
0:21:02 > 0:21:05because this is a map from 1843. It's really, really great
0:21:05 > 0:21:09because we see the outline here of a house on the site of Barnhill.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12But most distinctively are these two big bay windows
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and also a veranda on two sides of the building, looking out
0:21:16 > 0:21:19across the river to this wonderful view that we know is there today.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23But I don't see any evidence in this map that that Gothic element
0:21:23 > 0:21:24is present.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30The next record of Barnhill's appearance dates from 1905
0:21:30 > 0:21:33when a surveyor's notes list the building materials.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38B here says, brick and slate with lantern lights.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41This is our turret with that wonderful lantern at the top.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Letter N just simply says brick and glass.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We know that that is that fantastic Gothic colonnade
0:21:47 > 0:21:48with the pointed windows.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51We know now that these Gothic additions were of course
0:21:51 > 0:21:55completed after 1843 and before 1905.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Local knowledge suggested Barnhill may have been the Bishop of Exeter's
0:21:59 > 0:22:02summer palace in the second half of the 19th century.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Now the sources have confirmed the Gothic ecclesiastical touches
0:22:08 > 0:22:10were added in the same era.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15What's needed now is proof of who lived at Barnhill then.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23In the 19th-century tower
0:22:23 > 0:22:26beneath the cupola at Barnhill, stripping the plaster
0:22:26 > 0:22:31has revealed what appears to be yet another major structural problem.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Each wall is a free-standing section with no interwoven brickwork
0:22:36 > 0:22:38where they adjoin.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40It's likely the whole tower is weak.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45There are so many unknowns.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48The final cost of the restoration is anyone's guess, but it seems
0:22:48 > 0:22:52certain to be more than Geri and Kevin's savings.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57We are way, way, way over budget.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00When we first bought the house we brought a builder along with us
0:23:00 > 0:23:03who said £200,000. So we thought, "Wow, that sounds really cheap.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07"Let's say £400,000 and we'll get... It'll be all singing all dancing."
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Now, yeah, we don't have the money to do it.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Ha-ha-ha, my God!
0:23:15 > 0:23:17I'm going to have to project manage, I think.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19That's going to be hilarious.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Although I can do it, I just can't do the structural stuff
0:23:24 > 0:23:27cos I don't understand it and it's so complex on a build like that.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Geri jumps in at the deep end.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Joining her architects, builder and structural engineer to discuss
0:23:36 > 0:23:38the state of the tower.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41The anticipation alone is painful.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Yeah, I've got backache.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48My stress zone. I think positively, I behave normally,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I never lose my temper, I just get backache.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54There's bad news.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59We've got an arch there which doesn't actually bond with
0:23:59 > 0:24:01the wall and we've got ropey brickwork.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Really there's nothing...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05And that's holding up this?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Yes, we've got one bit of wood in there which he said
0:24:07 > 0:24:11he doesn't dare take it out cos he said it'll collapse.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Whoever added the tower did a poor job here as well as in
0:24:15 > 0:24:16the rest of the house.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I think that we've got to the point where if we take them
0:24:19 > 0:24:21out, we're going to have to rebuild the...
0:24:21 > 0:24:24SHE SIGHS
0:24:21 > 0:24:24..yeah.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26It is a bit worrying, isn't it?
0:24:28 > 0:24:30It's too much for Geri's back.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32How's the back, Geri?
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Ah, it's killing me. Oh, my God. No joke...
0:24:34 > 0:24:36SHE LAUGHS
0:24:36 > 0:24:38SHE GROANS
0:24:38 > 0:24:42I hadn't quite realised that the tower's about to collapse.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43It could just implode.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I honestly had no idea.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51This is what happens when you're not here all the time.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54You know, this stuff has probably been discussed before but for some
0:24:54 > 0:24:58reason every conversation involving that, I've missed.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59So...
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Kate has established Barnhill was known by that name at least
0:25:11 > 0:25:13as far back as 1828.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Now, she can search the census records for the whole village
0:25:18 > 0:25:21of Brampford Speke, confident that amongst them she should find
0:25:21 > 0:25:23an entry for the house name...
