Herefordshire Escape to the Country

This is one of the best preserved late Norman churches in Britain

and its doorway depicts an extraordinary tale of morality

told through these dramatic stone carvings.

Find out what they represent and, indeed, where I am, in just a moment.

On today's show, we're helping two sisters and their mother

make the move to Herefordshire to set up a bed and breakfast.

And early on in our property search, a coach house races into pole position.

Wow!

-Weren't expecting this, were you?

-No, we weren't.

-No, this is super, absolutely super.

But then the mystery house gives them more than they could ever have imagined.

Well, try and get your heads round this.

-Bit speechless, really.

-Yeah, I bet!

Just don't know.

Today, I'm in Herefordshire and this is Kilpeck Church,

a masterpiece in medieval stonemasonry,

whose carvings are a powerful expression of 12th-century life and fears

at a time where few people could read.

Remarkably, Kilpeck Church over the last 850 years has remained largely unchanged.

And it's fair to say that's a timeless quality that seems to exist throughout the county.

Landlocked Herefordshire is one of England's

most sparsely populated counties, and is bordered by Worcestershire to the east

and Gloucestershire to the south.

The county's only city, Hereford, whose name literally means "army ford",

developed as a garrison town to protect the unstable border area

between England and Wales.

The city's crowning glory is its cathedral,

often called the Cathedral of the Marches.

It houses the world famous Mappa Mundi,

a medieval map that reveals how scholars saw the world back in the 13th century.

East of Hereford lies the ancient market town of Ledbury,

with its core of crocked, black-and-white, timber-framed streets.

Its showpiece is the 17th-century market house,

which sits on 16 narrow, wooden posts,

said to have been taken from a wrecked ship belonging to the Spanish Armada.

The south of the county, on the border with Gloucestershire,

is Symonds Yat Rock, a 500ft limestone outcrop rising from the banks of the River Wye.

It offers stunning views stretching north across the rest of the county.

And with the River Wye meandering through this unspoilt countryside,

Herefordshire provides a peaceful setting for those seeking a rural escape.

Herefordshire's rural position is reflected in its property values.

The average detached house here will set you back around £256,000.

That's around £1,000 less than the national figure.

And the further west you go towards Wales, obviously, the more remote you get

and the therefore the cheaper the property becomes.

But Herefordshire does have its hotspots.

The market town of Ledbury is highly sought after due to its excellent transport facilities.

The M50 motorway passes just underneath it.

And there you can expect to pay a premium of around 5%.

But no matter where you venture in this county,

it's fair to say there's a rich mix of architectural styles to greet the eye.

Red sandstone forms part of the natural bedrock of Herefordshire

and is a hallmark that can be seen in much of its architecture.

The county also has many distinctive black-and-white, timber-framed buildings,

which date back to centuries when oak was in abundant supply.

This four-bedroomed detached property near Ledbury

is on the market for £665,000.

Another product used in the construction of Herefordshire homes is Downtownian red marl.

This three-bedroomed detached cottage in Much Cowarne is £360,000.

So, a stunning county with some fantastic architecture,

but will any of it meet the expectations of today's buyers? Time to meet them and find out.

Sisters Celia and Carol haven't lived together since childhood,

but that's set to change as their elderly mother needs 24-hour care and they want to share the workload.

So they've decided to sell their houses and pool the funds

to buy somewhere for all three of them.

At the moment, we're covering the care ourselves.

But we've decided, actually, the easiest way to do this

is for mother to come and live with Celia and I.

Carol has recently retired and is looking after their mother full-time.

Until they can find a new home together, she's staying with younger sister Celia in Warwick.

But she's already got a business plan for the future.

I was hoping to be able to run a small B&B,

because I will have to be home-based

and it would be very nice to make myself a small income.

Younger sister Celia is an acupuncturist and wants to continue working.

However, she would like a quieter pace of life.

As I'm approaching my mid-60s now, it's about time, after 15 years,

that I actually took it a little more easily.

It's all around the plan about my mum, really.

The county they've pinpointed is Herefordshire, as it offers something for each of them.

I've always loved the Borders and I've always loved Herefordshire.

It has lots of beautiful countryside.

And so it sort of came down to that. All around about an hour and 20 minutes away.

