wow thanks for all the replys guys, i dont know if it makes much difference but the size of the missing celing is about 4ft x 3.5ft.
Ive had 3 guys round sofar two say to pull the whole lot down, the other said to pull the old palster down & board over the original lathes.
None mentioned trying to repair the original celing..
You probably had 3 people who "can't" repair back to original.
It's so easy for them to rip it all down and plasterboard it,,, a messy cheap fix,,,,
but for a "plasterer" who's skilled in his job, it's so much cleaner and easier, to repair it, back onto the wooden lath.