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.

In South Wales, Mike and Julie's restoration is crashing at their feet as walls that have stood for 200 years finally surrender to the Welsh weather. In Oxfordshire, the owners of a 17th Century rectory are digging for the original house under layers of modern alterations. And in Surrey a house is literally cooked to rid it of a restorer's deadly adversary - death watch beetle.

In South Wales, Mike and Julie's restoration is coming to an end but, with walls still to be rebuilt, will they get it all finished before they are due to move in - while in Middlesex all isn't what it seems as the brick experts get up close to a grand Victorian town house.

In Coventry, the wreck of a Georgian zoo is being turned into a family home - in Oxfordshire Vincent Scoffield is rebuilding the secret stair case of a 17th century Rectory. And in London the shine is brought back to some dull and lifeless Victorian tiles.

In Coventry, Jane Canard is trying to keep the costs down on the menagerie's spiraling budget by tackling some of the works herself. In Rugby Marianne meets the owners of a Georgian town house who are restoring everything including a special little historical gem - the thunder bus - the toilet. And Marianne visits Lord Hamden in the picturesque village of Glynde, starting to show its age.

Today at the Menagerie - Jane takes Marianne under ground to a basement that's been left untouched for years - in South Wales Marianne tries her hand at running a plaster mould traditionally - and in Sussex we'll visit a tiny timber framed cottage that's been rescued by two of the most dedicated restorers Marianne has ever met.

Today we catch up with our two final restorations and get to see the finished rooms but there's still plenty to do before the big day - at the menagerie in Coventry Jane Canard risks blowing the budget on some hand crafted carpets.