Somerset Escape to the Country

Offering panoramic across today's county,

this hilltop vantage point

was once the site of a bustling Iron Age hill fort.

Covering 200 acres, it's the largest of its kind in England.

So, where am I?

Keep watching to find out.

In today's show, I'll be helping a couple move to the country

to start the next chapter of their lives.

And our house search certainly has plenty of highs.

Can we move in?

Get your cheque book out.

It's got the "Ooh!" factor.

It's got the ooh, the wow, and everything factor at the moment.

But will the surprise of our mystery house

top the lot?

Where on earth did you get this from? It's beautiful.

This is Ham Hill in Somerset.

From here, you get sweeping views of south Somerset,

Exmoor and the Mendips.

It's also a great place to spot

Fosse Way, Cadbury Castle and Glastonbury Tor.

Now, between 1750BC and 43AD,

this was a busy centre

for the local Iron Age tribespeople.

And this site is of such importance

that in 1994 it was designated as

a protected Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Now, everyone from the Romans to the Victorians

have made use of this site.

And the Hamstone that is quarried locally

has been used extensively to build villages throughout the region.

But Hamstone isn't the only building block

behind Somerset's success.

Tucked into the southwestern arm of England,

Somerset's varied landscape forms the bedrock

for many ancient sites.

One of the most recognisable has to be Glastonbury Tor,

which towers 520 feet over the Somerset Levels

and has served as a place of pilgrimage for 2,000 years.

The county's rich geology is echoed in its architecture,

which aside from the honey-coloured Hamstone

includes the distinctive Blue Lias buildings

found in market towns such as Somerton.

Somerset's mild climate and fertile soil

underpins its incredibly strong farming heritage,

and the green pastures that stretch across the landscape

provide a vision of classic rural England

that can rival anywhere in the country.

In the county of Somerset,

an average detached property

comes at £11,000 above the national average.

But prices here compare far more favourably

than in neighbouring Dorset,

where an average detached property there

is going to cost you a whopping £58,000 more,

which makes Somerset a great choice

for buyers wanting fabulous countryside at an achievable price.

So let's take a look at what's currently on the market

here in the county.

For £295,000,

this delightful three-bedroom cottage in Higher Odcome

features Somerset's renowned Hamstone

and has a cosy fireplace.

It also has a detached garage.

£495,000 could buy you

this four-bedroom character cottage in Peasmarsh.

There's slate flooring in the kitchen/diner

and a stone fireplace, which adds real rustic charm.

Outside offers a generous third-of-an-acre garden.

Or for a bigger budget of £725,000,

this impressive five-bedroom property in Bishops Lydeard

would certainly be worth a look.

A fantastic inglenook fireplace

takes centre stage in the sitting room

and the exposed beams are offset by the light, high-spec interior.

What's more, it sits in around one acre

of beautifully landscaped gardens.

Some lovely properties there currently on the market.

Time now to meet today's buyers.

Retired couple Geoff and Jenny

have lived in their current home in Buckinghamshire

for the last 35 years.

During that time, Geoff has put his building skills to good use

and transformed their former bungalow

into a five-bedroom property.

And when they find their new house in the country,

it's something he definitely wants to do again.

Now that I'm retired, I need something to be doing.

I'm a builder, or I was a builder,

and I enjoy building. It'd be nice to have a project.

Yes, and I can confirm he definitely needs a project,

because since he retired, he's been getting under my feet!

So somewhere that needs a little bit of building

or a lot of building, that'd be fine by us.

I'm the builder and Jenny is my labourer.

Yes, I'm very good with wheelbarrows

and passing screwdrivers and hammers.

This husband-and-wife team of 38 years

first met when they were neighbours in the same street.

But now, living by a busy road has taken its toll,

so, over the past six months,

they have got stuck in to some serious research,

which has focused on the southwest of England.

And mindful that they want to carry on playing golf when they move,

they've settled on Taunton

as their desired location.

We've looked at various areas.

We've spent a week in Somerset

in the winter.

We haven't actually looked inside any properties,

but we've got a pretty clear picture of what we're looking for now.