0:25:25 > 0:25:27..and that will give names of past occupants.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35The 1841 and 1851 censuses yield nothing, but in 1861
0:25:35 > 0:25:38it's a different story.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46There it is, Barnhill Cottage it's now called and this is pretty
0:25:46 > 0:25:50exciting because it is fully occupied by a big family.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52William Mallock who is the head of the family
0:25:52 > 0:25:56and he is the rector of Cheriton Bishop and he's also living
0:25:56 > 0:26:00there with his wife Margaret, his children, the servants
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and what I need to do now is find out how long they're there for.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Now, she knows she's looking for the Reverend William Mallock,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Kate's census search becomes quicker.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17There he is, 1881, William Mallock
0:26:17 > 0:26:22and here I've got a family who were there from at least 1861 to 1881.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25But, interestingly, it's no longer called Barnhill Cottage,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27it's now called Barnhill.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32And this suggests that, possibly, it's during this time under
0:26:32 > 0:26:35William Mallock, it is being changed, extended,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38made much more of a grand house rather than a cottage.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43It's a real breakthrough to find out who was living at Barnhill at
0:26:43 > 0:26:46around the time the house was probably altered.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48But although Reverend William Mallock was an Anglican
0:26:48 > 0:26:53clergyman, he's not what local hearsay led Kate to expect.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55This is not the Bishop of Exeter.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58So unless the Bishop of Exeter bought it much later,
0:26:58 > 0:26:59it's very likely it was
0:26:59 > 0:27:00never his palace at all.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09By December, Geri and Kevin have sold their house in Kent and
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Geri moves into a rented home yards from Barnhill.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16She's certain it's critical to staying in control.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I'll be able to keep my finger on the pulse,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24I'll be able to see what's going on and have an input.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It's a mixed blessing.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Saying goodbye to my house and then coming here
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and realising how incomplete the house that I want to
0:27:33 > 0:27:37move into is, it was, yeah, it was a bit of a shock, plenty of tears.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41But there is some progress.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45The tower structure was too weak to use conventional strengthening
0:27:45 > 0:27:48methods, so the structural engineer and architects have devised
0:27:48 > 0:27:50an ingenious solution.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57Mason, Chris Lee, is attaching steel mesh to the walls.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Every wall is joined together again.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04If this was to try and fall out, it would
0:28:04 > 0:28:07have to drag this panel with it as well.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11It's a complete unit, whereas before it was just a lot of straight
0:28:11 > 0:28:14masonry joints which isn't very clever.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Even though there's still a lot to do there's a sense on site
0:28:20 > 0:28:21that a corner has been turned.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24We've come across all the problems now
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and we won't be demolishing any more -
0:28:27 > 0:28:29hopefully, fingers crossed.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40It's ten months since Geri and Kevin bought Barnhill
0:28:40 > 0:28:42and it's been a bumpy ride.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46I'm on my way to find out how morale and finances are holding up.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Hello. Nice to see you, how are you?
0:28:51 > 0:28:52I'm really good, thank you.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Ah, come in, just in time for a coffee.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Good. That's very good news.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02When I first met you, £400 K was your absolute maximum budget.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Mmm, it's probably more than doubled.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11So, we're talking about £800,000 plus the purchase price?
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Yeah. So you're well over a million.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Mmm. But we're in it now, so have to do it.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Do you feel like it's running away from you?
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Completely run away from me.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22It's taken on a life of its own, really.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Cash from selling the house in Kent is now funding
0:29:26 > 0:29:30work at Barnhill, with few obvious results.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Absolutely extraordinarily, nothing's changed.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Yes, it has! How can you say that?
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Inside things have changed, though.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Come into the kitchen...
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Lovely huge kitchen.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Yeah, the whole house is full of steel.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Steel and concrete everywhere.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51So, really this house was held up by cobwebs, wasn't it, before?
0:29:51 > 0:29:53SHE LAUGHS
0:29:55 > 0:29:59So, Aga and then turn around and there will be a big island here.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Beautiful.Doors opening out onto a veranda that runs all
0:30:03 > 0:30:05the way round this structure.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09You've managed to maintain a clarity of vision for the place.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12I think I've always had a vision of how I wanted it to look.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Have you? From the very beginning? Yeah.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17But at no point did you think, "Actually, I've bitten off more
0:30:17 > 0:30:19"than I can chew. I should get the hell out?"
0:30:19 > 0:30:22No. Never. But I have thought I maybe should've stopped
0:30:22 > 0:30:27and thought for a bit longer about making a decision to buy this.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29There's a big element of fate in there.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31I was meant to be here and do this.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40This is looking fantastic.Yeah.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46It's still really pretty, isn't it?
