Wiltshire Escape to the Country

This incredible estate was paid for by a family fortune

made in the City of London. A family who not only founded

the country's oldest privately-owned bank,

but also came up with the concept of using paper as money.

I'm glad they did. So, where am I and will today's buyers be putting their money where their mouth is?

Find out as we escape to the country.

This week I'll be helping a couple de-camp from town living

and find their dream home in the country.

And it needs to be big enough to accommodate a whole army...

I wonder what you're getting at(!)

I don't know, Helen, what do you think? Could it be a war games room?

'..but I'm not sure it's going to plan.'

A conversation might be a bit difficult in here. Mind your head.

'However, there's always our mystery house which might just seal a victory.'

I'm in Wiltshire and this is Stourhead House.

It was built in the 18th century.

It's the ancestral home of the Hoare banking dynasty.

It was Richard Hoare who came up with the idea of using paper instead of gold for financial exchanges,

paving the way for the money that we use today.

But it's not just Stourhead that boasts a fascinating history.

You can bank on the fact that this county offers plenty of interest.

Landlocked Wiltshire borders

Hampshire and Oxfordshire to the east

and Somerset to the west.

Wiltshire's countryside is shaped by its rich history

of arable and livestock farming which stretches back thousands of years.

A working landscape it may be, but two-fifths of the county

is protected as an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty -

from the chalk grasslands in the south and central areas to the clay-rich vales in the north.

The Salisbury Plain is home to Stonehenge,

one of the most famous prehistoric sites in Britain,

and with eight white horses galloping across its slopes,

Wiltshire is quite the county of mysterious landmarks.

There's a rich assortment of attractive properties too,

thanks to the wealth of natural materials on offer -

from thatched and timber-framed houses

through to the locally quarried stone buildings found near the county borders.

Wiltshire has always been very popular

with city dwellers in search of an escape route.

From Marlborough in the north-east of the county you can be in London or Bristol in just under an hour.

But with property prices so high,

you'll be seriously stumping up for that privilege.

If you're willing to look elsewhere, maybe in the west of the county

away from the commuter hot spots, then property is about 35% cheaper.

Wherever you look around this county there's a wealth of property on offer.

Here's what's currently on the market.

For just shy of ?1.3 million, this four-bedroom Cotswold stone house

in Castle Combe blends the traditional features

of the inglenook and beams with the completely new.

Just look at that inventive en suite.

And why not take the plunge into this suntrap of a swimming pool?

On the market at ?725,000, this spacious, five-bedroom new build

in Worton may have a modern shell, but the interior

is very traditional, including a large, country-style kitchen.

Outside, the terrace leads to over 1.5 acres of mature landscape gardens.

Or perhaps you could be converted by this renovated four-bedroom chapel

in Great Cheverell, on at ?415,000?

Its large sitting room and separate kitchen have loads of character

still intact, but outside there's an attractive garden.

And if you like all that, just you wait until you see what we've uncovered for today's buyers.

First, let's meet them.

Our couple are Chris, a retired civil servant, and Helen, who downsized to their current

three-bedroom house outside Newbury, just five months ago

with their three tortoise companions.

After 20 years of happy marriage,

Chris retired and they've been pursuing

their dream of building a high-spec home in Madeira.

So why the sudden sea change to Wiltshire?

It was a couple of months ago we made the decision that because of the economic situation,

we weren't going to be able to move to Madeira and build the property we wanted NOW.

Living here is fine, but everything's in boxes and while we were supposed

to be building in Madeira it was OK,

but at the moment there's no end in sight.

So we want to move on, find something bigger, so we can live.

After designing their dream home, is there any style of property they really don't want?

Lived in a bungalow for 20 years.

We've done the bungalow, let's try something different.

And how do they hope to spend their time once they move?

We're looking for the lifestyle in the country where you can just stop

and have a chat to people and talk about country matters,

about growing seasons and where the best wildlife is and walks in the country.

I'd like to be able to complain about walking to the local shop

taking three hours, cos everybody stops to talk to you.

Chris needs a games room to wage war with his model army.

What else are they hoping to find in their English country home?

We would like a view.

A view, I think, is very important and everything needs to be open.

Large, light rooms. At least four double bedrooms, if possible.

Chris is going to steal one for his toy room.

I'd like a nice big kitchen, a big cooker so that I can cook big meals.

Large lounge, open fireplace or a log-burner for a nice traditional feature.

My book-lined study of course with my oak desk.

We would want at least a double garage, I think,

to get some of our cars away.

Well, that's quite a list and that's just the inside.

But outside seems just as important.

I'd like a bigger garden than we have, more private.

As you can see, it's heavily overlooked.

I spend a lot of time in the garden sunbathing, gardening.

I'd like a vegetable plot, so I can grow more tortoise lettuce, greenhouse, poly tunnel...

Maybe join a local gardening club, so that I can integrate

and get to know people, which would be wonderful.

One of the things I'd like to pick up in the country

is an old childhood hobby of mine, which is astronomy.

Looking up at the sky and seeing the stars and the planets with a telescope.

And they've another BIG hobby.

We love off-roading.

We've had various off-roaders.

In the town we've had to downsize, we don't have the parking.

When we get to the country we're going to buy some more.

Helen and Chris plan to rent out their current property,

so how much do they have to spend on their country home?

Our budget for the new property is ?500,000.

So, it's a property in Madeira versus a property in Wiltshire.

Both are such different propositions.

In Madeira, Chris and Helen worked together with the architect

to design their "dream home" - a light, open, airy space,

big kitchen, a book-lined library, parking for three cars,

hobby room... And, oh! Let's not forget the glorious view.

A wish list that hasn't changed now that they're looking for a ?500,000 period property in Wiltshire,

a county where a detached property will set you back ?150,000

above the national average.

Who said I'm not up for a challenge?