Part of that is light, airy rooms,

but they also have a number of other criteria we need to factor in.

Ideally, we would like three bedrooms,

with two bathrooms,

a large kitchen/diner,

a good utility room...

Log-burner, range cooker

and...

a large garden. Large mature garden.

On top of this,

Jenny would like a couple of acres of land for her outdoor projects.

I would like to keep some bees,

some chickens,

and if we were able to get the land, maybe a couple of donkeys,

because I have an affinity to donkeys,

but we'll see how that goes.

As if house and land won't keep them busy enough,

they're also keen to find a local mooring for their narrowboat,

which they currently keep in Rugby, Warwickshire.

So with their bricks and mortar now on the market,

they've nailed down the finances for the move.

If the property was to tick all of our boxes,

we'd be quite happy to pay £350,000.

So Geoff and Jenny want a house that they can fall in love with,

but they don't mind a labour of love,

as Geoff is rather keen on a renovation project.

Jenny, she fantasises about keeping bees and donkeys,

so ideally, she wants a garden of around two acres.

Add to the mix their desire for open, spacious rooms

and three bedrooms,

two of which being en-suite,

and it's clear they have very high expectations.

We'll have to see if all this is achievable on their budget

here in Somerset.

We're focusing Jenny and Geoff's house search

around the Taunton area, just as they requested.

I'll be showing them three Somerset stunners,

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

of each until they've had a guess first.

The last property is our mystery house,

which is my chance to show them

a different dimension to their search.

Geoff and Jenny, welcome to a rather damp Somerset today.

Yes, it's wonderful, isn't it(?) Sunny Somerset. There you go!

Let's talk money. What's your top budget? Remind me.

Ideally, about £350,000,

but we could stretch a little bit further if necessary.

-OK.

-Yes, I'd go with that.

Maybe 375, 380, absolute tops.

Right. And that could be a project you're going to do up?

Yeah. If it was a project, that would have to make allowance

for the fact that I'd need the cash to do that sort of work,

but being a builder, it won't be as expensive for me as it would for someone else, obviously.

-Very true.

-Especially with the cheap labour!

Very handy - married to a builder and willing assistant!

This is a good team.

-You do know Somerset quite well.

-Yes.

-Yes.

We're going to spread the net a little bit further

around the county.

-Shall we get out the rain and jump into the car?

-Good idea.

Geoff and Jenny have a budget of £350,000,

with some additional funds available

for any projects Geoff wants to get stuck into.

They'd like...

a large kitchen/diner,

character features, such as a log-burner and range,

three bedrooms, preferably with a master en-suite,

a large garden,

and if we can find Jenny around two acres of land for donkeys,

all the better.

So how realistic are you of the market in Somerset?

The property market?

We've done a fair bit of research on the internet

and we've looked at house prices.

We know the sort of thing we're looking for

is probably just about achievable.

I love the fact that we can look at projects.

It opens it up.

You know what's going to happen, don't you?

We'll find a house that needs nothing doing to it. You'll be twiddling your thumbs, Geoff!

-You'll have to play even more golf.

-I'll get myself a job!

We're starting our journey heading east from Taunton

to the village of Yeovilton.

Just a few miles away is Ilchester,

a village with heritage stretching back to Roman times.

Ilchester offers an array of amenities

and the local Somerset Blue Lias stone

is a distinctive feature of its buildings.

Back in Yeovilton, our first house is a detached property,

set at the end of an extensive driveway.

And here is your first property

in Somerset.

-I looks great.

-It's quite substantial, isn't it?

That's one detached house, is it?

That is one house. Originally, it was a three-bedroom village house,

built in the 1970s

and extended out by the current owners

about three, two years ago.

And they have extended it, as you can see.

-Yeah. It looks very promising.

-It's nice.

-Shall we head straight in?

-OK.

-Good idea.

As we dive for cover from the rain,

Geoff and Jenny will see that the modernised interior

of this property is just as substantial.

So, as you come into the property, you've got a downstairs shower room off the hallway,

you've got a reception room.

This is the snug - I like to call it a snug.

