Hampshire Escape to the Country

I'm in a county firmly at the helm of Great Britain's rich maritime heritage

and this is the most celebrated battleship in British naval history,

but which county does it call home?

Keep watching to find out as we set sail for another Escape To The Country.

'Today, we take to the seas as we help a couple navigate their way through the Hampshire countryside

'and early on in our search, one house proves a real inspiration.'

-Oh, my goodness!

-We could invite our friends round to have a swim.

-OK, enough!

'But then another house fails to float their boat.'

-Slightly different from this morning.

-Doesn't have the wow factor.

I would keep my judgment until I see inside.

I'm in the county of Hampshire and this is Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship HMS Victory,

based here in Portsmouth's historic dockyard.

In 1805, Nelson led the British Navy into battle

against the Franco-Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain,

just west of Cape Trafalgar.

Later in the programme, I'll be discovering how HMS Victory is being given a new lease of life,

thanks to a ten-year restoration programme,

but maritime adventures aren't the only things happening in this county.

Hampshire lies on the south coast of England, bordered by West Sussex and Surrey to the east

and Dorset and Wiltshire to the west.

It's one of the oldest counties in England with a recorded history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times

and offers an enchanting blend of both countryside and coast.

Its shoreline is a mix of busy ports with a strong industrial and naval heritage

and quieter beachside towns and villages that face out towards the English Channel.

Moving back inland, you'll find Hampshire's rural jewel, the New Forest -

over 200 square miles of ancient woodland that were created as a rural hunting ground

by William the Conqueror in 1079.

Today, it has national park status

and with cattle, ponies and donkeys all roaming freely through the heath and woodland,

it provides a truly wonderful place to escape to the country.

The price of a typical detached property in Hampshire

is just over £345,000.

That's £94,000 more than the national figure.

Now, this high cost is partly due to the lure of the New Forest which sends prices rocketing.

In this sought-after area, you can expect to pay up to £100,000 more than in the rest of the county.

But wherever you choose, one thing is for certain -

there are plenty of different architectural styles to choose from.

Over the years, Hampshire's chalk cliffs have been regularly excavated for use

in many of its properties

and it was the Romans who first drew on the county's rich source of chalk

as a material from which to construct homes.

It's often combined with flint, brick or other building stones

to give the county's housing stock a distinctive appearance.

A four-bedroom period farmhouse of this type could cost you from around the £420,000 mark.

This region also showcases many period, thatched-style homes

that are especially common in the villages dotted throughout the New Forest.

Prices for a typical, four-bedroom thatched cottage are upwards of £440,000.

A fabulous choice of Hampshire properties, but will they whet the appetite of our house-hunters?

Let's meet them and find out.

Bob, a retired naval officer, and his wife Mary met in the United States 43 years ago

when his ship, the HMS Eagle, docked in Virginia.

I was just finishing university.

I was on a NATO guest list.

They needed young single girls to meet all of these wonderful naval officers.

I went to the first night in port cocktail party

and went down the receiving line and there was a very dashing young naval officer there, first person I met!

A year later, they were married and set up home in England,

but to say they then had a nomadic life would be an understatement.

We were married in Washington DC, then I brought Mary back to Cornwall, then moved to Somerset.

From Somerset, we were moved up to Scotland, to Ayr, because I was flying from Prestwick.

We went from Prestwick to Australia, then from Australia back to Portsmouth, Southsea,

and then after that, we went to America.

In total, our buyers moved some 28 times

before finally deciding to settle in Clapham, South London,

where they've been for the last 14 years.

When we arrived in this house, it absolutely suited us down to the ground.

The size was good and the garden, the lack of space actually was perfect for us

and it freed us to just enjoy London.

After so many years living in one place, Bob and Mary finally got itchy feet

and a year ago, decided to retire and go travelling.

We set off last November and we spent eight months going actually literally around the world.

It was while globetrotting that they made the decision

to seek out a different way of life back in the UK.

It's probably time to make a move to somewhere a bit quieter, gentler, with a bit more green space,

all the sort of things that you really can't do in a small London garden,

so maybe keep a few hens or keep a few bees

or have a dog and all those country pursuits that we've put on hold.

The call of the countryside may be strong,

but Bob and Mary don't want to be too far away from their two children in London,

so have decided to move to Hampshire.

By focusing primarily on Hampshire,

we are focusing on the motorway links, the rail links.

We're not wedded to our car. We're quite happy to hop on the train.

