15th February

Part of the deal I struck when I agreed to buy the house was that it should have a new roof, that the upper story of the 'extension' be demolished and the ground floor of it made safe, a flight of steps be built to access the first floor and the iron balcony on the front of the house also be made safe; hitherto access to the first-floor was by climbing glorified ladders and through trap doors in the first-floor floor.  Three generations of a family had lived, devoid of running water, sanitation, heating or electricity in this building.

By the spring of 1998 I had bought the house.  The new roof was on and other pre-purchace work completed.  The photograph from which I made this drawing shows work in progress of stripping what was left of the original lime-plaster rendering and repointing the stones with mortar.