0:30:46 > 0:30:50It's beautiful and there's some amazing features that have been
0:30:50 > 0:30:55retained and the stonemason just worked tirelessly doing all of this.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57He's been amazing.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59So what happens here?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03OK, this is the tower which houses the cupola and over there will be
0:31:03 > 0:31:07the staircase which will wind up and take you up into the cupola.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10The cupola and the tower have
0:31:10 > 0:31:12actually been your bete noire, haven't they?
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Yeah, they have. It's been a nightmare.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17And what's going to be up there when you get up there?
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Oh, these massive, massive padded seats and a telescope.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22That's very romantic, isn't it?
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Yeah, yeah, actually.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27How much have you spent on this tower and cupola?
0:31:27 > 0:31:31£50,000, maybe? I don't know.
0:31:31 > 0:31:32A lot of money.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Will it be worth it?
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Yes, it will be worth it.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39There's just something about it that's just so magical.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42There's not that many houses with glass towers.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Kate's been trying to discover who was responsible for the
0:31:51 > 0:31:54unique design of Barnhill.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58She established that between 1861 and 1881,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02it was occupied not by the Bishop of Exeter, but by the
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Reverend William Mallock and his family.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08She's now done further research on Mallock.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13What I found here is his marriage certificate in 1844.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16What's really fascinating to me is the identity of his wife.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22She is Margaret Froude and she is the daughter
0:32:22 > 0:32:26of Robert Hurrell Froude and that name immediately sets bells ringing.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31The Hurrell Froudes were absolutely vital in the changes of the
0:32:31 > 0:32:35church in the early 19th century and they're much written about.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37The Froudes were a remarkable family.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41They had strong characters and they had a great impact on the world.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44One was a historian, one was a naval engineer
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and Margaret's brother Richard Hurrell Froude is
0:32:47 > 0:32:51regarded by high churchmen as an originator of the Oxford Movement.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56The Oxford Movement had a huge impact on Anglican thought
0:32:56 > 0:32:58in Britain from the 1830s onward.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02While studying at Oriel College, Oxford, Richard Hurrell Froude
0:33:02 > 0:33:06became very passionate about the idea that the Anglican Church
0:33:06 > 0:33:09needed to reform, along with men like Newman and Keble.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12What became known as the Oxford Movement
0:33:12 > 0:33:15was really concerned with the idea that the Anglican Church had
0:33:15 > 0:33:18gone too far of throwing off the Catholic tradition.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21The Oxford Movement argued for the church to return to its
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Catholic roots in its beliefs and worship.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28And the fact that this is Margaret's brother really tells us a lot about
0:33:28 > 0:33:32William Mallock, because there's no way he would've married into such
0:33:32 > 0:33:35an important family if he hadn't felt the same about Christianity.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39If Mallock WAS the man who commissioned the gothification
0:33:39 > 0:33:42of Barnhill, his marital connection could really help
0:33:42 > 0:33:45explain the thinking behind the additions to the house.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56The Oxford Movement was hugely influential on architecture.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01To study its influence on churches, Kieran's come to
0:34:01 > 0:34:03St Barnabas in Pimlico in London.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09CHORAL SINGING
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Well, this church might look to you like your very idea of what
0:34:38 > 0:34:41a church should look like, but when it was built in 1850,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43this was a building that started riots.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52By the mid-19th century, architects were already using
0:34:52 > 0:34:55the Gothic Revival style echoing designs from medieval times when
0:34:55 > 0:34:58the Church in England was still Catholic.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04But architects associated with the Oxford Movement saw Gothic not just
0:35:04 > 0:35:09as a decorative style, it was also a way to promote Catholic ideas.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11That was controversial.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15It was so completely contrary to everything that the
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Church of England had stood for up to then
0:35:17 > 0:35:19that they had to have guards on the doors to stop the mob
0:35:19 > 0:35:23storming this kind of popish very Catholic-looking architecture.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30The architects of the mid-19th century were looking at those
0:35:30 > 0:35:32medieval Gothic cathedrals,
0:35:32 > 0:35:33they were thinking, "We need
0:35:33 > 0:35:36"to bring that atmosphere back. It needs to be in every detail."
