Dorset Escape to the Country

The land I'm stood on used to be a thriving market town

in the late 1700s. But then, within just a few short years,

all trace of the town and its buildings were completely gone.

So what happened to the town and where did all the people go?

I'll reveal all in just a few moments.

Today, I'm helping two teachers leave their city life behind

to find a rural home in the countryside.

And we show them some unexpected treats.

-I could easily work with this.

-Could you?

-Oh, yes.

Then there's our mystery house,

which helps our buyers reach new heights.

-I feel quite high.

-We are high, it's a good view.

Today I'm in Dorset

on what used to be the site of the market town of Milton.

Back in around 1770, this would have been a bustling place

with shops, wealthy traders, almshouses, a pub.

There was even a grammar school.

But then along came a certain Joseph Damer,

who was later to become the first Earl of Dorchester.

As a rather important and powerful man,

he decided that the town of Milton

was obscuring his view from his own house, Milton Abbey, over there.

So, in a rather savage bit of town planning,

he destroyed or demolished Milton altogether.

I'm happy to say the residents of Milton were rehoused

about a mile away in Milton Abbas, which is still there.

It's funny. People will do anything for a view, won't they?

On the south coast of England,

Dorset is bordered by Hampshire to the east,

Wiltshire to the north and Somerset to the west.

A major draw for the county's visitors is the sweeping Jurassic coastline

that stretches all the way from Dorset to East Devon.

It's a coastline dotted with stunning bays like this one at Lulworth Cove.

Dorset is the birthplace of writer Thomas Hardy,

and the beautiful, pastoral countryside that filled his novels

can still be found here today. More than half of the county

is classified as an area of outstanding natural beauty,

with the landscape mix of rolling hillsides and chalky downland.

Indeed, it's on one such section of downland

that one of Dorset's most iconic ancient landmarks,

the Cerne Abbas Giant, takes centre stage.

The rural retreat has long been an aspiration

held by city dwellers in search for a piece of the good life.

Retiring out of the city is no new phenomenon.

In fact, it's been popular since the 1920s,

when people used the national railway network

to relocate to well-serviced towns and villages

like those found here in Dorset.

And with its stunning coastline and beautiful countryside,

Dorset is now the second most popular county to retire to.

And, of course, that's reflected in its property values.

The average cost of a detached house here is £320,000.

That's an incredible £70,000 above the national figure.

So with those rather steamy property values in mind,

take a look at the selection of properties

that we found currently on the market here.

For £395,000, this traditional four bedroomed house in Beaminster

could be yours.

There are impressive brick feature fireplaces

in the ample sitting room and dining room.

And the house has wonderful views over the West Dorset countryside.

Or there's this single-storey colonial-style property

in Southover, for £550,000.

This double height sitting room opens onto a conservatory,

and there's plenty of entertaining space in the sizeable dining room.

Outside features a well-established garden

with around 4.5 acres of additional land.

If your pockets are deep enough

and you'd like something truly spectacular,

there's this 17th-entury four-bedroom house in Hook

for £715,000.

The property has a wealth of period features,

including an inglenook fireplace in the dining room

and exposed beams in the sitting room.

Time to meet today's buyers,

and find out why they are ready to Escape To The Country.

Meet Wendy, a teacher who's soon to retire, and her husband, Rick,

a former teacher who's already taken the plunge.

Having spent their entire working lives in London,

they're ready to leave the busy streets behind

for a slice of peace and tranquillity in the West Country.

We'd like to move to Dorset. It's a really nice county.

But I would really like to move because I feel like I've done London.

I want some space. I don't actually want to go into retirement,

I want to start something different in a different place.

We've always said we'd move, haven't we, when we retired.

But we do need more space.

We need a nice place for our children to come and stay.

Our buyers have been living in this three-bedroom house

in Stoke Newington in London for 11 years.

And even though their two daughters have flown the nest,

they're still longing for more space

and the chance to enjoy their wide range of hobbies.

I'm really interested in cooking.

And fishing and boats and playing my guitar

and keeping animals and gardening.

I like the idea of being able to go and pick stuff out of the garden,

bring it in and cook with it and eat.

