Oxon/Wilts Escape to the Country

Today, I'm in the grounds of a home

that's the only non-Royal country house in England

to hold the title "Palace".

It's been in the same family throughout its 300-year history

and it's the birthplace to one of England's most famous leaders.

Where am I? Find out in just a moment as we Escape To The Country.

In today's show, I'll be helping a couple swap the busy streets

of London for a more sedate pace of life in the country.

And just as we hit the road, I get some very unexpected news.

We looked, I think, at about 50 houses in Ealing.

We're fussy.

Before we reach the finish line, my hopes are raised.

I'm going to perhaps put in a bid at 615. He's putting a bid in.

Do you hear that?

Today, I'm in Oxfordshire and this is Blenheim Palace.

Winston Churchill was born here and this magnificent home is still

in the family, currently lived in by his godson and third cousin,

the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

Originally designed to be viewed from a distance,

this 2,000-acre estate is home to gardens, lakes, woodland

and rolling hills that give way to spectacular vistas.

The breathtaking Oxfordshire views are equalled by those

of its neighbouring counties, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire,

which we'll also be visiting on our journey.

Oxfordshire is most famous for its university, but beyond its spires,

you'll discover a sparsely populated countryside.

If you head south-west across the border, you'll arrive

at Wiltshire, home to Salisbury Plain and, of course, Stonehenge.

Head north and you'll reach Gloucestershire,

characterised by a stunning landscape of farmland.

These counties boast rural vistas

that once experienced are rarely forgotten.

Time to meet today's buyers, who are looking to get their very own

piece of countryside right on their doorstep.

Meet Andrew, a music producer, and Tina, a chartered accountant.

For the last 29 years,

this four-bedroom house in west London has been their family home.

Now their two children have flown the nest,

they're ready to follow suit.

Their idea to escape the city is nothing new.

When we first got married, we sort of agreed that within ten years,

we'd move out of London and establish our country seat somewhere.

We're 23 years overdue, so high time.

Andrew is freelance and can work from home most of the time,

but it's all change for accountant Tina.

I'm hoping to find a change of career.

I will have finished my diploma in sustainable agriculture.

Once we've moved to the country,

I shall look for some work experience and from then,

move on and look for a new job.

Like lots of potential escapees, our buyers have dreamt of owning

a home from home in the country for years.

We've loved this house.

We've been here 29 years.

If it was in a different location, if we could just take this house

and move it to the middle of the countryside, that would be perfect.

Using their current home as a template,

they're clear about what they want inside too.

The house we move to,

the key thing will be to be able to fit the table in.

This is a bench that we saved from our church

when it was being restored.

I think these just sum up who Andrew and I are.

Family, food, entertaining -

it's just the essence of what we love.

Potentially in the future, both Andrew and Tina

could be working from home. That needs careful consideration.

When we move, I'm going to need space to house this stuff

and probably as much again.

With their son and daughter making frequent visits, as well as potential other guests,

they want at least four bedrooms,

and one downstairs with en suite would be perfect

for when their parents come to stay. As well as the basics,

there are a few extra features which could help seal the deal.

Both of us are quite keen cooks.

I've never actually used a range cooker to cook on and I gather that

they have their little ways but it's such a sort of iconic bit

of country kit that I think we would be fools to say we don't want one.

Andrew and Tina need easy access to Tina's mum in Oxford

but still need to be within striking distance of London as Andrew

has to commute to his radio studios a few days each month.

This means their dream destination is one of the most desirable

and expensive locations in the country.

The budget is key.

The absolute maximum that we could go to

is what we hope to get for this house here, which is ?650,000.

Today, we're focusing our search across the counties

of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Each one has beautiful countryside

to please the most demanding escapees,

but being on the M4 corridor

means they're also within striking distance of London.

We've got some fantastic houses lined up for Andrew and Tina.

Before I tell them how much each property costs,

they need to guess the price.

Not an easy task when they've been out of the property market

for the last 30 years.

Then, of course, there's our mystery house,

which sets out to challenge what they think they really want

from their dream property.

