Shropshire Escape to the Country

Today's county is home to the oldest licensed working brewery in Britain.

It's been producing local ale since at least 1642. Find out where I am in just a moment.

Today we're helping a medical couple return to their roots in the countryside.

'We'll be spoiling them with extravagant equestrian accommodation...'

One stable would have been brilliant but to have three, excellent.

-You'll have to get another horse!

-Two more.

-Don't say that!

-Two more!

'..we'll be throwing in water features to tempt them...'

We didn't ask for this!

'..and we've got a mystery house which could just beat the rest.'

-That is my cup of tea.

-Definitely

-Big-time my cup of tea, that is.

Today I'm in Shropshire and this is the Three Tons Brewery in the little market town of Bishop's Castle.

It's one of 16 independent brewers in the county

and it was given its licence back in the 17th century by Charles I

who was raising money for his civil war.

Today, customers in their county's 900 pubs raise their glasses

filled with beer from brewers like this.

The West Midland county of Shropshire is landlocked

by Wales to the west and four other English counties.

Shropshire is justifiably proud of its beautiful countryside,

with neatly ploughed fields and hillsides dotted with

grazing cows and sheep. It takes you far, far away

from the smoke and grime of the city and its competitive hustle and industry,

but this rural idyll has been at the heart of some fairly revolutionary activity -

the Industrial Revolution, to be precise.

At Coalbrookdale the world's first cast-iron bridge was built in 1779 to span the River Severn,

inspiring a global transformation in construction and engineering.

The importance of this historic achievement was recognised in 1986

when Iron Bridge Gorge was awarded World Heritage status,

and the county is a boon for architectural buffs too,

as this beautiful countryside is dotted with impressive examples

of black and white timber-framed architecture from the 14th and 15th centuries

in historic towns like Ludlow and Shrewsbury.

Shropshire is one of the least densely populated counties in England.

There are 65% less people per square mile here than any other part of the country

and that's largely due to the fact that it's a stronghold of agriculture.

Even in these lean times, farmers are hanging on in there, and at current count,

there are more than 5,000 of them preserving the landscape for people to move here and live,

and in amongst all these fields, some beautiful property.

This striking bit of architectural loveliness in Meadowcroft

comes with no less than four reception rooms, five bedrooms and beautiful exposed wood throughout.

Tinkle the ivories on the grand piano in the main hall,

explore the 4.4 acres of grounds or take a dip in the heated swimming pool.

The price? £1.2 million.

£575,000 will buy you this four bedroom detached cottage in Albrighton.

Originally timber framed, it's been renovated, extended and improved,

leaving a mixture of period features like exposed beams and an Inglenook fireplace

and modern comforts like underfloor heating and a shiny new kitchen.

Outside a well-tended garden looks out on the rolling countryside.

This L-shaped three bedroom barn conversion in Longdon-upon-Tern was finished in 2007

and comes complete with three reception rooms, underfloor heating and a patio garden,

all yours for £355,000.

Shropshire's finest and I think it's going to be just the sort of thing that will lure our buyers today.

Let's meet them.

With origins in Wales, army dentist Jeremy and GP Charlotte have been married for nearly nine years

and currently live along with two young children,

in a rented four-bedroom house on an army base in Colchester, Essex.

With Jeremy's retirement from the military looming, they are hoping to fulfil their dream of

going back to their roots in the countryside.

We want to move to the country because we were both brought up in the country

and we want our children to have that freedom of the wide open spaces and clean air and be able to

just do simple things like going for walks and mountain-biking and getting involved with the horse and...

Getting back to village life.

They're currently ready to move, but since they've decided to make the change,

their busy professional lives haven't allowed them to do that much house-hunting.

In the last couple of years whilst we've been looking, we've had a very nomadic lifestyle and existence.

We've got two young children now so trying to view properties is quite a problem, logistically.

So what kind of dream home are they after?

What we would really like is four bedrooms, in an ideal world

a period property with large rooms rather than sort of small, low ceiling,

cottagey feel, two acres is a minimum need, but obviously what we'd like

is a little bit more land or outside space, particularly with the children growing up.

We'd like a big kitchen/living space, really.

We have a small playroom here but a bigger playroom would be brilliant

because there are toys littered all over the house.

We'd like a study if we could and an en-suite bathroom would be a real treat.

We haven't had that for some time.

Charlotte has a particular reason for wanting all that land.

One of my passions in life are horses and at the moment obviously we haven't got enough land

to accommodate my current horse and I'm really looking forward to us having a bit more acreage

so we can graze her at home and see her at any time of day.

What about location?

Our ideal situation would be moving to a small village.

We would also consider a rural area.

Ideally we want to be away from a busy road

and away from pylons and any large industrial type structures.

So how much do Jeremy and Charlotte have to spend in order to buy this idyllic dream home?

Our current budget for this project is £750,000,

but really on account of the state of the market, we're willing

to look to a higher budget with a view to bringing the price down into our £750,000 range.

So this is going to be quite a move for Jes and Charlotte from an army base in Essex

to the rural charms of Shropshire and they want four bedrooms at least

for them and their two boys who will be running around in lots and lots of land

which is also going to be home to Charlotte's foal.

As they're prepared to push the top limit of their budget,

we'll be viewing properties valued at up to £800,000,

and we're taking in the entire county.

I'll be showing them around some of the best properties on the market right now,

but as ever, I won't reveal the price until the end,

and today's mystery house comes with an added bonus in the garden.

Welcome to Shropshire. How are you doing?

Well, thank you.

-Very good. Now you went to school here, didn't you?

-I did. I was at Shrewsbury School.

-And you're from Wales?

-Mid Wales, yes.