I want to build an outside kitchen with a barbecue stove.

Rick and Wendy have a real passion for the British coast,

and it's a key factor for the location of their new home.

Not really too far from the sea, 10 miles inland would be OK,

because I would like access to a place to slip a boat in.

Or a mooring would be fantastic obviously.

So a mooring would help keep Rick smiling,

but there are plenty of other requirements on the wish list.

Ideally, we'd like a detached house with lots and lots of space.

A really nice, characterful kitchen.

Minimum of three bedrooms, so that when the girls come

there's somewhere to stay with their families.

And a large bathroom.

Rock god Rick would also like a special room to let his hair down.

Certainly in the new house,

I'd love a place where I can set up all the equipment

and have it specifically as a music room,

for all the guitars and amplification.

Only one more thing to nail down, and that's the finances.

Our maximum budget is £600,000.

To paraphrase Samuel Johnson,

when you're tired of London, you're tired of life.

But that's patently not true with Wendy and Rick.

They see a move here to the Dorset countryside as a fresh challenge.

Hoping for, perhaps, a new lease of life.

So, whilst they may have some trepidation

about leaving the big city of London behind,

I'm hoping a few days in this beautiful countryside

will put any fears to rest for good.

Rick and Wendy want to be within striking distance

of the Dorset coast,

so we're focusing today's search within a 20-mile radius

of the coastal town of Poole in the east of the county.

We've lined up some stunning properties for them to see

and, as usual, they'll have to guess the price before I reveal it.

Our last property is of course the mystery house,

and I'm hoping it will make our buyers embrace the high life.

So, let's talk about what you're after here.

First of all, let's talk about your lifestyle.

I just want to start following the interests I have already

and expanding them, really.

OK, it looks like we're looking for

a property with a fair bit of outside space.

Have you got an idea of how much space you'd want?

Is it a garden, is it land?

The thought of actually making a small area as an allotment

to grow root vegetables like potatoes and onions

would be fantastic, and to incorporate that into my cooking.

What I really aspire to is to actually create

an eatery in the garden, like an outside extension to the kitchen.

What about style of property? You live in a Victorian house just now.

We'd like light and to be able to look out of the window at a view,

perhaps, like this. Possibly.

Yeah, OK.

We've got two houses to look at today. Two very different houses.

-Mm.

-Let's see how we get on.

Rick and Wendy have a budget of £600,000

and would like a detached house with plenty of space.

They want a minimum of three bedrooms

so their family can come and visit, and Wendy is keen on country views.

Rick, well, he'd love a garden big enough to grow his own produce.

For our first house, I'm taking them to the much sought-after village of Tarrant Monkton.

It's within easy reach of the coast and just 19 miles away from Poole.

It's no wonder this picture-postcard village is so popular.

There are a number of pretty thatched houses

and a charming 14th-century church.

Amenities include a farm shop and a pub.

The house I'm showing Rick and Wendy is an attractive period property

which once played an important part in the local community.

So then, here we are, property number one.

Come right round, we'll go in the front garden.

What's your first impressions of this house, then?

I really like it.

-Now, there's a bit of history attached to this place.

-That's good.

Parts of this property date back to the 18th century.

-It was a baker.

-Oh, wow!

It was a post office and then a general store, if you like.

-It's very pretty. It's a pretty house.

-Good.

-So good first impressions, then?

-Hmm, yeah.

-Yeah, yeah.

-OK.

Let's get inside.

Well, we're off to a good start. Let's see if we can build on that.

Righty-ho! Let's come, first of all, into the living room.

Hopefully, not a bad size, you'll agree?

-What do you think of the style?

-I like it. I really like it.

-Yeah.

-I like the wooden floors, we've always liked wooden floors.

-Really nice.

-And proper woodburning stove.

-That's important, that's really important.

-Fantastic.

You did say you wanted a light...

-Yes.

-There's plenty of windows.

Good. These are great reactions.

I mean, it's difficult, you live in a Victorian house.

-Yeah.

-This is a country house now.

-It's a country house.

It certainly feels that way.

-Is that your style? Is that what you're hoping to find?