And plus, of course, the clean air.

I suffer from asthma so it's just no good living in

somewhere that is just getting more and more polluted.

With a fresh start in Herefordshire,

Carol is also looking forward to discovering more about the county.

History is my passion, so I'm always into historic places.

Homes, gardens. I love historic gardens.

And Celia, well, she's at her happiest when she's active and outdoors.

I guess joining a rambling club would be the most sensible thing to do.

Although, I have to say, that I'm not so sociable as my sister.

Our buyers clearly have very different ideas about how they like to relax.

So will they be able to form a united front when it comes to their choice of a new rural home?

I think we're actually a really good team,

because there's lots of things that are opposite in us,

but, you know, opposites do work.

It's just a huge adventure for us both

and that's how we're looking at it.

And just bring it on! We're ready!

Carol and Celia have already got their homes on the market,

so they both have a clear idea of what they're able to spend.

Our maximum budget for this move would be around £600,000.

Carol and Celia are keen on the villages in and around Hereford,

or slightly further south-east, where there are good transport links

so Celia can commute easily to her work in Warwick.

I caught up with them to discover a little more about their proposed rural move.

-Now, you two have come together to look after your mum.

-Yes.

-And buy a house together?

-Yes.

-Yes.

So what sort of accommodation are you hoping for your mother to have?

We're hoping that she'll have an annexe within the house

that we are hoping to buy.

Under the same roof. This is the ideal situation.

OK, so nothing... Nothing at the end of the garden, then?

-That wouldn't work. Two o'clock in the morning in your dressing gown, not good.

-OK.

But I understand you're looking to maybe earn some money

-from the property as well?

-Yes.

-A small business?

Well, I'm feeling, because I'll sort of be the chief carer

and I'll be there nearly all of the time.

So I thought a B&B would actually, erm...

-would be a small business to run.

-OK.

How many rooms do you think you might take on? Letting rooms?

-Just one at the moment, while I'm looking after Mum.

-Yeah.

And then when circumstances change, we can reconfigure the house.

Prices here are still fairly competitive,

-so, hopefully, we'll get you quite a bit of bang for your buck.

-Yes.

-Let's start with the first property, shall we?

-Indeed.

-Please. Thank you.

-Thank you.

With a combined budget of £600,000, Carol and Celia are after...

We've found three fabulous properties,

which we think they'll find hard to resist.

But I won't be revealing the price of each until they've had a guess.

The last of these is our mystery house, which could call time

on their search for a Herefordshire hideaway.

But first, we're on our way to house number one.

I'm very interested to see how this dynamics going to work

-with you guys living together.

-Yes.

-Uh-huh.

-Any concerns?

Well, I think we're both old enough now to be able to say,

-"Well, actually, I need some space."

-Yes.

-Yes.

And we're both capable of actually just saying that,

or, you know, "I'm going to bed early. See you whenever."

Yeah. So it would be good to have a house that could give you that space as well.

-You don't want to be on top of each other.

-No.

-No, cos otherwise I don't think it will work.

-Sure.

Property one is located not far from Hereford,

which is one of their preferred locations, as it offers good road connections to the M50.

This city, located on the River Wye, lies close to the Welsh border

and has played a vital role in both English and Welsh history

throughout the centuries.

It's an area of great antiquity.

The magnificent cathedral dates from 1079 and is one of the oldest in Britain.

So let's hope we're all singing from the same hymn sheet

with our first property, an elegant three-storey Victorian home.

This is the best angle of the house.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Great windows.

-Yeah, they are.

-I love the circular effect.

-Half bow, yes.

-Lovely, isn't it?

-Yes.

-This is an old farmhouse, actually.

-It was built around 1820.

-Right.

What you're getting is the main slice, the main body of it all.

-It goes up to that down pipe there. It's

-semidetached. Yeah.

-Let's look inside.

-OK.

-Great.

So we're off to a good start.

These two lovers of architecture seem to approve of the house's exterior.

And I've got a feeling they'll be impressed by what's hidden within these walls, too.

OK, first room - the living room.

-Goodness. Look at the wood burner!

-Absolutely!

-That's a wood burner and a half!

-Yeah.

-Lovely proportions.