But I wanted to bring you straight into

a very large kitchen/diner.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-This is very nice.

Yeah. Yeah. It's great.

-The units are hand-made, aren't they?

-Yes.

-They are. Got a huge range there.

-Absolutely brilliant.

Good! This is great.

Just behind us, there's a utility room

with the sink and the white goods there.

Then to the left of that, there's a door.

Geoff, you're going to love through there.

It's a garage.

-Great.

-Single width, double in length.

-Right.

Perfect for your golf clubs, your bikes, all your bits and pieces.

-That's exciting.

-Let's continue.

Those spacious proportions continue next door

in the main reception room.

So here's the sitting room.

-Nice size.

-And as you can see, they've decorated everywhere.

It's immaculate.

-Beautiful.

-Absolutely immaculate.

-And a working fireplace, hopefully.

-Yes.

The original fireplace was there.

Obviously, they've changed the surround,

but it is a proper fireplace.

And you've got access to the garden here as well.

They've got a lot of furniture, actually, in this room.

Is this the sort of space you were looking for?

We've got a fairly large lounge at home, so...

But the furniture we've got will fit nicely in here,

-no problem at all.

-Yes, it would go very nicely.

It's good.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Shall we head upstairs now?

-Why not?

-OK.

Excuse me. Thank you.

With the downstairs rooms covered,

we'll explore upstairs,

which gives them five potential bedrooms,

all of which flow off the landing.

Coupled with two bedrooms large enough to be doubles,

there are two single rooms

along with a useful study

and a fair-sized family bathroom.

-Shall we go and see where your room is?

-Sure.

And the far end is entirely their domain.

Now, a very, very large en suite

with separate bath and shower.

That looks really nice.

-And here's your bedroom.

-Oh, OK.

Not perhaps the largest,

but they do have quite a lot of furniture in here.

-They do, and it's big, heavy furniture, isn't it?

-It is.

So, yeah. It's a nice size still.

It's a good size for a double bed.

And, er...

nice outlook.

Oh, yeah.

This property delivers the large, airy interior they asked for,

but although the garden is pretty extensive,

it falls short of giving Jenny two acres for her donkeys,

although there is land locally that they could rent.

Let's brave the weather

and get Geoff's take on the home for his tools.

-What about that for a workshop, Geoff?

-Yeah, that's great. That would work wonderfully.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Who wants to go first?

-He's going first. He's the builder.

Geoff, over to you. How much is this house on the market for?

I'm going to plump for about

£365,000.

Mm-hm. Well, I'd say,

although it's five-bedroomed,

some of the bedrooms are quite small.

So maybe 345?

-OK. Interesting.

-Right...

It's been on the market for a few months.

They have recently lowered the price.

They are looking at offers in excess of

£350,000.

Oh, OK. So I was...

-Not far out.

-No, both of you, very good.

Well, with this rain coming down, let's all head back inside

-and I'll let you have a wander around on your own.

-Lovely.

-After you.

-Thanks very much.

What a day!

Priced at £350,000,

there's money left in the pot for Geoff to busy himself

with those upstairs alterations.

This property is a good opening gambit

and provides them with

a huge sitting room, complete with the fireplace that Jenny asked for,

an enormous kitchen/diner,

five potential bedrooms including a master en-suite,

along with a large, low-maintenance garden.

What's more, it's in their ideal location,

within easy reach of Taunton.

It's a very nice house.

I particularly like the kitchen.

I think the kitchen's been extremely well done.

The lounge is nice.

Not sure about upstairs. I suspect the alterations

I would want to do would probably cost in the region of

between £15,000 and £20,000.

Um...

That's doing the work myself.

A superb house.

It's got plenty of space

upstairs and downstairs,

and the kitchen is to die for.

-Have you seen enough?

-Yes, definitely.

-Good start?

-Excellent start.

Geoff and Jenny are particularly drawn to the rural scenery

surrounding Taunton,

Somerset's county town.

Taunton's architecture, from its Grade I listed castle

to the elegant Georgian terraced buildings

stands testament to its prosperous trading past,

which was underpinned by its ability to act as hub

for the transportation of goods along local rivers and canals.