0:35:36 > 0:35:39They were an absolute feast of colour and decoration,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43so we have these wonderful detailed pieces of stencilling,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46pieces of geometric pattern, naturalistic pattern,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50all just adding layer upon layer of delight and mystery for the eye.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55These ideas spilled out of the churches and into homes.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Now Kate and Kieran need to pin down who applied them to the
0:36:01 > 0:36:03transformation of Barnhill.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Back at the house, the strengthening continues apace.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Rotten wood and crumbling masonry are making way for more
0:36:20 > 0:36:22block work and steel.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33The tower has been reinforced too, but in the cupola above it,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37Chris the mason is perturbed by the scale of the decay.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41These posts are the actual supports for the whole cupola.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46They're just bolted through the masonry on a piece of threaded bar.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48The actual threaded bar is rusted
0:36:48 > 0:36:52and they're rotten from behind where they've got wet from the outside.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57Geri's team of professionals will need to devise a solution
0:36:57 > 0:36:59and it's not likely to be cheap.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Having settled into her cottage near Barnhill, Geri's determined
0:37:07 > 0:37:11to start asserting more control over the restoration...
0:37:11 > 0:37:12Hi, Nick. I'm here.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14I want to know everything that's going on.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16..and the ever-spiralling costs.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21She's hoping being more accessible to architect Nick
0:37:21 > 0:37:23will hasten decisions.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27If you made that of glass, the light would come through it.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Yeah. I like it, OK, done.
0:37:30 > 0:37:31I feel like I got a house.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Today is definitely the beginning of the new phase of me
0:37:36 > 0:37:38understanding the house more,
0:37:38 > 0:37:40the people that are working on the house,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42hopefully, understanding me in a different way.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44It's all coming together...
0:37:44 > 0:37:46It is...quite well, actually. It's all coming together.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Kate's established that in the late 19th century,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Barnhill was occupied by the Reverend William Mallock.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01She and Kieran are certain his marriage to Margaret Froude
0:38:01 > 0:38:04exposed him to the ideas of the Oxford Movement.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12Now, Kieran's unearthed something else that might have influenced him.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Well, I've been looking a bit further
0:38:15 > 0:38:17into the Froude family history
0:38:17 > 0:38:19and looking into the British Listed Buildings Register,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22we've made a really exciting discovery.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Dartington Parsonage, which was their family home,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29was remodelled in the 19th century by William White.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Now, William White is one of the most prolific and a really important
0:38:34 > 0:38:38architect of the Gothic Revival, and someone whose architecture
0:38:38 > 0:38:41was profoundly influenced by the ideas of the Oxford Movement.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45Sadly, Dartington Parsonage no longer exists, but a photograph
0:38:45 > 0:38:49gives an insight into the way it was remodelled by William White.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The 19th-century additions are really clear
0:38:52 > 0:38:54and they're definitely Gothic Revival.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58We have this added turret with its kind of witche's-hat roof
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and weather vane on the top and these beautiful stone windows.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03They almost look like church windows
0:39:03 > 0:39:06and the Gothic Revival additions are just one layer.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09That's very similar to Barnhill, we just have one layer of Gothic
0:39:09 > 0:39:11and an older building behind.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14The similarities are intriguing.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Kieran will need to take a closer look at a surviving example
0:39:18 > 0:39:21of William White's domestic architecture, to work out
0:39:21 > 0:39:25whether there may be more than just a superficial resemblance in styles.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41By February, Geri is closely involved in decision making...
0:39:41 > 0:39:44I think black fascia, black guttering.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46..and desperately trying to trim costs.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Mmm, when you see it...is it worth £2,000?
0:39:50 > 0:39:53The final cost still looks set to be at least double what was
0:39:53 > 0:39:57budgeted and ever more cash from the selling of the house in Kent
0:39:57 > 0:40:00is being swallowed up by Barnhill.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04That was never the plan but Geri has stuck with it.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08Until we get inside, we can't cut down on costs
0:40:08 > 0:40:10cos it's all stuff that's got to be done
0:40:10 > 0:40:12and we've cut it back to the bone as much as we can.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14So when we get inside, we can start saying,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18"Well, I can't have these fancy britannium handles."
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Geri's also had to abandon plans for a conservatory, but at
0:40:22 > 0:40:26least the essential work is still visibly progressing.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34On the cupola, the plan is to add strength with concrete.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Before that can go on, lead-work specialist, Terry Harris,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40needs to create a damp-proof course.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44The original construction of the cupola, like so much else at
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Barnhill, was amateurish.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54Every facet is a slightly different size, so Terry has to tailor-make
0:40:54 > 0:40:58each section of lead, and there's another complication.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03Ten corners into 360 degrees and you've got a circle, haven't you?