And that opens out quite a nice range of beautiful countryside.

And in the hope of cooking up their ideal property, our buyers have a sizeable pot to dip into.

The budget for the house we're looking for is up to £750,000.

'Bob and Mary want us to concentrate our search in the southern area of Hampshire.

'They also want to be close to the coast, but within easy reach of a motorway or train station,

'so they can travel quickly back to London to visit their children.

'I caught up with them in the Hampshire countryside

'to find out more about the property they're after.'

So, Bob and Mary, here we are in a very sunny Hampshire.

-Let's hope the weather continues like this.

-Absolutely.

Remind us what you're looking for in this property where hopefully you'll be for a long time.

We want flexible accommodation, so we've said three bedrooms/four or a study,

something that when we have extras come to stay, we can pull out a sofa bed or something like that.

And a decent-sized garden. At the moment, we've got a tiny garden.

And maybe enough space to raise a few hens or have some bees,

-some sort of country livestock.

-Lovely.

Bright, airy, old, new?

Light, tall ceilings, lots of windows. We don't mind the period.

So quite a modest house that we're looking for, but it's got to be close to perhaps a train station?

Not too isolated. We don't want to have to get in the car for everything we need.

-I'm keen to get started. Are you?

-Let's do it.

-Very much so.

-Come on.

Bob and Mary have a good budget of £750,000

and a very clear idea of what they'd like in their new home,

including a minimum of three bedrooms for when their family invade, a study,

a house that is light with tall ceilings and lots of windows,

a garden big enough for chickens, a beehive

and also to grow fruit and vegetables.

And they don't want to be too isolated.

We've got three wonderful, yet rather different houses to show them,

but we won't be letting them know the price of each property until they've guessed first,

and as ever, our final offering is the mystery house which could be heaven-sent.

'Our first house is near Wickham, a well-known Hampshire village

'located close to Portsmouth and ideally situated for both the A3 and M3 roads

'to take them directly to London.

'The attractive village centre is lined with historic buildings.

'In the main square, there's an abundance of Georgian houses

'with shops and plenty of places to eat and drink.

'Property one lies on the outskirts of Wickham and provides a pretty and secluded home

'which dates back to the 1950s.'

So, here is our first property in Hampshire.

-Wow!

-Oh, wow indeed!

-It's gorgeous.

-Yes, it's outstanding.

-What catches your eye when you first look at the property?

How well maintained it is.

And that it's in its own setting, it's in its own grounds.

It's not overlooked as far as I can see and it's very well laid out.

-Great. Shall we step inside?

-Let's do that.

-Yes, please.

'What a fabulous reaction with Bob and Mary really singing this property's praises!

'Fingers crossed we can keep them smiling.'

So, come through.

Quite a large hallway.

-Hmm!

-Mm-hm.

-Good-sized entrance?

-Yeah, I do like a generous hallway.

-It's excellent.

-And you've got storage in that cupboard there.

-You've got a downstairs cloakroom.

-That's useful.

-To the left, we have a study. Decent size.

-That's more like a library!

-Yeah.

-You can make it whatever you like, so let's start the tour with the drawing room.

-OK.

Which really benefits from a lovely, sunny day.

-Yes, I love this.

-And they've divided it up into two, haven't they?

-They've also taken a wall out here.

-Yes.

So you've got your sitting room here, but you've also got your dining area behind us.

-Which is perfect.

-Yeah.

-Let's go to the kitchen.

-Thank you.

-Follow me.

-It's set up in sort of a galley style, if you like, two half galleys.

-Oh, yeah.

-Mm-hm.

-Nautical?

-LAUGHTER

-So you've got the main kitchen here, complete with three ovens.

-Wow!

-And then behind us, practically the same size again, you've got your utility room.

-Good heavens!

-Yeah.

-Wow!

-And who's the chef in this relationship?

-I'm going to be very boring. Both of us.

-Ah!

-We both cook.

-So those three ovens are going to be pretty handy.

-One and a half each.

-You can watch us grow!

What do you think? What do you make of the kitchen, Bob?

It has the potential, but I don't like the shape.

I don't like a long, narrow kitchen.

So I think we would have to rethink how we would maybe change the space around. I'm sure it's possible.

-Shall we head upstairs and see where you two might sleep?

-Yes, please.

-Let's do it.

'So, for our two keen chefs, the kitchen isn't quite their idea of a culinary paradise,

'but they can see the potential of the space.

