Birmingham Post

Unspoilt by the Passing of Time

Hill Court at Grafton Flyford in Worcestershire is a head- turning instruction for two county agencies, recently brought to the market with a guide price of pounds 1.1 million. As an unspoilt manor house around 400 years old, with its former moat and more than seven acres, it bags high status in the country house market.

A Wealth of Historical Interest

The Old Rectory at Dumbleton, on the Gloucestershire border with Worcestershire, is the most interesting house in the village, believe those who should know. According to the village's own website, the Grade ll listed property bags a larger-than-fair share of both architectural and historical fascination.

New Homes for the Well-Heeled

An independent Birmingham developer believes that his 'hands-on' approach can guarantee top quality homes to win well-heeled buyers. From obtaining planning permission to landscape gardening, Khalid Hussain is an entrepreneur willing to 'get his hands dirty' according to the agents marketing his latest redevelopment scheme.

A Premier League Conversion

'Opportunities like these are now rare in the Cotswolds,' said Stephen Perks of Hamptons Country Houses department in Broadway. He is referring to Fishers Barn at Salford near Chipping Norton, a newly-completed conversion in the premier league of agricultural redevelopments.

Perspective: Back to the Future - and Don't Mention the War

GGeorge Bush made his pitch for re-election at 3am this morning. His speech to the Republican Convention, timed to catch his fellow Americans slumped in front of the box, will have helped determine whether he gets to serve another four years.

Perspective: What Women Really Mean ; Funny Thing, Language. The Same Words Seem to Mean Different Things to Men and Women. Eloise Fysh Investigates Those Ideas Which Can Be Lost in Translation

Ever wondered whether you and your partner are speaking the same language? It's long been suggested that men are from Mars and women are from Venus but, somewhere along the line, our guide to understanding the opposite sex must have got lost in the post.

Perspective: The Dark Secret of Your Shopping Basket ; Alexander Tulloch Goes Shopping for Some Obscure Meanings

Everybody has to shop. Whether we enjoy it or not is an entirely different matter, but the inescapable fact is that those everyday necessities need to be bought and the only place most of them can be found is in the shops. And we probably think of a shop as being a well-lit establishment fully stocked with goods of one sort or another. So it will be something of a surprise to discover that the word is thought to be related to the Greek skepas, a cover or shield and skotos, darkness. The most ...

Films: Lovely Taste As Gwyn's a Tonic ; Mike Davies Reviews the Latest Releases

STAGE BEAUTY CERT 15 110 MINS Destined to appeal to the same mass audience that lapped up Shakespeare In Love, Richard Eyre's screen version of Jeffrey Hatcher's play Compleat Female Stage Beauty is a hilarious period romp, but also one with insightful observations to be made. Loosely based on real life Restoration theatre figures Edward 'Ned' Kynaston (described by Samuel Pepys as the most beautiful woman on the London stage) and Margaret Hughes, (generally accepted as the first legitimate E...

Post Competition: See Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Alex

Ellen Kent & Opera International return to the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, on Thursday September 23 with the Chisinau National Opera's performance of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. In association with The Birmingham Post and San Carlo, readers will have the chance to win tickets to the show as well as some fantastic prizes for a memorable night out. Cav/Pag, as the opera is affectionately known, is a delightful double bill. Cav is a Sicilian love tragedy featuring the famous Easter Hy...

Tv Choice

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross BBC One, 10.35pm The first edition in a new series of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross features a rare interview with Hollywood superstar Paul Newman. Fiercely private, he usually refuses any requests for interviews, but it seems he's been won over by Ross's charms.

Radio Choice

Post People

A Champagne reception to celebrate the first birthday of Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre was held at St Martin's in the Bull Ring last night. Among those present were (above) Kevin and Louise Pashby, BRMB, Coun John Alden, Deputy Lord Mayor, Karren Brady, managing director, Birmingham City FC, comedian and guest speaker Malcolm Stent and Jon Emery (Birmingham Alliance) Top right: Natalie Cotton, Willoughby PR, Joanne Malin, Central TV, and Jane Ainsworth, Willoughby PR. Right: Yvonne an...

Motoring: Classic Style and Sporty Look for New Ford Focus

It's here at last. The car which will shape Britain's roads for the next five years or more is revealed for the first time this week ... and it's quite a looker. But only time will tell whether or not the new Ford Focus has the character to fend off the growing challenge to its supremacy of the British compact family car market.

Motoring: Potholes Posing Big Problems for Drivers

Britain's potholed roads are being blamed for a 47 per cent increase in car suspension failures over the past five years. According to analysis by independent automotive warranty firm, Warranty Direct, the number of cars needing suspension and axle repairs as a result of poorly maintained roads and potholes has jumped from nine per cent of all claims in 1999 to an average of 17 per cent for the first eight months of 2004.

Motoring: Turning to Its Own

Nissan is recruiting its own customers as extra sales staff in an attempt to boost registrations ... and there's a tempting bonus for recruits who make a sale. The company is sending out a salespersons pack to 3,500 current Primera owners in the hope that they'll be able to sell a car like their own to a friend.

Motoring: Golf Gti Mk I an Icon

Motoring: Used Car Sales Up

Motoring: Modus Gets a Five-Star Safety Rating

Small car safety has made a major move forward, with the first ever five-star rating for a car only slightly bigger than so-called superminis. The accolade goes to the new Renault Modus, which arrives this month as a midi peoplecarrier to rival the likes of the Vauxhall Meriva and Ford Fusion.

Motoring: Future Vision From Peugeot

The future according to Peugeot has been revealed at its native Paris motor show. A trio of concept cars show the way forward, with the accent on sportiness and environmental awareness.

Motoring: Subaru Fail to Consult Manual

Flash back nine months to the launch of the latest Subaru Legacy. A great car, the pundits agreed, but the flagship three-litre version could be so much better with a manual gearbox rather than the auto box which was the only option. To its credit, Subaru listened. In a couple of months time, the top of the range Legacy will be available with a six speed manual which has been rushed into production to meet demand from drivers who want a more satisfying, sporting drive from a car which still p...