-So this is like a home from home for you two?

It is, really.

-And you've got a quite healthy budget?

-Yeah.

How much are you going to spend?

Well, 750 is our target,

and up to 800 would be the absolute maximum.

-So 800 is the pain limit?

-Yes!

Great! And you've got lots of reasons to come here?

Obviously, you've got roots, but also it offers lots in terms of what you're looking for?

Yeah. I mean for us, we've got two small children, the great outdoor life that Shropshire offers,

it's a very rural county, Charlotte has got a horse, I'm a very keen golfer,

so it ticks lots of boxes on that scale.

Good. So the little ones are important in terms of schools?

Yes, yes. A village school would be lovely but there's lots of nice prep schools here too, as well.

Well, it's a beautiful county and there's lots of lovely property, some of which we've found for you.

Armed with a sizeable budget of up to £800,000,

Jeremy and Charlotte have quite a shopping list.

They want a large detached family home with at least four bedrooms and a large kitchen/living space.

They also want a playroom for their two boys

and outside space for them to build tree houses,

and the boys will also have to share that land with Charlotte's horse,

so stables top off the list.

Well, their wish is our command,

so we had better get on the road.

-Have you guys ever bought a house together?

-Yeah.

And was it easy or was there a lot of negotiation?

It was easy because we walked in and immediately loved it.

-Both of you?

-Yeah, and there were a lot of compromises with it but...

It really gave us that instant vibe when we went in there.

So you're pretty much singing from the same song sheet when it comes to house-buying?

I think so, yeah.

Well, let's hope our selection will have them singing our praises by the end of the show.

For our first property we're heading way up north to Hengoed,

a hamlet which sits just on the other side of Oswestry, about 25 miles north-west of Shrewsbury.

"Hengoed" meaning "old forest" in Welsh

is part of the parish of nearby Selattyn, which in comparison

is positively cosmopolitan with local amenities, a church and even a school,

but Charlotte and Jeremy are here to escape to the country

and our first house is right out in the sticks, nestled in the Shropshire countryside.

'Let's hope it's not TOO rural!'

It's quite a substantial property. What do you think?

Well, first impressions, it's very neat and looks well looked-after.

Mmm, what about you, Jes?

Yes, it's got a nice country feel to it.

Originally, it would have been a farmhouse and this was all a farmyard,

probably from the 18th century/19th century, but it's been extensively remodelled in the last ten years.

Are you keen on renovation?

It's something we would consider. Obviously it would be nicer to have the finished product, but yeah.

Good, because you'll not have to do anything in here!

This stone-built farmhouse is an impressive-looking building from the outside

and it sits in some pretty impressive grounds too, but we're going to start inside to see if it

makes the right impression on Charlotte and Jeremy.

We're hanging a right... into one of the two sitting rooms.

-Right. Good headroom.

-Good headroom.

-That's important.

Again, this would have been in the original part of the house,

the original cottage, but as you can see it's been incredibly beautifully remodelled in the last ten years.

You've got gorgeous slate flags in front of the fireplace.

-I really like it.

-Yeah, I mean, as you say, it gives a cottagey-feel almost,

but we've got a decent amount of headroom so we're not restricted,

because being quite tall, that's an issue for me sometimes.

Good. Well, let's go and look at the second lounge.

Built around this central hearth, again another huge multi-fuel burner.

-It looks good.

-Snug and warm in the winter.

So this is the extension, the secondary part of the house.

It wouldn't have been in the original, but very sunny...

light coming in from both sides.

-Very nice...it's a good space.

-A good size again, yes.

-It's light.

There's a bit of a headroom issue but it's only one beam.

-Yes, I think there's a joist in there.

-Yeah, so it's necessary!

It's nice though, it has a nice feel to it.

-It does. I really like it, yeah.

-'All good, so far then... fingers crossed for the kitchen.'

-This really is the heart of the house.

-Yes, it's a beautiful space!

It is excellent, yeah. It's my ideal kitchen, this is how I would plan it.

I was just going to say with the oak units, I'm not a big fan of the oak units.

A very sort of traditional country kitchen I suppose, that.

-You mean you'd change the units?

-Yeah, I think I'd go with something a bit more contemporary.

Great stuff! They can always change the decor but they're happy with the size.

Also on the ground floor is a large utility room but we're heading up to check out the six bedrooms.

-So lovely and sunny up here. It's so nice to have a big landing.

-That's a lovely area, yeah.

I wanted to take you over in here, actually. This is the modern wing.

-They're good size rooms.

-Great for one of the boys.

I was thinking this would be a nice wing for the children because

-you've got a family bathroom and amazing views.

-Amazing views, yeah!

-Wasted on the boys, I expect!

-It's your cup of tea and beyond, yeah.

In the meantime, this is your study.

Well, there are lots of options in this house as just next door is a single and next to that,

an ample double, but we're heading past all of those to take a look at the fourth bedroom on this floor.

As I say, this is being used as the master bedroom by the current owner.

My initial thought was, "Oh, it's a bit small", because we've got quite a big bed,

but I think it would be OK, actually.

But you are really spoilt for choice in terms of bedrooms here,

so you might want to kind of live in each of them for a while.

I'd like to live on the same floor as the boys and have the guests on a different level.

There's no shortage of guest accommodation with this property.

Now, this is great! I don't often get to show houses that have another floor and if they do,

they're tiny and this is really rather spacious.

Spacious and very characterful, with lots of features.

-This room is wonderful, I think.

-It's beautiful!

Lots of features.

It's lovely having the exposed brickwork, something I'm a big fan of.

-You don't get to see this very often on the show but you are spoilt for choice in terms of space.