-This is the main living room, of course.

-Right.

But next door, in the other bay,

-there's a dining room.

-Uh-huh.

-Or another reception room, so when you want you own space, you can have it.

-Yes.

-That's good.

-After a hard day's arguing...

-Absolutely! Absolutely!

-We can have separate rooms.

-Yes.

OK, let's have a quick peek into the kitchen. Let me just squeeze past. Thank you very much.

-Just mind the step up there.

-OK.

-So a peek into the kitchen.

-Oh, yes.

-Nice and light.

-Isn't it?

-French windows out into the garden.

-Very nice.

-So, happy?

-Yep.

-Mm. Yes.

-Good.

-Thank you.

-You sure? There was an "mm"!

-Mm! Mm!

-I'll have to see the rest of the house.

-There's so much to see, so I'll whisk you upstairs.

'On the first floor there are three good-size bedrooms

'and a family bathroom, but it's the next level that could really inspire them.'

-I think this is probably a master suite, isn't it?

-Mm.

-Yes.

-It is definitely.

-Definitely. Lovely and light.

-Really...

-Again, yes.

You get to see some of the history of the building in these wonderful exposed timbers.

-I'm keen on showing you now where your mother would stay.

-Okey-dokey. Thank you.

'These rooms at the top have great B&B potential,

'but it would mean visitors staying in the main part of their house.

'However, I'm going to show them an option a little later

'that could free up this space to be one of their bedrooms.

'But before that, let's take a look at where Mum could be living.'

Right, so... You can see the proximity to the house.

This is the annexe.

-Right.

-Right, yes.

My first thoughts were, there's a galley kitchen, which is great.

-There's a sitting room and I presume there's a bedroom further on.

-Double bedroom behind that wall.

-Yes.

-So that's actually perfect.

-Size-wise...

-Size-wise, it's all there.

-..It's got everything it should have.

-Yeah.

-OK.

So the home covered.

The annexe covered. Let's have a look for business opportunities.

-Yes.

-OK.

-Follow me.

'A short walk around the back of the annexe and we arrive at the coach house.

'It has self-catering accommodation split over three floors

'and would be ideal for paying guests.'

-So up here on the first floor, above the garage, if you like.

-Goodness.

-Gosh, yes!

-Wow!

-Weren't expecting this, were you?

-No.

-No, we weren't.

-This is super!

-Absolutely super!

-Goodness me!

-Bearing in mind, you haven't done hospitality before...

-No.

..this is a nice small step. Self-catering.

-That's a good suggestion. A good bridge.

-Good bridge.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Well, a lot of potential, but also a lot of property to look at.

Let's go and look at the back garden and start thinking about how much this place might be worth.

CAROL LAUGHS

In the basement of this coach house is a large games room

and on the ground floor a double carport.

Finally, let's check out the garden, which is surrounded by open farmland.

So, huge lawn.

Looking back at the house now, ladies, you can see that

-it's a substantial property in the first place.

-It is, yes.

-Did I mention the hot tub?

-We spotted it! We spotted it!

-We spotted it.

-So what do you think so far?

-Well, the hot tub is fabulous.

-I meant the house! But I'm glad you like the hot tub.

-Yes, she does.

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

Well, I think 590, something like that.

-OK.

-About 600.

No, I think it will be just a little bit less.

I'll go down to 550.

Right. Well...

This house is on the market for offers around £625,000.

-Erm...

-Yes, I know. 70 grand! What's 70 grand?

THEY LAUGH

-It's the opportunity to earn money here, as well.

-It is, yes.

Having said that, we've spoken with the owner and they are looking to settle

at your top budget price. It's just come on the market.

-Six weeks old, so who knows?

-Who knows, indeed?

-Something to think about?

-Definitely.

-Oh, yes!

-Definitely.

Now's your opportunity to see the rest of the house. We could be here some time!

-I'll meet you where we came in, OK?

-OK.

-OK.

-Whenever you're ready.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

This characterful house set in approximately three-quarters of an acre

is on the market for £625,000.

Just over budget. But it does offer all that they're after.

My first impression walking up to the house was absolutely wow!

It was beautifully proportioned.

I just liked the whole look of the house.

The best thing about the house is its overall potential.

