Hidden heritage gems

Buying a property that includes a ruin carries undoubted romance, but there are caveats, reminds Lucy Denton, who advises on the help at hand

Ballast Hills is a largely forgotten, unconsecrated burial site in the heart of Newcastle. Also known locally as Grannies Fields or Plaguey Fields, it became the final resting place for generations of

Dear Simon, The history of Pitman shorthand told by Angeline Wilcox in the July edition of Best of British (Write on Time) evoked so many memories. I was amazed to learn that Isaac Pitman actually cre

From dilapidated cottages to the site of a notorious nuclear disaster, what is behind the longing to seek out abandoned places, asks Katie Scott

In June I was saddened to learn from the Bucks Free Press that Missenden Abbey in Buckinghamshire is set to close. This fine gothic-style house set in picturesque parkland is a pearl formed by an accr

Located in the beautiful, ancient town of Rye in East Sussex, the Mermaid Inn abounds with colourful stories of smugglers, ghosts, royalty and secret tunnels. The inn was probably built during the rei