-Yes, yes.

-Definitely.

-It gives a sense of more space.

Good, all right.

Well, look, first room sounds like a resounding success to me,

but you've also got two other reception rooms.

You've got another small study to the side of that fireplace

-and a great-size dining room which feeds off the kitchen just here.

-OK.

So let's have a look at that.

-Now, Rick, I know the kitchen is your domain.

-Yeah.

What do we think?

Well, first appearances, great.

And I like this central island for preparing food.

-That's what I've always wanted.

-OK.

-Somewhere where you can prepare food

and people aren't in and out of cupboards around you.

Another great thing about this kitchen, it's just a cooking area.

You've got a really good-size utility just through that door there, that stable door,

-with a downstairs loo. So...

-Yeah.

-And the floors...

-There's a nice light space as well.

It feels part of the garden which is something I really like.

-Feels like you're almost in the garden.

-Yeah.

I think there's all sorts of possibilities in here.

I mean, it's a really nice kitchen, there's no doubt about that.

-I think it feels like a lived-in, nice house so far.

-It does, yeah.

Let's have a look at one of the bedrooms. Just this way.

Upstairs, there are four good-size double bedrooms.

Two of them are dual-aspect, so there's plenty of light.

There's also a large family bathroom with a separate shower cubicle,

but I'm taking them to where THEY might sleep.

Now, then, this is the master bedroom.

-Quirky in its shape, certainly.

-Yeah, very unusual shape!

Now, this is the master bedroom because we've got

-a bit of extra storage here and you've got an en suite.

-Mm.

-Oh, that's good, yeah.

-Handy.

-Handy, yes.

But that's actually a lovely view from the bedroom window.

-I can imagine it being a really cosy room to be in.

-This is beautiful to look out of.

-That's very cottagey and pretty, that window.

-Yeah.

-There you go.

-You can make it a proper feature and really brighten up this room.

-Good.

There's lots of potential upstairs,

but it's the outside of this house that I'm really excited about

as it contains a surprise that I think Rick will really like.

So, outside, another option for you,

if you don't want to be playing your musical instruments IN the house,

or Wendy, if you don't want him to,

you've got a good-size garage here, a double garage with power,

but also a ready-converted loft

which you could make into a great music studio.

-That certainly gives us potentials, doesn't it?

-Doesn't it, just?

Now, that's the music side of it.

Now, I know you told me about your desire

-for maybe some sort of alfresco-type cooking and dining.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

They've got a sort of griddle at the back.

It's almost a gazebo, but you could make that more of a permanent structure.

-You could. You could develop that. Definitely.

-Good.

So, decent-size garden,

four-bedroom house with that double garage in a lovely little village.

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

Rick, let's have you first, shall we?

-550,000.

-OK.

-What do you think, Wendy?

-Um, I think about 570.

-OK.

-Well, this house is on the market for offers around £595,000.

-595.

-No big surprises.

-No.

There's a lot of the house that you haven't yet seen, so go back inside

and I'll catch you in about 20 minutes or so. All right?

-OK.

-Great, we'll do that. Thanks.

As I said, tentatively quite positive.

There's a lot for them to see here

but, I think, also, everything they've asked for.

Pretty good start.

So, for offers around £595,000,

this characterful house meets many of Rick and Wendy's demands.

It has a large kitchen with a central island,

there are four bedrooms,

so ample room for all the family to come and stay,

and there's even an alfresco cooking area in the garden.

Plus, a double garage that could work as a music room for Rick.

This could be a good place to store my guitars, even, as well.

-It could be, yeah.

-Someone obviously plays in here.

I think it could be a really lovely home for us

and a lovely place for our children to come and visit and stay.

I think the house was really, really interesting in a lot of ways.

It had a lot of the things that I really like about a house. Loads of potential.

-All done inside?

-Yes, yes, thanks.

-Good. OK, well, onward and upward!

Just this way.

Rick and Wendy's move to Dorset

is all about getting closer to the coast,

especially as Rick wants to do more sailing.

So, we sent them off to explore the maritime town of Poole,

which could be perfect for mooring Rick's boat.

