Shropshire Escape to the Country


Shropshire

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Today, we are talking quite literally of the Devil,

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as he's said to hold court up there on the longest day of the year.

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But where am I? Join me to find out on Escape To The Country.

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On today's show,

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I'll be helping a history-loving couple set up home in the country.

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We have plenty of period properties for them to fall in love with.

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My goodness, gracious me. Wow. Look at those smiles.

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But will they still be beaming when they see the mystery house?

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Today I'm in Shropshire and this is the Devil's Chair,

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in the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve.

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According to the local legend,

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these rocks were brought here by the Devil himself.

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And it's even said you can smell the brimstone on them in very hot weather.

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Shropshire is England's largest landlocked county

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and has a wealth of natural wonders.

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Earmarked as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,

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the Shropshire hills cover a quarter of its landmass,

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with the Wrekin being one of the county's most famous landmarks.

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Alongside its breathtaking rural landscape,

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the industrial age was forged here,

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with Thomas Telford's cast-iron bridge

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a crowning achievement of 18th-century engineering,

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and its historic timber-frame buildings a recurring theme

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throughout its towns and villages.

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But what are today's buyers after?

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Well, I think it would be fair to say they're looking to bring

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even more history to this most historic of counties.

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Ben and Gloria have lived in their three-bedroom end of terrace house

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in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, for the last 25 years.

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But they're not alone.

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They've been sharing it

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with Ben's much-loved collection of military memorabilia,

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which is now making life a bit of a squeeze.

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The house is full.

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The garden sheds are full, my basement, my cellar is full.

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The attic is full. Really, I have no space left.

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So I really need to find somewhere with a little bit more room.

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I'm really looking forward to moving because we're a bit squashed at the moment.

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But with more space come great aspirations.

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I would like to be able to open up the museum

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as a private museum, not as a business venture. I'm not looking to make money.

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We're simply looking to have a decent display area,

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where people who are interested in such could come and have a look,

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can experience and, in some cases,

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actually play with the equipment that we've got.

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Basically, just to share what's been my passion over a number of years

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with as many like-minded people as possible.

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And how will Gloria spend her time?

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In the countryside, I'm looking forward to doing my archery.

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Because I will have the space. And I've recently taken up painting.

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And I'm not really inspired here, so I'm looking forward to that.

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But, so far, location has been a sticking point with their search.

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We've been looking for the past ten months or so in this area

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and we've concluded that we've got to go out into a more rural area.

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It won't be far from my family, who live here in Kidderminster.

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The location we're looking for would be on the edge of a village.

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It can't be too isolated, because, if we're looking to form a museum,

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there has to be access for the visitors.

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So what kind of property are they after?

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We would like a character house with a minimum of two bedrooms

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and a nice country kitchen.

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My main consideration will be to find a property with either outbuildings already in existence,

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a barn or large workshop, something like that.

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As far as I'm concerned,

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the size needs to be at least an acre or more.

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So are there any styles of property to steer clear of?

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New builds.

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We don't really want to live in a new build.

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Also any property that's maybe listed.

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If the house was listed, but anything like outbuildings,

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if they were able to be modified, then that might be worth considering.

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We are willing to renovate to a small extent.

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Ben and Gloria plan to plough their savings into this move and rent out their current property.

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With that in mind, how much do they have to spend?

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The total budget for this property will be ?400,000.

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So this move is a little out of the ordinary.

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I don't recall ever having a couple on the programme who wanted to open their own private museum.

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But hats off to Ben for wanting to make his memorabilia collection available for everyone to enjoy.

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Don't forget, along with these outbuildings to house this fantastic collection,

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we've also got to find a character home with a good-sized garden.

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?400,000 is a healthy budget in this part of the world,

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so with a little luck, we should be able to make their dream a reality.

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Ben and Gloria don't want to stray too far from Kidderminster, where they have friends and family,

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so they've asked us to focus their search in the south of the county.

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We've cherry-picked three character properties to show them,

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but I won't be revealing the price of each until they've guessed first.

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The last house is our mystery house,

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which could be too much of a good thing.