-Mmm.

You've got oodles of bedrooms... six at least.

The final bedroom is across the landing and is divided in two...

as a large double and games room, but Jeremy and Charlotte are moving to the country

to get back to the outdoor lifestyle, so it's no good hanging around indoors.

Come on out. So much to show you out here.

Beautiful double garage and shed next door,

all in stone but this is the real jewel, I think...

-triple stable, tack room.

-Beautiful, yeah.

-Very big barn.

-Yes, this would be perfect,

-one stable would have been brilliant but to have three, excellent.

-You'll have to get another horse!

-Don't say that!

-Two more!

Well, this is going down very well indeed. Charlotte is loving the stables, just the land to go

and I don't think this is going to disappoint.

You've got a horse, a horse needs grass, grass grows in fields,

this is your field!

-Wow!

-That's amazing!

-It's a huge field!

-How big is that?

-Eight and a half acres.

-Gosh, ooh!

This is all geared up for horses.

-The previous owners had racehorses and they bred a Grand National winner on this paddock.

-Amazing!

-A lot to live up to!

-Claim to fame!

Well, a nearly perfect package, but we haven't talked about the price.

How much do you think this lovely little slice of Shropshire, eight and a half acres, is worth?

I think with the outbuildings and all the space you could want and a huge field, 850.

I'm going to have a concerted guess at 795.

Well, that's very interesting. You'll be glad to know that it's actually on the market for 775.

-Aah!

-That's interesting.

-Yeah.

Yeah...because it does tick an awful lot of boxes and the land, as you say,

is more than we expected so yeah, there's lots of positives about this property.

-Mmm.

-Go in, have a look around

-and then we'll meet out the front and then see what happens next.

-OK.

-Grand.

-Thank you.

Well, I seemed to have pulled out all the stops for the very first property.

"Perfect", I think Charlotte said, but, the location might be an issue, otherwise it is perfect!

At £775,000 it's £25,000 less than the upper limit

and it delivers on pretty much every level.

It's a period property, it has six bedrooms and a playroom for the kids,

there's more than enough stabling for Charlotte's horse

and an impressive 8.5 acres of land...

what more could they ask for?

They're really pretty, aren't they?

They're quite ornate and well-maintained

and I really like the way that you've got a stable door both sides

so the horse can look out over the fields as well...

This property is a very strong contender.

I'm very impressed with the size of the property, the rural location,

there's some good sized rooms.

On a downside, the main thing for me is I have conked my head a few times going around the property,

but generally, lots of positives here, and yes, something I could see as a very distinct possibility.

Oh, what's this room?

This is one of the boys' rooms. It would be great for Oscar, our oldest.

Do you think it would make a better master?

I could definitely envisage us living here.

It's got a lovely family feel, there's plenty of space for the boys.

The only worry for me is perhaps the location but we'll look into that.

-All done?

-All done, yeah.

-Gently pull the door. Let's press on.

-OK.

Country lovers Charlotte and Jeremy want to get back to the rural environment they remember

from their childhoods, leaving their rented house in Essex to pursue a more active outdoorsy lifestyle

and indulge their passion for mountain biking and horse riding in the countryside,

so earlier in the week,

they visited Church Stretton where we organised for them to meet up with Bob Welsh, the local mayor.

Church Stretton is located in southern Shropshire near the Carding Valley,

an area of outstanding natural beauty and Mayor Bob has agreed to take them out for a tour

of the surrounding countryside

on bikes - not just any bikes... these are electric.

And this is the first electric bike hire scheme in the country

that enables people to leave their cars at home, come by train

and hop onto a bike, so let's go and explore the hills once we're kitted up.

You can rent an electric bike from just opposite the station

for just under £20 a day or £25 on weekends and it's not just the environment they help out...

they give YOU a bit of a helping hand as well, with a battery pack on the back

that you can bring into play to power the bike up hills and save yourself some energy.

This has been a popular bit of British countryside since the railways brought

Victorians and Edwardians flocking to the area which they nicknamed "Little Switzerland",

to enjoy the splendid mountainous scenery

and build their splendid country houses and it's still very popular with hikers and cyclists today.

Right, so here we are in the Carding Mill Valley which is the honey pot of the Shropshire hills...

thousands of visitors come here every year, mostly young families with young children

and this stream here is amongst the most fished in the country

because every young child wants to have a guddle in the stream but for the older ones there's plenty to do.

They can go and explore the hills either by foot, by bike, by mountain bike that is,

or by horse, or if they're really fit, they can go orienteering or geocaching.

We now have many waymarked walks through these hills, so there is no excuse for

not getting out of the car and exploring the hills, so I hope you'll go and enjoy.

No shortage of countryside, then, for Jeremy and Charlotte's outdoor pursuits...

we've just got to find them a house to move into. On with the search.

As Charlotte and Jeremy don't want to be far from their work, we've brought them south

to the tiny hamlet of Shotatton, just over 12 miles to the north-west of Shrewsbury.

The hamlet of Shotatton overlooking the open countryside is decidedly rural.

For supplies, Jeremy and Charlotte would have to venture east, to Ruyton Eleven Towns.

"Ruyton Eleven Towns" acquired its unusual name when a castle was built there in the 12th century,

making it the major manor for 11 local townships including Shotatton.

The castle is long gone, destroyed in the early 14th century,

but the village is still served by a post office and local shop as well as

a primary school, which could be useful for Charlotte and Jeremy's boys.

But, delightful as it is, the area means nothing if they don't like the house,

so we had better let them at it.

This is a whole different ball game, this property,

especially for you Jes, I think this is a slight change of gear.

-It's a barn conversion.

-Ooh!

