Yorkshire Escape to the Country

Malice, jealousy, intrigue and rivalry helped build this house.

Back in the 18th century, two cousins competed against one another

in order to gain the upper hand in the property stakes.

Lucky for us, that legacy created one of the most important gardens in the North of England.

So which county was the scene of all that drama?

You will find out in a moment.

In today's show I'll be exploring equestrian pads with a couple eager to escape urban living.

You want a room for a party?

Oh, fantastic.

Yes, well, that is a kitchen, isn't it? Fantastic.

I will be showing them some superb properties, but at times the ride does get a little bumpy.

You're being swayed by things you've seen before.

-Yes.

-So I think you're not giving it a fair chance.

But who will get their way? And will any of the properties,

including our mystery house,

get them excited enough to hand over the readies?

Today I am in Yorkshire. In South West Yorkshire, to be precise.

It was here, 300 years ago, that the two cousins battled it out to build the most magnificent house.

This is one of the results, Wentworth Castle.

If that is not keeping up with the Joneses, I don't know what is.

But it is magnificent and grand.

Two words you use quite a lot to describe properties in this county.

In 1974, what was commonly known as Yorkshire

became four separate counties.

Today we are focusing on West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.

This area is steeped in industrial history

and became Britain's powerhouse during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Coal and minerals made good steel, and the textile industry clothed the nation and the world,

leaving behind some impressive Victorian architecture.

Both the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales are on the doorstep,

providing nature lovers with the perfect opportunity to enjoy the wide open spaces.

The famous York stone is widely used throughout the area, on the land and in the local architecture.

Due to its industrial heritage, this area is more densely populated

than North Yorkshire, which is reflected in the house prices.

So the average detached property will set you back

in the region of £205,000 here.

But don't be fooled by that low-ish price.

This is the mother of all commuter belts.

With thriving cities like Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield all close by,

rural property is in high demand.

But with over 1300 square miles to explore, you're bound to find something to spend your money on.

If you can dig deep to the tune of £1.5 million,

then take a look at this fabulous equestrian property in Whiston.

The five-bedroom house was built to a high standard, just 14 years ago,

yet appears much older.

It comes complete with a billiard room, swimming pool, and sits in four-and-a-half acres of land.

Staying with a modern house which has all the charm of a period property is this four-bedroom home

in Womersley, on the market for £50 short of £600,000.

Reclaimed materials have been skilfully used to inject

character into this superb home which has fantastic proportioned rooms and elegant decoration.

Finally, this three-bedroom home in Hoylandswaine is waiting for a buyer with £380,000.

The cottage-style kitchen will satisfy those who hanker for the

country must-have, a four-oven range, and the large mature garden is ideal for family living.

Some fantastic properties there.

Let's meet today's buyers, who are chomping at the bit to get to the country.

Adrian and Pam share their four-bedroom house in Sheffield

with their two children Nick and Alex, and their two dogs, Totty and Minnie.

There are, however, two more family members who are not living at home.

Now they want a house where they can all be together.

Kiss.

We want to move because our daughter has got horses.

And we've had them in livery for the last 15 years, really.

And I'm just sick of going to and fro and taking her up, and of course it is very expensive.

I have been nagging Adrian for at least seven years, when we bought this place, haven't I?

I think we are ready for a change of lifestyle,

so seven years of nagging has worn me down,

so we are ready to go for it now.

It maybe horses for the girls, but the boys want their toys too.

Adrian is hoping that the promise of plenty of land and a motorbike will keep Nick interested.

We want them to want to be there, so I think if you've got the added bonus of a bike being there,

they will still want to come.

They are getting to the age where they'll want to fly the nest and we don't want them to.

Not for a few years yet.

Adrian owns a car business just north of Sheffield, and Pam owns a coffee shop in the city centre.

So they need to be within reasonable commuting distance.

Well, I'd like somewhere rural but close to a village that has a nice village pub which would be good.

As long as it's got land, a few acres, a nice house, that's the priority.

So the area is not desperately important, it is the property and the land which is the priority.

So what sort of property will meet their needs?

Preferably five acres plus, and you want a games room, don't you?

A big kitchen, four bedrooms.

Four bedrooms, yes.

And the possibility of outbuildings that we could convert into stables

or somewhere where you can have your cars and your bikes.

My ideal home would have a big range cooker in the kitchen,

open log fires, really quirky rooms.

But that's not what you'd want, is it?

No, I quite like a character building outside.

I'm not very keen on new builds.

But inside, I think older houses done in a contemporary feel, really nice minimalist.

No clutter, nice clean, big spaces and a contemporary finish.

So that's the conundrum we have.

Pam wants that, and I want probably the opposite.

We will have to see who wins.

I can feel a storm brewing already.

But in the meantime we have invited round a local estate agent to put a

value on the house that they bought seven years ago for £300,000.

It's a charming, detached house, four good bedrooms,

nice reception rooms and kitchen, standing in pleasant gardens.

A really excellent family house.

Therefore I would expect the house to make in the region of £600,000.

The estate agent's valuation I think, was really almost exactly what we thought.

So, go on then. What's the budget?

Our budget for this move is up to £1 million.

Well, it really is a fantastic budget to be playing around with, isn't it?

And in this part of the world I'm sure we'll find some gems.

But I get the impression that this is a property search with horses at the forefront.

Well, it is for Pam, anyway. And what about the house?

She wants character in and out, and Adrian wants character on the outside but a modern interior.

Someone's going to have to compromise.

With Adrian and Pam both working in Sheffield, they're keen to

keep their commute to a minimum, preferably no more than 25 miles.

In today's show I will be guiding them around some desirable houses,

but, as ever, I won't be revealing the price straight away.

The last stop will be the mystery house, which could well create a stir.

Hello, Adrian. Nice to see you.

Welcome to Yorkshire. I know you've wanted to move to the country for ages

and you've been nagging this poor gentleman for seven years.

-What changed in you?

-We needed a change of lifestyle.