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Ben and Gloria, welcome to sunny Shropshire. Thank you.

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Tell me about this military collection you've got.

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Huge array of things. How many?

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700-odd. A small van for the move and... Large van for the collection.

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Yes! I'm a little worried about you two. We've got to find you the perfect property too.

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Yes. If it's got character it would be lovely.

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Budget-wise, top of your budget, ?400,000?

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That includes money to do the renovations to the outbuilding?

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A little renovation if needed, yes.

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I'm willing to take some work to a small extent.

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I know, because you're so passionate about your hobby. I know you are.

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We've got some fantastic properties lined up for you both to see.

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Shall we get started? Yeah, thank you!

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Ben and Gloria have ?400,000 for this move, and for that

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they're after a detached character cottage with at least two bedrooms.

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Gloria wants a large kitchen and utility room,

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while Ben needs an outbuilding for his private museum.

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And they would love a one-acre garden,

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all set in a village location.

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We're starting our property search a short drive from Much Wenlock,

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a pretty town with only 3,000 residents,

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but whose streets are packed with local shops

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and historic buildings, some dating back to the 15th century.

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And, tucked away in the outlying hamlet of Bourton,

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our first property comes with some historic character of its own.

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What do you think? It looks lovely. Very quaint. Very quaint.

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The double-storey part of the house

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dates back to the 17th century. OK.

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To the right of it, that was built in the 1800s,

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and it used to be the village shop. Oh, so there is history.

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So it's used to having the public come and attend it.

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I don't know if that's a good omen. Well, maybe.

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You might have noticed there's a little bit of an eyesore,

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a corrugated barn.

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The good news is that's coming down.

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Planning permission has been given for houses to be built.

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It will change your view of the property,

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in about a year's time, when it's done.

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Lovely. So, intrigued? Are you ready to get started?

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Really excited, yeah. Follow me. Thank you.

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This cottage has been sympathetically refurbished

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and hopefully will offer up the period features they're looking for.

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So, you lead straight into the sitting room. Oh, wow!

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Oh! Oh, that's lovely. Wood! I like wood.

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Fire, stone, wood, yes, we're working.

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All OK so far. Very nice first impressions.

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To the side of us, you've got a downstairs toilet,

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which is separate from a downstairs bathroom.

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The rooms are larger than you might expect in a cottage,

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as we'll see in the dining room.

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So what do you think? It's bigger than I thought it was going to be.

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Can you see the curtain? Yes. That was the entrance for the shop,

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and then this was the storeroom. This would have been the storeroom.

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And if you look up, you can see...

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Can you see the hooks? That's where meat used to hang.

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Where the meat would have hung, yes. Very nice. It's definitely got character.

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It's lovely. Excellent! Right, follow me.

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If they like the style so far,

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I'm sure they'll warm to the kitchen.

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Wow, lovely! Kitchen!

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Do you like what you see? Yes, very nice, very nice. Beams.

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Nice stone floor. Yeah, that's the original quarry tiles.

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Lovely. Very nice.

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And they've kept it. There's a bread oven through the arch,

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and they've made it into a larder.

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And then just round the corner, through the other arch, is a study.

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Very nice. And you've got a sort of little boot room behind us

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with access back out. Yeah. Very nice. Lovely.

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So this is all working for you? Yeah, it's the style that I wanted.

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We! We want! We! He meant "we". He definitely meant "we".

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I did mean "we". Yes.

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Let's see if we can build on that positive reaction upstairs,

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where, along with the separate WC, there are two double bedrooms.

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So what will they make of the one that could be theirs?

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Oh, that's lovely, a good size. Very nice.

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You said you wanted a minimum of two bedrooms. Yes.

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This house obviously does have two. Right. So, workable for you both?

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Yeah, I can't see us wishing to entertain

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any more than a pair of guests.

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You're getting a real feel for this house. It's very nice so far.

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The cottage seems to fit the bill,

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but to score top marks, we need that outbuilding for Ben.

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First, let's tackle the garden.

