NOT every house can be moved and given a complete overhaul - but then there aren't many houses like the Nunnington Baby House.

Probably built sometime between 1800 and 1810, it is much more than a mere doll's house, and is one of the prized pieces at Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley.

However, to move it to another location within the hall, the house had to be carefully dismantled.

It is now being given a complete overhaul, before being meticulously put together again.

The Baby House originally came to North Yorkshire from Byfleet, in Surrey, from a house that was at one time in the ownership of the family that ran Nunnington Hall.

It was forgotten for years and was eventually rediscovered in an attic, along with the furniture that had been stored in a cardboard box.

The latter was at the time described as "filthy dirty", but has since been restored to pristine condition.

Published: 31/12/2004