Northamptonshire Escape to the Country

On an overcast summer's day 366 years ago, on this very spot,

the destiny of the British Army,

the future of one man, one vote democracy,

and the fate of the British nation hung in the balance.

Where am I? Find out in just a moment.

Today I'm helping a retired couple search for a new home for themselves,

AND their car.

And our properties are certainly to their liking.

-It looks absolutely delightful.

-It looks lovely.

Then the unusual charms of our mystery house

get them to think the unthinkable.

-Perhaps we'll get a smaller car.

-Oh!

Today we're in Northamptonshire

and we're very close to the village of Naseby

and it was on these fields on the 14th June, 1645,

that the Battle of Naseby took place.

Charles I's Royalist troops over there,

and Cromwell's Roundhead Army behind.

Now, the outcome of that battle, the Roundheads won,

led to the end of the absolute monarchy.

It also eventually led to parliamentary democracy in Britain,

AND it was the first outing of Cromwell's New Model Army

which eventually led to the modern British military.

So, Northamptonshire very important historically

but for a whole bunch of other reasons too.

Known as the rose of the shires,

Northamptonshire is boarded by eight counties,

including Warwickshire, Leicestershire, and Buckinghamshire.

Rich pasture-land led to a buoyant wool trade in the 13th century,

but by the 1500s the production of leather had emerged as a key business.

By the 17th century shoemaking was the county's main industry.

Beautiful unspoiled villages like Middleton Cheney dot the countryside

and there are plenty of attractions

like the Victorian feat of engineering, Harringworth Viaduct,

which was built in 1876.

It's the longest brick-built viaduct in the country,

with 82 arches that stretch into the neighbouring county of Rutland.

Let's talk property prices.

The average detached house in Northamptonshire costs £223,000,

£33,000 less than the national average.

But when you consider that in their county's priciest neighbour, Buckinghamshire,

a detached house cost is 87% higher than the national average,

then suddenly those extra 10 or 20 miles on the M1

seem like a good deal to get to Northamptonshire.

So let's take a look at what the county has to offer in terms of property.

For just under £300,000 this three bedroom Grade II listed cottage

in Little Billing offers ample space.

There's a light reception room which features exposed beams,

and a dining room with an inglenook fireplace.

It also has a large conservatory which leads out onto a lawned garden.

Bought for £599,000 there's this five bedroom cottage in Badby,

which comes with half an acre of garden.

The property has been with a bright, modern kitchen-diner,

which leads through to a stunning oak-framed garden room.

At the top of the scale you could buy

this four bed Grade II listed house in Laxton for £725,000.

It has an impressive vaulted ceiling in the kitchen-diner,

and you'll never be cold in front of the huge living room fire.

Outside the house is surrounded by nearly an acre of land.

Some corkers here in the county.

Let's meet the couple who are planning to make their escape here.

Retired civil servants, Mike and Frances,

have lived in their four-bedroom house on the outskirts of London

for over three decades.

But now they feel it's time for a gearchange,

and they're ready to head to the country to find a home

that can provide peace and tranquillity for them, and their rather large car.

We've both been in London for 36, 37 years.

And although Dr Johnson once said,

"If you're tired of London you're tired of living"

I think outer London has lost its charms, as far as we're concerned.

It's so crowded here. The traffic is very busy. There are lots of people.

It would be nice to have a gentler pace of life.

Another thing I would like to say goodbye to

are frequent police sirens and helicopters and aircraft.

With a shared love of motor racing

Mike and Frances are keen to move to a county

that provides the perfect backdrop for their favourite pastime.

Motorsport is a fairly big part of our lives.

We go and watch motor races about once every fortnight or three weeks in the season.

Our reason for moving to Northamptonshire

is, of course, Silverstone's in Northamptonshire,

so we'd like to be closer to the circuit than we are currently.

We're members of the Silverstone Racing Club, and go there quite a lot.

And it takes two-and-a-quarter hours from here,

so that anywhere that takes, say, an hour's drive would be such a treat.

After so many years spent living in the same house, our buyers know their neighbours well,

and they're hoping to find a similar sense of community in Northamptonshire.