Yes, and you're fed up of me nagging you.

Yes, fed up with her nagging me about horses and land and stuff like that.

-I don't blame you. Are you going to be trouble?

-No!

-No, she says.

Very easily pleased.

You have a fantastic budget, but you also have different tastes.

I like really, really traditional.

I want open fires, beams, cottage, big kitchen.

I prefer more space, and a more contemporary style as well.

So, you've got your work cut out.

Hopefully I've got some properties you'll both enjoy and the mystery property as well.

-Shall we get on with it?

-Yeah, great.

-Come on then.

So, with a fantastic budget of up to a maximum of £1 million,

Adrian and Pam are looking for a character house with:

But with Adrian wanting contemporary and Pam chasing character

it'll be an interesting ride.

So, you guys are quite familiar with this area, then?

Yes. It's an area that we would certainly be happy to live in.

It's near enough to Sheffield, but nicely in the countryside.

And it is proper countryside, not just on the suburbs.

-You're really in it, aren't you?

-Aren't you going to sort of miss having everything on your doorstep?

You've just got to be a bit more organised, haven't you?

You can't just nip to a shop. You've to be organised.

We kick off our search in High Bradfield,

only seven miles from Sheffield. It enjoys the beauty of lying

just inside the Peak District National Park.

As the name suggests,

it's high position provides lovely views over the countryside.

It's not isolated though as the sister village of

Low Bradfield is little more than a mile away.

Separated only by fabulous woodland.

Low Bradfield has all the usual amenities you might expect.

There's a long history of farming in this community,

and the house we arranged to view is an 18th-century former farmhouse.

Well, this is it, it's four bedrooms, detached property.

18th-century farmhouse.

It's been redecorated in the '70s, maybe not to your taste, we'll find out.

Yes, well it's certainly a period property, isn't it?

-Yes, it's got character.

-Definitely. Good start.

-Excellent, shall we get in?

-Yes.

Come on in. Let me bring you into the country kitchen, first of all.

-OK. Very country.

-Yes, excellent, yes.

And it's not massive, but it's nicely done,

and I think it's in keeping with the character of the property.

-It's a cottage style property.

-Lots of original features, you've got the beans,

-and you've also got this wonderful floor, and granite work surfaces, and the LPG there.

-Yes.

-No, the fittings are nice, it does look nice, I like the exposed walls.

-Yes, yes, Adrian loves those.

It's quite characterful, so, yes, it's a nice kitchen,

it's not massive, but it's nice, so it's a good start.

I thought you'd be the one that says, this is lovely, and you'd be like, oh, no,

I'm not liking it, but it's the other way around.

Yeah, well, Adrian won't spend much time in the kitchen, so...

THEY LAUGH Just come and get the odd meal, and leave you in the kitchen.

Let's move on. Well, there's nothing like honesty.

Next to the kitchen is the utility room,

this leads to the rear hall which takes us to the lounge.

Staircase up to the bedrooms, I'll show you that later.

-The sitting room.

-OK.

-Very nice.

-What does that mean?

-Bijou.

-Bijou!

-Good word!

Yeah, it's not our taste in decoration,

but it's a reasonable size room.

-I'm thinking you love the beams.

-Yes, like the beams.

I'm a bit, you know, fire, would be...

-Yeah, but you could put a fire in.

-Yes!

-You can't have everything, you know!

-OK.

-She's going to be trouble!

-Yeah, but we've only got small budget!

-Come on, let's go.

Well, I can't magic up a fireplace, I'm afraid, nevertheless,

it's a lovely lounge and it does lead through to a reasonable sized

dining room, which does have a feature fireplace.

From here, there is access to two further rooms in the lower part of the house.

-So this is your kind of separate living space.

-Nice and light, actually.

To say the windows are not particularly big,

there's plenty of light coming in, which I'm surprised about.

-It would be really handy having space.

-It is, yes.

-Because actually, you can close that door,

-it's totally separate from the house.

-Absolutely.

So we have teenage children, so they would probably, you know,

commandeer this space, I think, for themselves.

-Yeah, especially...

-You seem quite happy about that.

-Yeah, that's great!

That will certainly keep the noise at this end of the house.

And there's an extra room next door too.

Upstairs, Nick and Alex might fight over the one-bedroom in this

self-contained end of the house.

Yeah!

You say that every time you walk into a room. Yeah!

-Well, it's not got that, YEAH!

-It's more of a yep than YEAH!

OK, I get her drift. It'll do, but it's not blowing her away.

There is, however, the bonus of an ensuite.

But for us, it's time to head back downstairs to find the other

staircase that takes us to the main part of the house.

Up here is the large family bathroom and then two double bedrooms

with generous sized windows, letting the light flood in.

But there's just one more room left.

-So this in effect would be your master bedroom.

-OK.

-A little bit on the small side.

-What do you want all this space for?!

-Yeah, erm...

-THEY ALL TALK AT ONCE

-I wasn't asking you a...

-There's no chandelier to swing from.

-He gets quite claustrophobic!

-No, I think the overall with the house is,

it's the rooms are small, because it is a cottagey style. You've got the exposed brick as well,

which I think looks unusual in a bedroom, but I like that.

You do like that. It's got character, it's not a square, bog standard.

-I hate square, bog standard rooms.

-Well this house definitely isn't that.

No. And it probably would look a lot better decorated to our taste, wouldn't it?

OK, well, maybe the outside space might sway it for you.

Yeah, we've not seen the outside space, and that's really important.

You say that the rooms are small, the outside space is massive!

-That's my domain!

-Oh, look at that smile! Forget about the house!

Let's get outside! Let me show you. How exciting!

Time now to take a peek outside.

Attached to the house is a workshop and garage and then in addition,

there's a modern garage building that also houses a sunroom which

is a real bonus, but I think they're going to love the amount of land.

This house comes with six acres, more than they asked for.

But they'd need to build their own stables and manege.

The outside space is fantastic.

-This is the formal garden bit, if you like.

-That's manageable.