-Very impressive!

But it's interesting because as you see, it's a bit of a farmyard.

There's some buildings scattered around but we're much closer to Shrewsbury.

-Yeah.

-So I was thinking this is a bit more the area that you want?

-Yeah, yeah.

And this is a very interesting property. It was pretty much totally derelict

and the present owner has developed it since and he has been here about seven years.

I think it was finished in 2001 and he's completely built it from the bottom up

-so essentially it's a new build but dressed in old clothing.

-Mmm, lovely!

Wait until you see inside! Excellent!

'This place is all about the finish.

'The outside might be old but the inside is absolutely up to date and perfect for entertaining.'

A much more contemporary affair.

-Mmm!

-Now you were worried about the last kitchen being a bit fuddy-duddy, Jes!

Yeah, that's very impressive, isn't it?!

That's a lovely feature. It's quite stunning.

What is interesting about it is, the whole building was taken to the foundations and rebuilt

and the only original bit is these joists because this used to be what they called a "ginny mill"...

it was like a mill driven by two donkeys turning on a big wheel and this was the mill house

so this is where the donkeys would have walked, hence the circular size.

-It's great, yeah!

-It gives you the best of both worlds, both contemporary and traditional

-and you get the nice clean lines with that, so it's good.

-You don't need any more house than this.

Well, there's lots more house, you're spoilt for choice -

-a dining room but I want to show you the sitting room.

-OK.

-Great utility room.

-Mm-hm.

-This is your sitting room.

-Ah!

I don't sort of feel excited by it.

Is that because of the furnishing or just because of the shape?

-There's no outlook.

-The idea is that you spend most of your time in the kitchen.

I think it would work for us, actually.

-There's one more feature which is this way.

-Ooh, right.

-Ta-dum!

-Oh, I say!

-Yeah!

-Well, we didn't ask for this!

-You didn't ask for this, did you?

-The boys would love it.

-Yeah, Oscar would love it!

-We'd love it too.

-That's absolutely stunning!

I think I can cope with the plain lounge!

'It's always good to be able to pull that sort of thing out of the bag -

'the swimming pool, guaranteed to make a splash! But it's onwards and upwards.'

It's very big and light and airy and there's a lot to it.

You've got three bedrooms down there, sort of like a guest wing with a family bathroom,

and then here, I guess, this room might be your, where you and the boys live,

so you've got a good size double here with an en suite. Poke your heads in there.

And then we come down here, and maybe another room for a little one.

-Very good size.

-And then this I think is fabulous!

-The biggest walk-in wardrobe...

-My word!

I'll have to get some more clothes!

Fabulous en suite. Take a look in there.

-Oh, wow!

-That's amazing!

And then there's your bedroom.

-It's very big!

-It's a huge room!

-And light.

-Yeah, it's beautiful, yeah.

-So in terms of the inside space, is it enough?

-It is, it's excellent.

-Yeah, there's an awful lot of square footage in this house.

-It's light, which is nice.

And it's got the wow factor!

'Well, I think we've jumped the sitting room obstacle very cleanly.

'Let's canter on to check out the outside space. Could this be a clear round?'

So out into the very beautifully designed garden.

This is the sort of zen area, sort of decking extravaganza.

Plenty of wood here, isn't there? A big surface area.

'This is a great entertaining garden and there's lots more of it, well, for Charlotte and Jeremy anyway...

'sadly no room for the horses.

'Maybe the views will make up for the lack of space.'

So, if we go up a little higher you get the views.

I fancy a walk to that little hill.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah, really lovely.

-It's a lovely aspect, beautiful garden.

The catch with this property is no land for your horses,

because there's a lot of livery around here... I mean it's horse-tastic...

there's stables everywhere and the farmer owns all of this land -

there is the possibility that you could buy an acre or two...

-Yeah.

-And extend out to put a paddock there,

but that's obviously something you would have to negotiate with him.

-It's three quarters of an acre and how much do you think it's worth?

-I think 675.

I'm going to go with 725.

-OK. Well, if you split the difference, you're exactly right. It's on the market at £700,000.

-Mmm.

-Food for thought.

-Mmm.

-But obviously the land is the issue.

More walking round. I was a bit worried

that you were going to deliver that sort of news because everything else is just perfect in there, isn't it?

-It's a beautiful home.

-Well, I'm sorry!

-But we'll have a talk about it.

It's a real shame about the land, but it is an absolutely stunning property

with some wonderful features... something very special, the house, but unfortunately not with the land.

Well, why don't you have a walk around? Mull it over and I'll see you out front.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

Ooh, that's heartbreaking, I hate delivering those killer blows after a great walk around,

but this is the garden and it ain't no paddock.

At £700,000, this barn conversion has more than enough room for them.

The lack of stable and paddock could be a problem

unless they can buy some adjacent land from the farmer.

-Lovely open room, bright, airy.

-It's everything you want in a kitchen, isn't it?

-Quality kitchen.

-Beautifully-equipped.

-It really does tick the boxes, doesn't it?

-And the space, the family area.

There's no land, but I'm optimistic that we perhaps can cover that because I think

not only is the property wonderful but it's in a really good location for us,

so I think it just suits on so many levels, it's got the real spine-tingly feeling.

This is something else, isn't it? Yeah! I mean, how can you not be blown away by that?

It's a real vote-winner for me, that... It's a real special feature of this property.

It's beautifully done, too.

It's just such a pity about the land.

Well, it's a wonderful property.

It combines contemporary, modern, loads of space, some amazing features; the kitchen,

the pool with young children is an absolute dream for us

but the land situation is potentially a deal-breaker.

Don't be too disheartened.

