Her husband, John Diner Tredevant, is a property developer who has borrowed heavily to construct a splendid terrace of houses set high into the steep hillside of Clifton, two hundred feet above the Avon. The venue’s engineering roots means its interiors are incredibly well-designed, whilst it’s facilities and AV offering are continually updated to ensure everything remains state-of-the-art. Ultimately, you’ll have no trouble justifying hiring One Birdcage Walk for your next big pitch or board meeting.

When it opened in 1899, One Birdcage Walk was fitted out with some of the world’s most cutting-edge technology, including an electric lift and telephone. Many of Dunmore's novels take place under the shadow of war or other great events; her subjects are usually ordinary people caught up in its fringes.

This novel's author, Helen Dunmore, died of cancer earlier this year, and I love that there's an afterword in her own voice about her experience writing this book.

There are also known challenges too, such as how to split out the provision of utilities and services, which could require a new substation to be built. The game, in which a mallet was used to hit a ball through a hoop hanging above ground, was commonly played there. To ensure options were considered with the latest and best information available, the working group commissioned a new condition survey of the building and a complete valuation.

As Lizzie discovers that not everything is as perfect as she had convinced herself, we learn about her husband’s jealous character, his endeavours which are slowly but surely going bust, and Lizzy’s warm relationship with her mother and Hannah (their servant and close friend from when she was an infant).