Norfolk Escape to the Country

Welcome to today's Escape To The Country.

Now, 450 years ago this small market town was the starting point

for a rebellion which saw 16,000 people rise up

and march on what was then Britain's second largest city.

But where are we? Who were they?

And, frankly, what was all the fuss about?

Well, join me in just a few moments and I'll tell you.

On today's show, we're on a mission to help a couple find a property

that not only they can call home, but is big enough to house their mum

and aunt, and an expanding business.

But we don't get off to a good start.

It's an absolutely gorgeous room.

In honesty, though, not for living from day one.

However, a kitchen soon changes despair into delight.

-BOTH:

-This is nice.

THEY LAUGH

Well, today we're in Wymondham in Norfolk

and these are the remains of the wonderful medieval abbey here

that overlook this pretty little market town.

Now, back in 1549,

this area was also home to a farmer called Robert Kett.

At the time, local landowners were busy fencing off common land,

denying it to local people who had grazed it for years.

Kett was outraged, raised a force of some 16,000

and marched northward to Norwich, which he promptly stormed.

It's said that the battles and chaos that ensued

lasted for nearly a month.

As for Kett, well, he met a pretty inglorious end.

He was captured and then hung from the battlements of Norwich Castle.

Not surprisingly, many people around here regard him

as something of a local hero, just part of the rich history

that makes this part of the world so fascinating.

Situated on the east coast of Britain,

Norfolk is the fourth largest county in England.

It's bordered by Suffolk to the south, Lincolnshire to the north

and Cambridgeshire to the west.

The county is home to miles of spectacular coastline,

with long, sandy beaches, high cliffs and picturesque promenades.

Much of it has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Moving inland, the Norfolk Broads are Britain's largest nationally-protected wetland

and also support a huge boating population,

with over two million tourists visiting its waterways each year.

And with over 96% of the county given over to agriculture,

woodland and forestry, Norfolk's open spaces

and rural landscape are an extremely popular option

for aspiring escapees.

When it comes to property prices,

Norfolk would appear to offer pretty good value for money.

At £213,000, the cost of your average property here

is a very handy 40 grand under the national average.

But of course, like anywhere, there are hot spots -

Burnham Market and Wells-next-the-Sea, well,

there you could comfortably double that national figure.

But as you would expect from one of Britain's most historic counties,

whatever your tastes and whatever your budget,

there are some beautiful properties on offer.

Norfolk offers a characterful range of housing architecture,

including numerous flint and brick properties.

Cottages like these can be seen in many of the villages dotted along

the North Norfolk coastline, where flint can be found in abundance.

Built in the Victorian period to house local farm workers

and fishermen, these days they can command high prices.

This six-bedroom house in Burnham Market will cost you £425,000.

Much of the flint work throughout the county is knapped flint

and involves uniformly setting flint stone into brickwork

in an ornate fashion. It's a decorative design that can be seen

on the outside of churches and cathedrals, as well as houses

like this eight-bedroom property in Upper Sheringham,

priced at £799,500.

But perhaps the most common building material in Norfolk is red brick.

Many of the larger and grander houses are made from it

and often date back to the Victorian era.

This four-bedroom property in Aylsham is priced at £395,000.

So, as you can see, a tempting and rich mix of properties,

which hopefully will satisfy the very demanding needs

of today's buyers.

Businessman Alistair and his wife Liz, a marketing executive,

live in this modern three-bedroom bungalow in Orpington, Kent.

But over the last couple of years,

Alistair's business has really taken off, and they're keen to expand

as they don't have enough room in their present home.

My business at the moment is commercial stationery.

Where we are, the space isn't ideal and, looking around,

seeing what you get for the money, we thought we can combine the two,

the house purchase price

and we need some premises for me, as well, commercial.

And as for Liz, she's wanted to move for a while.

We're living in what is essentially my house.

And I think it would be really nice for us to have a place of our own

that we've bought together.

They met four years ago in a local pub.

Well, that's at least what they told their nearest and dearest.

The story we told our friends initially was we met in a pub,

or we met through friends. But actually we met online.

I bit the bullet and I went online and then she sent me an e-mail

and so, here we are.

Yeah, hands up.

And I love him to bits.

So, with love in their life and a burgeoning business,

they now want to make the move to the country.

But they won't be going on their own.

As well as their two big gun dogs,

there'll be another couple of escapees -

Liz's mother, Betty, and Aunt Pat.

We're a pretty close-knit unit

and we couldn't go in any good conscience and leave them behind.

It's important for us that we look out for them as they get older.

Liz expected to have a fight on her hands to convince her mum

and Auntie Pat to go, but it was quite the opposite.

Elizabeth and Alistair told me about the move

and I was stunned to my back teeth.

-When she asked us both to go, which we were agreeable to, weren't we?

-Mm.

And Liz's mum has a very definite idea of what

she wants for their accommodation.

And I want a nice big house with a big kitchen and a big living room.

I don't care what else goes short,

but those two rooms must be ginormous.

Large rooms aside, our buyers have decided that Norfolk is

the right destination to begin the next chapter of their lives,

as it offers everything they're all after.

Lots of new activities and adventures for us and the dogs,

and for Mum and Pat. We'll get them out and about with us.

Hopefully get onto the Broads, hire some boats.

Though with so many people to accommodate,

and an expanding business,

Liz and Alistair's requirements are very specific indeed.

Our ideal property would have a main house.

We need at least one annexe that's already in situ, if not two,

and then obviously we're looking

for business premises for Alistair, as well.

So, just one more thing to factor in - and that's the finances.

Our current property is actually already under offer

and the budget for our move is £850,000.

Alistair and Liz haven't set their sights on any specific location

in Norfolk, as they feel finding the perfect house

that can accommodate all four of them, while offering space

for Alistair's business, will be a tough enough challenge.

However, they would like to be close to good roads for any commuting.

I caught up with them in the Norfolk countryside to hear more

about the details of their planned move.

Well, Elizabeth and Alistair, welcome to Norfolk.

-Is this a part of the world that you know well?

-Oh, goodness, no, not me.

-I've been up once.

-I've done the Broads, I think, twice.

-So, was this a pin-in-a-map job?

-No.

-Bit more than that.

Bit more than that. When we looked at properties, we thought,

"Well, where can we get more bang for our buck?"

Right. So more bang for your buck is the idea here in Norfolk.

Yes, value. We were looking to get value for money,

because we have got a particular ask in mind

and there's quite a lot to it, so...

I was just going to come onto that.

You have got quite a long list of requirements, actually.

You're right, as ever, to look for more value for money.

-Let's just list them, Alistair.

-OK.

So, for me,

a barn that we can convert or has been converted for storage

for 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.

We need a main house for us, so three to four bedrooms, typically,

and then, the kicker is, we're bringing my mum and my aunt with us.

They're very independent ladies

and they'd like their own front doors.

It's a nice image, this, of you all living together, living the good life.

Well, I'm hoping that we will have an ongoing discussion.

The three properties we'll show you, including the mystery house,

will form the backbone to that discussion

and hopefully find you something that works in a way that I suspect you haven't even considered yet.

-Mm.

-Yeah. Yeah! No. It sounds brilliant.

-That sounds good.

-Right then, let's go and find you some properties.

-Thank you.

Alistair and Liz have a maximum budget of £850,000

and that has to include any work needed to convert barns or refurbish

any accommodation.

All in all, they'd like a two-to-three-bedroom house for them,

and two other self-contained annexes for Liz's mother and aunt.

However, they also want an outbuilding which they can convert,

or land they can build on, to cater for Alistair's expanding business.

We've got three charming properties for them to view,

and, as usual, I'll be asking them to guess the price

before I reveal it.

The final option is, of course, our mystery house,

and in this case, where there's a mill, there's a way.

For our first property, we're heading towards Holt,

some 30 miles north of Norwich.

This attractive Georgian market town,

set in the North Norfolk countryside,

is brimming with many interesting antique, book and gift shops.

And we're going to make a stop to meet a shopkeeper who has called Holt home for many years.

If you were going to recommend Holt to anybody moving to the area

who doesn't know it, as these two don't, how would you summarise it?

I think the great difference for Holt is that it's an independent town.

We have no High Street chains or anything here.

And also, North Norfolk is unique in that it's not on the road

to anywhere, so we don't...we're not plagued with people driving through.

We don't get the riffraff coming through,

because those who are here have made the effort to get here.

-You talk about riffraff, there's these two!

-Yeah.

-Don't speak too soon!

-You've got a reputation to uphold now!

But I think that's what's rather lovely about this,

-and there's clearly a great sense of community about it, as well.

-Oh, absolutely.

A seven-mile drive south of Holt is the village of Thursford,

and it's where we'll find our first property.

Well, there you go. And a bit of a change from Orpington.

-Wow, yes.

-It's lovely.

-Absolutely. Really charming.

-I love the stone.

This one is interesting, though,

because they have used it to create a building

which is only 16 years old.

-Wow!

-Really? That's impressive.

It looks so much older as well, bags of character.

It's got a lovely old feel to it, but with a very modern layout.

-Excellent.

-Excellent. It sounds interesting.

-Let's have a look.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Well, a great first reaction there from Alistair and Liz.

Let's hope the enthusiasm continues

as we head inside into the main part of a house.

Come on in.

TV room and snug in there.

Downstairs cloakroom.

And then this is your, I would say,

principal kind of family living space.

-Wow. Yes. Lovely room.

-Nice light.

-Isn't it?

You've got windows on three sides, which is quite unusual.

-And if you look through that window there...

-That's a tennis court.

-It's a tennis court!

-Wow.

-We don't play tennis.

Now's your chance, mate! Now's your chance.

-Yeah, liking this.

-Happy? OK, right. Come through the hallway.

-What do you think of this, then?

-Oh, wow. This is beautiful. Yeah.

-This is really nice.

-This I like.

What's lovely about it is that they've had the luxury

of designing this from scratch, but with the idea to create

a farmhouse kitchen that we all perhaps might envisage.

It sets off beautifully with the table.

-Proper family table there.

-That's fabulous, yeah.

We like to eat in the kitchen.

There is also, just through that door there, a utility room

which is half as big again as this, with a door out to the garden.

-That's really nice.

-I'm impressed.

-Yeah?

-I like it.

'Well, the mood is still very upbeat.

'And we're now moving upstairs, to take a peek at their potential master bedroom.'

And then this is you two, in here.

Oh, wow. What a lovely room.

-It's really big. It's really big.

-This I like. This is...very nice.

Am I seeing an en-suite?

You are seeing a hint of an en-suite there,

which is enormous.

Again, coming back to these modern proportions

that this house benefits from.

When they built this, they did it so well, didn't they?

-With the proportions and the sense of space.

-Interesting.

Well, talking of space, let's go and check out the annexe.

There are three more bedrooms on this floor which are close

to the large bathroom. And, up another level,

is one more bedroom which has its own living room.

So there's plenty of accommodation for Alistair and Liz,

and this sense of space continues in the garden with a large expanse

of lawn and a tennis court.

But it's time now to see the annexe.

Now, what do you think Betty and Pat would make of this

if you brought them in here?

Um, I think it's an absolutely gorgeous room.

It's done really nicely. In honesty, though, not for living from day one.

It's a little bit too small for the kitchen and living area,

but I'm sure there's stuff that we could do.

It is a holiday let at the moment, and therefore feels a bit Spartan.

I guess the key thing is space.

We haven't really seen the potential of the two double garages next door.

There's an additional office on that, too.

And of course we've got the suggestion of a bit more planning

that can happen to extend this building further.

Well, we've got you a house and we've potentially got somewhere...

potentially got somewhere for Betty and for Pat.

What we haven't got you at the moment is somewhere

for the business.

So, the question is, could we take the business off-site?

-Yes, as long as I could buy freehold.

-OK.

Of course, the price is going to have a bearing on all of that,

so how much do you think property number one is on the market for?

-I'd say around 710.

-710. Yeah.

-I would be a bit lower. I would say 650.

-650.

You have done your research well actually, guys, to be fair to you.

This is on the market now at 699,950. So, just under £700,000.

-Definitely food for thought.

-Good. OK. Let's keep thinking.

Out you go.

Let's get you to have another look around and consider it further.

On the market at a shade under £700,000,

this spacious detached property offers a lot of potential

for our buyers. It has a large kitchen/diner,

six bedrooms including one en-suite,

a self-contained annexe with two bedrooms,

and there's also a double garage and office

which could be converted to create further accommodation.

When I saw the house for the first time,

I thought it was an amazingly pretty property.

It's actually quite imposing from outside,

and it looks substantial and very well-built.

The barn conversion on the side is also...

It's got huge potential.

I think we could really make something of that.

It hasn't got a barn, which is one of the issues that concerns me.

And that's the only issue right now.

The other issue is that the annexes look a little bit...

Well, this place looks a bit grander than the annexes.

So, bit concerned that Mum and Aunt Pat might feel

that they're being pushed out a little bit.

But that said, it is a lovely place.

-After you, Liz. After you, sir.

-Thank you.

Well, I think we are beginning to get to grips with, well,

limitless options, really,

that may confront you in making this quite complicated move.

-I think this is a great place to start.

-Definitely.

-It's an interesting house. Thank you.

-Good.

Right then, there are two more to come, of course.

Follow me.

A famous and familiar sight across the Norfolk countryside

are acres of lavender fields. Harvested for hundreds of years,

the plant, and in particular its fragrant oil,

was used to help treat a range of ailments, including bites and burns.

Indeed, the essential oil of lavender was even used in hospitals

during the First World War.

However, in the early 20th century,

the demand for lavender dropped dramatically, thanks to technological advances

that led to the creation of a new wave of modern medicines.

But over recent decades in Norfolk,

a quiet lavender revival has taken place.

And this 100-acre lavender farm

is testament to the conservation efforts

of a host of local individuals.

The dedication that has resulted in lavender's resurgence here

is also seen in their efforts at caring for a number of rare breed animals,

including a range of poultry.

As Alistair and Liz plan to keep their own chickens once they move,

earlier in the week we arranged for them to meet Callum Eglin,

the animal farm manager at Norfolk Lavender.

So, what breed would you recommend as a starter breed, to get us off?

Are you intending to breed or...?

I think to keep the chicken population up would be nice.

So we're thinking eggs predominantly,

and then once in a while some chicken would be quite nice,

without depopulating the whole kind of flock.

And so we're looking for good eggs

and a good-tasting bird, as well.

Well, these are the breed for you, then.

The farm is home to 22 different breeds of hen,

and one of the centre's most prized rare breeds is the Norfolk Grey.

This county native was believed extinct by the 1970s,

only to be rediscovered on a small farm near Banbury in 1974.

Thanks to the work here, this is one fowl that's fighting back.

These originally come from Norwich,

about an hour's drive away from here.

These are on the endangered list now and they are pretty critical.

So, is there an active breeding programme?

There are only six registered breeders of the Norfolk Grey in the UK,

so we do need lots more breeders at the moment.

-Can I have a...?

-Certainly. If you just hold it with its legs there.

-And just hold it like that.

-Wow.

-Oh, wow, I'm really impressed!

-So, Callum, do you have any chicks?

-Yes, we do, we do.

But not Norfolk Grey, I'm afraid, but we have got lots of chicks.

And we have actually got them now hatching, as we speak,

-in the incubator.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, excellent.

It takes 21 days to hatch an egg

and it has to be kept under the correct temperature conditions.

All eggs have to be turned at least three times a day to prevent

the developing embryo from sticking to the inside.

Well, this is where we hatch and rear all our young chicks.

This is where they are from day one.

-This one is a lavender pekin frizzle.

-Oh.

-As you can see, she has got a little frizzy...

-Yeah. Hello.

This one is another rare breed. This is a sultan.

CHICKS TWEET

-And this one is a silver laced Wyandotte.

-Ha-ha.

Well, now that Alistair and Liz have got to grips with the basics

of life surrounded by chickens, it's time we cracked on with the job

at hand - to find them the perfect property

where they can rear their own.

You touched on it earlier, Alistair, but for Bet and Patty,

I mean, this is a massive move.

They where, I think, chuffed that we asked them.

-Yeah.

-They were so made up that we actually said, "Come with us."

This is a bold thing, though, you know, you're all living together.

Mum's living with you, Aunt's living with you,

and you could be working together.

Not yet, they're not living with us!

Well, it could be sooner than you think, mate.

Yeah, but that's why it's important for us

to have our own independence and own front doors.

For our second house, we're travelling inland from Holt

to Northwold.

At the heart of it is a 13th century church,

the only Grade I listed building in the village,

which has stood here for around 800 years.

The historic local pub has also been a long-standing hub

of the community too, first opening its doors 300 years ago.

The second property I'm showing our buyers is full of character,

and I reckon it has plenty of space for all the family,

including Liz's mum and Auntie Pat.

-Come on in, Alistair. What we've got for you here are three...

-Wow.

..dedicated properties within an acre plot.

-OK.

-Plus a holiday lodge.

-Plus a holiday lodge? Excellent.

-There's an awful lot of this.

-Where's the barn?

-Well...

-That's one option.

-OK. Garage.

Granted, probably not as big as you were planning on.

You wanted three front doors, you've got them.

I'd suggest we start with that one.

It's arguably the biggest, so this might be your preferred choice.

Sounds good, let's have a look.

But there may be a scrap over who gets what. Who knows?

'Well, there's a more reserved reaction to this one,

'but I'm feeling pretty confident that we'll soon see some smiles.'

Right, let's start in here.

It's not what you were expecting, is it, from the outside?

-No, definitely not. It's lovely. I love the fireplace.

-Yes.

Have a look through here.

-There you go.

-Oh, goodness. This is amazing.

-Is it?

-This is really nice.

-It's very unexpected for this property.

-I like this kitchen.

I do like this kitchen.

It just goes to show what you can do to make something more contemporary,

-doesn't it?

-You would be happy in here?

-Oh, goodness, yeah.

And I imagine Pat or indeed Betty would be happy here.

-No. No.

-They would be very happy. THEY LAUGH

You've chosen. "This is the one!" OK, great.

Lovely. OK, if this is for you, let's take a wander

across the courtyard and have a look at where your mum might go.

-Excellent.

-Or indeed Auntie Pat. How about that?

There are four double bedrooms here, one of which is en suite.

They're all light and airy due to well-positioned skylights,

but now I'm going to show them the two-storey annexe.

-Now, who gets this one?

-Ooh!

-In you go.

Oh, goodness.

I like that kitchen.

-That is very nice.

-Isn't it?

-Very funky.

-You know what I said about that bit?

-You having next door?

-I think we've just moved!

-We've just moved, I think.

I thought you might. I thought this was very much more you.

It also has a very lovely, great big double bedroom down there.

There's a huge, great big bathroom in here too. Which is lovely.

-Shower, etc.

-That is lovely.

And upstairs, a really funky kind of living room with another

bedroom, so you've got two bedrooms in this bit alone.

-BOTH:

-This is nice.

-THEY ALL LAUGH

Let's have a look across there.

'The excitement from our buyer seems to be growing as they see more

'of this property.

'Let's hope it continues as we cross the courtyard to see

'the detached cottage.'

-This is effectively a bungalow.

-Yes.

-Yes, it is.

As you can see, the kitchen itself in here needs a little updating.

-But it's this space that's the key ingredient.

-Indeed.

You've got a shower through there, nice big larder,

utility room in there.

And then, through here, whoever gets this one also gets...

this living room.

-Oh...

-With a wood burner and so on, as well.

-Excellent. This is charming.

-This is nice. This is workable.

-And the bedroom's through there.

-So it's all easy, it's all on one level.

-Yeah.

And if that's not enough,

to cap it off there's a one-bedroom chalet set in the mature gardens.

So, your £850,000 - how much of it are you going to have to spend

on property two, Alistair?

-750.

-750. Yeah. Not bad.

-I think I'll go 720.

-£720,000.

OK. It's on the market...

-for £699,999.

-Ooh!

So, let's call it 700 grand, for argument's sake.

So, comfortably under your estimates.

Go and have a good look around, see what you get for 700,000

and just consider all those factors that we've tried to highlight.

-Yeah. Thank you. We will.

-We'll have a look.

-Thank you.

Brilliant.

Well, property number two, if ever it were possible,

has really defined that old adage - never judge a book by its cover.

This place has been a real surprise, not just to me - but also to them.

Priced at one pound short of £700,000,

this property is a welcome surprise for Alistair and Liz.

It includes a four-bedroom house,

a two-storey annexe boasting a large modern kitchen,

a detached cottage

and what's more, it's all set in just over half an acre of land,

with a log cabin, which they could consider as a holiday let.

When I first saw the property, first impressions were really,

"Wow, what a find."

Alistair and I had talked about finding something with a courtyard,

but didn't really expect that we would be lucky enough to find it.

And, yeah, it was... It took me back a little bit

because I thought, "Wow, this has got real potential now."

Do you know what? This place has changed my mind a little bit.

I mean, it hasn't got a barn.

But maybe the bit at the back could be extended.

Maybe the farmer across could sell,

and I think the property could be... It's workable.

-Brilliant. All done?

-All done, yeah.

I was just wondering, what would Pat and Betty say

if they were here right now?

They would be arguing over who was going where, probably.

Arguing over the fixtures and fittings, as well.

-Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that one.

-Yeah, indeed!

As the sun sets over the wonderful Norfolk countryside,

it marks the end of our first day of property hunting.

With a budget of £850,000,

Alistair and Liz, from Orpington, Kent,

are swapping suburban life for the countryside of Norfolk.

However, our buyers need space and plenty of it,

as they're not going alone.

They are taking Liz's mum and Aunt Pat,

as well as Alistair's expanding business.

So far, we've shown them two houses.

Our first property didn't quite float their boat.

However, our second certainly hit the mark.

But coming up, can the mystery house steal the show?

Now, that's something different. We weren't really expecting that.

No, we weren't, were we?

'And I help out with some of Norfolk's injured wildlife.'

Hey, fella. Hey. Incredible, aren't they?

Well, yesterday's house search, I think, was pretty revealing.

There's no doubt that Alistair and Liz are enjoying what Norfolk,

and importantly its property market, has to offer.

But, of course, we are still struggling with the big issue

of finding somewhere for Alistair's business. The truth is,

I don't think converting a barn or an outbuilding is going to work.

What he's after is an industrial unit but in a domestic setting,

and that is proving almost impossible to find.

The solution, I suspect, is that he'll have to build something

and that is going to need space.

Well, our final property has plenty of that.

What's more, it's also in a part of this county that they do know quite well.

And as mystery houses go, this one is a real classic.

For our mystery house, we're travelling around 14 miles

east of Norwich to the village of Stokesby.

This picturesque location, on the banks of the River Bure,

has a local store which houses a tearoom.

There's also a pub to enjoy a glass of wine

whilst savouring the unspoiled views of the Norfolk Broads.

Our mystery offering is something of a project for our couple,

but we believe this property is a versatile little gem,

which could provide all the space they're after.

There you are. There is our mystery property.

Now, that's something different. We weren't really expecting that.

-No, we weren't, were we?

-It's got a boat on top of it.

-Well, yeah.

When the windmills were built, this one was built around 1746.

-Yeah, it's quite striking.

-It is indeed.

It's not what we were expecting.

-Can you see these two differing roof lines?

-Yeah.

We've got this building here,

which is currently a sort of annexe,

and then we've got this bit here, right next to the mill itself,

-which might be for you.

-Yeah.

-OK.

In terms of the other one, we were wondering

if we couldn't do something imaginative with this space here.

-OK.

-There's a footprint.

-Yes.

-It's very exciting. Thank you.

-It is.

-It could be quite good.

-OK.

-Looking forward to seeing it.

Let's have an explore. It is quite unusual, yes.

'Impressed with what's on offer here,

'it looks like our buyers don't want to hang about.

'So, let's get inside and explore everything this very unique

'property has to offer.'

Look at this. The base of the mill.

-Oh, this is amazing.

-Oh, my.

-This is just amazing.

-Nice.

Different, isn't it?

This is a real feature, isn't it?

-It's completely unique.

-Look at the windows, lovely.

I do love the curved aspect to it, I think it's just so different.

Have a look in the base of the tower there, Alistair. In you go.

-This was a kind of boozing den, apparently.

-Good grief.

With, as you can see, a fairly sort of elaborate smoke extractor.

THEY LAUGH

-This is... Yeah, this is fabulous.

-This is lovely. It's very quirky.

Above us there's another floor with absolutely nothing in it at all.

And that has ladder access currently, through a trap door,

up to the roof light above.

Come and have a look at the rest of it.

Now, as you can see, something of a galley kitchen.

Yeah.

But my thought is that you could remove these walls,

they're only stud walls, and open it right out into the dining area.

-Yeah. I can see the potential here.

-All right, good.

Let's continue through here.

Now, to be fair, this is where it all gets slightly unusual.

All right?

Because you come up the stairs into this space here,

and the owner currently uses it as his master.

But have a look round the corner,

because this is where it might also begin to make sense.

You've got this huge space.

There's a slightly awkwardly positioned shower room

and loo in there, but if you were to open this right up,

I don't know, it could be quite exciting.

Because you've got this great feature of the tower

continuing up there, from the mill itself.

It's really quirky, isn't it? Really quite funky.

With some imagination and a good architect,

Alistair and Liz could truly create a very distinctive home here.

Now, turning our attention to somewhere for Liz's mum or Aunt Pat,

there's also this attached bungalow.

Currently being used as a self-contained holiday let,

it offers three bedrooms, two of which are bright doubles,

and a compact single.

But now let's take a look at the land that comes with this property.

You've got five acres or so to play with here.

And, in shape, it's roughly like a big sort of tadpole.

Big meadow area up near the house over there, and then, leading off

of it, is its tail, which is this lovely pathway

that runs over my shoulder.

Otters, deer, call this home, as well.

And you've got, in amongst it all, a couple of lodges. One there,

and one just over there behind those trees.

-Let's have a think about the money, then.

-Oh.

-So, Liz...

what do you think our mystery house is going to cost you?

I think it's probably late '70s.

-Say 780.

-£780,000. Yeah.

-I think a lot lower. I'm thinking 500, 550.

-If only it were.

I can see where you're coming from, in terms of how much money

you think you'll have to spend on it.

I'm afraid Liz is almost there, actually.

This could be yours for a pound under 800,000.

-You know...

-We're on a very, very fixed budget, so it depends

if it's doable within that budget, with the work that needs to be done.

But it's certainly different enough that it interests me.

There's a lot to it.

Go and have a wander, explore, and I'll catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

-Go on, off you go.

Priced at just under £800,000,

this property project would leave them with £50,000

for any renovation work.

The central feature is the converted windmill itself.

Adjoining this is the main house, which includes a number

of reception areas and a master bedroom with en suite.

There's also an attached three-bedroom bungalow.

Plus there are two log cabins,

and it's all set in around five acres of land.

There's going to be too many compromises to live in it as it is.

If the owner is open to offers,

then, yeah, we'd be interested.

This property was very different to anything

I might have expected to see.

From my perspective overall, I would say this property is

definitely my favourite of the three we've seen.

I thought I would find you up here!

-We're storytelling.

-Are you? It's quite special.

-It is, isn't it?

But we can't spend all day up here, I'm afraid. Let's get going

and get you somewhere you can think about everything we have shown you.

-And then we'll have a chat about it.

-All right.

Come on, then, follow me.

Norfolk's unspoiled rural and wetland areas provide

some of Britain's richest and diverse habitats for wildlife,

and includes some 162 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Indeed, the importance of the county to Britain's wildlife

is supported by the fact that it's home to one of just four

dedicated rescue centres, set up by the animal charity, the RSPCA.

I'm meeting supervisor Jo Mead, to hear more about how they're helping

to keep Norfolk's important animal population safe from harm.

Jo, this is a wonderful facility and they're the objects of what this place is all about, in many ways.

-Yeah.

-The lovely seal. Which kind of seal is this, a common or a grey?

This is a grey seal.

She was brought to us because she had fishing line really tightly

round her neck, and along with that she also had lungworm,

so she was a very, very poorly seal when she came in.

But it must be very difficult for you not to tame them,

because they're so good at interacting with people.

We spend as little time with them as possible, as tempting as it may be.

And certainly at this stage, which is their final stage before release,

they'll see somebody three times a day for their food and that's it.

Chimera is set to be released back into the wild in the next

couple of weeks. But as one seal returns to its natural habitat,

there are more injured or sick seals being brought in.

Jo is now taking me to meet two new inmates, Judo and Butterfly.

-Hey, guys.

-HE MIMICS SEAL

-How old are these?

-These are literally only a few weeks old.

-So, who shall I feed?

-If you do Judo...

-Judo?

-You go down,

make sure your fingers are not too close to the head, that's it.

Here we go. Here you are, fella.

-And he'll just take it all the way down whole.

-There we go.

And how long would you anticipate that they would be here for

before you can release them again?

About three months is normal, as long as everything goes fine.

They're usually with us about three months.

It takes that long to get them up to a decent release weight.

Hey, fella. Hey. Incredible, aren't they?

'At any one time, the centre looks after 600 animals that are sick,

'injured or have been abandoned.

'The aim is to get as many of them as possible back into the wild.

'That includes even those in the very early days of their lives.'

-Right, so this is our Orphans Room.

-Orphans?

Yep, it's where all the baby animals come in.

We have birds, hedgehogs, but I've got a treat for you now,

because we've actually got a leveret in here.

-What, in there, in that little box? A leveret, a baby hare?

-A baby hare.

He's waiting to have his feed.

So, you have to be careful because he may jump. You never know.

-So, I'm going to get him now.

-Oh, my goodness. How small is he?

-He's weenie.

-Oh, look at him!

-So, he's now...

We're going to feed him on goats' milk, by a...

-Do you want to hold him?

-Can I? Yes.

-Just keep a firm grip on him there.

-And then you'll see...

-How amazing.

-..as I put the teat in...

-Yeah.

Oh, bless him. How old is he?

It's hard to tell with leverets, because they're actually born

fully-furred and with their eyes open.

But he'll be a few weeks old.

But there is nothing like seeing a couple of hares on a nice,

cool, misty morning, boxing away, having fun.

Absolutely. And that's what this guy will be doing very soon.

Well, he's certainly landed on his feet, as it were, here. Hasn't he?

-Absolutely.

-Let's hope he has a nice future out in the wild.

What's extraordinary about this place is that, every year,

up to 5,000 animals of all species come through here to get help.

And it's sobering to think that, in just a few days' time,

Chimera there will be heading out into the wild, home again,

which, of course, begs the question,

have we managed to find a home for Alistair and for Liz?

Well, as ever, there's only one way to find out.

And that's to go and ask them.

Well, this is a nice place to finish up, overlooking the Broad.

Well, we've given you some time to think about the properties we have shown you.

Do you remember the first one we went to?

Quite an interesting property, I thought.

Yeah, it was lovely.

For me, I think on balance it was probably a little too big

in the main house, and probably not enough in terms of

the substance of the conversions that we could do for Mum and Pat.

OK. Well, with all that in mind, we went to property number two.

That was lovely.

Absolutely ideal in terms of how we would have envisaged

the property being laid out and, you know,

having proximity to each other but not living in each other's pockets.

It hit all the spots. OK. It hit all the spots.

In actual fact, there was less work involved in two of them,

no work involved, just the one maybe opposite needed a new kitchen.

-The one-bedroom one.

-That was about it, really.

What really put a bit of a dampener on it was that

there were no outbuildings.

And the possibility of getting them was a little bit remote.

And then we took you to our mystery house.

Which, to my surprise, it really caught your imaginations

in a way that I hadn't honestly expected.

It was the type of house that you kind of dream of seeing,

but I think we could also see the potential in it

because there is a bit of folly there, there's some uniqueness.

And it was enough of a project, if you like,

that we knew we'd have to start from scratch.

So, the mystery house has a kind of question mark over it, perhaps.

Going back to when we started, and given the pretty tricky list

that you gave us to try and accommodate,

have we helped you review or rethink...

the kind of wish list and the criteria?

If nothing else, it's sharpened our focus on what we do need.

And it brought to light what is critical and what isn't critical.

Well, it's been a real pleasure having you on the show.

I hope we have managed to refine your focus that little bit more,

and wherever you end up, guys, very best of luck.

-Thank you!

-Thank you very much.

-And to Pat and Betty too, of course.

-Yes, of course!

Well, speaking as somebody who grew up in this region,

I can assure you that Norfolk has an awful lot to recommend it.

And if you, or indeed I, had £850,000 to spend

and all we wanted was a nice family home, we'd be spoiled for choice.

But the truth is, we've just tried to combine too much

into the available property market.

We've wanted three houses in one, and a business solution

that's turned out to be far more industrial than any of us ever suspected,

which begs a question of priorities and about the sort of homes

we want to live in.

Is it ever really possible, or indeed sensible,

to put business before leisure?

I'm not so sure, you know. I'll see you next time.

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