0:41:03 > 0:41:07So if every corner was 36 degrees...
0:41:08 > 0:41:10..it would but they're not.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Kieran's come to Bishops Court, a house near Exeter by the
0:41:24 > 0:41:29noted Gothic Revival architect, William White,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31who also remodelled Dartington Parsonage.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37By studying his work, Kieran hopes to establish whether White
0:41:37 > 0:41:40played a role in shaping the look of Barnhill.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45This is just an astonishing building.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49It's a feast for the eye of colour and of material.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52If we're able to make a link between the work of an architect
0:41:52 > 0:41:55like William White and Barnhill, it's just so exciting for me because
0:41:55 > 0:41:59what William White is doing here is one of the most important examples
0:41:59 > 0:42:02of what we have in the country of somebody interpreting the ideas
0:42:02 > 0:42:05of the Oxford Movement of the Gothic Revival in general in architecture
0:42:05 > 0:42:07and deploying them making the most beautiful house you could imagine.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15As you get in closer to the building,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17you just get that incredible
0:42:17 > 0:42:19richness of detail.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Look at the parapet line here with its gargoyles, you know,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25that incredible carving work and then this polychrome
0:42:25 > 0:42:29alternating red and light stones around the windows.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32I love these carved details, they delight the eye and we just get a
0:42:32 > 0:42:35sense of that incredible workmanship that's in a Gothic Revival building.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37It also reminds me a bit of Barnhill.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42There are other architectural echoes too.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47This is just stunning to see and I can't help seeing the striking
0:42:47 > 0:42:51resemblance between Barnhill's amazing glass cupola
0:42:51 > 0:42:54and that beautiful glazed turret on the corner.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58It's easy to imagine that William White was a big
0:42:58 > 0:43:01influence on Barnhill when you see these two cupolas.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Look at this pointed arched window.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12So Gothic, when in fact it's just a screen at this depth although
0:43:12 > 0:43:15at Barnhill it's made of one leaf of bricks and just painted white.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Here we've got a bit more expense but it's the same attitude.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27This place is just extraordinary.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30It's just an absolutely beautiful space with all this
0:43:30 > 0:43:33kind of profusion of decoration and colour.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38The arches are another reminder of Barnhill, but these are
0:43:38 > 0:43:41sophisticated works.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44One of the things that just takes the breath away in this space
0:43:44 > 0:43:48is the quality of the materials and the profusion of fine ornament.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51The full-on all-guns-blazing Gothic Revival effect.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56It's now clear to Kieran that although the ideas behind
0:43:56 > 0:44:00the architecture of Barnhill and Bishops Court are similar,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03the quality of execution is worlds apart.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Seeing this building, it's very difficult for me
0:44:07 > 0:44:11to imagine that White was responsible for designing Barnhill.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Barnhill is a kind of fantasy.
0:44:13 > 0:44:14It's paper thin,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17but when you come here you realise that White was engaged in an
0:44:17 > 0:44:21architecture of incredibly elaborate workmanship, elaborate materials.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26All of those things that Barnhill just doesn't have.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Bishops Court expresses the Oxford Movement's ideals in the form
0:44:30 > 0:44:32of domestic architecture.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36But now it's obvious William White wasn't responsible for the
0:44:36 > 0:44:40alterations at Barnhill, the question remains, "Who was?"
0:44:47 > 0:44:52By April, extensive roof repairs at Barnhill are nearing completion.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57Roofing contractor, Mark Astley, and his team, are wrestling with
0:44:57 > 0:45:00fitting new tiles to every nook and cranny.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04I think it's one of the most complicated roofs
0:45:04 > 0:45:08I've done in the past 25 years.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11It's critical to get it just right.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15The roof is curved and in order to get the tile to sit
0:45:15 > 0:45:21relatively flat, we shave a little bit of the underside off.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25Obviously, if you chamfer too much off, it won't be watertight
0:45:25 > 0:45:27and, aesthetically, it won't look right.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Geri is finding life tough now she's living virtually
0:45:33 > 0:45:35full-time in Devon.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Of all the build, since I've moved here,
0:45:38 > 0:45:42it's been more stressful because I don't see my husband that much.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Yeah, I don't see my son as much as I did...
