The BEST episodes of The Restoration Man
Every episode of The Restoration Man ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Restoration Man!
George Clarke is The Restoration Man, travelling the British Isles meeting the stubborn romantics who want to breathe new life into the architectural treasures he unearths on his journey. His mission is to help them transform these undervalued gems into brand new homes fit for 21st century living.
#1 - Thorington Gate Lodge
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/25/2010
George Clarke joins former heavyweight boxer Scott Welch as he plans to convert Thorington Gate Lodge in Suffolk into a weekend retreat so he can spend more time with his father who lives nearby, despite not having set foot inside the building. It soon becomes clear that Scott has a fight on his hands getting planning permission as the project is set to include an ultra-modern glass extension.
#2 - Coach House
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/2/2010
Lisa and Darren Walker have a dream of converting a coach house into a unique home. But it soon becomes clear that the restoration won't be as straightforward as they hoped.
#3 - Ice House
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/9/2010
George meets Laird Henderson who for years has has wanted to live in a unique home where he can make the most of his lochside surroundings.
#4 - Medieval Hall and Mansion
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/16/2010
George Clarke advises two families who have bought rare and nationally important buildings in Wales. Simon Hooper and partner Victoria dream of converting an ancient Grade I listed medieval hall into a unique home, but their budget is tight. At the other end of the scale are the Edwards, who have fallen in love with a neglected 70-room mansion, which they're determined to lavishly restore back to its original glory. Both highly ambitious restoration projects prove to be more challenging than their new owners anticipated.
#5 - Water Tower, Congleton, Cheshire
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/12/2012
George meets architect Andy and his girlfriend Ana, who are trying to restore a listed water tower into an uber-modern 21st century home. But at what personal cost? Andy Critchlow surprised his girlfriend Ana Ferguson when he bought a stunning, cylindrical Grade II listed water tower in Congleton, Cheshire, at auction - without even seeing the inside. Andy dreams of converting this building into a cutting-edge 21st century home, which means selling their current property and moving in with his parents during the nine-month build. As a director of his own architectural practice, Andy tackles the build with huge drive and determination. Meanwhile, George goes on a historical mission and discovers how this monumental landmark sitting proudly on a Cheshire hill saved the lives of the people it overlooked.
#6 - Church, Eden Valley
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/19/2012
Scientist Phil Evans and his wife Joanne have taken a huge financial gamble and bought a Grade II-listed, gothic revival parish church in the Eden Valley, aiming to turn it into a dream home. Disaster strikes early on in the build and the implications are huge for their tiny budget. Architect George Clarke is on hand to give them all both practical advice and a reality check when the costs spiral out of control and threaten to halt the project.
#7 - Water Tower, Settle
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/16/2012
Mark Rand and his wife Pat's dreams of converting a water tower on the Settle-Carlisle railway line faces a battle with the planners which threatens to de-rail the whole project. Former Bradford police officer Mark and his wife Pat are fervent enthusiasts for the Settle-Carlisle railway line. It's the couples dream to own part of the line's history, which is why they bought the Victorian Settle station water tower to convert and live in. Sitting beside the station, in what's now an industrial estate, the building hasn't been in use since the 1940s. But Mark wants to bring this Grade II listed building into the 21st century, and has plans to add a glass rooftop extension, seeking advice from architect George Clarke. But have these restoration warriors embarked on a project too ambitious to see through?
#8 - Welsh School Revisit
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/11/2015
George catches up with Ian and Jayne, who bought a large derelict Victorian school in the valleys of west Wales to convert into a home and a site for their new eco business
#9 - Cow Barn
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/5/2014
Marco and Kath Walker take over a pair of Grade II listed 17th and 18th century cow barns from their local farmer in Wellington, Herefordshire. The barns are tumbling down, the couple have their two young children in tow, they've never done anything like this before and are complete restoration novices, and the project is beset with problems from the start. George offers much needed advice throughout the build and discovers how these buildings and the surrounding farm helped to revolutionise cattle farming in the UK.
#10 - Longhurst Lodge Revisit
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/4/2015
George catches up with Nik and Vanessa and their immaculate 19th century gatehouse cottage that was so tiny they couldn't fit a proper bathroom inside
#11 - Pannal Water Tower
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/28/2015
Yorkshire couple Carol and Majid embark on an ambitious adventure, transforming a brick water tower into a five-storey home. But unexpected costs and legal problems hit the project.
#12 - HMS Owl
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/21/2015
Justin and Charlotte have a dramatic vision for transforming a derelict World War II airfield tower in the Scottish Highlands. But just fixing the windows takes nearly half the budget.