And I think we could actually really make something of it.

One of the really good things about this house is that there are lots of different rooms.

Smaller, larger...

Lots of options

that would allow us to live companionably,

but not right under each other's feet all the time.

-All done?

-Yes.

-Yes, thank you!

-Did you have a good work-out in the gym?

-Definitely.

-Good!

OK, on to the next one.

Hereford's rolling hills and rich agricultural landscape

have long held importance for those who sought to rule these isles.

The county's position on the border with Wales

sped a furious spate of castle building by the Normans,

in an attempt to control the volatile border area.

Many of these fine examples of Norman architecture can still be seen today,

although they've not all survived intact.

But Hereford also boasts some fine churches and classic 17th-century buildings,

both of which can be found in the attractive cathedral city of Hereford.

As Carol is interested in history and Celia loves architecture,

earlier in the week we sent them to visit Hampton Court Castle and gardens

to meet head guide Gillian Linscott, who's been working here since the house opened three years ago.

Oh, the oldest bits of our Hampton Court go back all of 600 years.

And it's all rather romantic, because it started with a wedding.

King Henry IV had this good friend called Rowland Lenthall

and he came from this part of the world, from north Hereford.

And he married one of the king's cousins, Margaret Fitzalan.

And the king gave them Hampton Court Estate as their wedding present.

The castle was originally built in the 15th century,

predating the more famous Hampton Court Palace by 80 years.

Hampton Court Castle may be impressive in its own right,

but for many people it's the gardens that are the main attraction.

Having undergone a major restoration since 1994,

it's largely thanks to the efforts of head gardener Hannah Wilks that they are in full bloom today.

There are three different species of wisteria through the arch, to extend the flowering period.

We've got wisteria floribunda. That's the Japanese wisteria.

That has the longest flowers and twines clockwise.

The other two are the Wisteria sinensis alba,

which is the white one, and Wisteria sinensis.

And that's the Chinese wisteria.

And that twines anti-clockwise.

Mm. Do you know how old they are? When they were planted?

The wisteria is said to be 160 years old here.

The centrepiece of the garden is the large maze made up of 1,000 yew trees,

with a Gothic tower at its centre.

A lot of thought has gone into the designs, so that it enhances the surrounding landscape.

The reward for successfully navigating its corridors

is a spectacular panorama of the gardens viewed from the top of the tower.

These are the twin herbaceous borders.

And the planting in here was designed by David Wheeler,

and the colour combinations - it's all in soft blues and soft yellow.

We've got lots of Nepeta grandiflora,

which we use throughout the garden because it attracts the bumble bees, which are useful pollinators.

And also you've got things like the tall delphiniums.

Summer skies is towards the back and the soft yellow of the giant scabious.

And this aquilegia here, what's it called?

This one's called aquilegia Yellow Queen and it's a very vigorous variety.

It's beautiful. The colours are delightful.

Having given Carol and Celia a taste of Herefordshire's highlights,

let's hope we can offer them some further property inspiration,

as we return to our hunt.

For our second offering, I'm taking them 23 miles south-east,

just over the border into Gloucestershire.

We're heading for Newent, which is on the edge of the Forest of Dean

and is well placed for both the M50 and the M5 motorways.

This small market town has a wide range of amenities.

Many of its buildings date back to the 13th century,

but the centrepiece is the old market hall which was built in 1668.

This historic town should prove appealing to both Carol and Celia.

Both to find out a little more, I'm taking our buyers to meet Newent shopkeeper Annie Haynes.

-Good afternoon.

-Hello.

-How are we? Are you all right?

-Fine.

-Where do you buy all your flowers?

-We do get some local still.

-Do you?

-Yes.

We've still got a few local suppliers, which is quite good.

This time of year we have got lo... English flowers,

which is still our pride and joy to have British flowers.

I bet, yeah. But going for 26 years now, this business.

It's not just a certain set of people that are buying from you.

You must have new generations and new customers all the time.

You never, ever walk down the street without somebody saying hello to you.

You may have found two new customers, especially, if you think about it,

-if you have something maybe with a business angle...

-Yes.

-Nice to decorate the rooms.

-Absolutely.

-Lovely to meet you, Annie.