0:45:47 > 0:45:51and I really miss my friends. REALLY miss my friends.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54I'm here essentially on my own for A HOUSE.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59What on earth was I thinking? What was I doing?
0:45:59 > 0:46:02THUNDER RUMBLES
0:46:02 > 0:46:05I feel a bit alone here. Not lonely, but alone.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Kate's established that in the late 1800s,
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Barnhill was occupied by clergyman William Mallock.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Now she's traced a memoir by Mallock's son, the first
0:46:28 > 0:46:32solid evidence describing what kind of man he was.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36His health was always poor, so it - "Never permitted him
0:46:36 > 0:46:40"to exert himself in the performance of divine service.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44"Indeed, his ecclesiastical interests were architectural rather
0:46:44 > 0:46:45"than pastoral."
0:46:48 > 0:46:51And it says here - "He spent his time in enlarging the house
0:46:51 > 0:46:55"and gardens and in planting slopes and terraces, about a quarter
0:46:55 > 0:46:59"of a mile in length with, what were then, very rare trees."
0:46:59 > 0:47:04So we've got our house. And here are the beautiful trees.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07At last, it's clear it was the Reverend William Mallock,
0:47:07 > 0:47:13clergyman turned amateur architect, who remodelled a humble cob house
0:47:13 > 0:47:16into a Gothic Revival fantasy.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20The book by Mallock's son holds more answers for Kate with the
0:47:20 > 0:47:22surprising reference to the building of a palace for
0:47:22 > 0:47:25the Bishop of Exeter by the seaside.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29"Amongst the many villas then rising at Torquay the Bishop built
0:47:29 > 0:47:31"one of the largest.
0:47:31 > 0:47:32"This agreeable residence,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35"in the designing of which he was helped by my father."
0:47:37 > 0:47:40William Mallock had an interest in design and architecture that
0:47:40 > 0:47:43went much further right up to that of the Bishop of Exeter
0:47:43 > 0:47:47and this is at the bottom, I think, of the those local rumours
0:47:47 > 0:47:50suggesting that Barnhill was the Bishop's palace.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55It seems local hearsay had it almost, but not quite, right.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59Barnhill was never a bishop's summer palace, but it's occupant did
0:47:59 > 0:48:04help design one as well as transforming Barnhill itself.
0:48:04 > 0:48:05I'm pretty thrilled.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09At the beginning I had no idea and here, I've got the conclusive
0:48:09 > 0:48:12proof it was William Mallock who made Barnhill what it was.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27At the house there's still plenty to do, but it is really taking shape.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36Geri is anxious to move in, but she knows it'll be at least
0:48:36 > 0:48:38a couple of months before it's possible.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43She's now got two Labrador puppies to keep her company,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47but she's still feeling isolated and ambivalent about what she's done.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Whenever I come here I do feel more relaxed.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54I've just got to keep remembering that
0:48:54 > 0:48:58cos the good feeling has gone because it's all about the budget.
0:48:58 > 0:49:04It isn't fun because it's all just, I dunno, overwhelming I suppose.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07Lulu, Coco, come on!
0:49:08 > 0:49:10But one thing remains unchanged.
0:49:12 > 0:49:17"Do I still love that house?" I absolutely adore that house.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19It's, for the last year, been my whole life, so...
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Yeah, it would be like, not loving a child.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25SHE LAUGHS
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Before we discover whether Geri's completed
0:49:33 > 0:49:35the restoration of Barnhill,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37she's going to find out all that we have about her
0:49:37 > 0:49:40extraordinary Gothic fantasy home.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45It has William Mallock. He is married to Margaret Froude,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48one of the most influential families in the country at this time.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Ah!
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Dartington Parsonage, which is the home of the Froude family...
0:49:53 > 0:49:55I have those windows!
0:49:55 > 0:49:58..significantly changed by an architect called William White,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02using this new Oxford Movement-inspired Gothic revival.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06"His ecclesiastical interests were architectural
0:50:06 > 0:50:08"rather than pastoral..." (How fascinating!)
0:50:08 > 0:50:12"..he bought a picturesque retreat embowered in ivy..."
0:50:12 > 0:50:13My house!
0:50:13 > 0:50:15"..overlooking the River Exe."
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Definitely my house!