Created in the early 19th century,

the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal

remains an enduring example of this heritage.

Although nowadays it's known as a popular stretch for tourists

on leisure boats.

As Geoff and Jenny are keen to find a mooring for their narrowboat

when they move,

earlier in the week, we sent them to meet

Somerset Waterways Development Trust.

Well, the canal was completed in 1827

and the waterway then went from Taunton to Huntworth,

on the River Parrett,

but then of course the railway had reached Taunton by 1842.

And that gave the canal company serious competition,

and by 1907, there was no commercial traffic on the canal at all.

The canal continued to deteriorate

until he Second World War came along.

The Government thought that a defence line needed to be built

in Somerset.

They built pill boxes along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal

and some of these are still there to be seen.

These military shelters have an eerie presence on this quiet canal,

which had to wait decades to be restored.

It was reopened in 1994,

and its 15-mile stretch passes through

a range of protected Sites Of Special Scientific Interest,

which our buyers would be able to enjoy at close quarters,

using their own narrowboat.

We have a 46-foot narrowboat,

so would we be able to have it on this canal?

Will we be able to turn it round?

Yes, there would be no problem there.

There's six locks

and they take boats, in theory, 13 feet wide.

For their size of boat, a British Waterways licence would cost them

just over £700,

with mooring fees in the Bridgwater area setting them back

around £1,000.

Mindful of their boating aspirations,

we're continuing our house search

just six miles away from the amenities of Bridgwater

in the village of Moorland

in the heart of the Somerset Levels.

Nearby, the hilly outcrop of Burrow Mump, topped with the remains

of its early Victorian chapel

is a magical landmark,

where it's believed King Alfred sought refuge

from the invading Vikings.

Situated alongside the River Parrett

is our second offering, which comes in the shape of

an extended country cottage.

So what are your first impressions of the actual cottage itself?

It looks very nice.

It looks very, very nice.

It's got the "Ooh!" factor?

It's got the ooh, the wow, and everything factor at the moment.

-The house itself is about 100 years old.

-Right.

But it's had substantial work done in the past ten years.

Has it left any for you-know-who?

I think there's always room for the personal touch, Geoff.

-Shall we take a step inside?

-Good idea.

Come on.

With such a great first reaction

to the attractive facade of our cottage,

I'm hopeful we can keep the momentum on the inside.

So, front door leads straight into...

at the moment, it's a dining room.

OK. It's nice. It's very nice.

It's lovely. It's what I'd expect a cottage

dining room or whatever they want to call it...

-Yeah.

-..to be like.

And you can see they've done a lot of work.

They've stripped all these floorboards back.

-It's very unusual to see that sort of thing.

-I've never seen anything like that.

-This is something new to me.

-Yeah.

I think it gives it quite a nice warm feel.

The dining hall leads through to the main sitting room,

which also features a wood-burner as a lovely focal point.

But we'll about-turn and see what they make of the kitchen.

Ooh!

-What do you think?

-It's lovely. It's wonderful. It is just what I want.

Can we move in?

Get your cheque book out!

I've got bad news for you.

I won't be able to get into that corner to do the washing-up.

-Oh, no!

-It's too narrow.

Geoff, we'll have to find you a dishwasher somewhere.

We've got a dishwasher

and it would definitely fit in there.

-Look at that cooker!

-You've got a solid-fuel range there

for cooking, and also heats the water

and provides some of the heating for the house.

The rest is oil-fired,

so you can use both systems.

-Yeah.

-This is just my style.

-Well, let's hope we continue on that same note.

-Let's hope so!

Let's see if they love the next room as much.

You two have an impressive conservatory at home.

Not as impressive as this one.

-This is nicer.

-Is it?

-Yes.

And it brings the garden in.

-People always say that, but it's so true.

-It does.

It's lovely. I LOVE what I'm seeing.

I'm so pleased!

Downstairs is getting high marks from Jenny.

The conservatory leads through to an area currently used as a study.