-Yeah.

-Get a sit on mower.

-It's just the right size.

-A sit on mower?!

-You lazy thing! For this?!

-That's big!

You'd have fun mowing the lawn, I think! Definitely a sit on mower.

Huge traffic noise, of course, to contend with.

-I've not heard a car yet.

-One car an hour something.

It's great if our daughter can hack out safely on these roads.

-Let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

-OK.

What do you think it's on the market for?

I think the location is great, the house does need some work,

I think it's on...

-Come on, I'm dying to know!

-750.

-Right, OK.

-I would say possibly a bit more.

-I'd say it's on for sale at 795.

-795. Your not clairvoyant, are you?

-No, go on. It's not 750?

-It is 750.

-Is it?!

-£750,000.

-Oh, wow!

Well done!

Well, that then changes the fact that you've got stables to do, manege to do,

the only thing is, you could alter the house to suit us.

I'm loving your ideas. So go and have a look around.

You now know it is £750,000,

so you have got that money to play around with.

-You go off and I'll find you later on.

-OK.

-Thank you.

See you in a bit.

What a great surprise.

£750,000 price tag would give Adrian

and Pam the flexibility to carry out alterations.

There's a farmhouse kitchen with characterful exposed brick.

Four reception rooms that will give the family plenty of space to spread out.

Four bedrooms and six acres of land which is more than enough

room for building stables and that manege.

What do you think of this as a master bedroom?

-There's no ensuite, is there?

-No, that's a point.

There's not a lot of room to put wardrobes in.

The rooms are not really big enough, the layout, I'm not sure about.

I don't know if it would work really with our family.

The overall impression of the property is, not great,

but if it was a different house in this location with these grounds,

it would be perfect.

-Have you seen enough?

-Yeah!

-Great.

Come on, the weather is closing in like mad, let's go.

Adrian and Pam's hectic lifestyle means

they don't get much time to explore some of the sites close to them.

So earlier this week they seized the opportunity.

Sitting in the Pennine hills, Holmfirth is best known today as

the setting for the popular comedy programme, Last Of The Summer Wine.

But it's role in film history started in Victorian times.

Born in Yorkshire in 1842 was James Bamforth, who created

a company that was one of the leading pioneers of silent movies.

It was only the onset of the First World War that saw the end to this.

Local expert Colin Frost is the man with the knowledge.

In fact, it was Bamforth who produced the world's very first edited film in 1899.

But after the war, it continued with the saucy seaside postcards that we're all familiar with,

and they continued into the 1990s when sadly, the factory closed down.

So all in all, it's quite a bit of history to Holmfirth.

And that history continues just six miles away. In Slaithwaite,

the textile industry took full advantage of the Huddersfield

narrow canal built in 1797.

It was used until the advent of the railway to transport the goods

produced in the town's mills to Manchester and Huddersfield.

But in later years, the canal in Slaithwaite was filled in

and only reopened in 2001 as part of the millennium project.

The area's heritage is fascinating,

but our task is to find Adrian and Pam their dream home.

Our next house sits just outside Shepley, 19 miles from Sheffield,

still making it a reasonable commute to the city.

Holmfirth is just five miles away with its plentiful selection of shops, eateries and pubs

found in charming lanes.

It has most things that Adrian and Pam would need.

The property I'll be showing them is a barn conversion that was renovated five years ago.

There's no getting around the fact it sits in a rural and exposed position.

-What's that, Pam? You don't like wind?

-What?

This is the highest point in Yorkshire we are on at the moment.

Quite exposed.

This property dates back to about 1750/1800s.

-It's a fantastic looking property.

-It is, isn't it?

-From the outside.

-Shall we go in?

-Yeah, I think we will.

-I am freezing cold. I'm glad you said that.

Come on in, guys. Ruining my hair out there.

-Let me take that for you.

-Bit of a gust.

-Thanking you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-This is nice.

-You're very quiet.

-No. Exposed brickwork, Adrian's favourite.

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

It's contemporary.

Yes, it is.

This is exactly contemporary but with that sort of old-fashioned style which has been kept in it.

A mixture of the old-style and the contemporary.

-Do you like the fireplace?

-Yeah.

-You wanted a fireplace.

-Open fireplace, a wood burner.

So you've got a beautiful mixture of old and new in this property. But there is more to see. Follow me.

You want a room for a party?

Oh, fantastic.

Wow, yeah. Wow, that is a kitchen, isn't it? Fantastic.

And I can feel heat.

Yes, it is a double range.

Oil fired.

-It's great, isn't it?

-Yeah. Small smile. Are you a happy bunny? Yeah!

-Definitely. I think that is a "wow" kitchen.

-It is, isn't it?

That window feature is amazing.

This is what you call a proper family kitchen, a dining kitchen.

That is really just what we envisaged, wasn't it?

That's probably how we would have it if we modelled it ourselves.

-We'd live in here.

-Yeah.

-Who wouldn't have their kitchen like this?

-Fabulous.

We've got dogs as well, so this floor is fantastic for dogs.

Well, I am really glad you like it so far but there is so much to see here, inside and out.

You have seen that little seating area, let's get up close to it.

So behind there's a downstairs toilet and utility room, and then you've just got this...

wonderfully warm room.

-It's really warm, isn't it?

-It is fantastic, isn't it?

Have a look round the house, I'm going to have a little lie-down.

I wouldn't do that to you.

Let's have a look at the sitting room. Come on.

That's really letting some serious light in, isn't it?

-That is a feature, but I also want to drag you round here because...

-Oh, yeah. Fantastic.

-A couple of wood burners.

-Excellent.

-Where do we sign?

Oh, really? Excellent.

Well, it's just here, actually.

That's the downstairs space. Marks out of 10, what would you give it?

Ooh!

Definitely nine and seven-eighths.

-Wow!

-Yeah, I can't really think of a negative.

I'm struggling, but there must be something.

And nine out of 10, definitely. Definitely.

Well, I'm thrilled.

That's good news.

