Worlds apart above and below stairs

Wearing its heritage on its sleeve, this medieval castle has lived many lives, including a fortified castle, a Jacobean mansion and a comfortable Victorian family home

Three stellar estates in Wales and Staffordshire show how careful restoration is always worth the effort

The garden of Knowle House, East Sussex George Dillistone’s original Arts-and-Crafts design has been lovingly restored and updated with contemporary planting, discovers George Plumptre

Taking on a Jacobean hunting lodge with a leaky roof and a huge repair bill required dedication and ingenuity in equal measure. Luckily, Georgie Dunn saw beyond these problems and devised a plan to create a comfortable home for her family, while starting her own business

Tucked in the Herefordshire countryside at Much Marcle, not far from its border with Gloucestershire, is Hellens Manor. Now presenting as a Tudor/Jacobean home, it predates those eras by some margin;

Back in 1979, David and Linda Williams felt ready to move to a spacious, light house with a good-sized garden. Ideally, it would be low maintenance so as not to encroach on David’s job as head of art