There's also an adjoining utility room

and WC with a separate shower cubicle.

But we'll head upstairs,

which offers three bedrooms,

to get their verdict on the master.

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

-Yeah.

In a cottage like this.

-Plenty of storage.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-This is nice.

Plenty big enough.

So, you've just got the one bathroom upstairs,

but you also have that shower room downstairs,

just off the utility room

and the office.

Is that going to be a problem for you?

I don't really think so.

There's only the two of us.

Yeah.

Apart from when we have guests.

You could always go out and bathe in the river, couldn't you?

Of the two remaining bedrooms,

one is large enough for a double bed

and the other is a single,

which is currently fitted with bunk beds.

OK, downstairs. Let's see the garden.

Overall, the cottage has made a really strong impression

on our couple,

but as we know, the outdoor space could be a deal-breaker for Jenny.

So...the all-important garden.

Yeah, lovely, isn't it?

It's gorgeous.

Good!

It could be perfect for the two of you.

It is really nice.

And it's looked after,

it's cared for, and this is...

well, I would say, a mature garden,

-and that's what I'd like.

-Good.

So, Jenny, come on, then - guess the price.

Top of our budget - 380.

OK. Geoff?

-What are you thinking?

-I'm going to be very optimistic

and say 365.

I like the little cheeky smile as he said "optimistic"!

Yeah, he is optimistic, isn't he?

It has only just gone on the market.

The current asking price

is 300...

Yeah...?

and 25,000 pounds!

-That's fantastic!

-Oh, Geoff, when can we move?

We'll have it!

-325?!

-325.

It has only literally gone on in the last two days.

So, does anyone fancy having another look around the property?

-Yes, please!

-I thought you might.

Go on!

Our beautiful cottage

comes with an appealing price tag,

which certainly put a smile on their faces.

Under budget at £325,000,

and deceptively spacious,

it gives them two reception areas with wood-burners,

a huge kitchen/diner with a range,

and a stunning conservatory that overlooks a mature garden.

This house is beautiful.

It's very picturesque

and it would fit our needs perfectly.

Possibly the garden might have been a little bigger,

but I think it's a compromise worth making.

There's one or two little things want doing,

but generally speaking, it's in sensational condition.

It would be just about perfect.

I'd give it at least 9 out of 10.

This house is almost as good as it gets for me.

I can imagine myself sitting in the conservatory

on a winter's day, watching the birds feeding.

And on a winter's night,

sitting in front of that beautiful log fire.

-All right, the two of you?

-Yes, thank you.

-That was lovely.

-Good.

-It seemed to be a good way to end the day.

-It was superb,

and you're going to have to work really hard to beat that one.

I'm quite sure you can't!

As the evening falls over the Somerset skyline,

the first day of our house hunt comes to an end.

Armed with their £350,000 budget,

Geoff and Jenny want to leave behind a lifetime

spent in Iver, Buckinghamshire,

and head southwest to glorious Somerset.

There's no doubt they love the space and character feel

of our second property,

although there wasn't really a project in sight for Geoff.

But he'd better put his development hat on,

as coming up, it's our mystery property.

It needs bringing up to date.

I'm actually thinking that this wall might disappear.

And I get close up to the foundations of this county.

-That's nerves.

-See, I don't...

-Ooh, now I've gone a bit deeper.

-That's OK.

We've shown Geoff and Jenny two properties here in Somerset

which, to be fair, neither of them

needed an awful lot of work doing to them.

The first house they both took to instantly,

but the garden was deemed too small by Jenny.

The second property - that scored highly,

with both of them falling in love with it at first sight,

ending our day's search on a high.

Today it's time for the mystery property.

Now, so far, Geoff hasn't had a renovation project he can sink his teeth into.

Let's see how he gets on with this one.

Our mystery house takes us towards southern Somerset,

to the village of Barwick,

just a ten-minute drive from Yeovil.

Within this rural setting

is the 300-acre Barwick Park,

dotted with five eye-catching follies,

built back in the early 1800s.

Rather like these follies,

our mystery property is a gatehouse,

full of curious quirks,

which also gives Geoff plenty of scope to get into a project.