The property market is a marvellous thing.

Now Jeremy and Charlotte want to escape to the country

and the countryside isn't complete without the great British pub -

that icon of British culture, that bastion of country community life

and regular must-have for Escape To The Country housebuyers,

but the country pub is under threat, or so we are led to believe.

According to recent statistics, every week 39 pubs are closed across the UK,

so is the country pub an endangered species, or is there life left in it yet?

To find out, I've come to the conservation village of Cardington where I'm meeting up

with local pub landlords, Steve and Ira, and local brewer, Bill Bainbridge.

-How important do you think country pubs are for the community, Bill?

-It's very important to the villages.

The villages have lost their shops, their post offices and when they lose the pub as well,

the hub of community life disappears.

-And have you seen that happen in villages?

-Oh, it's happened in many villages, yes.

In fact, rural pubs are closing at a disastrous rate of 13 every week, unlucky for some,

and it's now estimated that for the first time since the Norman Conquest,

half the villages in England are pub-less.

I think we're in a difficult period at present and as a consequence of that,

some of the country pubs will close, that's inevitable.

However, having said that, going to the pub is very popular, it's an experience

and people, I think, do appreciate, first of all, real ale - there's a lot of interest in that,

we sell a huge quantity of it and they're interested in Shropshire ales,

like the ales that Bill produces as well.

I think that seems certainly true that you go into pubs now

and there does seem to be a lot of cask ale, you know, that's pumped,

that is local or organic or certainly not, you know...

I think people are looking for the local provenance,

less food miles for the beer to travel

and they're also interested in something individual and special.

So in the end, despite the credit crunch, the smoking ban,

the supermarkets, the pub chains and the commuterisation of the countryside,

it could be our love affair with the local which saves this important village institution.

As the day draws to a close in Shropshire,

Charlotte and Jeremy take some time out to reflect on the properties they've seen so far.

So what did you think of the farmhouse?

I really liked it. I was pleasantly surprised when we drew up.

I had reservations about the location,

but I thought it had a lovely kitchen, lots of living space and great horsey...

-Yeah, it was ideal for you on the outside space, wasn't it?

-It was, yeah.

-And the facilities there?

-Yeah.

It was nicely presented. My main reservation was the head height in a few areas.

-Yeah, even for me.

-That was a bit of an issue.

And then the barn.

The barn, yeah, I loved the barn!

That was quite impressive.

-Quite something, wasn't it? Amazing kitchen!

-Yeah.

-Best I've ever seen.

-The swimming pool.

-The swimming pool.

-The space, the square footage.

-Yeah.

-The location was good, too.

-It was very good, wasn't it?

-Mmm.

-But the downside is the land and the package.

It's not a horsey package, is it, no.

We have still got two more properties to see

and maybe those shortcomings will be rectified with those ones, so let's wait and see what's still to come.

Country born and bred, Jeremy and Charlotte are now living in Colchester in Essex,

but want to leave their rented army home and return to their roots.

They have a healthy budget of up to £800,000 to find their perfect, rural residence.

So far they've viewed two houses, but what's coming up will take them right into a different country.

And we'll offer them more than they bargained for with the mystery house.

It looks like a mini-ballroom in here!

Day two and I'm hoping the rain is not going to dampen our enthusiasm.

Yesterday we showed Charlotte and Jes some beautiful properties in Shropshire,

but I think we can excel ourselves today, combining land and beauty,

although they may need to compromise, as always.

Our next property involves an escape from the country of England

over the border into Wales, to the village of Overton,

seven miles south of Wrexham.

Overton on Dee, to give it its full title, is a small rural village

with a population of about 1,200

and it has all the usual amenities, like local shops and a post office.

It's made up of a fine collection of 18th and 19th century buildings, many of which are listed,

and the high street is dominated by the Church of St Mary the Virgin,

famous for the 21 ancient yew trees which grow in its churchyard.

They are one of the Seven Wonders of Wales

and the oldest of them is estimated to be up to 2,000 years old,

but the property we're showing Charlotte and Jeremy

is in a more rural setting, a mile and a half outside Overton.

Okey-dokey, I'm going to deal with the compromise bit first.

-OK.

-We're quite a long way from Shrewsbury, relatively speaking.

It's about a 45-minute drive.

-The good part is that we're over the border in Wales.

-Right.

Now, the reason why that's good is because council tax is lower,

-free medical prescriptions, and much easier planning permission than Shropshire.

-Right.

Which is all very relevant to this diamond property that I'm about to show you.

This is the property.

It looks quite modest from the outside, but inside it's like an Aladdin's cave.

What do you think about being over the border in Wrexham?

Not a problem because obviously we're both from Wales, so it's a good thing for us.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, a positive.

-Good, so we've got over that.

-Yes.

-So all the rest is plain-sailing, positive!

Originally the coach house belonging to the neighbouring hall,

it's been converted into a family home

and the current owners have lavished great attention on the property,

extending it in every direction possible, but will it be their cup of tea?

-Come on in, lovely church door.

-Mmm.

First thing bought, last thing installed in the house.

This is actually the oldest part of the house, although you probably wouldn't guess it.

-What are your thoughts?

-Very characterful and elegant and homely.

This is the sort of guest-ish wing, because the house goes on much more the other way,

-because through there you've got a whole guest suite, very big bedroom, the sofa, and a big en-suite.

-OK.

What do you think of the style of it, the feel of the property?

-It's very well presented but very homely.

-It's got a nice feel.

-Very characterful, yes, lots of nice character features.

-Good.

Let's go and look at the main body of the house.

What's striking about this property is the way they've married contemporary with old

because that part of the house is the core property from the 1830s, this is all in the last ten years.