0:50:17 > 0:50:20I kind of get what he was trying to do, was try to make it look
0:50:20 > 0:50:23something and had he got someone in to do the house in the way
0:50:23 > 0:50:27that he wanted it done, we wouldn't now be having dramas that we've had.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29So you're reaping the whirlwind of this amateur?
0:50:29 > 0:50:31I think we are, yes.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39When Geri and Kevin bought this unique house, they knew it
0:50:39 > 0:50:41was in a poor state of repair.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45But nothing had prepared them for how bad it really was.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49With dry rot throughout, the collapsing cupola
0:50:49 > 0:50:53and crumbling walls, Barnhill was about to fall down.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57But it's been saved.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08It's 16 months since Geri
0:51:08 > 0:51:09and Kevin bought Barnhill.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11I've come back to see how they're getting on
0:51:11 > 0:51:13with this rescue operation.
0:51:13 > 0:51:14Hello!
0:51:17 > 0:51:21It's looking absolutely gorgeous but there's still scaffolding
0:51:21 > 0:51:24and there's still loads of rubbish outside.Yes.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26But it's nearly finished, we're very close.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Scaffolding's going to be down probably this week so...
0:51:29 > 0:51:30The pace is picking up.Yeah.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32Is it?Yeah.Cos this is the bit where, I suppose,
0:51:32 > 0:51:33everything's coming together.Yeah.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36And how does that make you feel to see it looking...?
0:51:36 > 0:51:37It's pretty good.
0:51:37 > 0:51:38Yeah, I think pretty proud.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41The cost to get here has obviously been much higher
0:51:41 > 0:51:44than we thought it was going to be, but when you look at the result...
0:51:44 > 0:51:45Slight underestimate there.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47..but kind of priceless, I would say...
0:51:47 > 0:51:49which is what we did it for.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52The sad thing for me with my sort of finance head on,
0:51:52 > 0:51:56is that it's...we're going to spend more money on it than it's
0:51:56 > 0:51:58actually worth in today's market.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00But how are things inside?
0:52:00 > 0:52:04They're a lot better than it looks like they might be from the outside.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Is she telling the truth to me? Half the truth.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08The ground floor is still a building site,
0:52:08 > 0:52:10but you will see some progress further up.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12I'm going to go and look at it now, if I may?
0:52:12 > 0:52:14You may. Thank you very much, follow me.
0:52:22 > 0:52:27When work started, more and more structural issues were revealed.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30The only way to rectify many of the problems was to demolish
0:52:30 > 0:52:32whole sections of the house.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35The room that will be the kitchen has been rebuilt,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38as has Geri and Kevin's master bedroom above.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Aw! Your bedroom.Yeah.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45CAROLINE GASPS
0:52:45 > 0:52:48The views are amazing from this room. I actually love that.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50And this is where your bed's going to be?Right there,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54so when you wake up you will see a different view from every window.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58What is amazing about these windows is that there's no glazing
0:52:58 > 0:53:01bar in the centre, so you literally just open them
0:53:01 > 0:53:04and the world just opens up to you.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06You literally just have everything there.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Oh, that's divine.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11And, of course, they were more expensive without the glazing bar
0:53:11 > 0:53:13cos that's the traditional way of making them.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15This'll do, won't it, darling?
0:53:15 > 0:53:18This will do, yeah. It doesn't get much better.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24After completely replacing the roof, the attic has been opened up
0:53:24 > 0:53:27to create this light, airy space.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34What a beautiful room. Nice, isn't it?
0:53:34 > 0:53:36And this is going to be yours, isn't it?
0:53:36 > 0:53:38This is going to, basically, be mine, yeah.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41Playing guitar...music...my hideaway.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43Because you've been away working and Geri's
0:53:43 > 0:53:46been down here all the time, you've actually been apart
0:53:46 > 0:53:48quite a lot during this build, haven't you?
0:53:48 > 0:53:50Yeah, absolutely.
0:53:50 > 0:53:55A necessary evil, I think, of still working in London
0:53:55 > 0:53:56and trying to live in Devon.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Has it been difficult? Yeah, for sure, for sure.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02I mean, I think, it's been particularly
0:54:02 > 0:54:05difficult for Geri. She's here all day on her own,
0:54:05 > 0:54:09she's working as well trying to make all the decisions, it's tough.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13The old cob construction of the house was crumbling.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16The walls dropped by four inches and this rear bedroom was on the
0:54:16 > 0:54:18brink of collapse.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24But after underpinning, it has been restored to perfection.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27This room is just the most fantastic shape, isn't it?
