Just when I thought it was safe to come out of the cement mixer, Cotswold District Council suggested a bat survey. Readers may recall that I have spent all my money buying a Vict-orian industrial ruin, the Gasworks, next door to my house in the Cotswolds (Bricks & Mortar, July 17). After a frightening start when it looked as if the council was going to refuse planning permission, I avoided dying of despair thanks to an inspired idea (the council’s) to restore the original structure, and build bedrooms, etc, in funky modern materials.

Much rejoicing — and then the bat survey. What would be the impact of my proposals on bats? Council offices close at 5.30pm, so there is no point asking for a night visit when all becomes clear. I live in Castle Dracula. There are so many bats in my woodshed that I have trained them to bring in logs. There are bats in my outside loo, and there are bats in the stone and slate shed. The other morning I came down to find my cats chattering on the kitchen table. I had left the window open overnight, and hanging upside down from the corner cupboard were three fast-asleep bats. I scooped them into a Tupperware and put them back in the woodshed.

I live in a wood, and there is now some worry about the proposed new building on the tree roots running under the site. Chris Dyson, the architect, has come up with a scheme for the modern part, which will use recycled steel, giving the right “shed” effect that would have been there when the building was pumping carbide up to the big house on the estate, but allowing a lovely lightness above and below the ground.

I am very excited by this imaginative solution and will have finalised plans soon. At present we are playing with a single-storey construction, with pairs of bedrooms, each pair sharing a bathroom, in a kind of horseshoe, making a courtyard round the back of the original building. An enclosing natural stone wall means that, from the road, the modern part is embraced and almost hidden. We can fully insulate this structure, and take grey water to service the loos. I have used Dyson before. He is based in Spitalfields, East London, where I have a Georgian listed building, and he has the creative and practical experience necessary to find a new/old solution.

I am a member of SPAB (the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings), and while Victorian vernacular is not exactly ancient, it is unusual to find a light industrial building that has not been converted and that retains its features. Old buildings need the three Rs of restoration: respect, restraint, repair.

My builders, Bonner and Milner, the Gilbert and George of restoration, are busy cutting solid stone quoins and rebuilding the gigantic chimney. We can repair some of the windows and doors, which says a lot for the quality of 130-year-old joinery. The great thing about these builders is that they take such pride in what they do. Right now they are figuring out how the Victorians achieved the span in the main building without great lengths of steel.

Meanwhile, I am trying to get the electricity back, but dealing with EO.N is not an illuminating experience. If one more person says “Bear with me . . .” as I go through the whole thing again, I am going to put the building back to its original use and make my own carbide — each lamp as bright as 50 candles. Watch this space.

The joy of wrecks

The Society of the Protection of Ancient Buildings has been warding off the more villainous of “restorers” since 1877, when it was founded by William Morris. Details of its work, including courses for homeowners, are at spab.org.uk.

Find details of Chris Dyson Architect’s restoration projects, at chrisdyson.co.uk, or call 020-7247 1816.

Bonner and Milner are specialists in Cotswolds buildings. Visit bonnerandmilner.co.uk or call 01608 651629.

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