-Lovely to meet you both.

-And I hope you like the area and decide to settle here.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Our second house can be found just three miles away.

Now the second property, right here...

-Gosh!

-I think is a very different proposition for you both.

-Yes.

-What's your first impressions?

Yes, I love the A-line. Those gables, they're lovely.

-Yes. Very symmetrical, which is easy on the eye.

-Yes.

-Good!

-Right, location-wise, we've actually hopped over the border.

-All right.

-Into Gloucestershire.

-But it's closer to Warwick, where you need to go back to work.

-That's right.

So what do you think about the different location?

-Do you have your heart set on Herefordshire...

-No.

-..As a county?

-No.

-No, because it's still fairly close to it.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Let's look inside. This way.

Well, our sisters have given us the thumbs up to the location, which is great news.

And I'm sure we can keep up the positive vibe when we step inside.

So straight off the hallway...

-..your living areas.

-Ooh, yes!

-Ooh, that's lovely, isn't it?

Love those windows over the garden.

And connecting from here is the kitchen, which I'll show you now.

So then, big kitchen.

-Oh, yes!

-Beautiful!

Very nice indeed.

Mm. I'd make the odd cake in here.

Yeah!

I'm hoping the accommodation I have in mind for their mother will suit them down to the ground.

And it's entrance is next door to the kitchen.

-Right, now this looks like it's been designed with your mum in mind.

-Oh, it does!

-What a pleasant room!

-Isn't it?

-What a very pleasant room.

-She'd love this.

-Yes, she would.

Beyond here, really good-sized double and an en-suite.

-That's perfect.

-It is! It's absolutely perfect!

-It is ideal.

-It is.

-Yes.

So we've had a quick look at the ground floor, very briefly.

-Let me show you at least one of the bedrooms upstairs before we go outside.

-OK.

-OK.

Also on this floor is a fabulous conservatory with French doors that lead out on to the garden.

Time to head upstairs, where there's a total of five bedrooms

and I'm going to show them a room which they might want to fight over.

OK, so let's stop for a moment in this master bedroom.

-What's your thoughts?

-It's very pleasant.

-Large room again. Yes.

-Once again built-in wardrobes.

-Very airy, which makes a difference.

Now there's lots of options with this house.

But as I said to you, it's all contained within one unit.

So behind this wall, you've got another room.

Quite a bit smaller but, again, a double.

These two rooms here share a nice big family bathroom, just over the hall there.

The other side of the house has two good-sized double bedrooms

that then share a bathroom,

-like a Jack and Jill bathroom.

-Oh, wow!

-Oh, right.

-Oh!

-Yes.

-So you could decide between which end of the house you use and which end you want to let out.

This house offers such potential, all under one roof.

But let's see what they make of the space outside.

Well, like the first property we saw, this is set in, again,

about three-quarters of an acre, but very different style of grounds.

-Yes, they are.

-Mm.

-Do you like it?

-Yes, I do. Yes.

-You're the gardener? You're the keen gardener, as well, aren't you?

-Mm.

I think you've got plenty of areas for a kitchen garden.

-Room for what we call a cutting garden, is what I'd want to experiment with, so...

-Right! OK.

-Now I'm going to ask you to price it.

-Yes.

-Who wants to go first?

-You go first.

I'll go first and I think this time, because it is close to the motorway access,

it will be almost at the top, say 595.

-OK.

-I'm going for, I don't know, around about 590.

It's on for offers of around £575,000.

-I was going to say that!

-Something to think about?

-It has a very nice feel to it, this house.

-Good!

-Yes, yes.

-Go and feel a bit more of it.

-OK.

-All right.

-Thank you.

With an asking price of £575,000,

this property is well under Carol and Celia's budget. It has...

And it's close to the M5 for Celia's commute to Warwick.

-That is so surprising.

-Yes.

-Isn't it?

-It is, yes.

-It is. It has taken us by surprise, definitely.

My gut feeling about this house is I do like it, very much.

I have got one or two question marks over it.

The most is how we could use the space upstairs?

My favourite room downstairs is actually... Well, actually, there were several of them.

There was the kitchen and the conservatory is lovely.

And the lounge has very pleasing proportions to it, as well,

with the mantelpiece and log burner.