Our house search will focus on the south-west corner

of Wiltshire and radiate out from the town of Devizes, where they have friends.

It'll also bring them closer to Helen's family, who live just over the border into Dorset.

I'll be showing Chris and Helen some fantastic Wiltshire homes

and, as always, I'll be asking them to guess the price once they've had a good look around.

Finally, there's our mystery house which will put what they think they're looking for to the test.

Chris, Helen, welcome to Wiltshire.

Thank you very much. Nice to see you.

It's lovely here. It's fantastic.

Just what we've been looking for.

Madeira, it ain't.

A little bit overcast, can't see the tropical plants.

But we can't do Madeira so we're looking here.

We know that a house that looks great in Wiltshire looks stupid

in Madeira and a house that looks great in Madeira looks stupid in Wiltshire.

We're not comparing the same things, we're looking for a different dream.

You are willing to compromise, do work on the property?

Absolutely. Put our own stamp on it.

Definitely. It would be nice to have something we can make ours.

So go on then, let's talk about budget.

Right, the big B word. We'd prefer not to spend over 500,000.

It's mainly because of the stamp duty.

But that does leave us doing work to anything that needs doing.

And also, 500,000 just seems a ridiculously big sum of money to me.

Yes, yes. But it doesn't get you that much these days. Not in Wiltshire.

No. Or anywhere, really.

But if you did find something that was over the budget we could stretch it.

I have a spreadsheet and it tells us

that we can probably afford up to 570... But it has to be perfect!

It has to be absolute top billing.

I'm loving your spreadsheets.

She's called Prudence.

So, a top figure of 570. Very top.

You've got your strange hobby, the toy soldiers,

which sounds like it takes up quite a bit of space.

Yeah. If you can get a, sort of, 10 by 4 foot table in the room, that would be good.

You're quite precise, aren't you? Very.

I tell you what, I think we should get going.

We've got some lovely properties, including the mystery one,

which will put a smile on your face. Let's go.

So, for ?500,000 we have to find Chris and Helen a home that gives them -

a large dining kitchen for Helen to serve up her culinary creations,

a study as well as a games room for Chris's toy soldiers,

a garage and plenty of parking space

along with a large garden so that they can grow their own

and enjoy fabulous countryside views.

So picture the scene -

we find you an AMAZING house,

the only problem is, it hasn't got a games room.

My God, he's beginning to shake!

THEY LAUGH

Games rooms can be built.

There can be a little corner of the garden which you could put a garden shed in.

Helen would quite happily banish me from the house

quite a lot of the time, I would think. Absolutely.

That's a very simple one to compromise on.

We kick off our house search 16 miles from Devizes in the small village of Bushton.

Surrounded by fields, you couldn't get a much more rural location.

Leading off the quiet country lanes are some well-marked cycle pathways,

with a welcome pint on tap at the local pub.

Just down the road brings us to this property.

It's cream!

Got some kerb appeal.

And a garage. And parking!

Is it rural enough for you? Yeah.

I can see some lovely views up that end,

and we've already checked out this area here and we can see

lots of weeds our tortoises like.

What about the house itself?

It's got kerb appeal. Nice so far.

It's got some history - parts of the house date back 250 years.

It's been extended over the last 20 years.

But I feel I'm telling you too much.

Shall we go and look? Yes, please! Let's go.

'What a great start, even the tortoises will be happy.

'Let's stick our heads inside and see what they think.'

Come on in.

Lovely little hallway, bags of character.

Downstairs loo, lots of storage. Storage, always good. Good.

Let me show you the dining room. Lovely.

Is this big enough for you? Yes.

All you need in a dining room is a table, and it's plenty big enough for a table.

So hallway and dining room so far...?

So far, so good. OK.

Excellent. Follow me.

So, we're now in the oldest part of the house, 250 years old.

Even got a bar! Few interesting things with...the light.

Conversation might be a bit difficult here. Mind your head.

I've got some friends about right for that.

That bulb's gone. There we go. Magic touch, I've got!

You like this room as a snug?

It's very nice. Is that a real fire?

There's a chimney there, yeah.

Real fires are good. Want to see the kitchen? Yeah!

Oh, yeah. Helen's domain.

So, Helen, the kitchen is your domain, is it?

Oh, yes. I don't get involved in this room.

This would do as a kitchen, certainly plenty of worktop space.

Plenty of possibility as well.

There's a large utility room through there.

You could knock down that wall and make a substantial-sized kitchen.

It's a possibility. It certainly is.

You wanted another living room, didn't you? Please.

Follow me. Wonderful.

Good, a sitting room. Nice size.

We prefer having big sofas to lounge on rather than chairs,

so it's got two sofas already so it's obviously big enough.

Then this lovely conservatory, looking onto the garden.

Let's lots of light in.

Neither of you have asked me, "Where does that door lead?"

I didn't want to be rude. I'm sure you're going to show us.

I'm not actually. No, I'm going to sulk!

It actually leads to the garage. That's useful.

Let's face it, a month after moving in, it won't be a garage,

it'll be a room for his toy soldiers or his book-lined study.

We need garages, we've got two soft-top vehicles -

you can't leave them out in the rain.

You've got a garage, then. And you've got four rooms upstairs for your toy soldiers. Come on!

'Chris and Helen are fabulous and I'm loving their positive attitude.

'With downstairs covered, we'll head upstairs, taking in some special features on the way.'

This old wood panelling is lovely.

That's very nice. I like that. LOVE the door.

At the moment, the current owners have this as a study.

I want to bring you to this room.

It's currently the third bedroom. Right.

Oh, but it's a double.

It is. I'm thinking, maybe, not keeping it as a bedroom.

I wonder what you're getting at(!)

I don't know, Helen. What do you think?

Could it be a war games room, possibly? It could be.