'Time to check out the room that would be theirs.'

-So this is the master bedroom.

-Mm-hm.

Hmm! OK, again it's the light that appeals.

-South-facing.

-And en-suite.

-And a huge en-suite which I'm going to show you in a second.

-OK.

-You're surrounded by trees and woodland.

-Yes.

-You wanted light and airy.

-Yes.

Again we would probably change some of the decor to make it a bit lighter, but, yes, this is good.

And I do like the very generous size of en-suite.

I've got to show you this. Come through.

This is a bathroom on a very grand scale.

-My goodness!

-We could invite our friends round to have a swim.

-OK, enough!

LAUGHTER

-Wow!

-Yes, it might be a little bit too sociable perhaps.

-It's fabulous.

-It's like bathing in the treetops.

-Yes.

-It is like a treehouse.

-Hmm.

-My goodness! And there are some fitted wardrobes.

-You do have wardrobes in here.

I didn't want to give too much away next door.

I've been teasing you with the garden and the land.

-The sun's shining still. Yeah, we're lucky. Shall we head outside?

-Yes, please. Super.

'Bob and Mary are overflowing with enthusiasm for the spectacular en-suite with spa bath.

'One of the other bedrooms also has its own en-suite, though this one isn't quite so hi-tech.

'The other two bedrooms are doubles with views overlooking the garden which is where we're heading now.'

So here is the back of your property.

And from here, you really can see the grounds.

Let's start with the back of the house.

-You've got that creeping wisteria making it look so beautiful.

-Absolutely.

-A large double garage to the side.

-Yes.

-Mm-hm.

-And then just under an acre...

-Oh, really?

-Of garden.

You've even got your own pond with goldfish.

There we are. So who wants to go first with "guess the price"?

-It's quite mean if I go first, but I'm going to go first.

-Ladies first.

Because of the amount of land, I think, as well, and bearing in mind where we are,

I'd say it's fairly close to our budget. I'm going to be optimistic though and say about £700,000.

I will probably go even more. I'd say you're talking 715.

The asking price...

£695,000.

-Goodness!

-Good guess, Mary.

-Very good guess. You're only 5,000 out.

Gosh!

-That's very good news. That's very heartening.

-It's a good start.

-It is.

-Under budget.

-With potential for an extension within our budget.

-Absolutely.

-That would have to be.

-Could you make the adjustments to make this house right for you?

-There's a lot of food for thought.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

On the market for £695,000, our first house is well under budget

and has plenty of scope to give them everything they're after.

It offers a good-sized kitchen/diner,

a master bedroom with a luxurious en-suite,

another three bedrooms suitable for accommodating their family,

plenty of ground for a potential vegetable patch and chickens

and it's all set in a beautiful, secluded location.

When we walked up, it looked attractive, covered in creeper, and it's in a great location.

You really have to see it to appreciate it, set in a wonderful garden, lots of space.

Really attractive from that point of view.

The rooms are not terribly spacious and if we were to consider it,

it certainly is a possibility, we would be thinking about extending.

Well, I think first impressions were very, very positive.

I was surprised at its size.

I think possibly I had worried about how much our budget would stretch in Hampshire.

With the attractive price we know this house is on the market for,

it does give us a bit of scope to do what we'd like to do in the house.

-Ah, there you two are!

-Hello.

-Have you seen enough?

-Yes, we have.

-A good start here in Hampshire?

-A very good start. Thank you.

-Right, we'll continue.

'Leaving behind the stunning setting of our first house,

'we're now on our way to Alresford to see property number two,

'but first I wanted to find out a little bit more about our buyers' itinerant lifestyle.'

So, during the 28 moves that you've done over your time together, have you ever lived in Hampshire?

-Yes, once.

-We have.

-Just under a year. We were in Southsea.

So, in a way, does it feel like coming home?

-Where is home?

-Yeah, you're nomads, you two. I've decided.

But hopefully, you'll be able to put down some roots here in Hampshire.

'En route to our second property offering,

'we're stopping off to give our buyers a feel for the area.

'The town has three main streets, each lined with Georgian and Victorian buildings.

'The layout is much the same as it was when it was drawn up by Godfrey de Lucy, the Bishop of Winchester,

'in around 1200 AD.

'We're meeting John Sole who has lived here for most of his life.'

-Hello there.

-Hello, hello.

-An impressive array of meat.

-Yes.