They've used all these magnificent oak beams

which are oiled every year to keep them this lovely colour.

-Yeah, the oak's really impressive.

-It's a beautiful room.

A very solid feel to that, which is very nice,

and obviously you've got a wonderful view, with the nice big open windows.

You'd want to spend most of your time in here, wouldn't you?

If Charlotte can drag herself away from the living room,

there are plenty of other rooms on the ground floor,

including a good size utility room, a small office and a downstairs WC,

but we're heading towards that all-important kitchen.

This is the old heart of the house, that's the hearth,

the original hearth and the original beams,

which leads us out into this new part.

Oh, this is lovely! I like the seating area.

-Yeah.

-That's very nice.

Yes, very nice in the window, it's a really lovely feature.

Is it something you could imagine living in?

Yes, I can imagine living in this bit, yeah.

-Not the rest of it?

-Not quite yet!

Well, we haven't seen it all yet.

-No, exactly! Houses kind of grow on you a bit, don't they?

-Yeah.

Yeah, they're not giving a lot away, but I'm feeling positive about this viewing.

Onwards and upwards to the bedrooms.

Upstairs you've got two small bedrooms

and then your bedroom.

-That's very nice.

-I like the bedroom.

-Yeah, I love that circular window.

-Yeah.

-Because you can lie in bed...

And look at the ponies!

-That's what you asked for!

-Yeah!

So this is all the new extension and then you've got a super en-suite.

Very nice, very light.

-Yeah, it's very light in here.

-Beautifully appointed.

I know what you're chomping at the bit to see...

-See what I did there! Outside.

-OK.

I knew they'd like it up here

and I have a strong feeling that they're going to like what they see outside, too!

Step out into the fresh Welsh air.

OK, we'll look at the non-horsey stuff first.

A pool. Barbecues and all that stuff.

-Yes, it's a nice big open space for entertaining.

-Beautiful space.

-And if you swing your eyes to the right...

-Menage! I say!

-This is what you wanted, isn't it?

-Yes.

-That is a wonderful extra.

-Would you use it?

-Ooh, yes!

There's more horses on the horizon, Jes!

Yes, it's getting a bit worrying now!

Because you've got six stables, kerching!

They are absolutely pristine, those stables, aren't they?

-Beautifully maintained.

-Is it what you're looking for?

-It's a beautiful yard. You couldn't ask for anything nicer than that!

-The outside space is great.

-Excellent, yeah.

-Really nice.

And that's not all!

'Good news - Charlotte is clearly impressed with the menage.'

Now time to show them where the horses can graze.

You wanted some land. I give you seven acres!

-Oh, I say!

-Seven paddocks and a lake.

And...woodland.

-Blimey!

-What do you think about all this?

Is this alarming for you, Jes?

It's a big, big set-up and it's obviously got enormous options and permutations here.

It takes a bit of getting your head around at the moment!

-Well, what about the price? How much do you think all this costs?

-750.

I'm going to have a guess at 735.

Well, you are right. 750 is exactly the price.

It's been on the market only a few weeks so it's probably a very accurate price, but do you like it?

Why don't you have a look around, wander through your domain and then I'll meet you out the front.

-OK.

-Let's go and have a look.

-OK, yeah.

-Thank you very much.

Mmm, very interesting!

This is everything they want and a lot more,

but I'm not at all convinced that Charlotte likes it. Find out.

At £750,000, this property is £50,000 under their top budget

and has everything on their wish list.

Four bedrooms, three with en-suite bathrooms,

a large kitchen/living area,

stables, paddocks and a menage for Charlotte's horse,

woodland for the boys to play in

and an outside pool for good measure.

But does it match up to our househunters' expectations?

There's no horse owner who wouldn't want one of these and it's a huge one, isn't it?

It's beautiful! There's no doubt this house is a horse lover's dream.

It's really beautiful and I love the kitchen, but I just can't imagine three men living here, I just can't.

It's just too bijou upstairs and I feel I need to push the walls out.

What do you think of the pool?

Um... We've obviously got the issue with British weather

and being a lot of work and effort keeping that maintained. So it's a lot of effort.

The outside is wonderful.

It's got the horses, the land. I see myself being a slave to it, though.

There's a lot of work, maintenance and effort

to put into there and there's too much work for me outside.

-Aah, hello, I've just come to get you. All done?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Votes taken? Good.

Moving to the country is going to allow Charlotte to spend a lot more time with her horse

and with a property like that last one,

there'd be room for a few more fillies to keep her company.

Since time immemorial, horse lovers have used the services of a local blacksmith

to keep their foals in footwear.

Since we knew they were interested in traditional crafts,

earlier in the week we sent Jeremy and Charlotte down to meet their future neighbourhood smithy,

John Herbertson at Acton Historical Farm,

to say hello and see if they could make something for their new home.

-I gather you want to do some blacksmithing.

-Yes, please.

I'm not quite sure what you want to make.

The normal thing is a poker or a door handle or something like that.

Any particular feelings, preferences?

A poker would be good, I think. That would be a nice option, I think.

This furnace can reach an iron-softening 1,200 Centigrade

so Jeremy and Charlotte have to don the right protective clothing

before getting to work on their poker.

With Jeremy on the bellows and John looking after the business end, things soon start to hot up.

Yeah, it's heating up.

It's heating up, it's getting hot at the end, too.

Now the iron is suitably softened, John gets to work bashing out the pointy end of the poker.

Turn through 90 degrees and the same again on the other side.

Time for Charlotte and Jeremy to have a go.

These techniques have hardly changed since pre-Roman times and back in the Middle Ages,

every village would have had a smithy banging away with his hammer and anvil.

