REAL LIFE VICTORIAN
A woman has taken her house back in time - by spending £10,000 to transform it into her Victorian dream home. Quirky spinster Julia Wood, 42, lives her life like a 19th century lady and can often be seen leaving her terraced house wearing ankle length velvet and carrying a parasol. The self confessed "eccentric" has transformed all five rooms of her property in Leicester with late 19th or early 20th century decor. Her lounge, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen are filled with antique furniture, fireplaces and artefacts and even nude portraits complete with lighting from the period. She has a large mahogany mantle piece in her lounge and sips tea from an 1890s crockery set she says she bought for just £10. Her kitchen, which also acts a sitting room, includes an Edwardian day bed, wood burning stove, antique tub chair, pine table and even a black fridge. The author and writer, who has lived in the home for two years, is an avid Oscar Wilde fan and says she lives her life like a character from one of this plays. She said: "I must have a Victorian or Edwardian aura. I was just born in the wrong era. But Downton Abbey has changed things lately. Sales of long gloves have gone up hugely, I understand. All of a sudden I'm in fashion.
Other great stories
19ST WOMAN LOSES 9ST AFTER GIVING UP GREGGS ADDICTION
A woman who was addicted to GREGGS has lost 9st after giving up her favourite food .
FRIENDS REUNITED
IT'S the iconic TV show that influenced a whole generation in the 1990s .
MUM REVEALS PREGNANCY ALLERGY
A first-time mum has told how she was allergic to her unborn baby after she developed an angry red rash all over her body .
MISCHIEVOUS FOX CUBS
A mischievous fox cub demonstrates his playful side by biting his sibling’s tail .
MONKEY BUSINESS
GETTING behind the camera, this monkey practices his photography skills on his friends .
ABANDONED WILD WEST THEME PARK
The gunslingers are long gone and tumbleweeds have taken over at this abandoned American Wild West Theme Park in Cornwall .
RESCUE TURTLES OPEN WIDE FOR DINNER
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
DAUGHTER KILLED HERSELF AFTER BEING RAPED – BUT SAVED FOUR PEOPLES' LIVES THROUGH ORGAN DONATION
A woman whose daughter committed suicide after being raped as a child, has revealed she donated her organs - saving four peoples’ lives .
DAZZLING BEAUTY OF THE MILKY WAY ABOVE UK AND ITALY
A photographer has captured stunning photographs of the Milky Way above picturesque landscapes in the UK and Italy .
OWNER PREVENTED FROM FINDING CAT UNDER DATA PROTECTION ACT
A mother has spoken of her outrage after discovering her missing cat had been stolen - only to be told she cannot have its location due to the Data Protection Act .
DIABULIMIA LEFT ME INFERTILE AND GOING BLIND
For years Jeorgia Woodd, 30, abused her body, having succumbed to a condition known as 'diabulimia' .
SMILING SHARKS
A lively lemon shark grins into the camera and showcases his impressive teeth .