They also have a clear idea of what they want from their next home.

I don't think we'd want to be particularly isolated,

a village or the edge of a village, I think, would suit us,

would suit is very well.

What we'd like would be three bedrooms, minimum,

two reception rooms,

slightly larger kitchen than we have now,

and I'd like a conservatory, cos I like the one we have,

and I've never had a utility room, so a utility room would be nice.

We don't mind whether it's detached, or semi-detached.

And a large garage or at least space to erect a large garage if one isn't available.

I think our main concerns about moving

is the amount of stuff we've got.

We're both magpies.

I've got about 7,000 books,

hundreds and hundreds of CDs.

So, they'll need plenty of storage space.

Only one more thing to factor in, and that's the finances.

Our budget for the move will be £325,000.

But if there was something particularly wonderful or ideal

we might perhaps stretch to £350,000.

I get the impression that Mike and Frances's property requirements are not too taxing,

as long as they're close to their beloved Silverstone motor circuit.

However, we are also housing a 17-foot long car.

Whoever heard of such a thing?

Mike and Frances have asked us to focus our search

on the area around Silverstone village,

which is just over 10 miles south of Towcester.

We've got three great properties for them to explore,

but as usual before I reveal the price

I'll ask them to guess how much each property is on the market for.

Our last property is as ever our mystery house,

and I'm hoping our couple will fall for its unusual charms.

-Morning, morning, morning.

-Hello.

-Welcome to Northamptonshire.

-Thank you.

I know that one of the main factors of your move

is finding a home for your very large car.

-It's about 17 feet long.

-That's long!

-Well...

-There are longer.

I'm sure. Do you know this area in terms of villages and properties?

Not all that well.

We've got one or two well-beaten paths to Silverstone,

but apart from that no, not really.

It'll be an adventure looking at new properties.

-Absolutely, all we've done so far is look on the internet.

-Very good.

Well I suggest that we get in our hot rod,

-sort of hot rod, and find and properties.

-Great.

-Come with me.

Mike and Frances have a budget of £325,000,

although they could stretch to £350,000 for the right property.

They're looking for a three-bedroom house with two reception rooms,

one of which they'll use as a lounge and the other as a dining room.

They'd also like a good-sized kitchen and a conservatory.

And a utility room would be an added bonus.

But the absolute essential

is space for their classic car.

We begin our search in the pretty village of Charwelton

which is to the west of Towcester,

it's only 20 miles from the village of Silverstone

and our buyers' beloved racetrack.

Surrounded by farmland, Charwelton offers the peaceful country life Mike and Frances are after.

There's plenty of amenities including a village hall, a church, and a pub.

The property I'm showing them is a semi-detached stone cottage,

dating back to 1736.

Here we have house number one.

That's fun, isn't it? Cute.

It's very pretty.

It looks as if it had a lot of work done on it, as well.

Yes, it's been extensively remodelled.

Well, it's 275 years old, and it's a charming, compact property.

What do you think from the outside?

-It looks absolutely delightful.

-It does look lovely. Yes.

I suppose the pressing issue

-is going to be housing the beautiful monster.

-Yes!

So shall we look at that first?

-OK.

-Good idea.

'Well I think that's a thumbs up so far.

'Just as long as there's a potential home for their car.'

Unsurprisingly, this house doesn't have a garage for a 17-foot car.

It being a rather petite country cottage.

However, we have enquired about planning and regulations,

and it seems that it's not infeasible that at some point

-you could construct something here.

-Oh, right.

That's eight-foot wide.

Will she get through there?

-Oh yes.

-Yes.

-I think so.

A tight turn from that road. But she'd get it.

-So can we leave the car behind and look at the house?

-OK.

-Good idea.

'In the courtyard there is also a small outbuilding that could work as a utility area,

'but I'm taking them to a room that I think will particularly appeal to them.'

So we enter in the back.

Thank you.

Straight into the conservatory,

kitchen area.

-It's nice and bright.

-It is.

-Lovely views of the garden.

-I like it. It's a good size.