A busy port from the 13th century, thanks largely to its wool trade,

Poole's importance to the region steadily grew,

and by the mid-19th century,

90% of the local population were employed in maritime activities.

Today, the harbour and bay are popular areas for water sports

such as windsurfing, water-skiing, and sailing.

Within Poole Harbour there are six islands, the largest being Brownsea,

which is an important National Trust nature reserve.

It's a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest

and home to a variety of rare birds and animals.

Head ranger Reuben Hawkwood

is taking Rick and Wendy out to spot some of the island's wildlife,

including the endangered red squirrel.

Almost extinct in southern England,

the red squirrel is one of the most important animals on Brownsea,

and thrives here thanks to the absence of the larger grey squirrel.

Indeed, there are currently over 200 of them on the island.

It was the greys that chased off the reds, wasn't it?

I've got to get that right, yeah.

The greys came over from America. They're bigger and stronger

and they can eat food earlier in the year than the reds can.

Also, they've got a virus called squirrel pox which they carry.

It doesn't affect them, but it can kill the red squirrels.

Look, there it is! It's on the feeding station. Wow!

-Quite fast, aren't they?

-They're so much smaller.

I didn't realise how much smaller they were.

-It was completely on cue, that, wasn't it?

-That's fantastic, yes.

As a protected site, Brownsea is also a haven for a range of birds,

especially those that shelter here in the winter.

These rare species can best be viewed from one of the hides.

-Just have a look out there.

-What an amazing view! This is great.

-This is the first time I've been in a hide.

-Is it, really?

-It is, yes.

The birds we've got on here at the moment,

you can see we've got things like Black-tailed Godwits,

we've got various gulls out here.

The island is also the birthplace

of one of the biggest youth institutions in the world,

the Boy Scout movement.

Military officer Robert Baden-Powell held the first experimental scout camp here in 1907,

keen to instil independence

and a host of life skills to the British youth of the time.

This is a scout stone.

It commemorates the original camp

which Baden-Powell made on the island in 1907.

The first campsite is just down there.

There's a flagpole erected to show where it is.

So, what happened on that first camp?

Baden-Powell brought 20 boys over here,

split them into four groups, and they did various activities,

you know, making shelters, learning how to camp.

It's a fantastic place to camp. Really lovely.

Brownsea Island is just one of the many local attractions around Poole

that Rick and Wendy can experience when they move here.

But for now, it's time to continue scouting the rest of the Dorset countryside for their dream home.

For our second property, we've travelled just over 11 miles inland

close to the village of Witchampton, which has all necessary amenities

such as a church, a pub and a village shop.

A few miles down the road in Manswood is our second property - a thatched cottage

which stands alone in the stunning Dorset countryside.

So then, property number two.

-Very different.

-Very different, yes.

-Sweet.

-Sweet? Good!

-Chocolate-boxy.

Yes. Now, thatched cottages aren't everybody's cup of tea,

but you mentioned you like the idea of an older property,

-something with a bit of history.

-Yeah, and they're usually very old, aren't they?

-Parts of this property date back around 300 years.

-Oh, wow!

What about those views, though? Something else, aren't they?

Are you taking it all in, or...?

-I'm really interested in its layout just here.

-Yeah.

This hut and that little walkway corridor, it's really interesting.

-These sound again like pretty good reactions from the outside.

-Hmm.

Let's look inside.

Positive reactions so far. Let's see what they make of the interior.

-So, the first room is the kitchen.

-Oh. Look at the range cooker, Rick.

-You've always wanted one of those.

-The cooker looks really good, yeah.

-That's oil fired. It also provides the heating and hot water.

-Right.

The windows are in good positions, so when you're doing stuff,

you can just look out to the garden. I could easily work with this.

-Could you?

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

-It looks practical.

-Hmm-mm.

-It looks really usable.

-Now, you have a downstairs bathroom with this house.

-OK, yeah.

Which is just behind you there. You can have a look at that later.

Now, there are two reception rooms. Let's have a quick peek in the first one,

-then we'll settle in the second, OK?

-OK.

Off the hallway is a light day room with views over the fields outside.