-Gosh!

-So how long have you been here?

-We've been here 20 years-plus.

-Family business?

-Family business run by my son and myself.

-Excellent.

Bob and Mary are thinking of moving to this part of the world.

It's lovely. It's such a friendly town and lots and lots to do,

-and lots of independent shops, no supermarket. That's what makes it unique.

-That's unusual.

We know where you guys will be shopping around here. We just have to find you the perfect house.

Thank you very much indeed.

'Just four miles east of Alresford, we arrive at our second property.'

And here it is.

-Mm-hm.

-Gosh! Very different.

Very different, but roughly the same era as the first property.

-Built in the 1950s.

-Mm-hm.

-Slightly different from this morning.

-It doesn't have the wow factor we saw in the first house.

-I would keep my judgment until I see inside.

-Open-minded.

-Yes.

-Shall we take a step inside the house?

-Let's do that.

'So, a lack of enthusiasm from my usually bubbly buyers.

'Let's see if the interior can capture their imagination.'

-So...

-Thank you.

-Come on in.

-So, a spacious hallway.

-Hmm.

-Let's go straight through to the dining room.

You'll just notice we've got a study there which you wanted on the wish list.

I like the way it flows.

-That's quite good.

-Yeah.

-It's certainly different and it'll be interesting to see how the layout is upstairs.

-Yes.

'Despite Bob's positivity, I get the feeling this house isn't quite delivering

'what they're after so far.

'Perhaps the kitchen can lift their spirits.'

-Now, this is a fair-sized kitchen, isn't it?

-This is a good size.

-This is nice.

-This is good.

You've got the whole length practically of the house here, large enough to have a table and chairs.

-They've got it as a breakfast bar.

-It's lovely and warm.

It is, thanks to the range,

-which is an old-fashioned range...

-It is indeed.

-..powered by coal.

So you've got all this space.

To the side of us, there's another room which they use as a gym-cum-reading room.

Behind us, because the house seems to go on quite a lot,

you've got storage space, the huge fridge-freezer and downstairs cloakroom as well.

Let's look at the living area, the sitting room, which is through here.

-So here is the sitting room.

-Hmm.

It's sort of startlingly shorter, shallower.

It might not be the size that you were hoping for, but it does have a conservatory.

-Just the entrance there on the left, a huge conservatory which I'll let you have a look at on your own.

-OK.

-Shall we head upstairs?

-Let's do that.

-Thanks.

'The mood seems to be continuing in this room,

'even with the extra light offered by the conservatory.

'Upstairs, there are a total of four bedrooms, including two doubles and one spacious single.

'There's also a lovely family bathroom, but I'm taking our buyers to where they could be sleeping.'

Now the other three bedrooms are a really good size,

-but this...

-It's huge!

-Wonderful!

-This is a master.

-It truly is.

-All the way across. That's nice.

-How super. And an en suite?

-You spotted it as we walked past.

-A really good shower room.

-Downstairs works, I think.

-It's just getting your head on the downstairs...

-As to how one should rearrange.

We know you like this area, so let's head back outside and take a look at the garden.

'Well, I'm really relieved Bob and Mary have taken to the upstairs of this property.

'Time to see if the outside can match this change in fortunes.'

-Last, but not least, the all-important garden.

-This is a good size.

-It is.

-In total, it's just under half an acre.

-OK.

-Including the front.

-So it's pretty big.

-Yes.

-Possibly a more manageable size than the last one.

-Yes.

-From that point of view.

-There are chickens in the corner.

-There are, resident.

-Resident chickens.

-Excellent.

We've had a good tour. You've seen the house and know the area.

-Who wants to go first with Guess the Price?

-You went last time.

-I think you'd better do it.

It's difficult. This is a house you have to come inside to appreciate.

From that point of view, I would say you're probably talking...

-around 625. That would be my guess.

-OK.

I think I'm going to go below that.

I think probably I would say...575.

-You are both out by quite a lot.

-Oh, really?

-OK.

Yes. The budget was 750.

The asking price for this house - it's only recently on the market -

-is £785,000.

-Really?

-Yes.

-So we're £200,000 out.

-Yeah.

-So we're slightly out on the price, ladies and gentlemen,

-but do you want to have another look around?

-Yes, please.

-Good idea.

I'll catch up with you in a while. See you in a while.

Well, not a lot I can add to that, really. It is a great house, there's so much potential here.