So...come and marvel at your mystery property.

-Oh, yes!

-Wow!

ALL LAUGH

-I love it!

-Where on earth did you get this from?

It's beautiful.

-It's stunning.

-It's absolutely incredible.

Look at it!

Driveways and gates and...

I've never seen anything like... or been in anything like this.

I have never been inside a gatehouse before.

-First for me.

-That makes two of us.

-Absolutely not.

Three of us.

So the mystery house has given us the wow factor straight away.

Definitely.

I love the stone on it.

It's all original, presumably?

It is. That's all Hamstone.

Before it starts to rain, shall we head on inside?

-I think it's time to look around.

-Definitely.

-Let's do it.

Our mystery property is deceptively large,

with two wings constructed from Hamstone

added in the late 1970s.

It also includes a spacious garage.

But as Geoff and Jenny will see,

the original part comes with some extraordinary dimensions.

So, welcome to the octagonal room.

Wow!

Double wow!

-That's incredible.

-Amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

Well, it is our mystery house.

So what do you both think?

Well, I'm...

virtually speechless, because there's just not enough superlatives

that I can say to describe how I feel about it.

It's beautiful.

I think it's incredible.

It's wonderful!

If you want character,

-and quirkiness...

-We've got it here, that's for sure.

Certainly have. And your windows are quite spectacular, aren't they?

Yeah. I love them.

First room...

Top marks?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. For the quirkiness and for the wow factor.

-Yeah.

-Good.

-Right.

-I could definitely imagine living here.

That's a very good start!

Let's continue through to the kitchen.

-It's not a bad size, is it?

-It's not a bad size.

It really needs refitting, doesn't it?

It does. The house hasn't probably had a lot of work done on it

since the late '70s, early '80s.

But even so, I mean...

there's a lot of this I would actually keep.

It's nice.

It's nice and light as well.

It needs a general refit.

It needs bringing up to date,

-but it's OK.

-OK.

Let's continue.

So the kitchen leads through to this room.

So it could be a utility room. It's currently used as a big office.

Yes.

It's...it's bigger than I thought it would be,

-this room.

-Yes.

I'm actually thinking

that this wall might disappear.

-And make it one big open-plan kitchen?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

So let's take you through and show you the bedrooms,

all on the same floor.

Now that Geoff has started thinking what changes he might make,

we'll retrace our steps and explore the other wing.

Leading off the corridor,

the family bathroom is in need of his updating magic.

There are three double bedrooms, two of which are a good size for guests.

But let's see what they think of the master.

With this bedroom,

you get a fantastic view of the park.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-I like this place,

and I love that view.

Yeah.

So...

-work could be done.

-Yeah.

There's always a possibility of doing all sorts of things

when he's involved!

So, just walking around, before I take you outside,

-is this a project that's intriguing you?

-Yes.

-It's a project I'd love to do.

-Really?

That's quite definite.

-Jenny?

-Yes, it's a project I'D love him to do as well!

I've stood out there making designs in my head.

-Let's take you to the garden.

-OK.

Because then you can really appreciate

the 300 acres that are around us,

and talk about the land,

and how much all this is on the market for.

OK.

Our mystery house offers them a unique proposition

and gives Geoff the chance to put his mark on it.

Outside also gives him a good-sized garage

to store away his building tools,

while Jenny gets a garden of around a third of an acre,

with views that are hard to beat.

What a view!

This is my money shot!

I had to get you here, didn't I?

It is lovely.

-Is that a folly?

-It is a folly.

It's called Rose Tower.

Rose Tower.

And apparently, there's three others on the grounds,

so when you get your dog and you explore,

you can go and find them.

It's as if it's your own stately home, looking out!

-It is!

-But it does all come at a price.

Back to reality for the two of you, I'm afraid.

Yeah.

How much is this house worth?

I think we would comfortably spend

between £70,000 and £100,000 here.

So, on that basis, I'm going to say it's on the market for about...

260 to 265.

OK.

The house will need a lot of work.

The garden, obviously, will need a lot of work.