And there's a touch of deja vu

as this property also has a space set up as a music room.

Perfect for Rick.

But we'll take a look at room they could both relax in.

Right now, this is one of the two reception rooms.

Cosy, isn't it?

Yeah. It's a really nice feel about it.

I like this feature, the stairs in the corner, going up. Yeah.

Well, this property has two sets of stairs,

because it used to be two cottages.

Because on this side,

is the one reception room with the staircase going up.

-Yeah.

-And its own fireplace just here.

Oh, look at that wood burner, Rick. That's a really good one, isn't it?

Now, whilst you've got an impressive wood burner,

I think next door is a much more impressive fireplace.

-Which you might want to change around a little. Follow me.

-OK.

Right.

Now, you may need to mind your head, or certainly, guests might need to.

-OK. But I really... I love this reception room.

-Yeah.

-Look at the fire, Rick.

-This is a beautiful space.

And you can see some history here.

-You can see where they've been baking bread and cooking pies!

-Absolutely.

What do you think, Wendy? Do you feel the same?

I agree, yes. I think they are so characterful, both of these rooms.

-And so cosy.

-And another staircase. That's really nice, isn't it?

I love this idea of a staircase there

and a staircase going up there, two different parts of the house.

Well, the upstairs is very much in two parts, as you say, Wendy.

Because you go up here to a bedroom, a really good sized bedroom, OK?

And a smaller single.

Or the other side is, I would say, the master side of the property.

-Right.

-So you have the guest wing, and your wing.

-Yeah.

-Let's go into your wing, shall we?

-OK.

-Yeah.

-I really like this.

-It's great.

Great responses. Let's hope they feel the same in the main bedroom.

Now again, we've got cottage style dimensions and proportions.

I like the windows, they're really nice.

-You'd expect a bedroom like this in an old cottage.

-It's got character.

-That's the way it should be.

-The floorboards are good.

This room I think is the master because it has its own ensuite.

-Oh right, OK.

-A decent sized one, as well. Mmm.

So, three bedrooms, not huge, but with bags of character up here.

-Oh, yes.

-Isn't there?

-Lots.

-There is a lot of character.

I really like this room. It's lovely.

-Let's go outside and I'll show you the other garden.

-OK.

-But also, start to have a think about price.

-Prices, OK.

-OK, yes.

-Lead the way.

-OK.

Rick and Wendy wanted a lot of outdoor space,

and this property is flanked by gardens on either side of the house, totalling a third of an acre.

There's also a charming rustic stable block in the garden,

which is perfect for storage.

Now, as you can see, the garden just keeps on going.

And whilst you've got your greenhouse at the top of the garden,

-that is where the growing really takes place.

-Oh, yeah.

You've got plum trees, pear trees, cooking and eating apple trees.

-You've got the lot, haven't you?

-That's superb.

The idea of just being able to come out and pick your own fruit

and just have it whenever you want.

And a really quirky house to live in.

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

Well, I'll make one of my totally useless guesses again.

I think about probably 565.

-OK. 565.

-I have no idea.

I think probably about 585, to 590,

because it's got such a lot of land with it.

It's not a bad guess.

It's on the market for the same price as the first property.

This house is £595,000. Do you think that's fair?

-I think it's fair, because there's not a lot to do.

-No.

It's very well maintained and looked after.

I've got a feeling this has been sorted by the present owners.

-I think they've looked after it, loved it.

-Yes.

Bizarrely enough, I think there's more for you to go and discover now,

especially with the outside areas, than maybe in the first property.

-So why don't you go and do that?

-Yeah.

-You have the rest of the day,

so take your time. I'll catch you when you're finished.

-OK, then.

-All right?

-Yes.

-See you in a bit.

-Great.

-OK.

That really felt like it went well.

As I said, it's not a huge house. They're not after a huge house.

They're after something... especially with Rick,

something that keeps him busy. Something they can both enjoy.

I think this house could be just that.

Priced at £595,000, this delightful period cottage

offers two reception rooms,

a traditional kitchen, and four cottage-style bedrooms.

Outside, there's two large gardens,

with mature fruit trees,

and a stable block.

