Project Restoration

John and Nikki Beavan are living a 'darling buds of may' lifestyle in Worcestershire trying to create a sense of days gone by. Their medieval parsonage is unusual as it has a detached kitchen; it's one of only a few surviving in the country and is a very important part of the architectural heritage. Thankfully John and Nikki are doing their best to restore it properly.

In Herefordshire, sandstone blocks are being cut for urgent repairs to Wilton castle. In Worcester, John Beavan applies the pressure as he replaces lost and unstable timbers on the frame of his detached medieval kitchen. And in Kent, the team are removing decades of gloss paint to reveal original oak beams beneath.

At Wilton Castle, the original 13th Century chimney capstone is finally returned to its rightful place on top of the guard tower. In Worcester, John Beavan's digging for geo-thermal heating and he's turned to the ancient art of dowsing for guidance. And in Surrey, Marianne is doing some detective work to solve the mystery of the missing fireplace.

In Worcester the Beavan's detached kitchen is getting re thatched after a 400 year wait. In Wiltshire Marianne is making bricks the old fashioned way when she helps to patch and repair an 18th century cob wall. And in Herefordshire one of the oldest metals known to man is being used to protect this medieval castle tower from the rain.

In Wales, a young couple is brave enough to tackle the restoration of farm cottage ruins. 16th century Elizabethan windows finally see the light of day when they are restored and re-glazed in rural Sussex . And in Gloucester cement rendering, the crime of the sixties, gets replaced with roughcast lime.

In Wales, Marianne helps Mike and Julie lay a new floor to stop the rising damp at Tre Pit Cottage. At Danny House in Sussex, the restored Elizabethan windows are about to be unveiled and the old servants quarters are smartened up for the new lady of the manor. And in Hampstead, a once derelict Victorian building is finally being given some much needed attention.