One of the most extraordinary projects seen on the new series of the Great British Home Restoration is an 18th-century farmhouse – which the owners soon discover actually dated back to the Elizabethan era. The new series of the More 4 show follows families restoring historic buildings that were never meant to be lived in, into their dream homes. Host Charlie Luxton, who is an architectural designer, was particularly taken with the Elizabethan farmhouse in Devon , renovated by couple Yazz and Mark Webb.
“When they bought it, they thought it was this 18th-century farmhouse – and then it turned out to be [from the] Middle Ages, or 15th/16th-century,” he remembers. “They had no idea – no one had any idea. Their whole plan for the project had to completely handbrake turn halfway through and become a very different scheme.
They rolled with that and went for it, and came up with a fantastic solution that they really love. “[It was about] taking this building that really had been completely obliterated in terms of any visible evidence of its age – and then slowly, as they went through it, they found all this incredible Elizabethan woodwork and stonework..
. It was like unwrapping this present that no one knew was there.” Luxton has seen plenty of restorations in his time, and says it is pretty rare to get a situation where the building is a lot older than you originally thought – but it didn’t come without its challenges.
“They had to change their plans and emb.