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So here is your garden,

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and you have to imagine this garden without that huge carbuncle barn,

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because it is going to go. Right.

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So it's not quite the acre you asked for. No. No.

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But manageable? Possibly, possibly. It depends on other factors.

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What this property lacks in garden,

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it makes up for with its two-storey outhouse.

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At ground level, it houses a double garage,

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but I want Ben to scope the upstairs floor for museum potential.

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So up here...you have a whole separate annexe.

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Wow! Wow... Yeah.

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As you can see, it goes all the way down to the end. Yeah.

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So could this work for you? Is it big enough? He's got a lot of stuff.

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It's...debatable. There was me thinking it would be...

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It would, to normal people. This would be a wonderful space to normal people.

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Unfortunately... Ben is not normal! Not normal, no, but it's very good.

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It's a good space. It's certainly worth thinking about, yes.

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While you're mulling that over, I'm going to ask you much you think

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this property is on the market for. Righto. Erm...380.

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Er...375.

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Oh, interesting! Your budget, the top of your budget was ?400,000.

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You'd get ?50 change. Right, a bit more than we thought.

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It is ?399,950. So just under 400. Just under.

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Certainly worth thinking about.

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On budget at just shy of ?400,000,

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this character cottage offers up generous accommodation

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and addresses many of the demands on their wish-list,

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giving them two reception rooms, a country kitchen,

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two double bedrooms

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and, outside, a separate annexe to house Ben's military museum,

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all wrapped up in a quiet rural location with amenities close by.

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Right, you two, happy? Yes, very nice. Are you ready to hit the road?

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We are. We are, thank you.

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Agriculture remains a strong part of Shropshire's identity

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with over 80% of the land still used for farming.

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The 18th and 19th centuries brought about huge changes in farming practices -

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faithfully recreated here at Acton Scott historic working farm.

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I've come to meet owner Rupert Acton to find out more.

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Your family run a Victorian farm for us all to appreciate.

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Why did you pick that era?

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My father wanted to preserve those memories

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and to keep them alive,

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and of course a lot of the tools

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and machinery were still kicking around at that date,

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so you could go into a corner of a field and you could still find

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a piece of 19th-century farming equipment.

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Horse power transformed the job of ploughing,

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which was formerly done by hand with hoes.

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I'm heading out into the field to learn more from ploughman Simon.

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Good to meet you. Who is this? This is Tori.

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She is one of our shires.

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What are you doing with her on the farm?

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Is that a small plough I can see?

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Well, we are working with a cultivator.

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We're going to work over this patch here,

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the brown patch you can see,

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Would you like to have a go? I would love to.

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'Ploughing by horse power is a very skilled procedure,

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'with the horses controlled by voice commands.' Walk on!

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Ooh, we're off!

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'And steered with long reins

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'while maintaining a constant downward pressure

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'to keep the plough at the right depth in the soil.

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'In fact, farmers used to compete to see who could plough a field

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'not only in the quickest time but with the straightest furrows.'

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Not very straight, am I?

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'By 1920, tractors were the norm and reduced

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'the time to plough a one-acre field like this from one day to one hour.

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'The early 20th century may have marked the dawn of modernisation

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'but this Victorian farm serves as a living reminder

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'of the importance of our rural heritage.

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'But for now, it's back to the house hunt.'

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We continue our house search in Clee St Margaret,

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with all the spoils of Ludlow only seven miles away.

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Our second property sits in a small hamlet,

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made up of a collection of stone cottages,

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all set in a conservation area in the heart of the Shropshire hills.

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This house comes with outbuildings and land, it could be a strong contender.

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This is your second property. Oh, right.

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It was built in the 1800s.

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To the right, that first section, that was originally a barn. Right.

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The middle section was a blacksmith's and these were workers' cottages.

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And now it's all one? It's all one, yes.

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There's a bit of history there, isn't there? There certainly is.

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I'm going to shake things up a bit and show Ben the outbuilding across the road first,

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which comes in the form of a barn and will hopefully give him the space he's looking for.

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So, here we've got a big barn.

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We're in one section, you've got the same again at the other side.

