Crumbling, ancient houses are brought back to life by passionate owners as they restore and convert them into striking 21st century homes, unravelling the properties' extraordinary past lives through their architectural and social history.

St Thomas a Becket church in Somerset is on the heritage critical list and badly in need of rescue. A flood in 1968 led to the church's eventual deconsecration and it is just one of many churches in Britain that has been declared redundant. Decline in church-going and amalgamation of parishes have put a huge swathe of our architectural heritage in peril.

Working their way up the property ladder, newly-weds Paul and Laura spotted the church in 2007 and decided this was the family home for them. They purchased the listed church with plans to turn it into a three-bedroom home.

As the church is transformed, its past emerges - the dark times which marked its end and its links to an architectural movement that would change style forever, connecting it to the design of some of the greatest buildings in the country. Show less