-All done inside and out?

-Yes.

-Yes, we have.

Well, hopefully, two properties. One to compare against each other.

-Yes.

-Yeah?

-Indeed.

-Mm.

-Good! All right. That's it for today. Let's go.

-Great.

So, content with their first day of house hunting,

our buyers can relax as evening falls amongst the Herefordshire hills.

Sisters Carol and Celia want to buy a house together in the Herefordshire countryside,

so they can share the care for their mother and run a B&B.

So far, we've shown them two fantastic homes. The first was full of character.

Whilst the second was a more modern affair. But, still to come...

Could it be the mystery house that fulfils all of their dreams?

Oh, yes!

-Wow! Beautiful!

-Really is, isn't it?

-Isn't it? Yes.

-Oh, stunning!

And I meet a maverick Herefordshire gardener with a lot of bottle.

This is suggesting a very strong relationship with wine, Richard.

With Carol and Celia looking for houses with so many different facets to them,

I think yesterday we were quite fortunate in showing two properties

that were maybe contenders in their own different ways.

So today, we're off to see the mystery house and, after giving them so much to think about

and maybe with two houses already in the running,

maybe this time we can take a bit of a gamble.

For our mystery house, we're travelling six miles west of Hereford to Madley.

This lively village offers many amenities, including a shop,

hairdresser's and village hall.

There's even an historic coaching inn which dates back to the 16th century.

The village church is also a gem, as it's one of the best-known local examples

of Norman architecture.

The mystery house, as expected, is a gamble, because it doesn't offer everything our buyers want...

..yet.

However, it does have huge potential if they're prepared to roll up their sleeves.

Now the mystery house...

has more than just a couple of quirks to it. This is it, ladies.

-Right.

-Right.

Silence falls.

-It's actually an old pub.

-Is it?

-Let's have a look at the front.

-Yeah.

-Oh, yes!

Now parts of this property date back to the 1600s,

-but it's been converted over the last ten years.

-Right.

-All right?

There's work to be done for you ladies though

to make it suitable for all the things you want from a property.

-You've been lucky so far.

-Yes, we have been very lucky.

-But it's the mystery house, so you have to go with it a little bit.

-Yep.

-Shall we?

-Yes, indeed.

Well, they're looking a little perplexed.

But, never fear, I'm confident I can calm their nerves when we step over the threshold.

OK, in we come.

Goodness me! Yes.

The outside didn't say this inside.

-It really didn't, did it?

-Which I am so relieved about!

-Good, a good surprise.

-Absolutely.

-Yes.

From the outside, from the road, it looks like it's going to be very cottagey.

-Then suddenly you're met with this huge open-plan.

-Yes, you are.

-Do you like it?

-I do. I like the inside.

-Yes.

-I do very much.

-Yes.

-OK.

-Very much.

Well, let's just have a quick peek into the kitchen.,

cos there's lots I want to show you here. Just have a quick peek yourselves.

-Oh, gosh! Yes.

-Yes.

-Very nice, again.

-Very nice.

-Extremely nice, yes.

-Good!

-Definitely your style.

'Time to view the other side of the house, which has an area

'that could work well for their mother.'

Now...

-Quiet in here.

-Yes.

-Quiet throughout the house so far because of this UPVC double-glazing.

Now here I think is, potentially, the compromise.

I think it's a good-size room. Next door you've got a utility and...

Well, there's a ground-floor loo and a boiler room.

That would be very easy to convert into a ground-floor bathroom for your mother. Very easily done.

The plumbing's already there. This is perhaps the less independent accommodation we've seen so far.

-It's still very usable, though.

-Yes.

-Yes, it is.

-It is.

-Good! OK. Shall we have a quick look at...

-There's a few bedrooms upstairs, but there's one, I think, the master bedroom, which you'll both love.

-OK.

Might see a bit of a scrap over this one, you never know. Let's have a look.

This conservatory joins directly on to the potential annexe,

so it wouldn't require a huge redesign to make this area work.

But I can't wait to see their faces when I show them one of their four bedrooms.

-Now this is the master bedroom.

-Oh, yes!

-Oh, wow! Beautiful!

-Really is, isn't it?

-Isn't it?