Welcome, both of you, to a beautiful Oxfordshire morning.

You want a completely different environment to live in. A village environment, I understand.

What is your perfect village? Can you go first?

I suppose medium size,

because it would be nice if it had something that held

a community together, so church, church hall, pub, shop, something.

Dare I say it, the Q word - the quintessentially English village.

Yeah, it's the dream. Or as close to it as possible.

Countryside living - you live in Ealing at the moment.

You will have more of a commute - how often do you have to go into London?

I have to be in London four days a month. That's not rocket science.

OK. Let's go. Thank you very much.

To finance their new home, Andrew and Tina

have a healthy budget of ?650,000 and I think they'll need every penny

because they want a property with a splendid view,

at least four bedrooms, two offices, space for a good-sized dining table

and it all needs to be within

one of the most sought-after commuter areas in the UK.

It's a good job we like a challenge.

I understand you guys have lived in the same house for a long time.

Did it take a bit of finding, your house?

We looked, I think, at about 50 houses in Ealing.

We were moving from a little two-up two-down to the place

we've been in for the last 28 years.

50 houses! What was extraordinary... Was that!

That was what was extraordinary - you looked at 50 houses. Yeah, um...

We're fussy.

As prices are high in Oxfordshire,

first we're hopping over the border into Wiltshire

where things are a little more affordable.

We're heading to the village of Stanton Fitzwarren.

This leafy area is, surprisingly,

just over an hour away from London by train,

but its quiet country lanes and sedate community atmosphere

make it feel like a world away.

Our first house was built in the 1990s

but the honey-coloured limestone is very much in keeping

with the older properties you'll find in the area.

This is my first offering.

Very good.

Very good? Yeah, lovely.

Let's see what you think of inside. Thank you.

Right, then, what do you think of the size, first of all?

I like it. We've got a big hall at home

and I like the feeling of space as you walk in.

What this room does is set a feel for the scale of the rest of the house.

'If they like this, just wait till they see the next room.'

As space is what you were after, I think this delivers.

It's pretty massive.

Absolutely, and I like to separate dining from cooking

but I think this seems to actually draw the two together

because there's certainly room for our big dining table out there.

Initial impressions - terrific. What's the cooker like?

Have a quick look there.

Hey. It's a range-style cooker.

This is one of the biggest conservatories I think I've seen.

Good gracious. It goes on forever! It's like a bowling alley.

It is, isn't it? It's absolutely immense.

It goes the full length of the back of the house.

I can immediately see our big dining table going in this part here.

Then, gosh, there's the remains of the bowling alley down to the right.

'From one blank canvas to another.'

We've got lots of books, that's the other thing.

And... An empty wall. An empty wall there, that's fine.

I'm glad you can see how you can have this room configured

because it's not always easy when a room is empty. Sure.

And, actually, a second dining table.

On this floor, there's also utility and store rooms,

which with a little work, could make an ideal downstairs guest room

and en suite for Andrew and Tina's parents.

There are plenty more wide-open areas for them to furnish upstairs.

There are two good-sized double bedrooms

and a generous family bathroom.

Plus a main bedroom that I think is pretty special.

Now, again, pretty big room. Sure.

But you've got a really good-sized en suite there,

as well as the family bathroom you've already got, obviously.

You tell me - space-wise, what are you thinking?

There's all the space we could possibly want here, actually.

I think plenty big enough. Thank goodness for that.

I'm still looking for rural aspects, to be honest.

Walk through the French doors

and you'll find a breakfast balcony with a pleasant view of the garden.

Go up one more floor into the converted roof space

and you'll discover vistas of the surrounding area

to enjoy in all of their glory.

Up here, there's also a fourth

and fifth room, plus another useful bathroom.

So, house tour over, it just leaves me to show them

what lies outside the house.

All in all, it's just under a half-acre plot.

That sounds very manageable.

The lawn isn't huge, but it goes to the far end of those trees there,

right into the corner.

You've got your little bit of wild woodland, a copse. Love it.

You've got a pond there. Very nice.

Let's have a go at guessing the price, shall we?

I will plump for something like 625? 625, OK.

