School diggers

Hooke Court, in Dorset, is home today to a residential study centre and a small private school and nursery. Most of its surviving structures are believed to date from the English civil war in the mid-1600s, when the house was reported to have been burnt down by Parliamentarian troops.

But the house is also full of interesting features that point to a much earlier original construction date. And there are various clues that suggest it was once much grander than it appears now.

Peter and Mandy Cooper moved into the property in 1994 after carrying out extensive restoration work. Mandy, who runs the education centre, called in Time Team to investigate, so that she could tell the children (who played an active part in Time Team's visit), visitors and local people more about the history of Hooke Court.

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