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And, you've got a double carport to the right of it. OK.

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Which could be blocked in to increase the floor space.

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Space-wise, how does this work for you? It's certainly a good start.

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It's certainly a good start and there is room for expansion.

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If you want to extend, you've got to get the right permission, but you also need land.

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Yes, you've got to have the space to do it.

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The outbuilding sits in just over an acre, complete with a chicken run and duck pond,

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so let's cross the quiet lane and see what they make of this substantial cottage,

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which has been completely renovated by the current owner.

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So we've walked through the old part, that was the barn originally.

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There's the study right in front of you,

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but I wanted to bring you straight into this room.

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It's a nice big room, isn't it? Lovely kitchen. And beams.

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Looking at those beams, can you see where the horse's hoof print was?

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This is where the blacksmith was.

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You can see the imprint and some graffiti up there

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with a date on, 1877 and 1898, I think.

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There's a lot of character in this property.

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Well, well, well.

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But it's also extended through the archway, and there's more storage.

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That's good, having it separated. Yes. Good.

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Getting a good feel for this house, then? Yeah.

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We know the barn worked, it's magic, this has got to do it, now!

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The open plan kitchen/dining area is complemented by the homely feel in the sitting room.

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Nice living room. Yes. Yes, it's really cosy.

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You love that character, that olde worldeness? We do. This has got it.

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Yes? Yes. It seems to have it at the moment.

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Well, the utility room has more character features than they could have imagined.

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Oh, that's lovely! This is vintage utility.

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Good gracious me. It's big.

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Unbelievable, isn't it?

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At the far end is a nicely furnished bathroom

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and the impeccable interior continues upstairs,

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there are three bedrooms, one double with yet another brick fireplace

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and a cute single, opposite which is a separate WC.

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There's a surprise in store in the master bedroom.

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It's lovely.

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It's nice. The roof space area yes, nice. Big room!

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But there is a little bit more. There's something else I need to show you in this bedroom.

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Step through, ladies and gentlemen. SHE LAUGHS

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This was unexpected.

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Gosh, that's a size and a half, isn't it?

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Very, very nice indeed. A nice little twist for you both? It is, yes.

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A big twist. Yes.

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I think we've got all the bases covered with this property and outside there's a lawned garden

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with a particularly secluded area around the side, but now it's crunch time.

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So here is the garden.

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You've seen everything, how much is it worth?

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OK. 385. 385, OK?

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Towards the top end of the budget, 395?

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We're actually going to go over your budget. THEY GROAN

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The asking price is ?415,000.

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It's only just clipping the top, yes.

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However, we have spoken to the people that are selling

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and they will consider a sensible offer.

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Lovely. Very interesting. Yes? That's good. Lovely, thank you. Look at those smiles.

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Priced at ?415,000, but open to reasonable offers,

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this beautiful cottage is bursting at the seams with character and charm

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and gives them original features including that bread oven and the old copper.

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An open-plan kitchen/dining room, three bedrooms,

0:19:170:19:20

and a large barn for Ben's military collection.

0:19:200:19:24

All sitting in an acre of land in a desirable rural location.

0:19:240:19:29

Happy with everything you've seen? Wonderful. Thank you very much.

0:19:290:19:32

Still loving Shropshire? Indeed. Very much.

0:19:320:19:34

That's music to my ears.

0:19:340:19:36

As the sun sets over the Shropshire hills,

0:19:510:19:54

it marks the end of the first day of our property search.

0:19:540:19:57

Our mystery property lies in the village of Diddlebury,

0:20:080:20:11

situated in the Corvedale, a protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

0:20:110:20:16

Our historic mystery house dates back to 1660,

0:20:160:20:20

and is listed, which Ben and Gloria didn't want.

0:20:200:20:24

This is our third and final property.

0:20:240:20:27

It's amazing!

0:20:270:20:29

SHE LAUGHS

0:20:290:20:30

Because it has so much character and charm, it is listed. Ah, right.

0:20:300:20:36

However, the current owners have done a lot of work on it already,

0:20:360:20:41

replacing the windows, rewiring, replumbing...