I have to go along with Geoff's sort of price

and I will be really cheeky

and put it below the 250 threshold,

so I'll go £249,995.

You're way out, I'm afraid.

Thought we might be.

You're way, way out.

-Go on.

-I don't want to give you this now.

£360,000 is the asking price.

Wow!

It's beautiful, but...

It's lovely, but you're going to spend £100,000 on it.

I could tell you were both instantly taken with it.

I tell you what, why don't you go back inside?

-I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

-Cheers.

Priced at £360,000,

our mystery house comes with wonderful character

and is under their top budget threshold.

But it provides them with a dilemma

as to how much they would need to invest

for their alterations.

However, we couldn't pass up on the opportunity

to show them this real architectural one-off,

which has a main reception room in the round,

a kitchen ripe for renovation,

three bedrooms

and a third-of-an-acre garden,

all wrapped up in the extraordinary setting of a manor estate.

This was a really unusual property.

When we first walked up to the front door,

I could see that it was going to be something really different.

When we came in, I wasn't disappointed.

I was just amazed at the quirkiness of it.

And I would have loved to have lived in it.

I think this is a fantastic house.

This room in particular

is phenomenal.

This room needs some TLC

and the whole building generally

needs to be brought up to date.

Um...

It's unfortunate that our budget wouldn't stretch far enough

to allow us to actually buy the house and do the work.

-All right, you two?

-Yep.

House search of Somerset is now officially over.

We've shown you all three houses.

You've got some serious thinking to do.

Oh, yeah!

Six miles from Yeovil

is Ham Hill,

which overlooks the 400-acre Ham Hill County Park,

which annually attracts over a quarter of a million visitors.

Yet human activity here stretches back 4,000 years

to the Bronze Age,

and although nowadays it's a protected site,

the Hamstone has always been a valuable commodity.

It's been quarried since Roman times,

reaching a peak in the Victorian era,

when over 200 small quarries operated locally.

Although many of them closed by the early 20th century,

a couple still exist,

one of which has expert stonemasons on hand

to craft this unique type of limestone.

I've come to meet the manager, Saul Harvey,

to find out more about the resonance of Hamstone to the area.

Saul, driving around Somerset,

I mean, this county's known for its chocolate-box cottages.

Beautiful, and they're made from a particular stone.

Hamstone. And it has that very distinctive colour -

it's sort of a yellow honey colour, isn't it?

Why has it got that particular colour?

It has iron ore

in the stone. It gives it its colour.

It's a limestone.

It's 160 million years old,

which makes it Jurassic.

It was once a warm, shallow sea

somewhere near the Equator.

And it's basically millions of little seashells

that died and fell to the bottom of the sea

and they were crushed and compacted to form the stone we see today.

Quarrying here is carefully managed,

as it's such a sensitive historic place.

But bearing in mind that the modern machinery

can turn out 100 stones this size a day,

it looks like stone will be quarried here for the next 50 years.

On site, there are three stonemasons

and an apprentice, who use their craftsmanship

to cut and carve this beautiful stone.

And I'm going to get a handle on how to get started,

under the expert guidance of Ashley Williamson.

-So what are you doing here?

-It's fairly simplistic masonry.

In the end, it's going to be an overflow section.

The stone in itself is a voussoir for an archway.

-It's a what?

-A voussoir.

-A voussoir?

-What's a voussoir?

-It's a section of an archway.

-Is this Hamstone?

-This is Hamstone.

And is it easy to work with, in your opinion?

It's variable.

In texture, it can be hard in one spot, slightly softer in another.

So you have to be fairly careful as you're going along.

Right, you show me, then hopefully, I will follow your lead.

The trick is

to try and start a little bit proud of the line.

Don't aim for the line immediately.

So start, and just take a...

little edge off there.

And then gradually work your way down.

And it's tiny, tiny fragments

of the stone.

Yeah.

You really try to avoid taking big pieces.

I realise it's precision work, but that is something else.

Yeah...

It's just...a game of patience, really.

-But it's, um...all yours.

-OK.

-So...

