A FORMER Liberal candidate at two past general elections has returned to the North Yorkshire town he vied to represent in Parliament as the new owner of a country home.

Keith Schellenberg and his wife Jilly may be remembered by some for their purchase of Eigg, off the west cost of Scotland.

The couple ran a holiday cottage business and, fearing development and a flood of tourists on the remote island, it was headline news when the residents bought the land back after a mystery donor gave them more than £1m.

Now that they have moved south, to acquire St Nicholas, in Richmond - the former home of Lady Serena James -the Schellenbergs have been quick to assure local people they have no plans to modernise the historic home.

"I have a great love of old things and I tend to keep a lot of quirky features that most people would discard," said Mr Schellenberg.

He also hopes to keep up the tradition set by Lady Serena, who used to open her gardens to the public on occasions.

"I am keen that, while I am lucky enough to have a place like this, the community should be able to share in it by enjoying it," he added.

"St Nicholas is first and foremost a family home and I am very conscious of the role that the James family played in Richmond and how lucky I am to share in this amazing place.