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4 Episodes 2011 - 2011
Episode 1
The Manor Reborn sees a team of historians, experts and volunteers reinterpreting 500-year-old Avebury Manor in Wiltshire, putting the country house in to a national and historic perspective. From the age of Elizabeth I through to the eve of the Second World War - and taking inspiration from other houses across the country - the series and project will reflect on the story of Britain across five centuries, exploring a wide range of craft and furniture-making skills and revealing the invention of 'the home'. The house will be restored as an immersive experience - it will be one of only a few National Trust properties open to the public where they can touch, sit on and enjoy all aspects of the house.
Episode 2
Work at Avebury Manor finally gets under way, but will the National Trust accept the outlandish colour scheme being proposed for the Queen's bedroom? Designer Russell Sage sets about renovating the run-down bed he bought at auction into a four-poster fit for Tudor nobles. Penelope Keith and Paul Martin continue on their travels across the country for inspiration, enlisting the help of master craftsmen to transform neglected Avebury Manor into a top National Trust property.
Episode 3
The transformation Of Avebury Manor continues. While Penelope Keith gets to grips with gorging Georgians, Paul Martin travels to China to see the making of the most exotic wallpaper commissioned in recent times. The experts come to blows over the royal bed, and the opening of the Victorian kitchen garden is threatened by hungry rabbits and an unexpected invasion of an endangered species.
Episode 4
The final part of this fascinating series presented by Penelope Keith and Paul Martin on the reinvention of Avebury Manor sees designer Russell Sage and the historical experts rush to get the house finished for opening day. But with the wallpaper held up in customs, a Queen Anne bed that is too big for the room and a last minute dash for furnishings, how can it possibly come together in time? Will the National Trust accept the outlandish schemes, and what will the public make of it all?