0:20:410:20:44

The fact that it's had quite a lot of work already done to it,

0:20:440:20:47

and it's Grade-II listed, isn't too much of an obstacle?

0:20:470:20:50

It wouldn't seem to be at the moment, no. Shall we start off the tour? Yes.

0:20:500:20:54

Let's see if the interior of our mystery house can wield its magic.

0:20:560:21:00

Oh, that's lovely.

0:21:000:21:04

Wow! My, goodness, gracious. Beams and a beautiful fireplace.

0:21:040:21:08

That is a huge inglenook, isn't it? It is, isn't it? Very spacious.

0:21:090:21:13

You've got the beams, but they're not low, you're not having to duck.

0:21:130:21:16

Who could not wish to live in something this age as opposed to a modern house?

0:21:160:21:21

It's very nice. Through the door at the end there's a study.

0:21:210:21:24

I'm going to take us past the staircase and continue the tour.

0:21:240:21:28

This flows through into the dining room and the kitchen.

0:21:320:21:36

Yes, it's big, isn't it? This has been opened up by the owners.

0:21:360:21:40

It was probably two rooms.

0:21:400:21:42

It's open but it's still well-defined.

0:21:420:21:44

That's like the kitchen area and the dining area. Yes.

0:21:440:21:46

Anything you'd change in here?

0:21:460:21:48

Good gracious, no. That was definite.

0:21:480:21:50

I'm going to leave on a high, I'm going to continue.

0:21:500:21:53

Leading off the dining area is yet another reception room.

0:21:550:21:58

This is cosy. Very nice, indeed.

0:21:580:22:01

This actually used to be the cow shed. Right.

0:22:010:22:03

It's been converted.

0:22:030:22:06

Lovely history. It certainly has. Ideal.

0:22:060:22:09

The downstairs space and character of our mystery house really seems to be hitting the mark.

0:22:090:22:15

We'll head upstairs by the back staircase to the landing,

0:22:150:22:18

off which lead all three bedrooms,

0:22:180:22:21

two of which make for generous singles.

0:22:210:22:24

There's also a sweet family bathroom.

0:22:240:22:27

The main bedroom really raises the roof.

0:22:270:22:29

Surely, this isn't your average master bedroom. Well.

0:22:290:22:33

That's got a nice ceiling. Isn't that beautiful?

0:22:330:22:37

A nice shape for a little window. This is a lovely room.

0:22:370:22:40

Do you really like it? Yes. Yeah, it's smashing, that is.

0:22:400:22:43

Now poke your head through there. After you.

0:22:430:22:46

This is massive! That's a surprise. An en-suite with a shower.

0:22:470:22:52

Very nice. This is lovely.

0:22:520:22:54

We seem to be on song with our mystery property

0:22:540:22:58

but it all hinges on what lies outside for Ben.

0:22:580:23:01

Ben, this is for you. Wow!

0:23:010:23:07

Well, well, well. That is a nice size. That is a good-sized space.

0:23:070:23:11

It's the smallest we've seen so far. With the headroom,

0:23:110:23:16

it looks like we could get another floor at least.

0:23:160:23:19

It has had a new roof put on.

0:23:190:23:21

Is it listed? It is not. That would allow us to make slight alterations to it.

0:23:210:23:28

Ben has not dismissed developing the barn

0:23:280:23:32

but the last part of the equation is the land.

0:23:320:23:35

There is good news.

0:23:350:23:37

This property comes with an acre, mainly lawn, surrounded by mature planting.

0:23:370:23:43

But can our mystery house deliver all this on budget?

0:23:430:23:46

Who wants to guess the price?

0:23:480:23:49

Based on what you have shown us before it has to be at the top of our budget, if not over, knowing you!

0:23:490:23:57

I like to spend your money, but I want you to be happy.

0:23:570:24:00

Of course. Hopefully it's just been reduced in price, so I'm going to say 420. OK.

0:24:000:24:05

I think it's a bit over the 400, so I'll say 415. All right.

0:24:050:24:10

Say it starts with a three. Three.

