11:10 29 December 2015 Emma Brennan The destruction at Cupola House in Bury St Edmunds, caused by fire. Picture taken from an aerial ladder. Mariam Ghaemi Read more [...]

Planners have approved “a vision” to improve the setting of an A-listed Angus castle. Gardyne Castle was built as a 16th Century fortified tower by the Gardyne family of Leys, and was developed as a country house over the next two centuries by the Lyells of Dysart, whose descendants owned the estate until the 1960s.Owner William Gray Muir and his wife have spent several years redeveloping the walled garden to sit alongside neighbouring estate Read more [...]

Homes have been left without power and air passengers delayed as Storm Frank began to batter the UK on its way towards flood-hit areas. The latest storm to sweep the country caused widespread disruption in Northern Ireland, with thousands of homes experiencing power cuts. It is set to pour more misery on flood-ravaged homeowners in northern England today, with officials warning them to brace themselves for further damage from torrential rain and gale-force winds. Read more [...]

Comments (1) A painstaking eight years has seen The Old Hall in Brandon take on a new lease of life thanks to retired duo Ian Blacklock and Shaun Langley, where its secrets and stories have been preserved for hundreds of years to come... From the limestone and ironstone bands which embellish the age-old walls, to a heavy-set wooden front door and the garden's mulberry trees planted by royal hands, no inch of Ian Blacklock and Shaun Langley's home – The Old Read more [...]

Brad Pitt shot scenes from his new film, Machine, at Hedsor, the cast of Downton Abbey descended to shoot a charity ball earlier this year, and Tom Hardy made a appearance when filming parts of Legend. The DJ Mark Ronson held his 33rd birthday at Hedsor and Phil Harvey, the manager of Coldplay, got married there, says Nick Shephard, 34, whose family owns the pile. One of the newly refurbished bedrooms at Hedsor  Photo: John Lawrence While the very thought of welcoming strangers into your family Read more [...]

Comments (0) Royston experienced the second highest increase in average house prices across the UK's major towns and cities last year, according to new research. The town, which lies around 50 miles north of London, saw its average house prices increase from £299,905 in 2014 to ££357,049 in 2015 – a rise of 19.1 per cent. The surge left the town just shy of the top spot, coming in behind the 22.2 per cent increase in Newham, Greater London, whose average Read more [...]

A GRADE II* listed barn and relic of the Industrial Revolution could be turned into unique holiday homes if Blaenau Gwent councillors approve an application next month. Roundhouse Farm in Nantyglo dates from the late 18th century and houses the Round Towers – the last private castle built in Britain in order to protect industrialists from a potential worker’s revolt. Now the owners of the farm, which includes a farmhouse, barn and the towers, want to transform part Read more [...]

A SPIKE in the value of city properties has created the perfect conditions for those looking to sell their homes, experts have said. House prices across the Capital soared by 7.1 per cent between September and November compared with the same period last year. And the value of properties across east central Scotland also showed an increase of 4.7 per cent in the same time period – with 17.1 per cent more homes being sold throughout the area. Property giant Read more [...]

Vulnerable mental-health patients are been treated miles from home because their 240-year-old psychiatric hospital was found to be unsafe. Bootham Park Hospital in York was shut down in September after inspectors said patients treated at the 18th-century building were at risk of suicide or serious harm because NHS managers had not removed potential ligature points. The patients were moved from the Grade I-listed building to hospitals up to 50 miles away; staff in community care and other Read more [...]

The number of pubs nominated under the scheme has doubled in the past six months, following the launch of a joint Camra and Government initiative to protect England’s most valued public houses.And the figures include several pubs in Shropshire which have been named assets of community value – giving locals in the area advance warning of any planned developments to the site, especially change of use, which could result in the premises no longer being a public house.Earlier this Read more [...]