-Oh, stunning!

Now, it's also got a fantastic en suite

-that goes into an extended eave, if you like.

-Mm-hm.

-Yes.

-Uh-huh.

-You did say that you thought about having a letting bedroom.

-Mm-hm.

-Yes, we did.

-This would fly out.

-It would.

-It would, it would.

There's lots of options for you in this house.

But your options are only just beginning.

-There's loads more outside.

-OK!

The three other bedrooms are all a good size.

But as we take a short walk outside, I have a surprise that takes this viewing

to a whole new level.

Well, try and get your head round this.

-Bit speechless, really.

-Yeah, I bet!

This barn has planning consent. It was granted, coming up to two years ago now.

For conversion to residential dwelling.

-The possibilities are endless.

-Enormous.

-You've just got to think about it.

-Gosh!

-Well, let's finish off this quite special house tour

outside in the gardens and, well, bit of a lottery,

-but try and get your head around what price this might be.

-Oh, no!

-All right?

-Yes.

-Follow me.

Well, Carol and Celia appear to be truly blown away by everything this property has to offer

and I haven't finished yet.

-Well, obviously, it comes with a swimming pool!

-Well, yes!

THEY LAUGH

-So...

-Oh, dear. Dear, dear.

You've seen a lot of what this property has to offer,

which is potential with a capital "P".

But you can move in straightaway. Celia, how much is this on the market for?

-I'm going to say 585.

-£585,000?

-Yes.

-OK.

-I think it's over our budget. I'd say 610 for this.

OK.

Then you'll quite like the fact that it's on the market for offers around £546,250.

Oh, me!

Wow!

Goodness!

Overwhelmed again.

-Great. I mean, it's... It's...

-Can you say it again?

-£546,250.

-Thank you.

-You're going to need a bit of time to walk around this property and mull things over.

-Mm.

-And you've got that.

-Yeah.

-Yeah? Take as long as you want.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Johnnie. Thank you.

A welcome surprise for our sisters,

this house is well under their budget at just over £546,000.

So there's plenty of money left in the pot to do any conversion work.

I was a little bit worried when I first walked up because I thought, "Oh, goodness! What's this?"

So, actually, going through that door was fantastic.

Absolutely loved it.

This is a bit more tricky when I think about my mother, Mum,

because although we would be able to convert the annexe for her,

erm, I don't think it would, initially,

be as attractive to her as it is to us.

-All done inside and out?

-Absolutely. Lovely.

-Good.

-Thank you.

-Let's find you somewhere to have a bit of a confab amongst yourselves.

-Righty-ho. Thanks.

Along with its rich architectural heritage,

Herefordshire also holds on to a strong landscape gardening tradition.

In the depths of this rural county both elements are brought together

to flamboyant effect by a local gardening maverick.

I'm visiting Westonbury Mill, a privately owned water garden just west of Pembridge,

where I'm meeting owner Richard Pim.

He has spent the last 12 years mapping out a spectacular horticultural oasis,

with a few eccentric surprises along the way.

Now, this looks just fantastic! I mean, talk me through the workings!

-Water is carried to the top of the tower.

-Yeah.

-Goes into the tank in the roof.

-Yeah.

-When that tanks full, it siphons out

-and comes blasting out through the mouths of the gargoyles.

-Just like it is now! Look at that!

And off it goes there now! Yes.

-You know, it is fun, isn't it?

-It looks good. People love it.

Richard bought the abandoned mill in the 1960s

and used it as a weekend camping ground while he pursued his career as a hydro-geologist in Africa.

12 years ago, he moved here permanently and started to transform the garden.

Originally, it was choked with brambles and the millpond and streams were full of silt.

Now it's brimming with plants.

But Richard didn't want his gardens simply to showcase flowers.

He planned to inject some fun into the surroundings

and went on to create an array of delightful follies.

Goodness me! This is...

This is some structure, isn't it?

-Is this all your own work?

-Yes, it is. Yes.

-All my own.

-I'm sure it's a terribly complicated process.

First of all, how many bottles have you got here? Any idea?

I think it's about 5,000.

This is suggesting a very strong relationship with wine, Richard.

HE LAUGHS

-I didn't drink ALL of them!