And it is in a fantastic location.

But the price they are very surprised at.

Over budget at £785,000, but with room for a sensible offer,

our second property was a slow burner for Bob and Mary,

but it does offer a lot of what they're after. It has a good-sized kitchen with range cooker,

a lovely conservatory, four spacious bedrooms including one with an en suite

and a large, yet manageable garden of around half an acre.

The house is possibly for a different sized family.

There are so many rooms here, a lot of house, a lot of which we wouldn't need or use.

So too much house for us. Nice house.

House number two, it's an interesting house. It has a lot of size and space.

You need to come inside to see all that it has to offer.

I don't think it's the house for us.

-OK, you two?

-Yes.

-That's it for our first day here in Hampshire househunting.

-Thank you very much.

-Have you enjoyed yourselves?

-Certainly have.

-Very much.

I think we've learned the wide variation in pricing within one county in a relatively small space.

-It really changes, doesn't it?

-Doesn't it, though?

-Come on.

As the evening draws in, Bob and Mary can take a moment to reflect on their first day of househunting.

'Ex-naval officer Bob and his wife Mary are setting course for new horizons

'in the hope of swapping their hectic London life for the Hampshire countryside.

'So far, it's been a tale of two 1950s detached properties.

'One was completely inspiring, while the other left them underwhelmed.

'But coming up: can the mystery house put them in seventh heaven?'

-It's been very well done.

-This is extraordinary.

'And I weigh anchor for a tour of HMS Victory.'

After a successful career in the Navy and 28 house moves both here in the UK and abroad,

Bob and Mary have decided it's time to settle down for a slice of country living,

but in a location not too far from friends and family in London.

We started off well yesterday showing them a 1950s family home in a semi-rural village,

but our second property near the prime location of Alresford didn't quite have the kerb appeal

and their guesses on the price tag were way off the mark.

So today I think it's time to raise their spirits with our third property, our mystery house.

Will it be the answer to their prayers?

But the thing with you two where you are unique

-is because you've moved so many times, you're used to flexing, aren't you?

-Yeah, I suppose.

Yes, we can accommodate.

If there's a couple I've ever wanted to find the perfect house for, it's you two!

-We just wonder if it'll be a thatched chapel conversion!

-I'm not going to give anything away.

With the mystery house, we're travelling to Ashmansworth,

further away from the coast and some way out of our buyers' requested South Hampshire search area,

although it still has excellent links to the M3 and M4 motorways for journeys to visit London.

Ashmansworth has a delightful setting and is reputed to be the highest village in Hampshire.

If Bob and Mary fancy celebrating their move, they could book a table at the local gastropub.

Time to serve up their mystery property.

So keep looking at your feet. Keep looking. I'm going to take you to the driveway.

Now without looking up quite yet... Stop. Bob, you mentioned your idea of a mystery house nightmare

-would be a thatched chapel conversion.

-I did.

Look up now.

Oh, my goodness! Wow!

What I am going to say to you is do keep an open mind.

-OK.

-Mm.

-Because there are chapel conversions and there is this property.

My goodness. It certainly has the wow factor.

-So are you prepared to give it a go? Give our mystery house the benefit of the doubt.

-Always open-minded.

-I like that.

-I'm dying to see inside.

-Good. Come on.

'Well, it is a gamble, but Bob and Mary, as they keep saying, are very open-minded.

'I'm just hoping they are true to their word.'

-First impressions, do you feel like you're in a chapel?

-Not at all.

-Not at all, no.

-This has been very well done.

-This is extraordinary.

So as you walked through the front door, to the right you'll see a sitting room through there.

-OK.

-Or it could be a fantastic study. It's pretty big.

You've got a downstairs cloakroom. Let's start off with... the dining room, I think.

Oh, look at this! How light it is. This is splendide!

And this part of the property was the extension done in the 1970s.

And then the current owner has done extensive work throughout, restoring it, renovating it.

-So behind us we've got a utility room.

-Very good. Necessary.

-Always a plus.

Through here is...

-I think a rather fabulous kitchen.

-Wow, wow.

-That's really gorgeous.

-Yeah.

Look at the little lights. I love those.

-And this looks all new.

-It's literally a couple of years old.

-To the right of the kitchen, just through the archway, is a conservatory.

-Oh, goodness!

-Good.

-Good size, nicely done.

So, in a way, I have shown you the house-y part of the property.

-Shall we see the chapel side?

-Let's.