Think you're trying to make a point on it.

In recent years, there's been a resurgence in the popularity of this ancient craft

and the British Artist Blacksmiths Association now boasts over 600 members.

That's much better. Nice overlapping hammer blows.

When Charlotte and Jeremy have finally got the point,

they heat the mid section and John demonstrates how to rotate the bar in the vice

to create the decorative twist in the middle,

and then it's Charlotte's turn to try while Jeremy keeps the twistiness in check

with drops of cold water before the blunt end of the poker goes back into the furnace.

All that's now left is to beat a loop out of the blunt end

by flattening the shaft out on the anvil

and bending it using the horn of the anvil as a fulcrum.

I think that just needs knocking down there a bit.

A final brush-off and they're the proud owners of their very own bespoke poker.

-Thank you very much, John.

-Pleasure!

-And this will have pride of place in our new home.

-Good luck with it! I hope you find the house you want.

Time to get on with finding Charlotte and Jeremy a home in which to install their new poker.

There's only one property left and this one's a bit different.

So far we have shown Charlotte and Jes properties that have lots of land or no land, so for

the mystery house, what we wanted to show them was a period gem where the mystery was hidden in the garden.

What do you think the mystery house might involve?

Perhaps a self-build or a renovation.

Yeah, maybe something a little bit unusual.

We're intrigued, that's for sure!

Well, it's quite a drive before we can reveal the mystery house,

as we're heading far south, 20 miles past Shrewsbury

to the little hamlet of Strefford.

It is surrounded by idyllic Shropshire countryside, long winding lanes are bordered by

old stone walls with the occasional country pub or church barely interrupting the bucolic scenery.

A 30-minute drive to Shrewsbury puts it within range for Jeremy and Charlotte's commute, and networks

of bridleways and cycle paths spread out into the surrounding countryside,

perfect for those weekend rides they've been planning.

It's not quite as close to Shrewsbury as Charlotte and Jeremy

would ideally like to be, but that compromise gets them a lot more house for their money.

Here we have the mystery house,

finally...on view!

-Very, very nice.

-That is my cup of tea.

-Yeah, that's definitely good...

-Big time my cup of tea, that is.

This is a beautiful property.

It dates from about the end of the 18th century, so 1790s. From the outside, ticks?

Very much so.

-Big ticks.

-Yeah, top marks!

Perfect proportions typical of Georgian houses, I had a feeling

this place would appeal to Charlotte and Jeremy but how will they feel about the inside?

In you come.

Oh, wow!

-Lovely elegant staircase.

-It's very regal, isn't it?

It is regal... We can't linger though, let's take you into here, one of the front rooms.

Beautiful, yeah. Lovely open fire.

I love this, this is very elegant and you can't create that in a modern home. I love the light.

It has a uniqueness, doesn't it, that very few properties have?

Yes, it's nice and peaceful.

"Elegant", "regal" and "unique"...

these are the sort of words I like to hear...

all good, so far.

Here's the kitchen.

Great range and I like the window.

I think this is a beautiful kitchen, very snug.

And you've got all the bits and bobs all plumbed in and these beautiful hand-made units.

From a genuine country kitchen to the living spaces, which aren't in short supply in this property.

Now we're in the central part of the house, probably the oldest part, and this is the grown-up snug.

Yeah, I like this.

So at the moment they've got a similar room next door for the children.

It's certainly a nice big open hearth, which is very characterful.

-Cosy, isn't it?

-But it's not the only option because you mentioned wanting a drawing room...

-Yeah.

-I've got you a drawing room.

-And more surprises.

Take a turn to the right.

The drawing room.

-Oh, wow!

-You wanted elegance.

It's a cavernous room. It's almost...

-Really lovely!

-Almost like a mini-ballroom in here, so...

-It was built as the drawing room.

-I think this would be our lounge.

It would be a pity not to use it every day.

Yes. It's got a much more grandiose type feeling here than next door,

there's quite a low ceiling next door, so this would be,

certainly from being very tall, this would be better suited to our needs.

-It's lovely, yeah.

-So that's pretty much downstairs, are you liking it?

-Very much, yeah.

-Very impressed with it so far.

-Yes, very, very nice.

It's a real family home and you sort of really feel part of it.

-There's a lovely atmosphere in here as well, isn't there? There's a lovely feel to it.

-Excellent stuff!

Sounds to me like Charlotte is already imagining herself moving in.

Let's see if she's as keen on the atmosphere higher up in the house, up that sweeping Georgian staircase.

It's nice to have a big, grand sweep of a landing.

Down there you've got four bedrooms... 'And jolly nice bedrooms they are, too!

'Three well-proportioned doubles which share the use of a small

'shower room, and one larger double room with its own en suite, perfect for guests, but I'm taking them up

'to a room where they can get some work done.'

Now, you wanted a study.

This is very nice, yeah. Lovely size, and it's light.

And it's right next door to the master bedroom.

What do you think about this?

A very pretty room, yeah.

-Two lovely views.

-Yeah.

-It's a pretty good size, isn't it?

Yeah, we're back to those nice views again which is all-important and

particularly if you've got them from the bedroom as well, that's nice.

And you've got some wardrobe space and an en suite.

A very nice en suite, yeah. Can you imagine yourself living here?

Does it have the right feel?

Mmm, it's definitely a country family home, isn't it?

Yeah, I think so. It does exude a real positive family vibe to me.

Will it be home enough for your foal, though, that's what we need to ask next.

'One of the most important criteria on their shopping list was space for Charlotte's horse,

'and I'm not going to disappoint them.

'A house as smart as this must come with smart accommodation for the animals.'