-I was going to say, a few lifetime's worth!

-Maybe most.

But... No, there was a lot of help from friends, too, of course.

I think a fantastic feature of this is, as we've seen,

as the sun goes in and out of the cloud, it illuminates this wonderful dome.

And these beautiful reflections here.

The reflection really looks good, doesn't it? I think it's actually the best view of the thing.

The garden is laid out around a tangle of streams and ponds,

and includes a huge collection of plants.

Here you can climb the spiral walk of the giant mound,

stroll through a jungle of huge gunnera leaves,

or just simply relax on one of the plentiful benches and admire the beauty.

-What have we got going on here?

-Well...

RICHARD LAUGHS

It's going to be an enormous cuckoo clock.

-Of course it is!

-I think it will be the world's biggest water-powered cuckoo clock.

Well, it will give me a very good excuse to come back and see how it's finished and come together.

-Richard, I will do just that.

-I'll look forward to that.

-Lovely to meet you. I'll let you get back to your gardening. You've got a lot on your hands!

-OK!

Well, calling these fantastic structures "follies" doesn't really seem to do them justice, does it?

Now it's time to catch up with today's buyers

to see if I've done this county justice with the properties I've shown them.

Well, ladies, a very eventful few days.

So let's cast our minds back to yesterday morning - the first property.

What were your thoughts when you first saw it?

I was very excited.

-I'd been very curious as to where it was, but it looked lovely.

-Yeah.

It looked like it was going to be good.

I just felt that there'd possibly be quite a lot of work to do,

-erm, within that house.

-Mm-hm.

It was mostly for the annexe part.

And trying to somehow get the annexe more connected to the main house.

I really enjoyed the coach house and I thought the business opportunity there

was really very good.

-To me now, at the moment, these problems don't sound insurmountable.

-No.

But let's see if we can find you something better. The second property in the afternoon...

All one contained unit and some great reactions from both of you.

What were your thoughts when we first looked at that?

I really did enjoy that house, even though I was the one, initially, who thought, "Mm?"

I did enjoy it. Again, it was taking our mum's annexe into consideration,

-which was actually perfect.

-Yes, it was.

That was great. But that whole thing about that space upstairs.

We would really have to be creative about that

and think very carefully about how to do that if we wanted to do that business.

-So that did start to get in the way.

-Right.

So it's constantly balancing the pros and cons about Mother and then us.

Backwards and forwards. But that was lovely.

And we really liked the way the garden came into the house.

It seemed yesterday, towards the end of it, I thought I had two contenders there for you.

So I thought today, well, we could afford to gamble a little bit by showing you the mystery property.

And, I've got to say, I think the gamble paid off.

-It all went swimmingly, didn't it?

-Absolutely. We loved it.

Everything about it, the whole opportunity with the outbuildings,

the opportunity within the house on B&B and what we could do and what we couldn't do,

the biggest... Well, a problem!

We just can't quite get it into our head how we would make an annexe work in that house.

-That's right. But I think, out of all the houses, we really, really loved the opportunity...

-To do that.

-Yes.

-Really? The mystery house is your favourite?

-Yes, yes.

-Yes.

-The mystery house.

-The mystery house was the favourite.

-There's so much to be done there!

-I can just see myself in that house.

-Yes, we could that.

-We could also work together on that.

-Yes.

The mystery property triumphs. What's the next step for you two?

Basically, to go back and, erm...

..possibly explain it all to Mum and the ideas that we've got.

Just to try and maybe take the mystery house a little bit further.

It goes without saying, I wish you both, well, all three of you, and your mother...

..the very best of luck and, hopefully, the mystery house might just work for you.

-It might just work, yes.

-Good luck.

-Thank you!

-Thank you!

Well, I'm sure Celia and Carol would be the first to admit

that they had a fairly extensive, if not exacting, wish list.

But sometimes it's helpful to be so specific.

Now, three properties I think were all fairly suitable,

but the one that one through - the mystery house - was the one that had the most ticks next to it.

But now I think we're only at stage one. The next step is definitely to speak to a builder,

maybe even an architect, to see if they can make that annexe work for their mother.

Then maybe after all these discussions,

all three ladies could well be moving down here to Herefordshire. See you next time.

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