Wreck of the Week

I was in two minds whether to pick this house. On the one hand, refurb job aside, it's an amazing building in an extraordinarily lovely location in the Dartmoor national park. Plus it comes with four acres, a stream, gardens, stables and a barn. And those gothic windows - yummy! But on the other hand, it's leasehold and owned by Charlie and his Duchy of Cornwall and there's only seven years left on the current 20-year lease, plus c£4,600 annual rent on top. Because it's a Duchy house (and they have short leases ) you won't get a mortgage on it. All of which explains why a detached house with land in the middle of a national park is going for offers around £100k.   Upstairs are three bedrooms and a bathroom, downstairs are two reception rooms, kitchen, utility and hall. It needs refurbishment throughout and the brick outbuildings, including the one that houses the electricity generator, are pretty dilapidated. Water is spring-fed, there's no gas ...

  Right, after all the fuss of last week, it's back to business. I'm in Scotland today (metaphorically speaking) because of Morag. Morag has sent me some lovely, encouraging emails over the last year but is currently in a bit of a bind herself having sold her own home but not yet found her dream "Heathcliff House": "The girls at work laugh at me because I have a loft full of things for 'my next house' and they are in the mould of my 'Heathcliff House' Old, grey and mysterious on the outside! If it is out there it will find me - of that I'm sure." Rather bizarrely, Heathcliff's house is actually on the market . Emily Bronte probably based Thrushcross Grange on Ponden Hall (above), and is thought to have based Heathcliff's farmhouse on Ponden Hall's layout; transplanted to the location of the long-gone Top Withen's farmhouse, below. At £950k , I suspect Ponden Hall is outside the price bracket for Morag - and ...