-Please.

-Follow me.

'So far it's a risk worth taking. It looks like our buyers have fallen for this chapel conversion.

'The next room, though, will be the real test.'

-Oh, yeah.

-And it is in this room you get to see...

-Goodness!

-You certainly do.

-..the old chapel

-with the double height ceiling.

-What fun!

-Hmm.

-Look at this!

-And a huge fireplace.

-Huge fireplace, multi-fuel burner in there.

-Yeah.

-Giving out loads of heat.

-The windows look original, but how about the blue glass?

-That is original.

-Really?

There was blue glass originally and they've had them all restored.

A lot of the glass was broken. This was how it would have been. They're huge, these arch windows.

-But I personally think it really benefits from it.

-It's a great way to do those windows.

They're a real plus in this room.

-Mm, so light.

-Ah, marvellous.

-Shall we take a look at the bedrooms?

-Let's do that.

'What great reactions! Bob and Mary have been truly converted to this amazing property

'and I think they're going to be equally impressed by the first floor as we see where they could sleep.'

-So...

-Oooh.

-Nice.

-Here is the master bedroom.

-Mm-hm.

With an en suite next door. But you've got four bedrooms in total, with the possibility

of having a fifth one done. It's a small conversion if you wanted it.

-Yes.

-Although this is the en suite, it's actually got two doors so it works like a Jack and Jill.

So if your guests wanted to use that bathroom, they could.

There's another bedroom next door to us with another bathroom with the same double door system.

-Very well thought out.

-Flexible.

-So you've got four bedrooms, two bathrooms.

Well, let's head outside. You two have got to start thinking how much this is on the market for.

I'll also explain a little bit more about the location and where we are.

-Bob, if you wouldn't mind leading the way, please.

-OK.

-Back down the stairs, thank you.

'To complete our tour of the interior, the two other bedrooms give space for visiting family,

'but let's see what they make of the gardens and this chapel's stunning setting.'

-Now you don't get that in London.

-That's lovely. Really nice.

-Is that worth making the journey for?

-It is. That's tremendous.

There is a very small compromise. It isn't the biggest of gardens,

but you do have that right on your doorstep.

-Mm, nice to wake up to.

-Yeah.

So you've seen the chapel that we twisted your arm to come to and hopefully we did the right thing.

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

This is difficult. We're in commuter country. I would say we're looking at £750,000.

Have I got a good poker face?

Mary, what do you think?

I think I'm going to say 775.

Asking price...

£765,000.

So it is nudging over your budget.

-Food for thought. It's certainly worth thinking about.

-Have another look then give me a shout.

-We will.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Priced at £765,000, the mystery house has exceeded their expectations

and it's not too difficult to see why, with the most spectacular living room, beautifully restored,

with high ceilings, ornate stained glass windows and a huge fireplace.

There's also a stunning and very modern kitchen, four large bedrooms and two bathrooms,

and the most amazing views of the Hampshire countryside.

This mystery house, it lived up to its expectations.

I think it surprised both of us incredibly. I loved it.

I think we both loved it. It's not perfect. A house never will be, but we could move in right away.

The mystery house really surprised me. I had said on the way here

that a thatched chapel conversion wouldn't be the least favourite thing of anything I wanted,

but despite having no thatch this one is an amazing house.

Beautifully constructed and changed. And it has the feel of a house, not a chapel.

Well, that's it. You've seen our three properties here in Hampshire.

-Do you want a little bit of time to think about what you've seen and what your options are?

-Good idea.

-You've given us a lot of food for thought and opened our eyes.

-Good. That's the main thing.

Hampshire's historic maritime tradition is centred on Portsmouth on the county's south coast,

where the glories of its naval history are celebrated.

As well as its long association with the Royal Navy, Portsmouth is also home to a historic vessel -

HMS Victory.

She's most famous for being Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

This triumph for the Royal Navy was instrumental in the defeat of Napoleon

and confirmed Britain's dominance of the high seas for over 100 years.

HMS Victory is the world's oldest commissioned warship and is a huge tourist attraction.

I've hopped aboard to meet Lieutenant Commander Rod Strathern

to learn more about this icon of naval history.

It is such an impressive ship. What type of ship is it?

A first rate ship of the line. That means more than 100 guns. Launched in 1765.

Built in Chatham in Kent and she was the flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson at Trafalgar.

Sadly, this is where Nelson died. We're just a few feet from the spot where he was shot by a sharpshooter

from the French ship Redoutable.