I think the gardens are amazing.

Really like the gardens.

The fact that it's in two parts, as well,

makes it very interesting.

The outbuildings, the old stables, we can do a lot with that.

It's quirky. It's unusual.

Even though the kitchen isn't big,

I can imagine working with that kitchen,

because the outside space is really big.

There's lots of chance for gardening,

storing, growing, all sorts of things.

I really like this house.

-All done, inside and out?

-BOTH: Yes.

-Lots to see in the garden, wasn't there?

-Lovely garden.

Great. Well, hopefully a good end to the day. Let's go.

As the sun sets over the tranquil Dorset countryside,

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

Rick and Wendy have spent their entire working lives

teaching in London.

But now they want to shut the door on the classroom for good,

and retire to the Dorset countryside.

We've had some great reaction to our fantastic properties so far.

I really like it. I like the wooden floors. We've always liked wooden floors.

But, coming up, can our mystery house solve the problem

of family Christmases?

-What would we use up here for?

-Hiding away from the relations?

And I get a little Zen on a Dorset beach.

I don't understand how this is done.

Now today, as you can see,

different weather conditions and different challenges,

as we're off to see the mystery house.

As ever, it's here to offer the house hunters something different.

This place, it certainly does.

I know Rick seems to like the history of properties, and the area.

This place has bags of history, and inside, for Wendy,

it's light and spacious.

Outside, it has all the land I think they're after.

Some of it, not so usable,

because, let's say, it's got one or two sitting tenants.

Today, as you know, it's the mystery house.

What would you like the mystery house to be today?

Perhaps near a river, near an estuary.

Yeah. Any ideas what it might be?

My guess would be a conversion of some sort,

like a church, or a barn.

-Or a boathouse.

-Or a windmill?

For our mystery property,

we've travelled to the village of East Stoke,

in the River Frome valley.

The nearest village for amenities is Wool,

which has a baker's shop, a post office, and a pub.

The house we're showing them is not detached, like they asked for,

as it's split into three dwellings.

But I can safely say it's a truly unique home.

Now, as mystery houses go, I think this one is a bit...

No, it's a lot of a gamble. So, here we are.

Well, well.

-Yes!

-It's not a house, it's a church.

It IS a church, which is now at least living accommodation.

Instantly, you can see the old workings, if you like, of a church,

and all that goes with it, or went with it. Does it bother you at all?

Erm...

I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it.

What do you think of the look of the place?

-I like it.

-It's amazing! Fantastic.

Come on, let's look inside.

So, there's a bit of trepidation,

but I'm sure the interior of this property will bowl them over,

especially as it has such an amazing tower.

First stop is the dining room.

Now, this part of the property is very much open plan.

It's got a bit of a flow to it.

Now, your kitchen, over there. Not a huge kitchen.

No, but such a big space.

I like it, actually.

-I like it. I like it.

-I love this space.

And look at all the lovely wood.

It was converted into living accommodation,

around 1990.

And the current owner

has done a lot of the work.

They've put extra floors in. They've made the studies here, as well.

You've got a nice study. You've got potential for music rooms.

You've also got a number of bedrooms.

You've got two on this floor. And a downstairs shower room and loo.

Now, you said you liked this, Rick,

even though it's got a fairly modest-sized kitchen.

It certainly pours into the dining room.

It doesn't matter, because it comes out.

It's great. We've always wanted a very big table.

And nice acoustics.

Ah, right. OK.

Sit in here playing the acoustic guitar.

Maybe you don't play your guitar down here,

cos I've just had an idea, now you've said that,

of where you could play your guitar.

It may go down well, it may not. Follow me.

We're heading to the sitting room on the first floor of the tower.

-Now, then.

-Oh, wow!

-Oh look.

-Another great space.

-Fabulous. Look at this.

Oh, the wood-burner!

Cos we thought they wouldn't be allowed to have one in here.

-I was surprised to see that, but it's great to have.

-It really is.

That's so important, so special. It's great.

With such a big room like this, as well,

you want a good central feature.

Notice, the windows that you like downstairs,

-this is the continuation of them up here.