-So, chisel generally...

to allow plenty of movement in your arm and your wrist,

we generally hold them like that,

with your four fingers wrapped round and your thumb just there,

so you can kind of...

-So if I'm right-handed, that goes in the right hand?

-Yeah.

-OK. And I'd better put on the specs, hadn't I?

-Just for safety's sake.

Right.

OK.

Here we go. So...

Hold it like that? No.

Yeah, that's basically it, then...

-so the chisel's coming out from the end.

-That way?

-Yeah.

And slightly lower pitch.

-There?

-That's it.

-Just a gentle...?

-Generally about 45 degrees to the stone.

Concentration...

I'm not really going too deep, am I?

That's nerves.

-See, I don't... Oh, now I've gone a bit deeper.

-That's OK.

Split the difference between the two

-and you'll be just about there.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Is that better?

-That's good.

Hmm...not quite...

as smooth as yours!

But with a few more hours...

-I think it might improve.

-I'd say 20 minutes, if that.

-Ashley, thank you very much indeed.

-No problem. It's been a pleasure.

I think Ashley's being kind,

because it takes a lot longer -

three years as an apprentice, in fact -

to learn the age-old skills

which help shape this precious local material.

Well, Somerset seems to have hit the spot

for our golfing couple.

Both Jenny and Geoff love two of the houses that we've shown them.

But do they have a particular favourite,

and if so, what's their next step going to be?

Let's find out.

So let's start with the very first property that you saw

in the village of Yeovilton.

When we first walked in there and went into the kitchen,

I thought, "This is beautiful. This could be for us."

But the bedrooms were just a little too..

-Well, they were quite a bit too small.

-Yeah.

And it would seem silly to buy a five-bedroom house

then convert it back to a three-bedroom house.

You're paying a premium for the extra bedrooms,

which you're then spending to get rid of.

That would be silly.

And then, to crown it, we went into the garden.

And...

it just wasn't big enough.

We then took you more to the centre of the county,

a little bit closer to Taunton,

and we showed you a cottage.

I don't think I need to say any more, do I?

Bingo!

It was superb.

It was.

I can't say anything more, really,

than we walked in, we loved it.

As we walked round, we loved it more.

We went upstairs - it was great.

We went in the garden - it was lovely.

What else can I say?

Strangely enough, the bedrooms weren't very big,

but they were fine.

The house was just so gorgeous.

I don't think, to be fair, that the garden in that house

was much bigger than the first house that we saw,

-but it was so nicely landscaped.

-And laid out.

Very well laid out. Laid out neatly.

It just made all the difference.

It did seem to get the thumbs-up from start to finish.

But let us not forget our third and final house - the mystery house,

which always works so hard for us!

The gatehouse.

It almost put number two into touch!

You really scared me. I thought...

This is going to be difficult.

It's a beautiful, beautiful gatehouse.

-It was.

-And with sufficient money to spend on it,

it could be sensational.

The sticking point was how much it was going to cost.

I'm afraid we really made a mess of that, didn't we?

Yeah, we didn't get that quite right.

Well, perhaps you were hoping.

Your price was quite a bit under!

We know why it's on the market for that amount of money -

because of the location, and it is so unique.

But you do have to balance it,

and you know better than anyone, being a builder.

We were getting very close. Three, we were nearly there,

but two does seem to be the winner.

-Yeah.

-Yes, it is.

Now, I don't want to get too excited,

but...

I'm going to have to ask...

Where do you go next?

We've already spoken to the agents

and we're going to wait a week

and then put an offer in.

How brilliant!

Oh my goodness, I hope it's accepted

and I really do hope that everything goes through.

That is the most fantastic news.

Thank you both so much.

-We will be keeping our fingers crossed. Do let us know.

-We will.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Well, there you have it.

It sounds like we've found the perfect escape to the country

here in Somerset for Geoff and Jenny.

They're looking to put in an offer

for that cottage by the river early next week,

and we certainly hope it works out for them.

Until next time, bye-bye.

Geoff and Jenny are hoping to put an offer in on house two,

and are waiting to secure the sale of their current property.

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