Bearing in mind it's a relatively small cottage.

-Workers' cottage.

-It's a good size. Yes.

Let's go through and look at the living room.

'Well, they wanted a conservatory and a large kitchen,

'so we're on the right track.

'Let's hope the sitting room meets their requirements too.'

What do you think of this?

-A surprisingly nice sized room.

-Yeah.

Even the ceiling height.

From the outside you do think it's going to be a bit pokey.

But actually the extension, I think, has been really well done.

And these rooms have probably been opened up,

they may well have been divided at some point.

'Next to the sitting room is a bedroom which is currently being used as a snug.

'If they turn this into a reading room

'some of their many possessions could be accommodated here.

'Upstairs there's a guest bedroom with exposed timber beams,

'and an attractive, contemporary bathroom.

'But we'll check out where they might sleep.'

This would be your room.

Surprisingly light and airy, isn't it?

Yes, and the high ceilings are definitely a good point.

As I mentioned, you only have two bedrooms upstairs,

is that going to be a deal-breaker?

No, it'll cut down the number of visitors we have!

-OK, so that's your lot in terms of inside space.

-Right.

-Shall we have a peak in the garden?

-Yes, let's.

-After you.

'Mike and Frances haven't expressed the need for a particular size of garden,

'but I'm hoping the mature shrubs and bushes will be to their liking.'

Now, we have to cross this little rabbit-proof fence

-so give me your hand.

-Thank you.

Not huge, but charming.

Yes, I think I could cope with something this size. yes.

How much do you think this is on the market for?

I really have no idea.

Haven't moved for 30 years.

But I'll just guess our budget, £325,000.

OK. What about you, Mike?

I'd say, probably, £335,000.

Well, it is actually right on your budget.

It's on for £325,000.

So, yes, it's all there.

It's whether you love it enough to want to proceed.

Have a look inside, go and look in the rooms we didn't see,

and I shall meet you back in the garden and we can proceed from there.

-OK.

-In you go.

-Thank you.

Matching their minimum budget of £325,000,

this beautifully-presented cottage has three bedrooms,

one of which is currently being used as a snug,

a good-sized kitchen which leads on to a conservatory,

and a large reception room with period features.

There's also a pretty, mature garden

tucked at the back of the property.

When I first saw the house it looked very small,

very chocolate boxy, but very, very small.

However, once you get inside,

the extension that's been built just makes it so light and airy.

When I first saw the property I was very taken by it,

I thought how pretty it looked.

And indeed how well cared for, well-kept.

I thought it was likely to be quite small,

and was agreeably surprised when we went in to find it's really quite spacious.

Very quirky, lots of nooks and crannies which I like very much.

So, house number one done and dusted.

-Yes.

-I liked that.

And if you can bear travelling in my very less than classic car,

we'll go onto the next one.

Northamptonshire has a fine architectural heritage,

and as Mike and Frances are interested in local history,

earlier in the week we arranged for them to visit

one of the county's gems, the magnificent Elizabethan manor,

Canons Ashby.

It's been the home of the Dryden family for the last 450 years,

and Laura Malpas from the National Trust is showing them around.

The earliest part of the house that you can see

is the central tower here,

built probably around 1550 to 1555,

by John Dryden who came down from Cumbria.

This is, we believe,

a kind of Cumbrian architectural design called a peel tower.

When he realised there were no marauding Scots people

he then went on to build an H-shaped Tudor house.

Although the core of the house dates back to around 1550,

there are subsequent additions from the more recent Georgian and Victorian eras.

170 volunteers keep the house and gardens ticking over,

and 10 of the rooms are open to the public.

Welcome to Sir Henry's book room.

Sir Henry was our Victorian owner of Canons Ashby.

He made wonderful drawings and recordings

of the gardens at Canons Ashby, all the architectural features.

He drew everything.

And you can just imagine him sitting here

and gazing at his beautiful garden.

Do you remember imperial measures, a chain?

-Yes.

-Oh yes.

This is a Victorian chain,

which Sir Henry used to measure the dimensions of the garden.