I reckon it could work. Yeah!

Natural light is very important.

I'd probably do a lot of my painting in here as well,

and there's nothing better for painting tiny little soldiers than natural light.

It's been good for you, so far. You've got the study, you've got the toy soldier room.

Can I have something now? Yes, let's look after you now.

'Further down the landing is the main bathroom with bath and shower,

'and another nice-sized double room with fitted wardrobes.

'But I'm gunning for what would be THEIR bedroom.'

This is your master bedroom!

Wonderful. Good size.

Begs the natural question, what's round the corner? What d'you think?

At a guess, big lump taken out of the bedroom - got to be en suite.

You're far too bright. I'm sharp, aren't I? You are sharp!

It is an en suite. That was on our list of things we wanted.

What d'you think of the size? It's a good size.

Yeah, even I could actually get down the side of the bed.

Nice big window, so that lets in lots of light.

Could you imagine yourself in here?

Yeah. Yeah. Yes, it has character.

I'm really thrilled you like the inside of the house.

I thought you would - the mixture of history as well.

It's a nice house.

Good, I'm glad. Outside?

Let's go and see the garden. I don't think it's raining. Good.

'It's early days, but I think we have a thumbs up.

'Let's get some fresh air and see if the garden would be good tortoise terrain.'

What I like is the unusual layout of this garden.

It's certainly different. It's got some useful areas.

Useful areas?!

We've worked out that the tortoises could live in the area by the conservatory.

Oh, I had that as a vegetable plot.

No, no. That's the vegetable plot.

OK. You don't hang around, you two, do you!

Let's talk money, shall we?

What do you reckon all this is on the market for?

I was going to say 475.

475,000? OK.

I was going to go a bit less than that, I'd say about 465.

How far out are we?

It's currently on the market for ?450,000, well within your budget.

The current owners have had a couple of offers around the ?400,000 mark.

Go and have a look round and I'll find you.

See you shortly. See you in a bit.

This house has character and a fair price tag.

Under budget at ?450,000, it offers Chris and Helen -

three reception rooms,

four bedrooms, including that important master en suite,

a large, zoned garden,

a double garage and lots of parking space for all their cars.

Although there aren't any panoramic views,

the house IS in a quiet location.

It's quite a nice garden.

We hoped for more, but the tortoises would be happy.

As long as we made them a nice grassy area with lots of weeds.

Yes, I could make a vegetable plot, but...there's no views.

If only it had a view.

I like it. It's got a bit of history to it - very nice.

I reckon you'd probably have this wall down, wouldn't you, love?

Probably, hammer finger's itching. Yes, make a nice big kitchen.

'It looked like an interesting match up between old things and new things.

'We saw more of that on the inside.'

But there was character to it on the outside.

You took your time, so you obviously like it. Got to see everything.

It's worth taking a closer look at.

That's what I like about you, you're thorough.

But we've got loads to see, so let's crack on.

Devizes is certainly a real hub of a place to be basing our house hunt round -

it has its fair share of history with medieval streets still

surrounding its impressive 12th-century castle.

There's also the imposing Corn Exchange, built in 1857,

which stands as a lasting testament to the town's wealth from its agricultural trade.

Transporting goods using the local waterways became possible

in the early-19th century, thanks to a triumph of engineering.

Chris and Helen are meeting town guide Simon Fisher by the water's edge to learn how it came about.

Here we are at the Kennet And Avon Canal.

To emphasise how important Devizes was as a trading centre -

they had to bring the canal through Devizes, which then linked Bristol and London.

What they did, they created 29 locks.

The architect, John Rennie, started the project in the late-1700s and it took till 1810 to finish it.

It was a big piece of work.

To get down the canal, it would take a whole day to get down the 29 locks.

Today it's a marvellous challenge for anybody in a pleasure boat,

but obviously in those days it was a major feat.

Before they're tempted to mess about in boats,

we'd better continue our house hunt.

Our next property is just 13 miles away in the quiet village of Foxham.

As well as a pub, a great spot to meet the locals,

Chris can explore Foxham's historic church,

and I think they're going to love the countryside views they'll get from our next house.

First impressions of the house?

Gorgeous. Wow! Stone and mullioned windows.

Leaded windows... Looks absolutely wonderful.

You're smiling, but not REALLY smiling.

I want to get in there and have a look! It's a bit of shock.

It looks really, really nice.

Let's have a look in, shall we?

'The excitement is definitely building.

'This house is not 30 years old, but with the Cotswold stone

'features outside and in, there's a great blend of old and new.

'I hope they agree.'

Imposing property and imposing doorway. It's fantastic, isn't it?

I love the knocker! Nice solid door.

Come through here.

Ooh.

Ooh! That's nice, isn't it?

I think we can fit in here!

Great fireplace there, working fireplace.

And a sort of a bay.

This was put in by the current owners.

There's SO much to show you.

I'm excited about it! Nearly as excited as us, by the sound of it!

Shall we get on with it? Yes, please.

'Across the entrance hall, the large dining room

'is just perfect for friends to feast on Helen's cooking.

'Let's see if she's fired up by the kitchen.'

This is the kitchen.

Ah-ha. Country kitchen.

It's not the biggest kitchen I've ever seen,

but there's room for a table. There is.

Plenty of cupboard space.

To my left, there's a utility room.

Is this big enough for you as it is now?

Yes.

It's not my perfect kitchen, but it's certainly big enough to move in and use.

Notice I haven't asked Chris.

Pointless, isn't it? Like he'd know!

Shall we go upstairs? Yes, please.

'Chris and Helen are decisive and seem to be weighing up the options, which I just love.

'So we'll take a look at how the five bedrooms upstairs could work for them.'

Come into the smallest bedroom, which is currently used as a study.

Right. And a big loft ladder.

The reason the loft ladder is down

is because I want YOU to poke your head up there.

