Dorfold Hall, Cheshire, part I The home of Charles and Dr Candice Roundell An outstanding Jacobean house was an unexpected product of dynastic disappointment. John Goodall examines the remarkable circumstances of its construction

Early houses–pubs open in the early hours to feed and water the market trade–have been a cornerstone of London for centuries. Yet, as Will Hosie finds, they aren’t stuck in the past

The House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, London SW1

Dorfold Hall, Cheshire, part II The home of Charles and Dr Candice Roundell

Once the country seat of Liverpool wool barons turned shipping tycoons, Gyrn Castle is now seeking new custodians, as is Tudor Revival-style Fulford Hall, the Victorian seat of a frontier adventurer

Sparkling with candlelight and full of colour and pattern, the old village vicarage offers a warm welcome to Judith and Jeremy Stocker’s guests at Christmas