WHEN fire almost destroyed Stockport's renowned Staircase House in 1995, few would have expected to see this 15th century treasure brought back to life so vibrantly 10 years later.

Despite an unassuming approach to the building, the restoration work inside could not be more impressive.

The destruction wrought by the fire has in some ways made the the attraction much more interesting, because most of the rooms contain items which can be touched and handled as they are not originals.

There are no roped-off areas, keep-off signs, labels or display cabinets and visitors will be able to sit on the four-poster bed or at the 18th century dining table.

The original parts of the house date back to 1460, and sections of the walls have been left exposed to show off the different styles of building work carried out through the years, from wattle and daub onwards.

The house was home to the wealthy Shallcross family in the 17th century, when it was extended and the Cage Newel staircase was added, an indication of the family's riches as most houses at the time had ladders connecting different storeys.Efforts have been made to ensure that the newer parts of the house are obviously recent, which makes the older parts which survived the fire look even more impressive.

The staircase itself was badly damaged in the blaze and has been lovingly reconstructed by specialists in Devon.

The parts of the wooden structure which were salvageable have been treated and stabilised, and the areas which were beyond restoration have been replaced with modern timbers, which will be left to age naturally

A similar approach has been taken in the drawing room, where only a small section of panelling survived the fire and the remaining areas have been fitted with wood of a more modern appearance.

Visitors arriving at the house will be given an audio guide which they can carry round. It will explain features of the areas they are passing through and guide them through the history of the house, which served as a home right up until the 1940s.

The tour starts at the bottom of the staircase with a look at the storage and cooling areas, packed with replica items, then proceeds up through the various parts of the house.

The 17th century kitchen has authentic sounds and smells, with replica food items which can be handled.

It even has a resident mouse, although this too is just a replica.

The house is dimly lit with lamps and the visitor is reminded of how people used to live with an activity room showing the different methods of making candles and lamps from ingredients including reeds and animal fat.

Life before electricity is also illustrated with the livery cupboard in the bedroom, where leftover food would be placed in an evening.

People would retire when it went dark, which in winter meant spending long hours in bed and, presumably, feeling peckish at times.

After the 17th century rooms, the move to the 18th century is marked by different colours, styles and furniture. The artistry of the period is shown off with delicate designs and formally-laid tables. The tour continues with several rest points and activities until the final room, which recreates the wartime look to demonstrate the fact that the house was lived in until the 1940s.

The modern elements of the tour are all positive and include full disabled access - rare in historic buildings. The audio technology used for the tour means signs and labels are not needed.Those involved in the restoration have gone to some lengths to make sure visitors get an authentic taste of history.

But there's one aspect of the past they can't reproduce - the ghost of Robert Owton, butler to the Shallcross family, who is reputed to haunt Staircase House.

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