You can see his glasses and we've got his drawing implements,

and these indeed are some of the drawings that he made.

-You can see he was very talented...

-A real draughtsman, absolutely.

Now, Sir Henry was quite a character.

He was very practical, very pragmatic,

and he didn't really stand on ceremony.

And he believed if he had a house guest coming to stay,

that they really should earn their dinner.

So he used to keep a handy selection of gardening tools here,

so that if somebody was coming for dinner and they looked like

they should then their supper, he'd send them out

to do a spot of gardening, a bit of weeding.

Shall we go on?

Different parts of the house

chart the Dryden family fortunes back through the centuries.

The drawing room in particular provides a stunning example of traditional craftsmanship

seen in the domed plasterwork ceiling

which was installed in 1632 by Sir John Dryden,

who, it seems, was an incredibly busy man.

John was 53

and childless and wifeless,

so the family found him a 22-year-old who was,

even better, was an heiress,

and in nine years she gave him nine children.

-Making up for lost time!

-He certainly did.

He put up this celebratory ceiling, probably using her money,

and all of the symbols on it are do with fertility.

So we've got thistles, bursting open pomegranates,

bunches of grapes.

Nine children!

In nine years! Good heavens!

I think she died quite soon after that.

Canons Ashby is also renowned for its pristine lawns,

with croquet a regular pastime for visitors like Mike and Frances.

Let's hope we won't have to jump through too many hoops

as we continue our house search.

Our second property is in the village of Wood Burcote

which is just a mile down the road from Towcester,

Northamptonshire's oldest town.

In the 18th-century this vibrant market town became a popular

stop off point for stagecoaches travelling from London to Holyhead.

And the pretty 12th century church of St Lawrence still survives today.

The property I'm showing them is a detached stone cottage

with motor racing connections that I think they'll like.

Now, we are only three miles from Silverstone now.

-Brilliant.

-Smell the burning rubber!

Exactly. Smell Formula 1 in the air.

And this is the property I want to show you.

It's intriguing, isn't it?

Another, looks old, and the stone built is fun.

-Slightly less old, 200 years old this one.

-Gosh. Modern!

It used to belong to Lord Hesketh.

-Oh, right!

-Who I'm sure you know as well.

Indeed, yes, he gave James Hunt his Formula 1 drive.

There you go, I knew you'd know that.

I've never heard of him, but anyway.

Used to belong to his estate

and again, probably a farm workers' cottage

or a hay barn of some kind. It's been extensively remodelled.

It's actually quite modern inside.

It looks a bit bigger than the last one.

It actually has all the rooms you asked for.

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Yes.

-Yes.

'This house has all the right credentials on the outside,

'let's hope they find the interior as appealing.'

Straight into the kitchen.

Right.

Quite a different layout, here.

Yes. I think this is very attractive and spacious,

a lot more space than we used to, so that would be nice.

I think that's gas.

It is, double gas.

Great, wonderful.

So it scores well on that.

You could cook up a storm there.

Nice floor, like the floor as well.

So you've got a utility room in the little hallway there.

You seem a bit more positive about this one.

Is that because it used to belong to Lord Hesketh?

Well, that's got to help, hasn't it?

I think it's probably sold it!

What about this room?

This is the living space.

Here we've got a bit more living space than in the last one.

-Because we've got the dining room here as well.

-Yes.

It's a lovely room. It's a beautiful floor.

I'm just a bit concerned that it is living and dining together.

I prefer separate spaces.

-For dining?

-Hmm.

-Right, OK.

What about you, Mike?

Again, it's a nice big room, nice and airy,

and again the ceilings aren't too low.

I get the impression that you're not very used to open plan.

No. No.

So that would be different.

Would take a bit of getting used to.

Well, there it an option for more downstairs space around the corner.

This is a bit of a conundrum room.

Because I'm not sure what you would use it for.

Could be a book room, perhaps?

It could.

-Gosh, yes, that would be good, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

Again, quite a nice sized room.

It has an attached bathroom, shower room,

so it lends itself to being an extra bedroom

but I don't you need an extra bedroom

because you've actually got three upstairs.

