Anyone else addicted to BBC Antiques Roadshow?

I love looking round them too Debora. My friend and I are members of both English Heritage and the National Trust which are organisations dedicated to preserving our old houses and castles. The ones I love the most are those that have been conserved in the same condition they were in when handed over to the trust - some not really touched since the 1920s and in a pretty bad way. One of these is Calke Abbey in South Derbyshire. It called the unstately stately home because the owners, in common with many stately home owners found that after the first world war they could no longer get staff. Women were taking jobs in factories and men just didn't want to go into service. That, plus the fact that the economy changed and fortunes dwindled away meant that many of these grand homes just fell into disrepair and eventually were demolished. The owners of Calke Abbey hung on for decades, just living in a few rooms until eventually they had to sell the the Trust. Its a fascinating place to visit.