#13 - Tudor Revival School, Essex
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/14/2015
George Clarke meets Jim and Bee Goody, who have taken a financial gamble with their project to turn a derelict Tudor revival school in Essex into their dream country home.
#14 - Shropshire Farmhouse
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/7/2015
First of New Series. Architect George Clarke returns with more projects to transform neglected historic buildings into unique homes. Russell Edwards and Nadia Smith have put everything into turning a derelict farmhouse in the Shropshire countryside into a family home. They are determined to restore the 18th-century building to its former glory, but their high standards soon cost them dearly, and after two winters in a caravan, illness and exhaustion threaten to overwhelm the pair. George helps with the design and hard graft and investigates the history behind this mysterious half-timber-framed building.
#15 - Thrum Water Mill Revist
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/26/2014
George returns to Thrum Mill to meet Dave and Margaret Heldey who have battled through flooding and serious illness to restore one of Northumberland's most stunning but abandoned water mills
#16 - Telford Church Revisit
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/19/2014
George catches up with Keith and Sheena McIntyre who were hoping to restore an isolated Telford church Using an inheritance from his late father, artist Keith McIntyre and his wife Sheena bought a listed, Thomas Telford-designed church in the remote island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides. Keith and Sheena plan to convert the church into a holiday home and artist's studio, where they can bring their art students and musician friends to be inspired by the amazing light and rugged, desolate landscape. In restoring this roofless ruin, Keith and Sheena face challenges from the extreme weather and have to keep the neighbours on side while managing the build 400 miles away from their home in Newcastle. Meanwhile architect George Clarke uncovers the church's turbulent history.
#17 - RAF Bunker, Nottinghamshire
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/12/2014
Furniture maker Jamie Brown has big ideas about turning a colossal and historic 15,000 square foot RAF bunker from World War II into his new home. However, with the Nottinghamshire bunker totally encased in earth, with no natural light, and the back section submerged in water, Jamie's wife, who is about to have their first baby, isn't so sure. With its fascinating history and jaw-dropping engineering, George helps Jamie tackle this huge undertaking and discovers the important role it played in the blitz.
#18 - Settle Water Tower Revisit
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/31/2013
George Clarke returns to North Yorkshire to catch up with the retired policeman and his wife who took on the challenging restoration of a railway water tower at Settle station
#19 - Edwardian Baptist Church, Oxenhope
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/7/2016
George Clarke join Colin and Emma who buy a Edwardian Baptist Church in Oxenhope and want to turn it into a five-bedroom family home with a meagre budget.
#20 - Victorian Railway Station, Northumberland
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/14/2016
George joins Lee Head, who is attempting to convert a Victorian railway station in Northumberland into his family home.
#21 - Georgian Gazebo Tower, Pembrokeshire
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/21/2016
George Clarke is in Pembrokeshire to help restore a Georgian Gazebo Tower and make it a livable property.
#22 - Sunday School, Harrogate
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/28/2016
George Clarke helps a couple in Harrogate convert two crumbling church buildings into a pair of beautiful homes.
#23 - Harrogate Revisit 2016
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/31/2016
George Clarke returns to Harrogate to see how Carol and Majid Nadry have finished converting their brick water tower into their dream home. After the huge delays and eye-watering legal costs of sorting planning and access restrictions, the couple have finally built the two-storey extension that was the key to creating a family home with character. George sees how the industrial heritage of this unique building is beautifully complemented by a 21st century glass and sheet metal extension that finally realises the old water tower's hidden potential.
#24 - Berkshire Pumping Station
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/5/2017
George Clarke returns for a new series of the show that helps rescue neglected architectural treasures across Britain. Young couple Steven Crame and Marina Bacchelli were looking for their first home to own together in Berkshire, when they found a disused water pumping station nestling in its own ancient woodland. The couple threw themselves into the task of converting the huge brick shed into a modern four-bed family home, while preserving a 15-tonne crane as a central feature of their lounge. But a new-born baby, flooding and spiralling costs add to the pressure.
#25 - Cheshire Water Tower 2017
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/12/2017
George Clarke meets Cheshire couple Andrew Jones and Michele Gibbons, who plan to turn an 85ft art deco water tower into the six-storey 'end house' of their dreams. The conversion proves an incredible challenge for the builders, as they must cut through double reinforced concrete to build new floors and fit over 20 new windows. It takes almost a year to get the tower wind and water-tight as, meanwhile, the couple must come to terms with fact that, despite a dislike of art deco furniture, they need to furnish their towering example of architectural history in a fitting style.