After you've done some heavy duty reading you can freshen up in the ensuite.

A scrub down!

If you've read anything a bit heated!

Yes.

Talking of that, let's go upstairs.

'We're heading back through the living room

'to explore the layout on the first floor,

'where I think there should be plenty of room for all the possessions.

'Off the landing there's a good size double bedroom,

'and a small single room currently used as a dressing room.

'There's also a pleasant family bathroom

'with a rolltop top, and a shower.

'But I'm taking them to what could be their room.'

I wanted to show you the master bedroom,

which is an interesting shape.

-Yes.

-Interesting window.

The dual aspect makes it very light.

Absolutely. It's quite fun, isn't it?

And not a bad size.

And the back of the house so very quiet.

-Yes.

-Shall we have a look outside and for space for the lady?

-Oh, gosh.

'As their car or the old lady as they fondly refer to it is such a key part of their move,

'it's time to see what living quarters might be available for her.'

Garden, again, not massive,

but you didn't want a massive garden so that's fine.

Space around the corner for a little shed.

They did put in planning permission to extend the house,

so I don't think there would be any problem with putting a garage on the side.

There's obviously that extra expense you'd have to factor in.

And we'd have to look at the space as well.

What do you think it on the market for?

You go first this time.

330.

I'd say 335.

This one is actually a bit more expensive.

This is on at the top of your budget at 350.

It's not been terribly long,

but I guess it's because of its location

and also because of the extra bedroom.

But do have a look around inside,

think about whether the layout works, the size works.

-And then we can compare notes afterwards.

-OK.

Costing £350,000 this barn conversion

is at the top end of their budget.

But then it does have four bedrooms,

one of which could make a great reading room for our buyers.

There's also a good-sized kitchen,

and a large open-plan sitting and dining room.

Outside there is a manageable garden

and space to build a garage for their car,

better known as the old lady.

Another interesting house,

and probably more of the sort of house were looking for.

It's more open plan than the first house,

the only compromise is that you'd be dining in the sitting room

or sitting in the dining room, but that's not a huge compromise at all.

So all in all, I think, yes, it's a nice house.

I think this house meets our needs more closely

than the previous house we look back.

It's got a lovely feel, a lovely ambience,

and it's interesting, it's got character,

there's space for the old lady.

However, we would want to build a garage or carport

which might be a bit difficult

because this is at the absolute top of our budget.

But overall it's a very pleasant,

very attractive property.

Right, let's go and retire for the day.

As the sun sets in Northamptonshire

the first day of our property search draws to a close.

Car-racing enthusiasts Mike and Frances

are keen to swap urban life for a peaceful country home.

We've shown them two properties so far.

One which was tantalisingly close to their favourite racetrack.

Smell the burning rubber.

Exactly. Smell Formula 1.

'However, I'm still hoping our couple will be tempted

'by the eccentric charms of our mystery property.'

It's a bit higgledy-piggledy.

That doesn't worry us.

Day two, and I have to say I was quite pleased

with the result of our first day of property shopping.

Mike particularly was impressed, I think, with the properties.

Although Frances has a slightly more steely, insightful gaze

when it comes to things like structural problems, storage, where to put things.

So the mystery house, although is not a classic mystery

in that it's not a ruined castle or a windmill,

it will definitely give them space.

I'm conscious that you must have amassed

-quite a lot of stuff in 30 years.

-True.

Are you getting anxious about having a house

that's going to fit it all in?

Well, yes, I think so.

We're trying to declutter a bit,

but there's so much stuff that we really don't want to get rid of.

So one thing you're not going to declutter is the Bentley.

-Erm...

-He might get a more modern one, possibly.

But that would be even bigger.

'For our mystery house I'm taking them to the rural hamlet of Gayton,

'which is just to the north of Towcester.

'Set in idyllic countryside, Gayton is a peaceful village

'full of historical buildings with some charming thatched cottages.

'The village is well served with a pub and local shops.

'The house I'm showing them is a semi-detached cottage,

'which has a hidden entrance, access through the car parking space.'

The mystery house.