Happy poking! I'm off for a poke.

(I'm trying to save you a bedroom.) (Thank you.) (No problem.)

Ah-ha. It's potentially a very, very long room.

I don't know how many books you've got, but what about transforming

that into a pretty impressive library? Library.

Spiral staircase from the office.

That could work. Box ticked?

It's TICKING, yeah.

Ticking! He's getting picky now.

Come on, let's go.

I'm not favouring Chris.

Well, I am a little bit.

No, favour me, favour me!

This could be a bedroom, but then again it could be a great toy soldier room.

It could. Do you know the dimensions?

Fourteen three by eleven five.

That's a 10 by 4 war games table.

That's a big one. Oh, really?

That would be VERY nice.

You've just been into the little study.

You could of course knock through there, make the study

and the toy soldier room,

AND maybe the library, spiral staircase here, all your domain.

Potentially, yes.

That would be great.

'Chris has options and there are four other bedrooms, including a single room

'with built-in wardrobes, and a light, bright double room.

'The main bathroom has a huge corner bath and separate shower cubicle.

'Now it's time to scope the master.'

Right. Old eagle eyes has spotted the en suite!

It's a necessity. Laser-guided!

Yes, yes. Then you've got this view.

Yeah, we can cope.

You're saying all the right things. Good. Big enough for you?

Built-in wardrobes. Yes, I think our bed will fit.

Okey-doke, that's the house inside. Brilliant.

Do I get to go into my garden?

You do, but tell me what you think of inside first.

It's...all right.

No, I really like it. Really? Yes.

It's ticking those boxes again.

There's scope for us to change things and update things,

and possibly move some things around,

but, in essence, pretty well everything is there. Absolutely.

Let's go out to the garden, shall we?

'Let battle commence, the house seems to have won them over.

'Let's hope the garden can seal a victory.'

I'd say it's a good-sized garden, wouldn't you?

Yes. Got some nice features again.

You can see there's a greenhouse,

there's a lovely little seating area AND...

My veggie plot! Ready made!

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Raised borders and everything.

I'm not sure if this garden is big enough. Tell me.

Yes, there's garden at the front as well, it's got my vegetable plot.

Not sure where the tortoises would go but I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

OK. It sounds all really positive.

It is pretty positive. Very positive.

It just depends whether we can afford it.

It does, I suppose. Oh. Hmm. Is it that time again?

What do you think this property's currently on the market for?

I would say 485,000.

I would say 520.

It's currently on the market for ?545,000. OK. Oh.

The current owners have said that they will take offers.

Right. It's been on the market for just over three months. OK.

There's a lot to take in.

Go and look and check out the view again, that might sway it for you.

The view was a big plus.

Yeah. OK. Thank you very much, see you in a minute. Thank you.

This beautiful stone house is ?45,000 over budget,

but Chris and Helen can see where a sensible offer would get them.

It meets their brief in SO many ways, giving them -

two large reception rooms with character stone fireplaces,

five bedrooms with the master en suite,

a large garden with vegetable plot,

ample parking for their fleet of monster trucks.

The garden's a good size, but it's not open.

There's a big hedge at the back.

I like to feel open and not overlooked.

'It was perhaps REALLY nice from the front and then,'

the further we went through... Perhaps the shine came off it a bit.

'For the work that we'd like to do, I think it's a little worrying.'

We'd have to think about it VERY carefully and maybe do a bit of negotiation.

I don't know about Chris and Helen, but I can imagine myself sat here,

looking at that view with a glass of wine.

Notice anything missing? Nice house, isn't it? It is, it's lovely.

It is, it is. It's very nice.

Lovely garden. It's at the top of your budget, but you've got to take into account THAT view.

It's not bad. You keep bringing that up!

It could be yours.

You need to talk. We do. Oh, yes.

Come on, let's go. OK.

Now, I've always been fascinated by neoclassical architecture and couldn't miss out on a visit

to one of the first Palladian mansions to be built in England.

The UK has a wealth of stately homes,

but Wiltshire has a landed estate with a difference.

One built up by a family with humble origins whose fortune was made

on the mean streets of London's fledgling banking industry.

The Stourhead Estate was the brainchild of Henry Hoare,

whose father made his fortune in the late-17th century

establishing Hoare's Bank, the oldest, privately-owned bank in the country.

I'm meeting Alan Power, the head gardener at Stourhead,

who's offered to show me around.

Alan, good to meet you. Good morning, welcome. Thank you.

On a day like this, you've got the best job in the world.

I'm lucky to work somewhere like this.

When the sun's out, it's even better.

So tell me a bit about this house.

Was this unique at the time? It was REALLY contemporary at the time.

Andrea Palladio, who was a fantastic architect and designer,

his style of architecture started becoming popular in England

in the very early 18th century.

Do people come here for the house or the gardens?

They come here for the gardens.

Inspired by the European landscape paintings

he saw during his grand tour,

Henry turned his back on the style of formal French gardens

and created a more natural, romantic landscape

based around a 15-acre lake.

He also commissioned young architect Henry Flitcroft to design some stunning classical features.

Alan is going to take me to the Temple Of Flora where it began.

These follies are magnificent to look at, but there's more to them.

There certainly is. The Temple Of Flora is the start of Stourhead's journey from initial conception.

It's sat here since the 1740s and it watched the 30 years

of development that happened subsequently.

There's an inscription from The Aeneid over the door -

"Procul o procul este profani," be gone all you who are uninitiated -

if you're not going to appreciate my garden, don't visit.

Get out. Exactly.

This is an amazing lake. It's fantastic.

It's...well spotted.

It provides reflection, almost another dimension to your visit.

It's got beautiful serpentine edges.

It increases the scale, it doubles the height of the trees through reflection in the garden.

It is a wonderful feature.