-Let's hope upstairs isn't a let-down. Shall we have a look?

-Yeah, great.

'Excellent. We are cooking on gas here.

'And I have high hopes for upstairs. The bathroom is the first stop off.'

-Family bathroom.

-Yeah, it is not huge, is it?

-That's the first negative thing you've said.

-I know. Sorry.

-No, feel free.

-But it is very nice.

It's done nicely, isn't it?

-It's not massive, is it?

-You wouldn't do anything with it, would you?

-If there's an en-suite, that would probably be big enough, eh?

-Shall we go and have a look?

-Yes.

Happy!

'There are four double bedrooms in total and the first is looking very girly, and it has an en-suite.

'Bad luck, Nick. The other two bedrooms are roughly the same size

'and they are a mix of contemporary style and character features.

'Finally, at the end of a long landing, the showcase room.'

-The master bedroom.

-Great.

Yeah, it is nice and bright.

-Big enough?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I think so.

-It depends.

What's behind these doors?

-You're going to like what's behind this door.

-OK.

-I can guarantee you.

-Oh, wow. Yeah.

-Walk-in wardrobe.

A his-and-hers dressing room.

-I think hers.

-Yes.

It might fit your stuff in.

-Brilliantly done. You'd never think that was behind there.

-No.

-Are you liking this room so far?

Yeah. That's great.

So, you don't have to have any wardrobes cluttering up the place.

-You are probably thinking it could do with an en-suite.

-Yeah.

-There is a modest en-suite.

-OK.

-Oh, a wet room.

-Fantastic.

-A wet room.

-Oh, that is lovely, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Yeah, that is really good.

-I love it. It's fantastic.

-It's almost like a hotel, isn't it? A hotel bathroom.

-Fabulous.

-That's brilliant.

-That is good, isn't it?

No shower screen to wash.

-No, very easy to clean.

-You really wouldn't expect this behind that door, would you?

No, not at all. No. That's a five-star hotel standard bathroom.

I tell you what, good for singing as well. # Aaah! #

This is clearly an en suite on a grand scale.

And if this has got them excited, just wait until they see what we've got in store for them outside.

It's not too bad now.

-No, it's definitely a bit more shaded here.

-It was warmer in there!

It was, definitely!

-So, you've got a barn, and you've got these garages - one, two, three, four.

-Yeah.

-You're probably thinking, "Where's the stable?"

-Yeah.

There you go. Two stables.

-Oh, excellent.

-Quick look?

Yeah, great.

-You're loving this, aren't you?

-I am.

-Wow!

-It's great.

-What a great space, yeah.

-You'd never have guessed.

No, I was trying to work out where the stables were.

-It's the cleanest stables in the world!

-Yeah.

-There's more grounds to see, so let's get on with it.

-Yeah.

'This house comes with a superb eight acres of land.

'But as it's such a windy day, we're heading straight back inside, to talk money.'

-That's better.

-It is, definitely.

-Still a lovely kitchen.

-It is a great kitchen.

-Isn't it just?

-Fantastic space.

Well, you've seen inside and out. I sense that you like it.

-Shall we talk about the money?

-Can do.

-If you insist.

-You're worried about this, aren't you?

I am, because I don't want to be let down too much.

OK. Was that let down?

-Tommy Cooper! Go on, you go first.

-Right, I think...

795 is what I think it would be about.

-795?

-£795,000, yeah.

-OK.

Well, I think it's more than that.

I would go for 890, £890,000.

OK, so that's 795, 890,000.

I can tell you, the property is on the market for £925,000.

-OK.

-So, is that a let-down?

Erm, I knew it would be around...

I knew it was gonna be more than you said.

Because it's a fantastic property.

Erm, yeah...

It's still well within the budget.

-It is.

-And the house and the grounds are great.

-So that's the plus point.

-Have another look around.

-OK.

-There's loads to see, outside and in.

-Absolutely, yeah.

-It needs another look.

-I'll either be warming myself by the range, or I'll be braving it by the front door, OK?

-OK.

-We'll see you then.

-OK, thank you.

So, there we have it.

At £925,000, this stunning house is well within Adrian and Pam's budget.

There is a superb, high-spec kitchen.

I think the property's brilliant. I love the house.

You could move in here, you wouldn't have to do anything at all.

I love the grounds, the grounds are great.

I think eight acres is brilliant.

And the stables work. Yeah, it's fantastic.

It's just a bit exposed.

Just a little bit!

You can see for probably two or three miles, can't you?

-Yeah.

-And every room seems to have a good view.

The interiors are really nice.

Exactly the mixture of old and new, contemporary, that we were looking for.

So it's a difficult blend to get, but this just hits it right on the spot.

-Come on out. Look, I've arranged the sun for you.

-Wow!

-Fantastic.

-Sorry I can't get rid of the wind though! Onwards?

-Yes, brilliant.

-Definitely.

As Adrian and Pam are keen to explore their home county,

I thought I'd take a leaf out of their book and do the same.

So I've come to Wentworth Castle on the edge of the Peak District

to find out a bit more about this imposing house and gardens.

I'm meeting up with tour guide and former gardener of 20 years Fred Prigmore.

The house was once home to Thomas Wentworth, the first Earl of Stafford.

Having missed out on inheriting nearby Wentworth Woodhouse,

which was handed to his cousin, he set about creating his very own rival estate.

In 1708, Wentworth bought the house, formerly known as Stainborough Hall,

for £14,500, and immediately started to turn it into something far grander.

Now, this is called Wentworth Castle, but it's not really a castle, is it?

No, he called it Wentworth Castle to just cock a snook at them over the hill.

-Just to spite him over there?

-Just to spite him over there.

-That's outrageous!

-Well, that's how it used to work, isn't it?

They used to all be at it, building monuments to show their wealth off.

-Extreme one-upmanship.

-Yes.

-That's amazing.

-And then he built a folly at the top of the hill,

which is one of the oldest in the country.