Now, I have to say,

I'm afraid this is where Her Majesty's going to have to go.

-Right.

-OK.

It is 18 foot long.

Well that's more space than she's got now.

A few more inches.

We're not sure how YOU'D get in the house.

You just have to have a rope ladder

to climb over the car to get into the door,

which we shall do much easier now.

'It's a relief they're sounding OK

'about manoeuvring past their car to get in.

'I hope they'll remain as open-minded

'about the unique layout of the house.'

OK, so a better view of the actual house here

from your little magic garden.

It's another picture book place.

Absolutely.

-It's a little bit higgledy-piggledy.

-That doesn't worry us.

-No.

-Not a problem?

-No, it'll be fun.

-And from the outside?

Yes. It looks delightful.

It looks really pretty.

Let's look inside.

'All very positive so far,

'and there are certainly more delights to come.'

Straight into the kitchen

and this is probably the biggest one I've shown you.

It is, yes.

-Good size, isn't it?

-Yes, and lovely floor.

And lovely cross beams which are quite unusual.

It's fun, isn't it?

It's a big kitchen, space for a big table.

-Yes.

-What do you think, Mike?

Yes, I like it. It's nice, good size.

What about the dining table in the kitchen?

I don't actually like dining in the kitchen, I have to confess.

Well as I mentioned, this house has many rooms.

I'm sure you can put a dining table somewhere else. Let's have a look.

'In contrast to the modern kitchen this house also has some wonderful period features,

'as they'll discover when they see the next room.'

This is the other main room.

Right, it's a lovely room.

-Absolutely delightful. The fireplace.

-Gosh.

Dual aspect. It's very pretty.

It is.

-Actually, it's a very functional room, lived in and liveable.

-Yes.

What do you think of the vibe of the house, Mike?

It's great, isn't it?

It is, it's a charming place.

Absolutely delightful.

-There's a nice terrace outside where you can eat in the summer,

-Yes.

But let's have a look upstairs.

'The house seems to be winning them over, even without a dining room.'

This room, probably not big enough for a dining table,

-but a lovely snug.

-It is, it's delightful.

Quirky.

'It's on up to the first floor

'where there's a good-sized master bedroom.'

Here's your bedroom.

Certainly big enough, isn't it?

Yeah.

It is. And unusual. Beams.

Storage, light.

Sort of window, floor level.

Yes, I like that.

And how are you getting under the door?

Do you have to remember to duck?

-Not by much.

-And it has a very nice ensuite.

Ensuite as well, my word!

Which is very charming. Spacious.

Let's peek upstairs as well so you get the idea of how many rooms there are.

'Opposite the main bedroom is a guest room with exposed ceiling beams,

'and a contemporary shower room.

'This house also has a landing space that cleverly doubles as an office.

'But we're continuing up more stairs where there are yet more bedrooms.

So now we really are up in the eaves.

With this room up in the attic.

And on the other side

you've got exactly the same. It's sort of like symmetrical.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-And two staircases.

I love all these staircases, such good exercise.

-It's quite a quirky...

-It certainly is, yes.

And it's much, much bigger than you'd think from the outside.

Is it the sort of quirk that appeals to you, though?

-Very much so.

-Oh yes.

It's just whether

you're going to be able to get the big old Bentley in.

Well, perhaps we'll get smaller car.

Oh!

Did I hear that you were thinking of maybe shopping in the big car?

Well...

Mind you, I would believe that when I see it, I have to say.

But it would be stupid that the car would become a deal-breaker.

A house has got to come before a car.

Music to my ears.

I kind of wish you'd told us that before we started searching for the houses, but still...

I'm actually fairly gobsmacked hearing him say that

and I'm not entirely sure that I completely believe it.

-We'll see.

-You can work on him.

Let's go back to the ground floor and talk about price.

Oh dear.

'So, the car may be sporting its own for sale sign soon,

'as they seem to have really embraced

'the unusual layout of this property.

'But how much do they think it's worth?'

It's a bit like coming out of a labyrinth

and suddenly you're back in the fresh air.

Yes, it's like a Chinese box, isn't it?