It's an amazing place. It really is.

It's the sort of place where I'd love to sit and stare.

Stourhead is a magnificent monument to the neoclassical tradition, whose blending of art and nature

pushed the boundaries of the early-18th-century English landscape movement.

As the first day of our house search draws to a close,

Helen and Chris compare notes on what they think

of the properties they've seen.

Crikey, what a day!

Yes, busy, but saw some nice houses.

We did. What do you reckon on the cottage?

It really was very nice.

I loved that it was 250 years old. Yes, history is good, I like history.

Ceilings were a little low in places,

I can see you cracking your head a few times. I would, at some point, yeah!

The kitchen was a little small,

and the garden, again, a little small without the open aspect.

It looked like there were views down the road, although you couldn't see them.

There were no views from the house itself, but it would be a short walk to find some nice, open fields.

Then there was the stone house.

The stone house, yes, it was a very good first impression, wasn't it?

I... You were a little dumbstruck! I was blown away by that,

I've never felt like that with a house before -

kerb appeal in spades. Absolutely.

The sitting room, fantastic, and I think the further in we went,

maybe it did...didn't live up to the initial promise.

I lost my focus a bit there, and the kitchen was obviously not what you wanted.

Very good location, nice and quiet,

small village, sounds very friendly. Yeah.

Yes... Let's see what comes up next, then.

Absolutely, very much looking forward to tomorrow. Yeah.

With dreams of building a new home in Madeira now on ice,

Chris and Helen want to head for the Wiltshire plains.

Chris's trusty spreadsheet Prudence has calculated they have a ?500,000 budget

and they have got a wish list which even includes a toy soldier room.

They've seen two houses

and, coming up, we may have found perfection.

Can you see it? I CAN see it.

A huge garden, isn't it? Absolutely huge.

And we might just be victorious with our mystery house.

It's a brand new day,

and our search continues to find the lovely Chris and Helen

their dream property here in Wiltshire.

On the whole, it went rather well yesterday, I thought.

But I do have my reservations -

I think they're slightly unrealistic about what their budget can buy them in this expensive county.

What I'm hoping is, by the time we get to the mystery property,

Chris, Helen and, more importantly, Prudence, are all singing from the same spreadsheet.

Let's get on with it.

Our next house is 17 miles from Devizes,

in the pretty village of Oare. There's everything they could wish for - a village pub,

a Victorian church to satisfy Chris's craving for local history,

and sweeping fields with the impressive backdrop of Oare Hill.

Among the variety of properties there's this one,

next to the village primary school.

We couldn't have a better day for it! Perfect!

Here you go. Right!

Silence.

We're just enjoying the silence really,

this is the Pewsey Vale. Ah, you know!

We know this area, yeah.

So you like the area? The area's fantastic. It's very nice.

What about the location of the house?

I do notice there is a primary school next door, which is possibly a worry.

How much of a worry? I don't know, it depends on the rest of the house.

Somewhere... There is a compromise somewhere,

and we need to work out whether that's it, so... OK.

I'll tell you, it's a house with potential.

I like that word. As you can see, there is a garage there,

which you could extend out into another room or use it as a garage.

As usual, you're chomping at the bit, revving yourself up...

Shall we? After three, ready? Come on, let's go!

'Tell you what, I can't hold them back!

'This house was built in the 1950s and extended 20 years ago.

'Let's keep that word "potential" firmly in our minds

'as we go inside, shall we?'

I love it when you get into a house, there's a massive smile on your face.

It's a good size, isn't it? Yeah.

Maybe slightly dated, but that's a huge advantage.

Hold on - "it's dated, that's a huge advantage"?

Yeah, I like to get in and do things,

get my paint brushes out and fix things... So it's a project, in a way?

Project, good, yes. Pretty well every house is a project for Helen.

OK. I like to play. I love Helen.

Oh, thank you! No, I do.

I see there's an open fire but it's covered over.

Is it fully working? It is working, yeah. OK.

Lovely. Onward. Let's carry on. Lovely.

Yes, lovely indeed. Leading off the entrance hall is a useful toilet.

And next...

The kitchen! The kitchen - my kitchen!

Um...it needs a new one which, again, advantage...

Put in exactly what I want. Yeah. Fantastic.

OK, good. Come on. Excellent.

They can breakfast in the kitchen and lunch in the separate dining-room

with open views over the garden.

But we'll press on through to the conservatory.

Good size, isn't it? This is a focal point, isn't it? Yeah. Isn't it?

I'll bet this is where the current family spend most of their time.

And nice view of the garden. Very nice! Shall we go upstairs? OK, come on.

'They liked the conservatory, didn't they?

'Let's hope it'll be enough to make them forget about the neighbouring school.

'Fingers crossed that upstairs measures up.'

You've got five bedrooms up here,

a good-sized family bathroom, a double room there.

You're not going to get your book-lined study, I'm afraid,

it's more a box room. Another empty box without a tick.

Never mind. Oh, he's harsh, isn't he?

I could feel the hatred there...

But this is a room I really do want to show you.

Right... Big enough for a war?

I reckon I could get an eight by four table in here.

Lives are ruled by sizes of tables.

Let's all go to the master bedroom. Brilliant.

On the way, we pass the final bedroom, certainly big enough to be a double. On to the master.

Spacious. Not tremendously, not to me.

Notice something that possibly may be missing,

along the lines of en suite.

Yes. They're always nice, but it's not a deal-breaker, obviously, but...

You're going to get to know your guests because there's one bathroom. Yes.

The room is a good size. You can put a bed in it.

It's not a no? Nothing is a no. Everything is worthy of consideration. Absolutely.

Until... Having not seen the garden yet, definitely can't make a decision. Let's see the garden.

'I love the fact that they're trying to see the potential in this house,

'but I'm not convinced we've hit the nail on the head with this property.'

