Three Northern Ireland buildings compete tonight for a prize worth more than £3 million in BBC 2's Restoration programme presented by the actor, comedian and keen conservationist Griff Rhys Jones.
Viewers in Northern Ireland and Britain are invited to vote by telephone on which of the three buildings they believe is most deserving of restoration. The winner announced tonight will next month compete with nine other short-listed buildings for the restoration prize.
The historic buildings featured on tonight's programme on BBC 2 at 9 p.m. are Herdmans Mill in Sion Mills, Co Tyrone, the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast, and Lissan House, just outside Cookstown, Co Tyrone.
Griff Rhys Jones will present the programme and conservation architect Ptolemy Dean and historic buildings surveyor Marianne Suhr will explore every corner of these buildings, unearthing their hidden secrets and bringing back to life the romance of their past, according to the BBC.
Restoration will also draw on the memories and knowledge of local residents, owners and conservation groups who love and value these buildings and who are fighting to preserve them for future generations.
The Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast was built in the Scottish Baronial style in the Victorian era, and was originally a school for girls. It still plays an important part in the city as an arts and cultural amenity.
Lissan House, just outside Cookstown, has been the home of the Staples family for nearly 400 years - the longest occupation by any single family of a country house in Ireland, according to the programme makers. The current owner, Hazel Radclyffe Dolling, would like to see it become a centre for music and arts. Herdmans Mill was founded by three brothers from Belfast in 1835.
The Herdmans provided housing, schooling, churches, sports and leisure facilities for their workers. New proposals for the huge 19th-century mill complex include sports training, leisure, education and restaurant facilities; residential and overnight accommodation; craft workspace units and retail facilities; an interpretive centre, and exhibition and office space.