Here we are, your own, immaculate paddock.

-This is immaculate, isn't it!

-It looks too good for a horse!

Yeah. Well, I mean, it's been kept in absolute mint condition,

but you've got two stables here, so you own all of the paddock,

obviously, and then also all this woodland here around the edge.

-Plenty of space for the boys to build a tree house.

-Excellent, yeah.

OK, so that's outside, but I still haven't shown you the surprise, the mystery.

-Tell us more.

-Come with me.

'This is all going very well indeed.

'They like the house, they like the paddock, they like the woods.

'But how will they react when I reveal what makes this the mystery house?'

This is the mystery...

..not one house, but one and a half houses.

It's a completely self-contained holiday let. It's run by the Shropshire Tourist Board.

All you do is collect the rent,

and it turns over about £10,000 gross every year.

so we were thinking now you're here, you're setting yourself up,

you're not quite working yet, that's quite a nice amount of pin money.

Mmm. I'm not usually keen on these sort of additions,

but as it's fully set up and fully separate from your own home, I think it's a possibility.

You make it sound like you're often offered complete holiday lets.

No. A lot of homes do have an annexe which I'm not keen on because they attract another council tax,

and if we don't have a purpose for it it's just an expense,

but this is a possibility.

So, I want to tell you how much this little bundle of mysterious loveliness costs,

but first I want you to tell me what you think it costs.

Well, there's a lot of property for your money here but we are south Shropshire, so I think 725.

-725?

-Mmm.

-I think I would be inclined to agree.

There's a lot of real estate, but we are in quite a rural spot so I'm going to guess at 825.

Well, again, sort of in between, the two of you are quite good at going either side.

It's actually on the market for 780, so sort of within your budget, really, the top end of your budget.

-A lot of things to think about, so have a wander round.

-Thank you.

-And I shall see you out front.

-Right.

-Brilliant, thank you very much.

Oh, they're hard nuts to crack.

It's quite hard to know whether they like it or not.

It is mysterious. I mean, this is, I think, a lovely bonus,

and I think it offers pretty much everything that they want, but I just don't know.

The mystery house provides everything asked for and a whole lot more.

For £780,000 they'd get five bedrooms, a playroom for the kids,

a paddock for Charlotte's horse and loads of outside space.

The two-bedroom holiday cottage in the garden

is already set up and running, which is a plus.

Well, this property for me is absolutely ideal.

It's very elegant, lots of wonderful period features and the outside.

I'm not so sure about the holiday let

cos obviously it would be nice to have a family home

and not have the invasion of that going on in the background,

so something I need to give serious thought to.

We'd probably have it as our own lounge, I think, so that we could really enjoy it every day.

Yeah, it would be something that we'd really want to make a feature of the house,

-more so than it being a music room at this stage.

-Yeah, I think so.

I think this house is a definite contender.

It would be a lovely place to bring up the children,

with wonderful outside space and great access to the outdoors.

The only thing to perhaps think about is the location of work and schools

and whether these are a possibility.

Off you go, down the big drive.

Well, that's it, it's all over, there's nothing else to show them.

They've seen the best of what Shropshire has to offer

and it's time for them to sit down and mull it over.

I have to say, I think we've served up

a fantastic selection of properties here in Shropshire for Jes and Charlotte,

but I am completely in the dark as to which one they like best,

so I'm going to be very intrigued to find out what they have to say.

I have to say, Shropshire did us proud. I thought we came up with some very nice properties,

not that I'm blowing my own trumpet, but it's up to you,

to choose whether they were appropriate.

Can you spin your mind that far back to the farmhouse that we saw?

I liked that one, actually,

and it offered the most complete package

because there wasn't anything you didn't want but everything you needed,

the beautiful, big kitchen, lovely stables and that wonderful field.

The big issue was the head height, though.

And a little bit too far out, perhaps, for us.

What about the very contemporary barn conversion?

Because this was not really what you were looking for, initially.

Well, we did wonder when there was no land there

but we were blown away by the state of the property.

It was clean, contemporary, we could just move in. The only shortcoming was, obviously, the land issue.

Well, we spoke to the farmer, and he would indeed be willing to sell you a little bit of the land.

Would that change your view of it?

-That would make it a very strong contender.

-A very strong possibility.

Then we saw the converted coach house,

which had "horse galore" written over it,

and I get the impression that you weren't so keen on that?

No, because horses are a part of my life but they're not all of our life.

We have children, we go cycling and walking and you love your golf, so it's not the be-all and end-all.

We've tried to redress the work/life balance,

-and I can almost see myself, any spare minute I would have creosoting fences...

-Trimming hedges.

-Working, trimming hedges...

-Spraying the docks!

Yeah, there was a lot of work to be done there and I could almost see myself being a slave to it.

How about the mystery house, a more manageable plot?

Yeah, it was a period property, it was stunning, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Not so much for Charlotte.

-I did like it, though.

-It was a beautiful family home.

The downside, obviously, was the location.

Would you be able to say that there was one that you would like to proceed on?

Yeah. I think the barn's a contender if we can get the land.

-I think that would be a very real possibility.

-It's a strong, strong contender.

-Yeah.

Great. Well, I do hope things work out for you

and that you find a property that does answer all your needs,

many and varied as they are, and that you will be moving to Shropshire very soon.

-Well, let's hope so, and thank you very much for...

-your input.

-A pleasure.

-For opening our eyes to parts of Shropshire.

-It's a lovely county.

How amazing that the house I thought was missing the vital ingredient

turned out to be the one that they liked most of all.

Well, that's the magic of shopping for property in the country,

and if you've been inspired then do tune in next time for more Escape To The Country.

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