If it's a sun trap you're after... It is rather a sun trap. Oh, yeah.

I do like my sun. Yeah, me too. It's nice and private as well.

Like with the rest of the property, there are doors opening and closing everywhere.

I do like to be able to get in and out of different rooms.

I'm glad you like this. Yes, I can hear the birds. You can.

Birds full in song there. Yes.

Isn't that lovely? Yes, that's all you can hear really. Very nice.

It is. I could listen to that all day.

Very private garden. It is. Yeah. That's wonderful. The garden is really nice.

Yes, I can see the place where the vegetable plot would go. Down there?

Absolutely. Ideal. The one thing I would do, it sounds like a travesty,

but I would have quite a lot of these trees down to really open up

the view of the hills, let more light in. Yes.

Yes, you want to be private, but you don't want that privacy to spoil

what is essentially a fantastic view. Mm.

That has the potential to be glorious. OK, let's talk about money. Right yes.

Yes. It's a quarter of an acre we're talking about here. Right.

Lovely view. Mm hm. Five bedrooms, with huge potential as you say.

Yes. So what do you think it's on the market for?

I would probably say about 485.

I would say it's going to be probably the famous 499,950.

OK. It was on the market for ?525,000... Right. It was...

It's been on the market for four months. OK.

How much did you say?

499,950...and 35p!

Now you've ruined it with the 35p.

It's on the market for ?499,950.

Right. Well done. Congratulations. Thank you. Winner! Champion!

Very impressive.

You're smiling.

I think that's right. Yes. I think that's right. Yes.

Still you've got some money to play around with haven't you? Yes.

We have the scope to do what we feel the house needs.

Go and get your tape measure out and find out how close to the primary school you are -

whether it's just a little bit too close or not,

and have a good look around. I'll come and find you. OK. Thank you. See you in a bit. Bye.

With ?50 to spare this detached property

has great potential and if Chris and Helen

dug into their slush fund for refurb work,

it could give them everything they're looking for.

There are three large reception rooms

including that bonus of a conservatory,

five bedrooms, so room for Chris's soldiers,

a private, quarter acre, south facing garden.

And although the primary school is close by

the house is in a secluded location,

so it will be birdsong from dawn till dusk.

The garden's lovely. I can see things I'd like to do with it,

which is always a good thing. I can see where the vegetable plot would go,

the tortoises would find their own nice little spot.

I'd like to think we can see through what the house needs.

I like to have a project. I like to visualise how it's going to be.

This one is a large project.

We'd have to carefully sit down and look at the budget,

and work out whether it would be worth it and whether it would add the value that we wanted it to do.

There are things that can be done.

Whether they would turn the house into our dream house

we would have to give serious thought to.

Ah-ha! We made it finally.

I found the perfect place to wait for you.

Rather a soggy bottom, but there we go!

Seen enough? Yes, I think we have, thank you. Come on. let's go. Wonderful.

Chris and Helen both love cars, with Helen harbouring

particular passion for 4X4 off-roading.

With that in mind we arranged for them to visit one of Wiltshire's

specially made tracks to meet Colin Reid,

former British 4X4 off-roading champion,

who's going to give them a gentle introduction to the terrain.

So, Helen, I hear you're into off-road driving.

We certainly are. We've got two off-roaders at home. Right. We just need to do some more really.

Right. We've got 700 acres here.

It's all purpose built man-made courses.

We have ascents, descents, angles, ditches to get across,

all bits and pieces... Fantastic. Sounds good.

..so we'd best go and have a play, OK?

My turn first? Your turn first. Wonderful. Thank you.

You want to jump in there? Chris, jump in the back.

So it's all aboard for a bumpy ride.

Off-roading demands responsible driving on designated terrain

and it's important to be mindful of the countryside

and not trespass on protected farming land.

But it's time for Helen to get the measure of the first obstacle.

This what we call a ditch crossing.

What we need to do is to find an angle, all right?

The angle is approximately 50 degrees, something like that,

and then what you do is you roll a wheel in at a time.

Nice and gentle, first gear, just roll down in with the car,

so you'll always have a wheel in contact with the ground to pull you through.

I you'd like to get in the car... Wonderful.

Chris, if you'd like to go over that side, far enough out of the way and watch what's going on.

Well Helen seems revved up and raring to go

with Chris standing by for moral support.

That's good. Don't touch down on the pedals. Perfect. Straighten your steering a little bit.

Gently back onto the gas now to pull yourself out.

Slowly does it. She finds the right angle and clears the ditch successfully.

Thank you very much. Was that all right. I enjoyed that. Good. That was wonderful.

Next up it's Chris's turn to get into the driving seat.

Let's see if he has Helen's nerves of steel

when he faces his challenge of mastering the steep slope.

It's downhill all the way.

Right, Chris, what we've got here is a nice steep drop, OK?

It's probably round about 50 degrees,

so it's quite steep. OK.

Nice and dry today though. Lots of traction on it.

It's chalk with some flints and that's sticking out as you can see. Yes.

So there is some grip on it so the car's not going to slide away from us. All right?

If you'd like to get in. Helen, if you'd like to stand back over there. Yep.

So it's all systems go as Chris takes to the wheel.

Here we go. That's it. Then off of both pedals.

On the wheel and down we go.

The secret to speed control on terrain like this

is to stay in a low gear, engage both the axles,

and hold off braking so the car doesn't skid.

Magic. That's lovely, well done. If you'd like to pull forward and stop there. That's wonderful.

It's mission accomplished for Chris and now the adrenalin buzz has kicked in,

it's time to regroup.

Helen, come and join us. Where have you been?

I made it down the slope.

Good, well done. Excellent. Thank you very much, guys.

That's been brilliant. You've both been very good pupils.

Chris and Helen seem really fired up by their off-roading antics.

