In late 2004 the Hall featured on the front cover of the winter issue of SPAB (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), catalogue of “buildings of historical interest in need of repair” that were currently on the market, which noted that there was “an indescribably large amount of work to do” but that it would provide someone with “a monumental opportunity”.

Unfortunately for Mrs Hunt, Mr Hunt was a member of the SPAB.

One of the first things that had to be done was to ask an electrical contractor to assess the wiring – he took about 15 minutes to condemn the whole system as a fire risk and major safety hazard, so the Hunts were to spend the next two years with the house lit by light-bulbs hanging from cables that could be moved around to suit the work, (a bit like Christmas decorations), with temporary connections for various other appliances.

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