[citation needed] Baker then undertook PhD studies researching the development of Welsh Country Houses,[4] during which he discovered the earliest known image of Hafod Uchtryd, Devil's Bridge.
Baker spearheaded a campaign for the building's restoration that proved fruitful when the Trust precipitated the sale of the castle by pursuing compulsory purchase action.
[12] In 2005 Baker published a history of Hafodunos, Llangernyw, a Victorian gothic building and the only example of domestic architecture to be built in Wales by George Gilbert Scott.
The research was based on Baker's PhD thesis and featured houses such as Llanerchaeron, Gwrych Castle, Hafodunos, Plas Teg and Brynkir.
[citation needed] In November 2013, to coincide with the broadcast of the television series, a book titled Y Plas: The Story of the Welsh Country House was published,[17] co-authored by Baker, Dewi Gregory and Sian Price.
[citation needed] In 2012, Baker led a Cardiff University archaeological dig at Plas Brynkir, Dolbenmaen, in order to record the historic fabric of the two mansion houses.
[21] Again, in 2013, Baker went back to excavate Brynkir and discovered that the site had originated as a deer park, possibly created by Llywelyn the Great as part of a wider hunting landscape associated with the royal court at Dolbenmaen.