I'm going to be a little bit optimistic, so I'm going to say 595.

That is optimistic. I'll give you that, certainly.

This place started off life at ?690,000.

It's since been reduced to ?629,950.

The asking price for this property is just under ?630,000,

so it's well within their budget.

There's plenty of space to cater for their requirement

of four bedrooms and two offices, plus of course,

for that all-important 14-seater dining table.

There's also the opportunity

to create a downstairs guest bedroom with en suite

for when their parents come to stay.

And location-wise, both London and Oxford are within easy reach.

Seen enough? I think so for now. Let's go. Cheers.

Set in over 2,000 acres of beautiful parkland

is one of Oxfordshire's undisputed jewels, Blenheim Palace.

The imposing Baroque architecture sits serenely in its sedate grounds

but the origins of the building's construction were far from peaceful.

I'm meeting John Forster, Blenheim's archivist, to find out more about this unique ancestral home.

John, hello. Thanks so much for seeing me today.

A beautiful day but an even more impressive setting.

I know this was built as a family home,

but it's almost a daunting structure, isn't it?

That's the whole point, really,

because it's a symbol of a huge military victory.

When the first Duke of Marlborough beat the French

at the Battle Of Blenheim in 1704,

Winston Churchill later described it

as changing the political axis of the world.

This building was built at the behest of the Queen

to be a symbol through all time for that,

and as such, you see,

the United Nations identified it as a World Heritage Site,

symbolising a great moment in the history of the world. Really?

The building itself, its whole mass symbolises victory,

but there are all kinds of hidden messages too.

For example, if you look above the archway over there,

go up a little, and you'll see the lions on either side.

Lions are of course the symbol of England, of Britain,

but can you see in its forepaws the lion is holding a cockerel,

the cockerel of France, which it's tearing to pieces.

Twice up there, there's the symbol of victorious England and defeated France.

The exterior is a wealth of coded messages, and inside is no different.

So this is the saloon, John.

It doesn't look like any saloon I've ever been in. Quite impressive, isn't it?

Really, what it shows is a consequence of the great victory at Blenheim that this palace represents,

was to bring a period of peace and prosperity.

And so, in this room, the Duke indicates the ideal of peace.

For example, in the panel there you can see Africa,

and then the panel there you can see the Orient,

and then coming round again you can see Asia.

If you come round here, you can see them from Britain and Europe.

Blenheim is one of the most impressive family homes in the country,

but let's hope one of our three properties has hit the mark with Andrew and Tina.

For our second property, we're staying in Oxfordshire.

Just a short drive from the Cotswolds,

is the village of Littleworth,

which not only has appealing views but also more affordable properties.

Good news for Andrew and Tina.

London is within a reasonable commute and,

as we're in Oxfordshire, Tina's mum is close by too.

This barn conversion is in the Littleworth conservation area,

but that's not the only thing that makes it special.

What do you think? It's a bit different.

You like the quirky, Tina? I like the quirky very much.

Good, excellent news.

It's so different that I'm rendered slightly speechless for the moment,

but what I do like about it is the nice variety of texture and colour.

Hey, let's explore. Let's go in.

OK. Typical farmhouse layout.

You've got a bootroom as soon as you walk through the door.

Quite practical.

Straight into a kitchen. Farmhouse kitchen, isn't it? I love it.

Do you? That's terrific. Really nice.

Range cooker, which is a big plus.

Space for a table.

We may have to think whether that's big enough for our table, but hey! A view through the back windows.

You've got utility just around the corner.

It's fitted out like another kitchen, really. It feels very welcoming, and warm.

Well, the statement room, surprise, surprise, is behind this door.

Hold your breath. Another bright room. Come right in. Thank you.

Yes, golly.

I just like... I love the shapes it makes.

This, certainly, says something very unusual, and very unique,

and actually, very attractive. So, gosh.

We've got our furniture here already! Oh, really?

I would have made a couple of phone calls, sorted that out for you.

Now, there is a room at the end, there,

now that has been converted into a ground-floor double bedroom.

A-ha, excellent. With an en suite. Even more perfect.