I hope they feel as passionate about our next property.

So now, here's a teaser for you -

what sort of property do you find a couple who have lived

in a bungalow for 20 years and vowed never to step foot in one again?

You've guessed it, but this is a bungalow with a difference.

We're delivering the one thing we haven't so far -

a lovely view. Will that ONE aspect swing it for them?

Let's find out.

Well, I do hope so,

because I'm not sure they're into bungalows any more.

For the last 20 years, before the move to Newbury, we had a 1973 bungalow. OK.

When we were looking for it originally,

I was wanting a nice little country cottage, but this one came up,

Chris dragged me to it kicking and screaming...

Why were you kicking and screaming?

I've always considered bungalows to be a total waste of space.

Um... They need a much larger plot, for example. And it's quite nice,

sometimes, to have a separation between living and bedrooms.

Well, let's see what they make of our mystery property.

It's only six miles from Devizes

in the popular village of Great Cheverell.

Helen could get stuck into community life here,

which centres around the pub, the village shop and post office.

And, what a location, with the Salisbury Plain right on their doorstep.

Among the assortment of properties dotted about is this low-lying one.

What's that I see in front of me?

No, it couldn't be. It could.

It's a house in a hole

or a house where somebody's stolen the top bit.

I think they call it a bungalow.

Do they? I've never seen one before.

You liar, you. I am a bit.

How do you feel about this bungalow with that view?

Well, the view certainly does help an awful lot.

That's panoramic, isn't it?

Yes. We'll have to see if the bungalow itself takes advantage of said views.

Are you willing to give it a go?

Definitely. With a bungalow we KNOW what we're talking about.

Exactly. You've been there and done it.

Yes, good at bungalows.

Keep saying to yourself, it's got a great view.

It's the view, it's the view. And the plot. Let's go.

Let's go for it.

'In fact, our mystery bungalow is far from ordinary.

'It's a 19th-century lodge house bungalow which has been extended,

'so Chris would get his dose of history. Let's hope it can work its magic on them.'

Come on in. Lovely. Thank you.

It's very welcoming. Yes, it's an impressive hallway.

This almost looks like a separate house.

You've got a double glazed window inside the house.

I think this was the front door and this is an extension.

Useful there, you've got a good sized double bedroom and a wet room.

So if you've got guests coming that want their privacy... Or we want rid of them, yes.

I've got loads to show you, but I'm going to treat YOU first. It's always me.

I'll let YOU go first if he's treating YOU.

Chris, I think this may make you happy.

I think I know what you're going to say. What, Chris?

Book-lined study. That's exactly what I was going to say, Chris.

You've got the original 19th-century fireplace, working fireplace.

That's nice. Through there, that's a bedroom at the moment.

A very light and airy bedroom just ideal for...

My little toy soldiers.

I can imagine sitting here, a couple of nice armchairs,

loads of books around, roaring log fire...

Roaring wife. I'm there.

I'm curling up. Paradise on Earth.

Can you see it? I CAN see it. Brilliant.

There's a plus point for you as well.

Good. We'll leave you there.

Just stand there for a minute. OK. You come with me... We're alone.

We stand at the door.

Ah! And there's a chain where we can lock you in.

Isn't that great?

THEY LAUGH

You can come out when Britain's won. I feel so rejected.

Come on, follow us. 'Now Chris can be imprisoned in his games room,

'let's go next door and attack Helen's wish list.'

You've got exposed floorboards.

They are gorgeous, aren't they?

It is tiled when you walk in and then you get to the floorboards.

And this is your room. It's a jolly good size, isn't it?

It is. It's a proper eat-in kitchen.

Yeah, but what about the space? The space is absolutely brilliant.

'Down the other end of the hallway is the third of the four bedrooms,

'but let's check out the main bathroom.'

Come in here. Ah! The bathroom.

It's a jolly good size, isn't it?

It is, isn't it? It's a really good family bathroom, I'd say.

It's a jolly good size.

Yeah. Excellent.

Let me show you where you're going to kip.

Ooh!

Room for a four poster, then? Yes.

Plenty of space to... breathe in here, isn't there?

And also, waking up in the morning

and the first thing you see is your garden.

Ooh, it's got a wood burner!

Isn't that cute? Isn't that gorgeous?

Imagine those cold winter nights.

Well... They wouldn't be cold. After the two glasses of port.

So you'd go from the...

From the fire in there to the fire in here and you wouldn't get cold in between.

And there's one in the middle!

It's my favourite room, I'll show you that last.

We're fired with enthusiasm.

'That's what I like to hear. And it's the biggest one yet,

'so let's hope they give the room a warm reception.'

Ooh. Ah-ha, the living room.

Yes, that's a very OBVIOUS feature, isn't it?

I love the beam above the top.

A nice sort of study area there... That's nice.

Wonderful, that is.

This is a good room for entertaining.

Totally. Superb, absolutely superb.

And the room with the views.

Yes. Have we won you over?

Yes. I think you have. I'm impressed.

I'd still like to see the outside, because the garden's important.

I didn't know you'd say that. You couldn't have guessed.

It's got all of the things we asked for.

We said nothing was going to tick all the boxes,

but there's more ticks than we expected, perhaps.

I remember that bottom box that just said, "View."

Let's tick it.

Come on out.

This is what it's all about, isn't it?

And how. Fresh air and uninterrupted views.

I think it needs a conservatory, so that you can actually sit here

in the winter and take advantage of the view.

How fantastic would that be? Snow-covered fields...

'They're getting creative, that's a good sign.

'They also get a store room and a double-length garage,

'with a chance to buy the whole barn if they wanted to.

'But let's give Chris and Helen the opportunity to soak up surroundings in the one-acre garden.

This is lovely. It is.

It's wonderful, isn't it? It's close to idyllic.