0:54:27 > 0:54:31I mean, everyone that comes into this room says it's their favourite.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35The house is starting to look lovely but it's been a fraught journey.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40How did you feel having bought, ostensibly, a very beautiful house
0:54:40 > 0:54:45when, I mean, something like 80% of it just wasn't structurally sound?
0:54:46 > 0:54:48I feel a bit stupid.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51What possessed me to buy this house without getting a full
0:54:51 > 0:54:53structural survey?
0:54:53 > 0:54:54And that was really silly.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57But if I had done the full structural survey,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00I wouldn't now own this house cos I'd have gone - "No, no way."
0:55:00 > 0:55:03All my sense would've told me to just listen to the surveyor
0:55:03 > 0:55:06who undoubtedly would've said - "Do not touch this.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09"This is a disaster waiting to happen." Quite rightly so.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11But it's beautiful. Now it is.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14It's absolutely beautiful. Now it is.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23This is looking fantastic, but it's a smidge a line.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25You're meant to be living here now, aren't you?
0:55:25 > 0:55:27Ah, yeah, what can I do?
0:55:27 > 0:55:30It's taken this long because we've unveiled lots of problems
0:55:30 > 0:55:34and we've chosen to do it the right way.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37But it has been a massive shock that we've ended up spending
0:55:37 > 0:55:39so much money.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Geri and Kevin have spent more than they ever imagined on
0:55:42 > 0:55:46Barnhill, selling their old house to finance the restoration.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49On top of purchasing the house -
0:55:49 > 0:55:51ballpark figure of what you've spent?
0:55:51 > 0:55:55I think that we will have spent about £1 million
0:55:55 > 0:55:57once the house is finished.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Even though it's such a big number,
0:56:00 > 0:56:04what we have achieved is this fantastic house that will
0:56:04 > 0:56:09be with us for ever, that we can have the most amazing memories in.
0:56:09 > 0:56:14I've given it so much of me over the last 14, 15 - ooh! -
0:56:14 > 0:56:1816 months that I think there's a little bit of me in all the walls.
0:56:18 > 0:56:24I'm completely and 100% happy that I took it on and don't ask me
0:56:24 > 0:56:26if I'd do it again.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29I think you would. I think I might! That's scary!
0:56:29 > 0:56:34Geri and Kevin have given their all to restoring Barnhill.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37When they bought it, the striking cupola was disintegrating.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43It has been strengthened, the lead replaced, and it's safe
0:56:43 > 0:56:44to use as a lookout again.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48The jewel in the crown.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Oh, look at it. LOOK at it.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54I know! My views, oh, it's amazing, I love it.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Isn't that beautiful?
0:56:56 > 0:57:00This was a real problem area for you, wasn't it? How you were going
0:57:00 > 0:57:03to make it work, whether you could save it, how you would save it?
0:57:03 > 0:57:04Worth keeping?
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Yeah. I mean, it's just so unique.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09It's the singing, most unique feature, I would say, of this
0:57:09 > 0:57:12house and to take it away it would just wouldn't be the same thing
0:57:12 > 0:57:14and it wouldn't be the same thing to the community either.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17I mean, they come across this bridge down here walking their dogs,
0:57:17 > 0:57:19they look up. Everyone loves it.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21They all think it's a castle because of this, basically.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25And I'm not surprised the community love it
0:57:25 > 0:57:28because it is a magical sight, isn't it?
0:57:28 > 0:57:32To me it's just great and you think, "Oh, that's mine!" Or ours, sorry.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34ALL LAUGH
0:57:34 > 0:57:35But it's really mine.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46When the Reverend Mallock first dreamt up this extraordinary
0:57:46 > 0:57:51house, he was building his version of a Gothic fantasy, but the flimsy
0:57:51 > 0:57:58walls and quirky features were never built to last and in recent years,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02the things that make this place unique have started to crumble.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06Kevin and Geri bought this house on a whim and it's lucky they
0:58:06 > 0:58:10did because, I think, if they'd thought too hard about it,
0:58:10 > 0:58:12they'd probably have run a mile.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16What started as a hobby for Geri is going to be her life
0:58:16 > 0:58:17for some time to come.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20But the money spent and the obstacles overcome,
0:58:20 > 0:58:24Barnhill has got some foundations it can rely on.