The boxes are getting ticked. They really are, aren't they?

'Just what they had in mind when their parents come to stay.

'But this house has a slightly unconventional layout,

'so hopefully they'll like the next room just as much.'

Now, at present, the current owners use this as their master bedroom.

If you have a look you have a pretty good size en suite.

Look at that. Oh, yeah, gosh, a bath and a shower. Excellent.

You may want to change things around completely, wait and see. Let's go and look. Thank you.

Upstairs there are two more bedrooms that come with their own en suite bathroom,

and views of surrounding farmland, which I think Andrew and Tina will love.

Now, this is where I was thinking you might have the conundrum of,

"Do we have a bedroom up here or do we have an office up here?"

Bearing in mind you have got that view.

Right, well, I think I know what Tina's answer will be.

Well, I don't know what my answer would be. Why are we moving to the country? For the view.

Correct. So where would you like your office?

Where I can see the view. So where's the office? OK, the office is here.

Sorry about that. What an amazing team.

With all this in mind, let's head downstairs, and take a closer look.

Look at that. Lovely.

Now, where we're standing is actually agricultural land,

because we are in a conservation village. Right.

Which also means that, hopefully,

these views that you are enjoying now will remain unspoiled.

Sure, sure. I'm going to ask you to price it.

I'm going to go 610. OK. I'll go above Andrew, and go 620.

It's on the market for offers of around 639,950. Right.

So, just shy of ?640,000,

this barn conversion is at the top end of Andrew and Tina's budget.

It has a kitchen

that can easily accommodate their massive dining table,

a reception room with that impressive vaulted ceiling,

four bedrooms, one on the ground floor

that could be perfect for when their parents come to visit.

Plus, there are spectacular country views,

and both London and Oxford are within a reasonable commute.

After a tiring, but exhilarating day in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire,

Andrew and Tina have a chance to consider

the houses they have been shown so far.

The second day of our house search is underway.

Our mystery property has brought us

just over the Gloucestershire border.

The village of Cerney Wick is in the parish of Cerney South,

situated within the Cotswold waterpark, where you can sail,

jet ski and fish in the lakes. This location throws

Andrew's 60-minute commuting dream out of the window.

It takes over an hour-and-a-half to reach London from here,

but as he only needs to make the journey a few days each month,

I'm hoping it's worth pushing the boundaries.

The house I'm showing Andrew and Tina

is located in the heart of the village,

and is typical of the area, with its honey yellow limestone exterior.

Hey. Yes.

I love the front door. Yes.

You're looking at this in, I don't know,

wonderment, or disappointment.

What's going on through your mind? I think it's a combination of both.

I adore this honey coloured stone.

Yeah, I will keep an open mind about what goes on inside.

'That's good, because given a chance,

'I think this could be a winning property.'

Come right in. Thank you.

Come right round, because it does go right round the corner, as well.

Oh, right, it does. Excellent.

Fabulous fireplace, isn't it? Love it.

The layout here, for two people to live, it's just really cosy,

but you've got space for when there's lots of people as well.

And what draws you out to the garden

is the sort of light and space and air.

Yeah, I think this could work, actually.

'Through the corridor, there's the perfect spot for a piano

'that should make Andrew feel at home,

'but just wait until they see what is tucked away in the next room.'

Now, then, a pretty modest-sized kitchen. But look at that.

We have a range!

That gets double ticks, I think. Good.

Well done, well done, Jonnie!

Well, it's the smallest of the kitchens we've seen,

but you've got a separate dining area next door,

and you've still got a good-sized utility round to the side as well,

so it's just for cooking and maybe having breakfast in.

Hey, this is feeling very welcoming.

It almost sounds like you're getting on board here. Yeah.

There's just time to mention the downstairs cloakroom

on the other side of the hall

before heading upstairs to check out the bedrooms.

Up on the first floor, we've got a double set up as a twin there,

a good-sized family bathroom with three-piece suite,

another double room there.

This one is being used as the master.

It's smaller than ours at home, but masses of storage space.

You've got an en suite through there,

so twin that with the really good-sized bathroom there,

and you're more than catered for.