But he built it as a castle on top of the hill. Like a big Wendy house for his kids to play in.

And that's just to show off?

That's just to show off, because from the top of the hill, they could see the other estate.

Funny that something so beautiful actually came about through a bitter rivalry.

The 60-acre garden is one of the most important in the country,

due to its national collections of rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias,

which thrive in the acidic soil.

The gardens are open throughout the year.

And Fred assures me that the best view is from the top of the folly.

I tell you what, Fred, you're a fitter man than me. What a view!

Yes, it keeps you fit, coming up here.

-So, this is the Wendy house.

-Yeah.

-There were four originally.

They had four children, three girls and a boy. And there were four towers.

They had fireplaces.

They were all decorated up and plastered and painted different colours.

What's the best thing about working with nature here in Yorkshire?

It's the peace and the quiet, as much as anything, up here.

-It must be lovely when the tourists go.

-It is, yes.

They spoil it a bit sometimes, I think.

Listen, I can't stand underneath an England flag for too long, being a Welshman.

I'm jealous of you. You work in a lovely place.

Thanks so much for showing me around.

As the sun starts to set, it's a chance to retreat to the hotel and mull over the property search.

-So how do you think it's gone today?

-Yeah, it's been good.

It's been good. We've seen two houses. It's been a long day, but the house in Bradfield we saw,

was a great location, I wasn't overly impressed with the house.

-Were you?

-No, I think the land was fantastic,

-and the price was good, really.

-Well within the budget.

It would have given us the funds to build the stables,

which it didn't have, build a manege and do any work to the house.

OK, so what do you think about the house in Shepley?

I really liked the house, I thought the grounds were fantastic.

It didn't have a manege,

but there was certainly room to put the manege there.

The kitchen was just exactly what I wanted.

And that great blend of the contemporary interior mixed

with the old features was superb.

The house and Shepley, situated on the grounds of the one

in Bradfield would be perfect, wouldn't it?

-Absolutely.

-We've got to compromise on something.

-So, you know, we're looking forward to tomorrow, see what Aled has in store for us.

-Yeah, that'll be great.

Adrian and Pam are from Sheffield, and they're looking to break free from city living,

and buy an equestrian property within commuting distance of the city.

They have a huge budget of up to £1 million.

So far they have viewed one property.

Coming up, the house that gets Adrian chomping at the bit.

I think this is really the best one we've seen, definitely the best house.

I'm surprised you can't see that. I'm surprised that you think differently.

-But we'll discuss it later!

-Yeah!

Our search continues to find Adrian and Pamela their dream property here in Yorkshire.

Yesterday we found out that Pamela's horses are vitally important

in this move. They're seen as members of the family.

So in that respect, I'd say that land is as important as the house.

But we've also seen that it is possible up here to tick both those boxes quite spectacularly.

And with their optimism and positivity, I'm sure today's hunt will go at a canter.

We're ready and raring to go this morning,

and heading to Langsett for our first house of the day.

It's on the edge of the Peak District National Park, just 15 miles from Sheffield.

Nearby Stocksbridge has grown over the years, but it's still a small town.

Just a stone's throw away, the urban environment gives way to woodland, and the Underbank Reservoir,

which offers a range of outdoor activities.

So, welcome to proper country living, this.

-It is, yes.

-So here, you've got four bedrooms.

You've also got a little cottage here - handy for the children, maybe, I don't know.

-There's loads of possibility with it.

-Yeah. That would be useful.

-Shall we get in?

Yeah, definitely.

Do come in. Don't look so worried.

This isn't the kitchen, OK?

This is a very handy utility room. You've also got a study which used to be a pigsty.

But come on through to the kitchen.

-That's lovely. That's really nice.

-Solid oak units as well.

And also, you can see the modern range.

-Yeah.

-It's got a nice butler sink.

-Oh, fantastic, yeah.

-It's a farmhouse kitchen, isn't it?

-It is.

-Yes. It's not a huge, but it's nice.

-Too small?

-No, I don't think it is.

I think it's got so much character, I think you can get away with it.

OK, great. Onward. Follow me.

Yeah, fantastic. Cottage-style oak beams.

Yeah. It's really unusual, isn't it?

Cos you've got a hallway and dining room and a sitting room sort of all in one space.

-You've got a galleried landing up here.

-Oh, right.

Which leads up to the bedrooms.

An impressive room to walk into.

-So, yeah, it's really interesting.

-Stop looking for a fireplace! There is one in here, OK?!

Come on, I'll show you where it is.

-There it is.

-That's nice, isn't it?

Yeah, it is. You wanted an open fire.

-Definitely.

-I think it's a lot of work, but that's something that you want, isn't it?

How often we'll use it, I don't know, but...

Can you imagine yourself being here? Would your furniture fit here, or not, really?

I think, again, they've got older furniture.

You could actually put modern furniture in here. And it would be...

That mixture of the new and old would work really well here.

-You're being very positive, both of you.

-I'm surprised you're that positive.

I'm glad you said that, cos, yeah, he's very positive.

It's bigger than I thought it would be. The main living areas and so on are bigger and more spacious.

-So, yeah, that's good.

-It seems to flow nice, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Shall we go upstairs?

-Oh, yeah.

Mind your head.

'So far, so good. This barn conversion has a completely different feel to the last.'

Off to the left are three out of the four bedrooms.

The first two are doubles, which Nick and Alex would probably put their names to.

And then there's the single guest room.

Sandwiched in the middle is the family bathroom,

which is contemporary, in contrast to the rest of the house.

Heading down the galleried landing to the other end of the house is the master.

-This is where you'd sleep.

-Yeah, this is nice.

-Fireplace.

-Yeah, it is, it's lovely. And...

I think it's really pretty.

Yeah, it is. It's a pretty room.

It's not massive, but it's big enough, isn't it?

-It's certainly not short on character in anyway, is it?

-No.

-I like it. And I can...

You're not quite there, are you?

-I think since downstairs, his enthusiasm has waned a little.

-Well, no, I think it's...

You know, it's not going to be massive upstairs.

Most cottages aren't, are they? You know, even if they're big downstairs.

-So I think you've got to compromise with the bedrooms.

-This is your own private wing.

-Cos you've also got a bathroom here.

-Ah, right.

-And your own staircase, taking you back down into the kitchen.

-Oh, wow! Yeah.

-That's good.

-I don't know why I'm telling you about it. I'll show you.

-Yes. Let's have a look.

-Your own bathroom.

-That's bigger than the family bathroom, isn't it?

It is. And you can still keep an eye on your horses

-out in the field there, through that window. Lovely.

-Shall we go outside?

-Yeah.

'They're both being really positive about this house, but I admit it caters more for Pam's needs.

'Heading outside, we pass the cottage annex, which has everything you'd want.'

And the teenagers might like to make use of it as they get older.

Just round the corner, there's plenty of room for the horses, as there are nine stables,

which sit on this five-acre plot. More than enough space for extending the equestrian family.

And I still have my trump card to play.

So, you wanted a manege.

-I give you a manege.

-Right, wow!

-Great.

-Fantastic. It's lit as well.

-It's floodlit, yes.

-That's a real bonus, isn't it?

-It is.

-You can see the land as well.

Where the horse is there, that's part of your land.

That field, that paddock. And the one in the front as well.

Your lifestyle, it fits in completely. Look around you, there are horses everywhere!

I think from a facilities point of view, you couldn't really ask for much more, could you, for the horses?

-No.

-So it definitely is a good contender on the lifestyle front, isn't it?

This house has obviously impressed. But as ever, it gets to crunch time.

-So, we've come to the moment that you dread.

-Yes.

-I sense. You like the house?

-I do, I love it.

I think this is my dream house.

OK. We'll get to you later.

How much d'you think it's on the market for?

I think it must be near 930, £930,000.

OK.

-How about you?

-I think it's a little bit cheaper.

I would have said 920.

Same ballpark, but maybe 920.

920. It's not 900,000.

-Is it over-budget?

-It's less than 900,000.

-Ah!

-Really?

-Yep.

It's actually on the market for £865,000.

-Gosh.

-What's wrong with it?

-I can't find a lot wrong with it.

-No.

-Go and have a look round. There's loads to see.

Explore the annex again as well.

And I'll come and find you.

-You're relieved, aren't you?

-I am.

At £865,000, surely this house has to take the winning rosette.

It has everything they want, and it's well within their budget.

-Can you see yourself here, then?

-I can.

-Can you?

-Yeah.

-Are you feeling at home already?

-I can, yeah.

It would do. But I'm after really in a building, a bit more space and a bit more of a feeling of space.

That's the thing that's missing for me.

-It's a pretty-looking property, isn't it?

-It is.

And the stables are hidden.

-They are.

-So you can't see that from the front of the house.

-On a nice summer's day, not a windy summer's day, it would be good, eh?

-It would.

-It would be lovely.

I can see us fitting in here.

I can see everything.

Erm, yeah,

it's made for me!

How did I know that you would be here, you two?

I can't possibly think why.

I feel really bad about this, but I'm gonna have to drag you away. More to see, I'm afraid.

Come on, let's go.

Clay pigeon shooting has been a popular English country sport

for the last century.

Adrian was once a keen shot and when he and Pam make the move to

the country, he would love to pick it up again, so they're meeting up

with Brian Dickenson, a local clay pigeon shooting instructor.

-Now, that is basic safety protection for your body. Yes?

-Excellent.

To ensure maximum safety, it's important there

is 275 metres of an exclusion zone in front of the gun.

So, this is the safe way to take the gun out of the slip. Unzip it.

Break it. Now, we can both see it's empty. Take it out of the slip.

We know that that gun is empty.

This is a 12 bore shotgun, designed to bust clays,

but also designed to kill.

So, we are always ultra, ultra safe.

With the briefing over, it's time to get cracking.

The clays are discs made of pitch and chalk

and fired remotely from a machine known as a trap.

And to insure you don't fire outside the designated area,

posing a danger to others, the shooter stands within a cage.

As Pam is a novice, she gets a lesson from Brian.

The gun is live. Mount your gun. Target is coming now.

-OK. Do not worry about that.

-Missed it.

-Of course you missed it.

-But that is the first time you have ever shot.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Take your gun down. Relax.

This is the clay target you are shooting, yes?

If you shoot straight at it, the target would have gone,

you'll be shooting there. So you shoot here, just in front of it.

-So that when the shot goes to it, it all goes together.

-OK.

-OK.

-Right.

Let's try again.

-There it is, there.

-With Brian's encouragement,

it only takes a few goes for Pam to get the hang of it.

-There. There, there. Good shot. Good shot!

-Did I hit that?!

-Marvellous!

-Right! Let's keep doing the same.

-Right, come on then!

Keep the same. Exactly.

-Whatever you did then, do exactly the same.

-I don't know what I did!

You hit it perfect.

Perfect! Absolutely! Perfect!

For a complete beginner, this is fantastic.

Pam is obviously a natural. Will Adrian be able to follow her high standard?

Under pressure now.

Target's going now!

-Follow it. It's coming now.

-Oops! It's not looking so good.

That's one. Oh! The wife is the winner! The wife is the winner!

No points for Adrian! Unfortunately.

Let's hope we hit the target with the house hunt instead.

Well, it's time for the mystery property,

and I'm quietly confident that they're gonna love this house.

It's got everything that they've asked for.

It's got five bedrooms, an annex, potential games room.

And outside, well, six acres, three paddocks, and three stables.

Just perfect! So why is it the mystery property, I hear you ask?

Well, I've brought them to north Lincolnshire.

Flat north Lincolnshire.

You look very nervous, Pam.

-Do I?

-Yeah, a little bit as if, "Oh, my God, where's he taking me?"

-Yeah!

-What would you hate?

Modern, square rooms.

I don't think it would matter as long as it had got good land outside for the horses.

You wouldn't care, would you?

No, not really.

So, we've come off brief for the mystery house.

It's just one mile outside Epworth in north Lincolnshire,

where the average detached property

is 16% cheaper than in South Yorkshire.

Sheffield is still commutable, at 39 miles.

We're going to show them how much more they can get for their money here.

But will they be able to accept the longer commute?

Epworth itself is known for being the birthplace in the 18th century, of John Wesley,

the founder of Methodism.

Today, Epworth is a fashionable market town, popular with commuters to the region's larger towns

due to its proximity to the motorway network.

This convenience might just swing it for Adrian and Pam.

So...

This has got the wow, hasn't it?

Yes, the wow factor with the grounds, I think, definitely.

-Nice drive, isn't it?

-It is.

-No, it's fantastic. Is it Georgian?

-It's 18th century.

-I can see stables.

-We shouldn't have looked at those yet!

-Yes, three stables, I'll show you them later.

There's loads of storage space as well.

-Shall we go inside?

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

'I reckon we're off to a pretty good start.

'We're taking the side entrance into the utility room, which takes us to the hall.'

You've got a boot room here. Downstairs loo.

Lovely.

-And the kitchen.

-Oh, wow!

-Good size, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

-An impressive, massive beam here. You've got the range, which you were after.

-Yes.

-Oil-fired, that is.

-Yep.

-You seem very quiet.

No, I love the range, I think that's great.

-It's different.

-Yeah. It's not...singing to me.

-OK.

-But...

-I can do that if you want.

You wouldn't want that, honestly.

Why is it not singing to you?

Erm, I don't know, really. I don't know.

Tell you what, let's move on.

That's a nice little snug, isn't it? Next door to the kitchen.

And, erm, wood-burning fire.

-Which is good.

-Open fire, yeah.

I love it when you give it this sort of look, you say, "It's nice."

THEY LAUGH

-Which, you know, means...

-Yeah.

-Not very, very nice.

-No, it is, it's nice. It's a different...

Pam I think has seen something before, and gone, that's great.

And then perhaps not come with an open mind.

-You need to come with an open mind.

-I know.

-You need to forget that, and see what this has got.

To be fair, I've only just shown you the kitchen, utility room and this little snug.

-So shall we show you the rest of the house?

-Yeah, definitely.

-My ambition is to change your opinion of it.

-OK.

Let's go.

Come on through to the court of King Henry VIII.

-Oh, right!

-Wow! Yeah, that is very impressive, isn't it?

-That's stunning.

-You've got this amazing fireplace.

-It's a real working fire. An informal sitting room through there. Good size.

-OK.

So, already, you've seen two places where you can put a TV room or whatever.

But the formal sitting room is just up here.

-Come and have a look.

-OK, lovely.

Yeah. Oh, yes, that's nice.

-A nice open fire again.

-Lovely fireplace.

-Yeah.

I could see you lying down there. I don't think I'd ever go to bed.

I'd go to sleep on that.

For this room, I think there's lovely potential

for it to remain a kind of a formal sitting room, don't you?

-Yeah, it is, it's...

-Beautiful.

You could just imagine having drinks in here, having dinner in there.

-It's like a nice country house hotel.

-Yeah.

Well, there's a second business for you, Adrian.

Time to take a peek upstairs. The huge landing is rather impressive in itself.

And this leads to five bedrooms.

And for a change, we're starting in the master.

-Really nice, bright room, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

-Nice panelling.

-More of a French feel in this room.

-Yeah, classically decorated.

-It's lovely.

-Again, very bright. What do you make of the flooring?

-Yeah. That's different, isn't it?

-Yeah. It gives it a really nice light.

-I love the idea that you walk down into the en suite.

-Oh, right, yeah.

I hope quirky features like this will help win Pam round.

The next two bedrooms are doubles, and then there's a single room with built-in wardrobes.

Towards the other end of the house are two bathrooms.

So it looks like the kids get one each.

And maybe Nick might be taken with the final room.

Another great-sized bedroom.

-Yeah.

-Lovely.

-With the funkiest ceiling lights.

Yes, they are different. This would be good for one of the kids, wouldn't it, this bedroom?

-Mmm.

-I'm sensing that you like it.

I do. Yes, I think it's a superb house, yeah. And you're not so sure.

No, I'm not. It's, erm, you're gonna have to persuade me on this one, I think.

-Oh, right.

-So it's roles reversed in a way, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Yes, I think, erm, I mean, we haven't seen the outside facilities, have we, really?

-Yeah. Yeah.

For the equestrian facilities.

-So you need to reserve judgment until you've seen that.

-Yeah.

-Cos you're being swayed by other things you've seen before.

-Yes.

-So I think you're not giving it a fair chance.

-No.

-You've got to look at it as a whole.

-Yes.

-I think this is really the best one we've seen.

-Definitely the best house.

-Yeah.

-By far.

-Yeah.

-OK. There you go. He's said it.

-Yeah.

I'm surprised you can't see that. I'm surprised that you think differently.

But we'll discuss it at length later.

I'm surprised that I'm here having to listen to this with you!

I feel like a bit of a gooseberry. I'll leave you to it. Follow me outside if you want.

But feel free to continue this.

No, we'll come before we start fighting!

The house, by and large, is meeting the brief.

But I just know Pam can't wait to get outside and

check out the equestrian facilities, which sit in a five-acre plot.

Loads of parking space.

-Loads of parking space.

-You wanted stables?

Three stables. You've always gone on about these

horses as if they're your, you know, an add-on to your family.

-They are a part of the family.

-They would be. They're more or less sleeping in the same house.

Exactly.

In addition to the stables, there's also a range of outbuildings

which I'm sure the family will soon find useful.

There's even a dedicated gym and games room.

And just behind is a tennis court.

But as they're not big fans, I was thinking they could take it up and replace it

with a, you've guessed it, manege.

-Pam, yet more grounds.

-Yeah.

-It's another field, isn't it?

-Yeah, small paddock.

-I've got to ask the question, haven't I?

-Yeah.

What d'you think it is on the market for? You go first this time.

Erm, I know it's a beautiful house, but I think it needs a fair bit spending on it.

But I think it's near the top end of our budget.

-Right.

-So I would say it's about nine-and-a-half hundred thousand pounds.

£950,000. OK.

I would agree. I think it's an absolutely stunning house.

I think it's fantastic. I think it ticks all the boxes for me.

Location - a bit further obviously than we wanted to be away, but perhaps doable.

So I would say, perhaps a bit cheaper than Pam.

I would say perhaps 900,000, something like that.

Hopefully it's within our budget.

It is within your budget.

It's very close to what you said.

-It's actually on the market for £895,000.

-Really?

-Yes, really.

She's got a smile on her face then! That is good value for money, I think.

I think compared to what we've seen, that is the best value for money house we've seen.

-It gives you over 100 grand to play around with.

-Yeah.

Well, I think you should go and have another look around.

And you should carry on trying to persuade her. Good luck.

-OK, yes, I'll need it, thank you.

-I'll come and find you.

-OK, great. Thank you.

-See you later.

This mystery house has created quite a stir.

Whilst Adrian loves it, Pam remains to be convinced. It has...

I don't think Pam feels quite the same way as I do with this house.

And I'm not really sure why, because I think logically speaking, it's got everything we want.

And as much as the other houses.

So it perhaps needs a bit of gentle persuasion on my part, or hard persuasion, probably!

And so that's what we're gonna have a discussion about, I think.

So you don't think there's enough land, then?

I don't think there's enough. And I think it needs quite a bit of work doing on the fencing.

You couldn't shove a horse in here straightaway.

-You'd have to do quite a bit of work.

-Yeah. But we could fix that with money.

You could. And there's money in the pot, isn't there?

-Yeah. So I wouldn't dismiss it because of that.

-No, it's not a deal breaker, is it?

No, it's a concern that you've got, OK.

I think it's very difficult to put my finger on what the problem is.

And I don't know. I really don't know.

For once in my life, I'm actually quite stuck for words, cos it is a fantastic house.

-It's amazing.

-So, what d'you think of the stables?

-Yeah, the stables are a good size, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-Standard size, really.

-Quite modern. They're reasonably new.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Just checking you're still talking.

-Yes. Just.

-That's a good thing. We've seen all the properties.

We've had different reactions - some positive, some negative.

So the only way we can decide is by having an arm wrestle.

Not you and me, but you and him.

-Go away and have a really good think, and meet up later.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Come on, let's go.

Adrian and Pam's property hunt has thrown up some

interesting propositions, but what will be the final outcome?

So, is it safe for me to sit down?

-It is. Yeah, we're all right, aren't we?

-The mystery property caused a little bit of a rift?

-It did put the cat amongst the pigeons, didn't it?

-Yes.

-The mystery property was controversial.

-Yeah, the horse came between you.

Let's talk about all the houses that we've seen.

-The first one...

-I loved the land. I thought the land was fantastic.

It was just really, the fields just surrounded the property

and hugged it, and it was brilliant,

I mean there was no facilities there, particularly,

for what we would want, but easily, we would have sorted that out.

It was just the house, it had no wow factor, did it?

And I just don't see how we could have possibly altered it

in any shape to get it to how we wanted it.

-And funnily enough, I totally agree.

-And what about the house on the hill, the windy hill.

-I loved the kitchen there. That kitchen...

-That had the wow factor.

-That, definitely, the kitchen was...

-That's the best room we've seen.

It is, by far, that one.

That had the land as well. And it had stables.

I think the price was a little bit high.

What about the house with the manege?

Oooh, that was fantastic.

It was set up perfect, for me. And I loved the fact that from every room, you could see the horses.

The views were amazing. You could just see for ever. And I love being outside.

-So... I hate being tied to the kitchen.

-This is a bone of contention, I think,

the priorities - Pam's are horses, kids, me!

-No, dogs, me.

-Dogs, me! Yeah!

So that's reflected in her choice of house. No, seriously, I think...

It's not really. The house was beautiful, though.

She's I'm sure prepared to compromise a lot on the house.

Whereas I would put the house by far at the top of my priorities.

So that's where we have the disagreement.

Maybe you're not gonna get a really lovely house and fantastic equestrian facilities.

Maybe that might not be possible. So there's got to be a compromise somewhere.

Unclench your fists, put them up here.

I'll just move these as well, cos we're gonna talk about the mystery property, and anything could happen!

That house had the wow factor, didn't it?

Especially when you walked up to it.

-Mmm. It was, it was what I was looking for, I think, in my mind's eye, as a dream house.

-I agree.

Yeah, whatever!

No, I do. I do agree. I think it needed a bit of work, really.

-And the rooms were not as big as I thought they'd be.

-You love it, though.

I thought it was great, yeah.

I thought they'd got plenty of interior space.

The rooms were not massive, I would agree.

But I think it was a house that you could remodel inside, how you wanted.

And the exterior space I think was fantastic.

-It's gonna be tough, isn't it?

-It is. Cos you really liked that, didn't you?

I thought it was, it was fantastic.

-And...

-We'd like to take the children. We've told them about those two properties.

And I think we're going to take them and let them decide.

Probably one of them will think, one will agree with me...

This has got disaster written all over it. It really has.

-They're going to have to have another programme.

-I think I'm busy!

Then I suggest you take the two horses as well, see what they think.

Oh, my God! Well, I'm delighted that you're gonna go and see two again.

And I've really loved meeting you. You were great fun.

-Thank you.

-And good luck with it.

-Thank you very much.

-Fantastic, thank you. It's lovely to meet you.

Will Pamela and Adrian ever agree on a property?

Well, I hope so, because it's obvious that they're both really spiritually attached to Yorkshire?

But having a few disagreements when you're property hunting, it's horses for courses, isn't it?

I'd say our work here is done. Till next time, goodbye.

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