-So what happened to HMS Victory after the battle?

-She came back to Portsmouth

-and the ship carried on in active service until 1812.

-It looks in fantastic condition,

-considering how old she is.

-She is beautiful, but it's part of ongoing work to restore her.

It takes a lot of time and effort and money to keep a Georgian warship of this type in good order.

'In a groundbreaking enterprise, the Ministry of Defence decided to transfer custodianship of Victory

'to the Preservation Trust, a charitable group that will ensure its future for generations to come.

'Roy Smith is in charge of the restoration.' What's the ship's biggest enemy? All the tourists?

No, mainly the elements. At the moment, it's the ingress of water into the ship's structure,

-which causes decay.

-Do you use modern techniques?

-We've tried those in the past, but they tend to fail

-so we've reverted back to traditional methods.

-Really? Going back hundreds of years?

-Hundreds of years, yes.

So what's going on here?

Well, Liam's caulking the seam using oakum,

which is teased apart rope fibres impregnated with Stockholm tar.

Hence the saying money for old rope.

-It's not often I come on a ship that's 250 years old.

-Yeah.

-Is it possible for me to help restore just a little part of her?

-Liam will lend you his tools.

-Thank you. So pack it really tightly?

-And minding your fingers.

-And this is exactly the process that they would have used hundreds of years ago?

-Yeah.

-It's pretty labour-intensive.

-It is, yes.

-So that's in.

-Yeah. Now pack it down.

So I continue all the way down and the next process is it gets this added to it?

Yeah. Then we melt the tar down and pour it in nice and neatly. That will keep it waterproof.

-For the next 250 years, we're hoping.

-Yeah. I don't think I'll be around.

I've started, so I'm going to finish my job, if you don't mind.

'I've had a memorable time aboard this historic warship, but it's time to head for dry land

'and see if we've been able to alight upon a property for Bob and Mary.'

What amazing work there, preserving such an important piece of our seafaring history.

Well, on to our maritime couple. We've shown them all three properties here in Hampshire.

But have any of them floated their boat? Let's find out.

So, Bob and Mary, you two are the experts

on moving house, having done it so successfully over the last 40 years.

Have we achieved move number 29? That's my big question.

So let's start with the very first property, a 1950s family home in a semi-rural village.

Tell me what you thought when you first saw it.

It was a house very well situated on the edge of the village, which is what we were looking for.

It's an interesting house, well set in its plot. It has a lot of what we're looking for,

but the kitchen, I think, for us we would have to extend to make it fit in with our lifestyle.

But what we found, which was very good news, was because of the pricing

it was within our budget enough that we could make our mark on it.

So to be able to put our own kitchen in, which is an expensive room, but we could do it with the pricing.

So that's quite an exciting prospect.

-It was a good start.

-A fantastic start! Walking up the drive had that wow factor.

-Yes, it did.

Which takes us to our second property. Again, a 1950s house,

but when we first arrived, it didn't quite have the same appeal, did it?

I have to say from the road it was quite plain, when you first looked at it.

-You had to go inside to appreciate it.

-It was probably too much house for us.

It's a big, big house inside. An awful lot of house, but that didn't seem to be in evidence at all

from the outside, so it really merited going inside to see. It was fascinating from that point of view.

So our third and final property was the mystery house.

You did mention that you'd rather not see a thatch or a chapel conversion,

so we showed you a chapel conversion! But you were very good-spirited about it, Bob.

The conversion and the extension had been done in such a way that when you were inside

-you had no idea that you were in a chapel conversion.

-The windows were original and they were tall

and it was full of light. It was an extremely exciting house.

Yes, it was. And you both seemed very taken with it as soon as you walked in.

And the location with that field at the back was beautiful and it was a great village.

-But it didn't have your shop, did it?

-Shop and garden.

-Yeah.

So having talked through the three properties, I'm getting the feeling that the first one got the closest.

-Would that be right?

-It's very much a front runner.

Well, it's been such fun showing you this beautiful area. And let us know how you get on for your 29th move!

-We will.

-We certainly will. We have so enjoyed it. Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you.

Well, it seems for our well-travelled couple, Hampshire is the right county

for their next adventure here in the UK countryside.

On the property front, it's still rather open-ended.

They definitely liked the first home we showed them, but the mystery house got under their skin.

We'll just have to wait and see. Until next time, bye-bye.

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