One of the joys of giving free service as a room or hall steward in a country house property is getting to know how each room has been decorated or refurbished in that style.  As a regular visitor to national trust houses and latterly, those also of the historic houses group, I have seen so many different shapes an sizes of ‘house’.  The castles are obviously a more challenging matter – trying to see what passed as internal and interior decor is often blurred with the outside being inside.  Where I help out, there are books around describing one particular

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The world of construction has been hit by the continuing pandemic and the effects of brexit which could be far reaching.  There have been global shortages of steel and other commodities needed in the actual construction side.  There has also been a serious downturn in the number of building labourers available for the task.  The east europeans and Poles are extraordinarily good at brickwork and building in general. Very neat craftsmanship and a core understanding of the needs for speedy accurate work.  Unfortunately one of the lesser considered results of the brexit action was that so many of these craftsmen

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I was watching a programme on catch up tv recently – all about Paris.  It was a little dated and I realised it was being given a fresh airing to follow on from the current rave crime serial which was set in Paris in the same era.  Very clever work on the produciton team there, tying up and answering lots of interesting questions viewers of the crim serial may have.  We were taken on a video tour of some fantastic buildings, galleries and museums which we have all  heard of but rarely get an opportunity to wander around.   We were

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