-Oh, yes.

Now you mentioned somewhere to play your musical instrument.

You've got a minstrel gallery up there.

-You've got a whole other floor, like a mezzanine.

-Yes.

Again, the quirkiness continues here.

If you notice, a spiral staircase,

and that takes you all the way up to the tower,

where you have some fantastic views.

On a nicer, drier, less windy day.

If you wanted a master bedroom on this floor, you've got one.

You've got a door, just through here. I think you'll like this.

-Follow me.

-OK.

The characterful features are an unexpected treat for Rick and Wendy.

And there are more in the main bedroom.

What do you make of this one?

Oh.

-Nice bedroom.

-It's lovely. It's really lovely.

The windows are stained-glass windows everywhere, again.

Not a bad size, is it? You have room for a sofa in there.

Fitted wardrobes, and an ensuite bathroom behind there, as well,

so it's lovely.

Very good, yeah.

I like it. I like the whole church.

Wendy, you seem more taken with this property than maybe even Rick is.

Why is that?

I think it's the character. It's so unusual.

I was a bit lost for words when we came in.

The rooms are beautiful. I wasn't expecting to come into a church.

It's not often you see the inside of a church like this, is it?

-No, and the way...

-SHE LAUGHS

Inside, it seems to have gone down very, very well.

It's outside...

where I'm becoming a little nervous,

but let's see how we get on.

-OK, then.

-Lead the way.

-OK.

With the interior of this house being such a hit,

I hope they'll be prepared to be open-minded about the garden,

which is split between the three houses that make up the church.

You do get your own exclusive part of these grounds as a garden,

which is this bit, here.

-You see the hedgerow there, the nearest hedgerow.

-The tall one.

It goes to the path there, follow the path round

and then this hedgerow here.

Now, what about the gardening here because that's very important?

This was always going to be the gamble, I thought.

Are you allowed... because it's sacred ground?

You're allowed to dig down no more than 18 inches.

-Which is understandable.

-Yes.

-You see, with vegetables you can have raised beds.

-Yeah, quite.

You're not actually going into the ground at all. That's not a problem.

So from what you've seen, how much do you think this place is on the market for?

I have to be frank with you, I've never valued a church before.

Also, I think that a lot of people could be put off

by having graves in the garden.

Just from that point of view,

I think it's beautifully decked out inside but from that point of view,

-I think about 550.

-OK, Wendy?

I think possibly, because it's so well done, the conversion,

about 575?

I think they're fair comments you both make.

This house is on the market for £600,000.

This house is right at the top end of your budgets.

Why don't you go back into this mystery property?

It is so different, I'm sure it will take quite a lot of getting used to.

-If you fancy it, go into the tower.

-OK.

-All right.

-That will be fun.

-Good, you've got loads of time.

-We'll wave down to you.

Yeah, be careful, all right.

So, the mystery property was always going to be a gamble

and I was worried about the outside space.

But I think they've been so impressed by the quirky interiors

that this here that we're standing in isn't such a problem.

On the market for £600,000,

this converted church is a truly unique home.

It has a modern kitchen which flows off an attractive dining room,

three bedrooms and that amazing tower

that provides fantastic views of the open countryside.

There's a platform up here, Wen.

-Quite high.

-We are high, that's a good view.

What would we use up here for?

Hiding away from the relations?

As far as the garden's concerned, it hasn't got the growing space,

the storage space,

the chances to build a place to charcoal and sit out.

Maybe the outside space here is nothing near what I want,

but the inside space definitely is.

It's a beautiful house, beautiful conversion. Really lovely.

Something very unusual.

The open space is something that I really like.

-A bit breezy.

-It is!

-Did you get to the top?

Nearly, not on the roof.

Maybe another time.

Let's find you somewhere to mull this over, shall we?

This way.

95 miles of the Dorset to Devon landscape

is known as the Jurassic Coast.

It's the only place in the world where there's a continuous stretch

of rock formation that holds 185 million years of geological history.

It's this same rock formation that provides material

for these stunning sculptures created in Lyme Regis

by local artist Adrian Gray.

