I read the article (The Argus, May 9) regarding the comments by film star Michael York about architect Nick Wiseman's conversion of York's former family home with interest.

This is the first time I have been prompted to write a letter to a newspaper but being a Lewes resident, as well as having had considerable involvement with the property market in the town during the last 20 years, I wanted to stand up for Mr Wiseman, invoking the old adage "an Englishman's home is his castle".

Mr Wiseman was a well respected architect in Lewes before he retired, with an extremely distinguished career. To convert Owlett Cottage, Mr Wiseman has probably sunk a proportion of his life savings, along with blood, sweat and tears, into the project.

The Wisemans's have created an interesting property, which adds to the vibrancy of Lewes.

The beauty of the town is its mix of architectural styles, which have evolved over many centuries and which compliment each other beautifully.

Lewes has a forward thinking council, which seems to be encouraging contemporary design in the town, instead of insisting developers copy the style of a particular period. Doing so in Lewes would be virtually impossible anyway because of the range of architectural styles there.

Most of the best buildings in Lewes have been converted at some stage over the years, reflecting the trend of the time - the conversion of Owlett Cottage is yet another interesting example of this.

The comments of a film star who decided to live in another country many years ago were probably devastating to Mr Wiseman and his family.

He should be applauded for adding to Lewes's diversity and having the architectural creativity to convert a dull building into something attractive, instead of demolishing it and replacing it with more bland stock housing.

-Christopher Oakley, Managing Director, Oakley Commercial