All the pluses of the period house without the draughty drawbacks

The allure of the period pad is a strong one for many, particularly those who love the proportions and details such as sash windows, coving, plasterwork, tiling and marble fireplaces that invariably came with period stock.

There is often a balance to strike, however, as with beauty comes age and with it poor (or non-existent) central heating systems, century-old plumbing, draughts, dropped sash windows and so on.

To that end, finding a period residence that’s ...