Mrs Silman said that in 2007 her house had been flooded with 8in (20cm) of water.

BBC: Flooding affects Reading houses despite new defences

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of the Arthritis Research Campaign, said the study shows different results from previous studies.

BBC: Breastfeeding 'may cut arthritis'

Prof Alan Silman, of Arthritis Research UK, the charity which commissioned the report, said the findings would inform and empower patients.

BBC: 'Few complementary therapies help arthritis'

Last November Mr Silman's team began to install supporting cables underneath the flagstone floor in the living room and under its adjoining terraces.

ECONOMIST: An aptly named masterpiece reopens

Joe Tortorella of Robert Silman Associates, the engineer hired to remove the stacks from under the Rose Reading Room while it's still in use, has compared his task to cutting off the legs of a table while a banquet is taking place.

WSJ: The Library's Future Is Not an Open Book | By Julie V. Iovine | Public Library Renovation