0:24:100:24:14

Next guess? Nine. No. Eight. Seven. No.

0:24:140:24:19

?345,000. That is a shock. Good gracious me.

0:24:190:24:26

It has come down in price. It was a lot more than that to start with.

0:24:260:24:30

A little more. Three... ?345,000 ` ?55,000 left in your budget

0:24:300:24:37

to do an amazing job on the barn.

0:24:370:24:39

Wow. I would not have thought that at all.

0:24:390:24:44

That is an amazing price.

0:24:440:24:46

Dramatically under budget at ?345,000,

0:24:460:24:52

our listed mystery house gives them ?55,000 to play with

0:24:520:24:57

and it delivers in so many ways.

0:24:570:25:00

It gives them three reception areas, awash with features,

0:25:000:25:04

three bedrooms,

0:25:040:25:06

a stone barn which Ben could convert to house his collection -

0:25:060:25:09

all wrapped up in an acre of grounds.

0:25:090:25:12

And set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

0:25:120:25:16

All right? Yes, thank you. Look at those happy faces.

0:25:180:25:22

Very good reaction. You have got some decisions to make.

0:25:220:25:26

We have indeed. Big decisions.

0:25:260:25:27

Shall we will find you somewhere quiet so you can gather your thoughts?

0:25:270:25:30

Yes. That would be lovely.

0:25:300:25:32

The house hunt is over.

0:25:410:25:44

We've shown them three properties and have got three, well,

0:25:440:25:47

fantastic reactions.

0:25:470:25:49

But has any one house stolen Ben and Gloria's hearts? Let's find out.

0:25:490:25:54

Well, Ben and Gloria, what a few days we've had. We have!

0:25:590:26:03

Fantastic reactions from you but let's hear what you really think.

0:26:030:26:06

Let's start off with the very first one we saw. I loved the cottage.

0:26:060:26:11

I absolutely adored it. When we stepped inside, it was adorable.

0:26:110:26:15

But I knew the garden wasn't going to be big enough for him.

0:26:150:26:19

It was just the lack of ground space which really rules that one out.

0:26:190:26:24

The second property we saw was the long cottage built in the 1800s.

0:26:240:26:29

That was unusual. We started off with the outbuilding first.

0:26:290:26:32

What did you think of that? The outbuilding itself was ideal.

0:26:320:26:37

It could quite easily accommodate and there was space around it to extend, so that was excellent.

0:26:370:26:43

We can't forget the cottage itself, can we?

0:26:430:26:45

It was lovely. Very different. It was.

0:26:450:26:47

I just thought of a holiday home instead of a real home.

0:26:470:26:52

I liked the house and the garden surrounding the house was nice

0:26:520:26:57

but if Gloria has reservations about the house, obviously, we have to talk about that.

0:26:570:27:02

Which leads us to the mystery house.

0:27:020:27:06

It was very unexpected when we went in. Yes, yes.

0:27:060:27:11

The house itself was beautiful. The period, the character, the style.

0:27:110:27:15

Everything about it was lovely.

0:27:150:27:18

So, which house out of the three might you put an offer on?

0:27:180:27:22

It would have to be the mystery. It would have to be the mystery house.

0:27:220:27:26

Out of the three, that is the nicest property so that is going to take some real hard thinking.

0:27:260:27:30

Especially with the price. Exactly.

0:27:300:27:33

It leaves a lot of money left over in the budget to do all the things you want to do.

0:27:330:27:38

That was a real shock, the price.

0:27:380:27:39

I really do hope you put an offer in and, if you do, will you let us know? Of course.

0:27:390:27:43

And thank you for your help. It's been lovely. Thank you so much.

0:27:430:27:46

So, three great properties for our super couple

0:27:490:27:53

and it looks like, once again, the mystery house just had the edge.

0:27:530:27:58

We wish Ben and Gloria all the best with their plans

0:27:580:28:01

of moving their private museum to Shropshire.

0:28:010:28:04

Until the next time, bye-bye.

0:28:040:28:08

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0:28:080:28:12

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