It's brilliant.

Certainly much bigger than you think from the outside.

The missing piece of the puzzle is the price.

How much do you think it's on the market for?

It's got to be over our budget.

I'll just pick a figure out of the air and say £360,000.

I was going say that. 365.

Ah, so a little bit more.

Well, it's actually £50 less than your budget.

Good grief!

It's on the market just under £350,000.

Oh!

-Why don't you both go and explore and see what is doable.

-Right.

-OK.

'For just shy of their maximum £50,000 budget,

'this quirky former pub has plenty to offer.

'It has four bedrooms, a large eat-in kitchen,

'the main sitting room features exposed beams,

'with an inglenook fireplace.

'There's also a small parking bay

'at the front of the house

'where their beloved car could reside

'if they don't sell it.'

I think it's a brilliant house. It's fantastic.

Not a straight line or a right angle anywhere,

rooms opening one into and one out of the another like a Chinese box.

It's just fascinating.

When we came to the house I thought, gosh,

cute but small.

In actual fact it's cute but large.

I think at one time it was a public house,

and the rooms are just fun.

I didn't think there's a street beam

or a straight wall in the house at all.

It goes up two floors,

most rooms are a good size, it's absolutely fascinating.

I think we've with both fallen in love with the place.

The slight downside is the parking space outside,

I don't think it'll be big enough for the big car,

so perhaps it's time to get a smaller car instead.

Ah!

-See, that was a long discussion.

-It certainly was.

Long discussion is good discussion.

But I'm going to have to drag you away from this mystery house

to make some decisions.

In 1642 Civil War broke out in England

when King Charles declared war on his subjects

after they questioned his divine right to rule.

I've come to where one of the key conflicts,

the Battle of Naseby, was fought

between the Royalists of King Charles,

and the Parliamentarian soldiers of Oliver Cromwell.

The site is a treasure trove of objects

which allow military historians like Martin Marix Evans

to understand more about how the battle unfolded.

I'm assuming some of the evidence about what happened that day

comes from people finding things, farmers digging things up?

Yes. I've got with me a 12-ball musket ball.

Oh, it's heavy.

It's one 12th of a pound of lead.

-Is that why it's called 12 ball?

-Yes.

That weighs just the same amount.

It's cut off a slug of lead before it was melted down to make a musket ball,

but if you look at the surface carefully you'll see there are dots on it.

-It's a dice.

-It is.

You can imagine them on the night before the battle,

playing dice,

in order to take their mind off what might happen to them the following day.

One of the most touching things perhaps is this.

This is a little piece of silver,

and looking at it here,

the lettering

is Y

C E.

And we believe this is the tail end

of Joyce.

Oh, so it's someone...

The girl's name. That's so sweet.

And whoever had that in his pocket

turned the edges up

so he wouldn't mistake it for a coin and he would keep it.

But also we don't know what happened to Joyce.

Did he ever get back to see her?

It's wonderful how these things come alive.

This was fought by real people, this battle.

It wasn't just a thing in the history books.

During the Battle of Naseby the Parliamentarian Army of Cromwell

inflicted a fatal blow on the Royalists of King Charles,

which eventually led to their defeat.

The Battle of Naseby is being celebrated

at the annual Festival of History nearby.

I've come to meet two Civil War re-enactors

to see if I can tell the difference between a Royalist and a Parliamentarian.

Afternoon, gentlemen. Looking very splendid indeed.

Are you, surely, a Royalist?

No, I'm actually a Parliamentarian.

It's a popular myth both sides looked very different.

Civil war, society split down the middle,

officers were generally gentlemen,

gentlemen were fashionable and wore fashionable clothes.

How do they know which one to kill?

By the colour of the scarf, or a sash as you might call it nowadays.

The Royalists generally wore red.

Parliamentary soldiers wore the colour of their generals personal colour.

Do you sympathise philosophically or ideologically with one side or the other?

The Parliamentary cause would be the one I'd support.

What about you, Stephen?

I would have chosen the Parliamentarians side,

because that was the origins of our modern Parliamentary democracy.

