Perhaps the big WOW! for me when I first saw the house was the early 19th century staircase. It is a magnificent example of how a small staircase can still be grand in every sense. Totally handmade and hewn from oak, each of the hefty bannister spindles is carved. It really is a work of Gothic beauty.

For a two-hundred year old staircase this Old Girl is looking pretty good. There’s some damage here and there. At some point, some idiot felt the need to cut away a section of the first going. Apart from that and a few wormholes, she’s as tough as iron.

When I was cleaning and waxing in August 2015 I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. On each of the five spindles there were scratchmarks, each corresponding to the order in which the spindles were to fit. Wonderful!