Why Old Houses Keep Their Cool (and Why We Still Love Them). As temperatures have climbed, newspapers and broadcasters have been filled with stories of modern homes and flats becoming uncomfortably hot, leaving many people struggling to keep cool. With climate scientists warning that heatwaves are likely to become more frequent and more intense, it's becoming clear that this isn't simply an unusually warm summer—it's part of a changing climate that we're all learning to live

Long before coffee table books and colour-coordinated bookshelves became fashionable, beautifully bound books were among the most treasured possessions in a home. They sat beside the fire, filled libraries and drawing rooms, travelled from house to house and were handed down through generations. They were read, certainly, but they were also admired.