It is. Lovely stand of trees,

there's a, sort of, wilderness patch there that really cries out

to be levelled off and have something nice done.

I could do that.

So, what do you think this one-acre plot of land with a bungalow on it is worth?

It's got to be about ?530,000.

OK, how about you, Helen?

I'm going to say 510.

Would it make a massive difference if I said it was way over budget?

If it was 550 or something?

Yes, it would. It's not.

It's currently on the market for ?520,000.

Oh! Middle ground!

For the size of the plot, the size of the building, the original

features, the obvious history, I think it's a fair price.

Yes, I do, it is. Go and have a look round, take it all in.

See you later. And I'm glad you didn't say, "No."

Ha! We never say "No". You never say "No," that's what I love about you.

The mystery property has done it again, it's added that element of confusion, hasn't it?

You can hear the cogs working as they're walking back.

You know, it's not always that you instantly fall for a property.

I got the impression that Helen wasn't too keen on the fact

that it was a bungalow to start with, but I've just heard her say

to Chris when she thought I was out of earshot,

"I'm really falling in love with this place."

So, maybe it's a case of "bungalo-yes", not "bungalo-no".

Apologies for that, I do hope so though.

Because although it's ?20,000 over budget, they do have room for manoeuvre on the money.

Our bungalow gives them -

a huge sitting room with period features,

a large dining kitchen for Helen, and a study for Chris,

four bedrooms and a one-acre plot

which is a real blank canvas with spectacular views

over the Salisbury Plain.

It's a huge garden, isn't it? Absolutely huge.

The outside of the house is absolutely everything

we're looking for. The views are to die for.

The stand of trees in the garden is almost idyllic.

The mystery house is always going to be a curve ball, and this is the ultimate curve ball.

We weren't expecting it, we weren't ready for it.

We had to revise all our opinions, really,

and start again from scratch.

This bungalow actually has everything -

It's got character, it's got space, it's got views.

Ah! What a vision, both of you through that dappled sunlight -

absolutely idyllic. You're too kind.

It wasn't a strain for me, leaning on this post.

No, it's hard, standing looking at the view.

Well, the property tour is over,

there's a hell of a lot to take in. Just a bit.

Oh yes. Bit of thinking to be done.

I'm not going to put you on the spot,

you should go away and have a good think,

and we'll catch up later.

Sounds fantastic. Fine.

Our house search has certainly given Chris and Helen a whole host of different options to mull over,

but will one property rise above them all?

Well, it's decision time. Which, if any of the houses, will Helen and Chris go for?

This is going to be a difficult one to call,

they've had positive things to say about ALL the properties.

But have we found them the right house, with the right garden, in the right location?

Let's go and find out.

Trust you two, finding the most idyllic spot in the whole building.

We thought we'd managed to escape. Well, you haven't, not quite yet.

We're working on it. Are you going to escape to Wiltshire?

Let's talk about the properties, let's start with the cottage.

It was a nice traditional house, it had some nice features.

The rooms were small and I would have had a problem with the head height in a number of rooms.

The garden was pleasant,

but it missed the important features of the view and...

Let's move on. OK. The stone house. The stone house!

I have never, in all the times I've gone to look at houses,

felt the way I did when I saw the stone house.

It just looked so traditional,

the front garden looked nice. Inside, the lounge was superb -

the fireplace was lovely,

the, sort of, bay extension was really nice. The lounge was superb.

It was the back, for me, that was possibly a bit more of a let down.

What, the garden, then?

The garden itself was lovely,

it did feel a little enclosed to me and the back was a lot plainer.

Let's talk about the 1950s house. Do we talk about the elephant in the room,

which is the school next door? Yes. We haven't got children, we never wanted children,

and we don't want everybody else's children.

I think it's probably a very good house for young families. Mm hm.

There's a school next door. Just throw them over the hedge in the morning

and fish them back in the afternoon.

But for us it just didn't have the feel.

It almost felt wrong to take that opportunity away from a young family.

It's just the two of us. We wouldn't need it.

All right, we'll move on to the mystery property, the bungalow.

I didn't like it when I first walked in, I must admit.

And then, room by room,

it just grew and grew.

The sitting room, with the views, and the nice little window seats and the huge great fireplace.

You're never going to get cold in that house, are you?

And the fact that there's the perfect terrace

to just put on a small conservatory.

To me, I actually loved it.

Whereas, as I walked around, the further I went, the colder I got.

It just failed to move me one iota.

But I had this conflict, because I could see Helen's excitement rising.

Let's cut to the chase. It's not going to be the cottage... BOTH: No.

..I don't think it's going to be the 1950s property... No. No.

..which leaves us with two properties... It does.

..the stone house and the mystery property.

And we can't decide between the two.

No, we're still left with two, we're going to have to do lots of research,

and I think you can probably be fairly sure

that it will be one of them.

It's been fantastic. You are such an inspiration to anyone who's looking for a house,

because you can see past the bricks and mortar,

you're positive, you put your heart and soul into everything you do,

and good things happen to good people... We're stuffed!

You're going to find a lovely property.

Thank you very much. Cheers. Cheers! Cheers.

When we were confronted with Helen and Chris's extensive house move

wish list, I thought to myself, "Uh-oh, we're in trouble, here."

But, I needn't have worried -

they've embraced the word "compromise" over the last two days and it's been a joy to behold.

They're just bursting with ideas.

You know, this move to the country isn't just a nice idea for them, it's necessary for them to exist.

And I'd say Madeira's loss is very much Wiltshire this beautiful county's, gain.

Until next time on Escape To The Country, goodbye.

Helen and Chris didn't waste any time buying the mystery house.

After some finishing touches from the builders, they're looking to move in very soon.

And if you want to escape to the country in Scotland, Wales,

Northern Ireland or England, and need our help,

please contact us through our website...

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