And no, it's neither an optical illusion nor very strong glue.

These stones are just simply balanced one on top of another.

That is amazing. It's...

It's almost as if there's a bolt put through both stones

but there's clearly no room for that.

Placing stones on top of each other is as old as mankind itself.

Our ancestors used it as a form of expression before they could speak

and stone totemic figures

served as friendly landmarks across barren landscapes.

Adrian, talk me through what we're trying to achieve here.

It's certainly a visual thing, isn't it?

What I want to do is create a sculpture

that looks like it's impossible.

You're doing that!

When it looks impossible,

it will have a certain magic to it or a certain sense of wonder.

When I achieve that, the sculpture, I feel, has a kind of presence.

The tricky thing I'm doing here is trying to balance the weight

against the friction that's going to stop it sliding down the stone.

You think about what you're doing and you create a sculpture

that seems to actually be completely wrong,

and it's that wrongness about it,

the fact that it looks like it shouldn't work,

creates absolutely something really new, I think.

That looks fantastic.

It looks amazing but it also...

Your eyes are saying that shouldn't be happening.

With Adrian's guidance,

I'm going to try my luck at achieving the seemingly impossible.

What you're trying to do is

bring yourself into that little point of contact

and just move it really slightly.

-You need to have a go and see what I'm talking about.

-OK.

You have to have hands still, body still.

Find that stillness inside of you.

It's a really, really meditative process.

I thought you were close then.

Oh! It felt so close!

It's like tai chi, this is.

I'm just getting a coffee.

HE LAUGHS

Oh! This is the hardest thing.

I'm going to have to admit defeat here and hand over to Adrian

and see if he can balance the stones that have beaten me.

Hope you're filming.

I'll pull away again.

You've done it!

Well, with these stones, you've either got it or you haven't

and I think I know which side of the fence I fall on.

Well, that's definitely something that's a lot harder than it looks.

Let's see if I fared any better with the three properties I've shown Rick and Wendy.

So, the big move from the smoke to Dorset.

After the properties we've shown you, what about the properties then?

Let's start at property number one.

Pretty good reactions from the start, weren't there?

I like the village as well that property was situated in.

It had the most interesting spaces.

I think there was a lot of work to be done, decoratively, throughout.

OK, that's one down.

The second property in the afternoon -

great reactions but very different.

This time it was all about the outside, wasn't it?

-Yeah. I like the garden.

-I knew you would.

It had lots going on in the garden,

there was plenty of food growing, which I liked.

It was well kitted out, the second house.

-It had the range.

-It had the range, which I know you're keen on.

It had views over fields from the kitchen which was also really nice.

So today, we're off to see the mystery house.

What were your thoughts when you first got there?

-Absolutely gobsmacked.

-Yes. I was astounded.

-It's quite modern, really.

-It's beautiful inside.

Spacious and modern but with lots of wood.

The graveyard aspect of it didn't put you off

but you didn't get a whole lot of growing area there, did you?

I could make a compromise.

My only worry with consecrated ground like that is

how far you'd have to go to get permission to do anything.

Have you managed to agree at least on a favourite property?

I think the favourite really is the second one, really, isn't it?

-For me, yes.

-And for you, Wendy, as well?

-I like the second one.

I am concerned about its position.

I felt it was a little bit, for me, a little bit cut off.

How are we leaving this then?

Are you going back to the second property location at some point?

I would like to.

I'd like to visit the locations of the second property and the church.

And the church, yeah. Both of them.

OK, get a hold of some maps, go back for a second viewing,

maybe the next few weeks.

Either way, please let us know.

I'd love to hear what your final decision on this is. Good luck.

Thank you.

I think we nearly had three in contention this time

because if the first house was at the right money,

that could well have been in the running too.

As it stands, it's between a converted church with its own graveyard

and a thatched property.

Neither of which are everybody's cup of tea

but I think quirky was definitely the order of the day.

So hopefully, they'll go back to both properties and both locations

and out of those two houses,

one of them will be the house they retire to.

See you next time.

After careful consideration, Rick and Wendy were more interested in the mystery house

and are keen to work out the options for the garden

before making a final decision.

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