-And they won.

-Of course we did!

So who's missing?

The pikemen, which is going to be you.

The pikemen were a defensive line which protected the musketeers

by presenting a fearful set of spikes

against which the cavalry would hesitate to attack.

This is going to stop me

from being hacked to death by a Royalist.

It won't be musket proof

but it will protect you from pikes and swords.

So, it wasn't really much use for this army.

Not towards the end of the war. Both sides realised

the musket was the dominant weapon on the battlefield.

'Well, it's time for me

'to leave the battlefield behind and get back to the day job.'

I think you'll have to agree that for the 325 to 350 price mark

Northamptonshire has come up trumps.

Those were three very handsome cottages,

quite big enough for two people on their own,

but maybe not big enough for 30 years of Croydon and the old lady.

Let's find out which one they like the best.

Isn't Northamptonshire lovely?

-Glorious.

-Beautiful county.

I have to thank you for tasking us to find you a house here.

It's been such a lovely week exploring the county,

looking at all these properties.

-It's been wonderful.

-It has.

Apart from looking round the lovely countryside,

we also showed you three houses

so I'd like to get your views on those.

Go through them one by one, let's go back to the first property.

Your thoughts about that now?

Very picturesque.

Yes, it was cute.

-In beautiful condition.

-Good decorative order.

It was delightful.

But I think a bit small all-round.

Silly with just two of us.

Yes, for two normal people who aren't magpies it would be ideal.

I think for us it was just a tad on the small side.

The second house, however, did have more space for your bits and bobs.

It was considerably bigger and it did have space

not only for the old lady,

-but also for my little runabout and some visitors' cars as well.

-Yeah.

And a fascinating history, Lord Hesketh being the owner

and the connection with Formula 1 there was very interesting.

But it was right at very top of our budget,

and we would still have had to construct

some sort of carport or garage for the old lady.

Yes, and I think

-there was a question about the sitting and dining area as well.

-Yes.

We do like a separate dining room and that wasn't an option, really.

The dining room and the old lady

both came into play in the mystery house,

although here, interestingly, they didn't seem quite so important.

The mystery house was boggling. It was wonderful.

I kept likening it to a Chinese box,

there were more and more rooms opening one out of the other.

It was such an exciting, intriguing place.

From the outside it just didn't look big at all.

Yes, the TARDIS effect.

It was absolutely delightful,

not a straight line or square corner or straight beam.

Rooms leading to other rooms. It was absolutely delightful.

It's interesting though,

because, it actually didn't meet your brief really at all.

There wasn't a huge garage,

the old lady would either have to be hung drawn and quartered,

or parked on the road.

And there wasn't a separate dining room.

And yet you still loved it.

Absolutely. But those are the problems.

And really, what do we need with that number of bedrooms?

But it's just so fascinating.

It really grabs us.

We can always downsize the car, can't we?

I reserve judgement on this.

Frances, give me the inside scoop, do you think that will ever happen?

I just don't know. I was amazed when he came out with that.

So I shall await the future with interest.

It's clearly what keeps your marriage so exciting.

Always surprising one another. Well very good.

Would you proceed on any of them?

What is the next step?

We might contact the estate agent for the mystery house.

I think the third house is definitely a contender.

Well I'm very glad that we managed to come up trumps,

despite a slightly challenging brief.

-A bit bizarre, I know.

-Bigger garage than house, please.

Yes.

And I fully expect to see you

peddling your pushbikes over the hills of Northamptonshire very soon.

Perhaps not that far!

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It's really lovely to have a couple whose house hunting is galvanised

not only by the love of the beautiful English countryside,

but a fantastic, single point, single location hobby

like Silverstone motor racing.

However, it would be very ironic

if Frances and Mike then sold their beautiful car in order to do that.

Ironic, but perhaps fitting.

Because this is a lovely place to escape to.

If you've enjoyed the show this time round,

but sure you tune in next time for more Escape To The Country.

Mike and Frances decided they could not part with the old lady,

not even for the mystery property which they loved.

So the house hunt in Northamptonshire continues.

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in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England,

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