One of the reasons why I think this room is so lovely,

and why they use it as their room, is because when they lie in bed,

they've got a wonderful view of the church next door.

A short hop across the hall

and there's even more hidden secrets tucked away.

Currently, this room gives you the opportunity to have an office.

Ooh. Wow. OK? Yes.

Come with me.

There's some further office space at the top here.

The owner used to run a business from the house

and saw clients in here.

Oh, sweet. For me, this is all I would need.

I don't take up much space.

There's one more room to show you. Follow me. All right.

A pleasant little space. I know you've got lots of books.

There's lots of little corners and crannies to store stuff. Yeah.

Right.

Oh, what fun. Hey, isn't that terrific?

Is it an office?

It's a terrific space. They've been very imaginative and surprising

about how they've used this rather awkward-shaped space.

This house is full of delightful gifts,

but none are better than the grounds to the rear of the property.

With its southerly aspect, this is a gardener's paradise.

Isn't it absolutely beautiful? It's very pretty.

It's been really well cared for. I could look after these with love.

So, how much do you think this mystery house is on the market for?

?635,000.

OK. Andrew?

I'm going to put in a bid at 615.

He's put in a bid. Did you hear that? Yeah.

OK, well...

it's on the market for ?635,000.

And it's...

all the decor is in our taste.

We could actually walk in, put our furniture in and feel at home.

The price of this house is ?635,000.

It has five bedrooms,

three bathrooms and lots of office space for Andrew and Tina.

It's also got the rural aspect that they've been hankering after.

Location-wise, it falls well outside

Andrew's requested one-hour commute to London.

But with the mystery house, we thought we'd shake things up a bit

and if they want their dream home in budget, something's got to give.

Let's find you somewhere to have a bit of a chat,

and we'll discuss it all later on. OK? Time to go.

So how have you found this process of house-hunting?

The process of, you know, ticking them off against a checklist

has actually really focused our minds

on what the really important bits of the checklist are.

The first place we went to,

we started in Oxfordshire where our base was,

but we nipped over the border to Wiltshire.

Certainly was the one that had the space box ticked. Space, yes.

But it wasn't really our style of house.

One of the reasons we're moving is to enjoy the country,

but also to be able to see it.

I don't think we could see enough of it from that house

to make it a goer, so to speak.

OK, so then I took you over another border back to Oxfordshire

and showed you a conversion, a barn conversion, if you like.

The barn conversion we saw had the sort of style that I was looking for.

That stunning room in the middle

with the high vaulted wooden ceiling was an absolute knockout.

There was so much again about that house that was right.

We had to slightly readjust our thinking

about whether we slept downstairs or upstairs,

which was again good for us

to think outside our, perhaps, rather conventional sort of box.

And then, today, we started afresh with the mystery property.

It was so cleverly reconfigured and thought through,

in terms of the way

they'd used quite a conventional internal space...

Yes. ..in a very unconventional sort of way.

So out of all three properties, do you have a favourite?

I suppose the third one. Yes. The mystery house? The mystery house.

It was so nearly absolutely right,

and I can't put my finger on what it was that wasn't quite there.

For me, we have to go through the process of continuing to look. Right.

I have to try to find what it is that we're looking for.

I wish you the very best of luck.

My advice for you to take away, then, is,

as you're looking for such a flexible property,

try and be flexible yourselves in what you want it to be. Sure, sure.

Yes. I consider this last couple of days a victory

if after this, you only look at less than 47 houses!

We'll let you know! Please do. All the best. Thank you so much.

As you might expect, I'm disappointed.

But when you consider that Andrew and Tina looked at 50 properties

before deciding on their last home,

and that was some 30 years ago, we did come pretty close, didn't we?

I do hope they take on board my advice

and remain flexible when looking at their next house.

I'm sure, just like me, you wish them both the very best of luck.

See you next time.

Andrew and Tina did continue their search, and I'm pleased to say

they've made an offer on a house they'd now like to call home.

If you'd like to escape to the country

in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or England,

and need our help, please apply online at:

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd