South Lincolnshire Escape to the Country

I'm lucky enough to be in the cockpit of one of the most important aircraft of the Second World War,

the majority of which took off from this particular corner of England.

So much so, it became known as Bomber County.

Where am I? Find out in just a moment.

On today's show, I'm helping a self-employed couple

in search of a country home with space to house their business ideas.

Along the way, one property brings on a surprising change of character.

-I'm speechless.

-Yeah.

And that's unusual for me!

While our mystery house takes time to adjust to.

It's like the TARDIS, isn't it?

This house... It's much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside.

Today I'm in Lincolnshire

which, during the Second World War, was the centre of Bomber Command

and home to over 100 airfields.

The skies here would literally thunder to the sound of aircraft.

Sadly today, though, only four of these iconic bombers remain intact,

one of which is housed here in Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum.

I think it's safe to say that these days,

life in Lincolnshire is a rather more sedate affair.

The second largest county in England,

Lincolnshire is bordered by the North Sea to the east

and seven counties, including Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire to the west

with Cambridgeshire to the south.

The 40-mile stretch of chalk upland that forms the Lincolnshire Wolds

is one of the key landmarks of the county.

It's home to beautiful villages such as Somersby,

the birthplace of the Victorian poet Lord Alfred Tennyson,

and Spilsby, where the celebrated Arctic explorer

Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin was born.

Agriculture has shaped this landscape.

Over a quarter of the nation's field vegetables are grown here

in addition to cereals, sugar beet and flowers.

The Wolds stand in contrast to the rest of the county

which is typified by vales to the south-west

along with flat low-lying fens,

with windmills a common sight.

The average price of a detached house here in Lincolnshire

is just shy of £167,000.

That's a massive £88,000 below the national figure.

So you certainly get value for money here.

However, go north to the Lincolnshire Wolds villages around Cater and Louth

and you will find property hotspots.

But keep going towards the coast

and just like the land itself, property prices do tend to flatten out.

And moving south, you'll pay a premium for living in places like Woodall Spa.

But go to the market town of Boston

and you're sure to find a competitively priced property.

But no matter where you look around this county,

it's fair to say there's some rather handsome housing stock to be had.

For centuries, limestone was a popular building material in Lincolnshire

and it's still quarried here today.

Ancaster limestone can be seen in many old buildings throughout the county.

This Grade II-listed four bed terraced house in Stamford

which dates back to the 1700s

is priced at £475,000.

Ironstone was also used when deposits were found

around Scunthorpe in the late 1800s.

The distinctive red rock was quarried until the end of the 1970s.

This Grade II-listed four-bed property in Manthorpe

could be yours for £355,000.

The south of the county, around Bourne, was home to many brick yards

which translated into bricks being used as the main building material here.

This four-bedroomed Georgian property

is on the market for £325,000.

There's no shortage of good-looking housing here in Lincolnshire.

But can we find any that's suitable for today's buyers?

Let's meet them and find out.

John and Jane met through a dating agency in 1999

and married two years later.

Since selling their house three months ago,

they've been staying with Jane's daughter, Corinne,

in the city of Sunderland

whilst searching for a new home in their chosen county of Lincolnshire.

But it's not easy adapting to life under someone else's roof.

It's silly the things that you miss.

But you do miss your own things and your own space.

And living life to your own pace as well.

That's very different here. We're used to a more relaxed pace.

We can't wait to get back to that.

It's a very different environment being here in Sunderland.

It's obviously a very urban area,

it's close to the city centre.

It's a totally different lifestyle

to the one we're hoping to have in Lincolnshire.

Both John and Jane are self-employed.

Jane is a reiki therapist and hopes to run her business from home.

Reiki is a Japanese healing system, an energy system.

It's about moving energy through the body

in the way that a lot of Eastern philosophies work

on moving energy through the body.

It's about finding a balance and a calm

in today's busy and stressful world.

Carpenter John has been lending a practical hand

while living in his daughter-in-law's home.

Since we have lived here,

I've caught up on quite a few jobs for Corinne,

building cupboard doors under the stairs for her,

doing lots of little jobs like hanging doors and things that needed doing.

So, a room for Jane's reiki practice

and storage space for John's tools will be top of the priority list

for their new property.

I'm looking forward to having my own workshop

rather than a garage/workshop,

where I can lay my machinery out as it should be laid out

and where I can put my tools, where I can say to Jane,

my tools are in such-and-such a place and she knows exactly where they are

rather than saying, "I can never find anything in your garage."

Also, we'd like to have space for the caravan.

At the moment, it's in storage.

It's great to have it at your home

because it means you can hitch up and go away much more on impulse.

It means it's more of a freedom thing as well.

Having already viewed around 40 houses,

they also know what they don't want.

The nightmare as well, we would not like a modern bungalow.

-Yeah.

-It's definitely not for us.

Once they move, they're looking forward to getting out and about

and meeting their new neighbours

as they revive old interests.

-You were on the council.

-I used to be on the parish council.

And John used to be a countryside ranger.

He used to look after the walkways in the countryside.

You'd quite like to get back to that.

I would like to go back to that, yes.

And with the cash from their house sale burning a hole in their pockets,

that just leaves the subject of money.

Our budget is up to £270,000.

We have sold our house, and as you know, we're living with our daughter.

Things are very squashed.

We're ready to move ASAP.

John and Jane have done an exhaustive house-hunt

in the north and west of Lincolnshire.

So we're concentrating on the south of the county

near the towns of Bourne and Grantham.

I met them so they could tell me a bit more about what they're after

in their new rural home.

Welcome to a beautiful sunny day in Lincolnshire.

-Cracking, isn't it?

-Beautiful.

-Absolutely amazing.

Why did you choose this part of Lincolnshire?

-It was a combination between family commitments...

-Yes.

..and wanting to be further south and having a longer summer.

And being in a rural area and Lincolnshire made those three work for us.

It fits the bill in all those aspects.

-What are you hoping to get for your budget around here?

-We don't need a lot of bedrooms.

-We don't need a lot of house.

-We want space around our house

with a choice to build things around the house if we haven't got them.

So the house, really, a minimum of two bedrooms.

OK. A minimum of two bedrooms inside the house.

But you want space to maybe work outside.

Will you work down here as well, Jane?

Yes, I've been running a small business in reiki for a couple of years

and I'd just need a room to do that.

You've looked at a lot of properties before.

And I've only got three I can show you.

Two that I hope fit the bill,

and the third property, the mystery house,

hopefully will fit the bill, but something different to what you're after.

-I look forward to that.

-Yeah?

-OK.

-Look forward to that.

-This is going to be...

-Good!

-..interesting!

-Let's start, shall we? Come on.

-OK.

John and Jane have £270,000 to spend.

We've lined up three fantastic properties which we think will really inspire them.

At each one, I'll be asking them to guess the price tag.

One, of course, is our mystery house,

which challenges them to face their worst property fears.

We're kicking off our house hunt close to the village of Thurlby,

around two and a half miles south of Bourne.

It's a lively community which has all the amenities John and Jane will need,

including a local shop and post office,

a traditional pub for bar meals

and a community hall, which is the centre for local activities, such as indoor bowls and line dancing.

On the outskirts of Thurlby, in the hamlet of Obthorpe,

our first house shares a driveway with a small working farm opposite.

Right, then. Property number one is this one.

It's an old farm worker's cottage.

-Hmm.

-I don't know what "hmm" means,

but it doesn't sound too good!

-Just wondering...

-Nice architectural features.

-I like the roof line.

-Yeah.

Some of it looks older than the rest of it.

The house we're looking at is this, if you like -

the end there all the way up to what we're facing, the gable end.

So your house starts from that chimney and goes back.

-Right. Yes.

-OK.

-OK.

The windows, double-glazed plastic,

which I'm not 100% enamoured on.

But to be honest, they're quite pleasant.

-OK.

-They are.

-Let's have a look inside.

-OK.

'It seems John definitely prefers period features to modern.

'So he and Jane should be impressed when they see the character inside this property,

'starting with the rustic kitchen.'

Right, then. What do we think of this?

Hmm. Very nice kitchen.

It's definitely a country kitchen.

I like the range-style cooker.

That's nice. It's a good space.

It looks like a hand-made kitchen.

Yes, I thought this might appeal to you,

being a master of wood.

It's not your standard buy-from-a-superstore kitchen.

-I think it works well here.

-Yeah.

-A good start?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Turn left there. That's the living room.

Have a look at that.

Do you like it?

-Yeah...

-First impressions, yes.

It's a decent size. It's quite cosy.

I like the fireplace. It would be nice if it's useable

-as a proper fire.

-That's the next question.

It needs some work done to it.

A woodburner there would be fine. It needs some work done to the chimney.

It would need lining again, maybe.

I like the stone on the wall there. That's quite nice.

It's nice, yeah.

-So far, so good?

-So far, so good.

-Let's take a look at the master bedroom.

-Right.

'That's what I like to hear.

'Also downstairs, off the kitchen, there's a utility room and cloakroom.

'And off a lobby area to the rear of the house,

'there's a bright conservatory.

'Time to show them what this house offers upstairs.

'With three bedrooms, there's potential to have one for guests and one for Jane's reiki work.

'There's also a generously-sized modern family bathroom with shower

'but we're taking a look at the master bedroom.'

The biggest of all three rooms, by some margin,

what's your thoughts on it?

Um...

Not a bad size.

These are quite big wardrobes.

-Yes!

-Quite in-your-face when you come in.

Perhaps with a bit of repositioning and jiggling...

A good size with our furniture in it.

It would be a good size.

Right. So you'd have less.

-Realistic.

-Smaller design, really, for me.

Let's go into the garden and start thinking about price.

Right. OK.

'Outside, as well as an enclosed 90-foot-long garden,

'there's an off-road parking area and shed that should be large enough for John to store his tools.'

So, it's enclosed.

My first thought is it's not massive, which is maybe what you're thinking.

-Hmm.

-Yeah.

Where would our caravan go? Down the end, there?

Whenever there's a farm, always have a conversation with the farmer,

regarding land to purchase, land to rent.

-Uh-huh.

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

Hmm.

You've got a good guess in your mind, I reckon.

Come on! You've seen 40 houses!

-235.

-What? 235?

-Yeah.

I'll say 265.

Remember, I'm half Yorkshire and half Scottish!

Does that affect your judgement on how much properties are worth?

-The price!

-Is your guess, do you think that's how much it's on the market for

or how much you think it's worth to you?

-To me.

-Right. So what do you think it's on the market for?

272.

I won't even ask why!

That's fantastic.

-So you think it's on the market for 272.

-You think 265.

-It's actually on the market for dead on £250,000.

-Oh, right.

So between the two, it wasn't such a bad guess.

Go and have a look, not only in the house, but maybe start by having a look at the outbuildings.

-Right.

-I'll catch you at the front when you're ready.

-OK.

This is my first tour with these guys.

I'm starting to understand what they want and don't want.

But on the whole,

I think they've warmed to this house quite a lot.

For the future, I think land might be an issue,

but this has certainly set their sights on what compromises they may have to make.

So with a price tag of £250,000,

John and Jane are left with £20,000 to sort out any land issues

and build John a bespoke workshop.

This lovely character cottage offers...

Three bedrooms, one of which could be used for Jane's reiki practice,

a small outbuilding for John's tools,

and potential space for the caravan

if they can negotiate an agreement with the neighbouring farmer.

The lounge was a good size for us.

Not massive, but big enough for what we need.

I wouldn't be able to get a reiki bed in the smallest of the bedrooms

so it's a bit small upstairs.

Outside, we looked for storing the caravan, and the workshop.

We felt it would take too much time and effort

and money to make it into something that Jane and I are looking for.

Had a good look around, inside and out?

-Yes, yes.

-Yes, we have.

-Good.

-On to the next house, then, shall we?

-Lovely. Thank you.

Set within the Lincolnshire fens, on the banks of the River Welland,

lie The Deepings, the collective name for five adjoining villages and towns,

one of which is Market Deeping.

The historic centre of this market town is a protected conservation area

as it has over 60 listed buildings,

most of which are made from local stone and date to the 17th century.

Close by, the Deeping Lakes Nature Reserve

is one of over 100 such reserves in the county.

As a haven for wildlife,

this 200-acre site needs careful management

for its rich bio-diversity to thrive.

As Jane and former country ranger John have a desire to reconnect with the countryside,

we arranged for them to meet warden David Vandome from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

What we have here is an amalgamation of two sites, really.

Beyond that tree line is another larger lake

and a site of special scientific interest.

That was declared back in 1968,

and at that time it had a large population of herons nesting on it.

Also, it was one of the first noted colonies of cormorant

away from the coast.

How many volunteers do you have?

Today, Tuesday is our big day. There's about a dozen people here

volunteering at the moment.

But volunteering is crucial to the work of the trust.

I have some botanical skills. I can identify most of the plants here.

Other people have worked for highways departments

so they bring civil engineering skills.

And with the sand martin bank,

we needed building skills.

John's carpentry skills could also be very useful here

One of the jobs for volunteers is maintenance

of the three miles of fencing

used for keeping in sheep that help to maintain the grassland through grazing.

Some of these are hurdle-style fences woven from willow.

Ian and Flynn are two of the volunteers currently putting one together.

They're showing Jane and John how it's done.

Start at this end, the thick end.

Yeah.

-Knock it down.

-Knock it down.

Excellent.

-We'll have to put that this way.

-Weave that one in.

That one that way.

That one. That one...

Watch that whippy end.

The willow branches used for this fencing

are cut in autumn and kept in water to keep them flexible

before building work begins.

When woven between wooden posts,

they provide a strong barrier and a natural habitat for insects.

I suppose this is an eco-friendly fence

because you have a lot of this spare after you've coppiced.

We do have a lot of spare. We're coppicing and pollarding across the reserve.

Can I ask what pollarding is?

Pollarding is basically when we take a tree

and instead of coppicing, which is taking it at ground level

and it shoots up from the ground,

pollarding will cut it from perhaps two or three feet higher

and that's when you see these lollipop trees.

Make it bush out to a better shape.

These fences are also the ideal solution for protecting plants -

such as the rare orchids that grow here - from the grazing sheep.

How do you finish the ends?

Where it is the thicker end, we'll just chop down here.

Probably a couple of inches away from the end.

Whereas the thinner end, we'll just nick it,

bind it round and start weaving it back round.

Then just popping it down through the willow.

So it ties in the last end post to stop them popping out.

Yes.

I think we've found John the ideal volunteering opportunity here.

But now it's time for us to weave our way back to our search

for their new Lincolnshire home.

We've journeyed to Wilsford, around nine miles from Grantham.

Home to around 400 residents, it's been granted conservation village status

and has a post office with shop and its own pub.

Many of the houses are built from the local Ancaster limestone.

Set in the heart of the village, our second house is totally in keeping,

but was only built some six years ago.

Now, then, the second property. A very different proposition to the first.

What's your thoughts?

First of all, it's a new property, so very different from the other one.

But nicely done. I like the stonework.

-Um... It's an attractive property with a good finish.

-Yeah.

It's nice. A nice setting.

The boundary is right beyond those laurels and this conifer.

-You've got all this space to play with.

-Yeah.

Certainly room, if you dug it out, for a caravan out the back.

Yeah.

Now we've nailed the space for the caravan,

let's move on to the main event,

the inside of this fantastic new build.

It gives them more character than they might be expecting.

Let's start in the kitchen.

Wow!

Yeah, lovely kitchen. Very nice. I like the high ceiling.

I like the ceiling lights. I like the...

Sorry, I just can't say. I'm speechless.

-Yeah.

-That's unusual for me!

It's really nice.

-I love it.

-I think I'll sit down!

It's very different to the first house, isn't it?

It's contemporary. You've got granite work surfaces.

But it's massive, isn't it?

It's a liveable kitchen, and it's what we've been used to

over our time.

And it's a good kitchen.

-I'm just absolutely gobsmacked!

-Good!

'Well, the kitchen's set their hearts soaring,

so let's see what Jane thinks of her potential reiki room.

I thought, for your reiki,

the study could be perfect.

-Hmm.

-Yes, it's a good size.

-A good shape. Could easily fit the table in there.

-Definitely.

Good position in the house, too.

Nobody needs to walk in to the rest of the living accommodation

-and the loo's next door.

-Ideal.

-It's ideal. Yeah.

So your living room would be this one.

-Wow.

-Again, lovely size.

Nice shape, as well.

Very workable shape.

-Yeah.

-I like the light from the garden

-and the doors.

-Good size.

It's a good quality finish throughout and that shines through.

It does. It's really nice.

Let's keep this positive vibe going, and take a look at the master bedroom.

Right. OK.

'The upstairs gives them three bedrooms in total.

'The two for guests being spacious and tastefully decorated

'and they both share a smart family bathroom.

'But we're heading towards where they could be sleeping.'

This is the master.

-Yeah. It's a good size.

-Very nice.

-Again, nicely finished.

-Yes.

This is the master because...

..a really nice en-suite. Have a look in there, guys.

-Gosh!

-Oh, that's lovely. A really good size.

-Very good.

-Yeah. A good-sized shower room.

Is it like anything you've seen so far?

-Actually, no.

-No.

-I don't think we've seen anything that was built as recently.

-No.

But it's still got a lot of character about the design and the build.

'Even though they'd previously seen around 40 houses,

'this property has delivered something new and refreshing to tempt them with.

'Outside, the lawn is a reasonable size

'and there's also a paved patio area.

'What's more, there's a garage for John to store his tools.'

OK. What are your thoughts on its size, first of all?

-Manageable.

-It is that, of course.

I would have liked a little bit more.

A bit more privacy from the neighbour there,

-but you could get round that by planting a hedge or something.

-Screening.

Let's see how much you think this house is on the market for.

-Who's first?

-I'll say 270.

-Straight in.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Gut feeling.

I'll go for 289.

All right.

Pretty good guesses.

This place is on the market for offers around £285,000.

-Hmm.

-We spoke to the owners,

and they said they'd consider an offer of around your budget, 270.

-Yeah.

-So we could be getting there.

-We could.

-Could be.

This is a great opportunity for you to go back into the house,

have a look around. You've also not looked into that garage.

So take as much time as you want, and I'll meet you by the front door.

-Lovely.

-See you in a bit.

There's a steely look of determination in John's eye there.

They both reacted wonderfully inside.

But I think, after 40 houses,

this one's in the running, maybe.

Priced at £285,000,

this property is over budget.

But as John and Jane are cash buyers,

they could see where a lower offer might get them.

Immaculate throughout, it gives them...

a fantastic kitchen/diner,

a large, light living room,

a study for Jane's reiki,

three bedrooms with a great master en-suite,

and a garage for John's tools

and enough land for the caravan and maybe even a workshop.

Hmm. Quite a long garage.

Is it wide enough?

I don't... It is wide enough.

Whether it...

-I don't know whether it'll work out or not.

-As a workshop?

-Yeah.

House number two, walking into the kitchen, there was a real wow factor.

And the reiki room is big enough to do what I need to do in it.

When we first approached it, I was disappointed cos it was sideways on to the road.

But on further inspection, I found the house raised a lot of good issues.

It's in a good spot and I think it's a good contender.

-All finished?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Inspected top to bottom.

-Yes.

-Thoroughly.

-And the garage?

-Yes.

-Been there too.

-So a good day today?

-A lot to think about.

-Hopefully so.

Then one more tomorrow. Let's go.

As dusk falls over the stunning Lincolnshire landscape,

our first day of house-hunting ends on a high note.

Self-employed carpenter John and reiki therapist Jane

are cash buyers who sold their house three months ago

and are now living with Jane's daughter in the city of Sunderland.

They've already looked at around 40 properties in Lincolnshire,

without any luck.

Our house-hunt has delivered a pretty cottage that didn't quite measure up

and a modern build that they reckon could be just the job.

But coming up, there's a problem before we even step inside the mystery house.

I can't fit my caravan down here.

And I find out about restoring tapestries at a stately home.

A gloriously hot day yesterday,

but in the morning, a luke-warm response from John and Jane in that first house.

But in the afternoon, they reacted fantastically to the second property.

Great reactions inside and outside the house.

But on the way home, they were both rather thoughtful.

This morning, rather a dull start

but I'm hoping it'll burn off to show the mystery property in all its glory.

As usual, it's here to challenge the expectations of our buyers

and I'm hoping it will do just that!

What would you not like the mystery property to be?

-A bungalow.

-Yes.

A bungalow on a modern estate would be our nightmare.

Would I do that to you? I'm not like that, am I?

I think you might!

We've made our way to the beautiful village of Folkingham,

around nine miles north of Bourne,

which is surrounded by farmland and open countryside.

As well as the usual amenities of a post office, a local shop for everyday items,

and a pub for a bit of refreshment,

there's also a chocolatier,

and we couldn't resist having a word with owner Jan Hansen.

Oh, look at this!

The start of any house tour should be with a bit of chocolate on board.

Shall we get some?

-Yes!

-Yeah.

-Would you like to make your own selection?

No, your choice. You're the expert.

So, living in the village, what's the community like?

Is there much to do here, is there much going on? Much life here?

There's a laid-back feeling in the village.

We've got a very busy village hall.

What sort of things in the village hall?

The usual things. Dances. Once a week they have a meeting for the elderly folk.

That's well-attended.

-Something for you, then, John!

-Belly dancing.

-Belly dancing?

-That's for me! I'll have a go at that!

Sounds great, doesn't it? Plenty going on here.

Whenever there are local dances here in the village hall,

it's a good indicator that they're always sold out.

-It's a good sign.

-Do you do a bit of dancing?

-We have been known to!

Hello.

There's a very nice local tea room.

Which people come from a long way away to visit.

-So there's an active community.

-Yeah, definitely.

I'll seal them up, so you're not tempted on the way home!

-I was going to say, who's going to look after these?

-I will!

-Close the box!

Thank you very much. Hopefully these two will see you again

-and next time I'm passing, I'll certainly drop in.

-Two new customers.

-Yeah.

Fingers crossed our next offering will be an equally tempting proposition.

Three miles west of Folkingham is the village of Pickworth, which is where we'll find our mystery house.

We've gone out on a limb here by showing them a single-storey property,

the type of building that John claims is his worst nightmare.

We're hoping this one will prove the exception, though,

as it's a converted barn which dates back to the 1700s.

What's your thoughts? What's going through your mind?

I can't fit my caravan down here!

Yes, correct. You can't fit your caravan down here.

-I was hoping we might...

-Is there a back entrance?

-No.

-Right.

So you might have to store your caravan off-site.

-Oh, dear!

-Oh, dear.

OK. Not a great start.

Right. What's Jane thinking?

I'm thinking it's partly stone-built, which is nice.

And it is an attractive-looking single-storey house.

Yes, it's an attractive-looking bungalow!

It's not a bungalow!

-Sorry. Converted bungalow/barn.

-Let's look inside!

-OK.

'I might have an uphill struggle on my hands here,

'but I think they'll warm to the interior.'

Come right in.

-I like the fireplace.

-Yeah.

-That's really nice.

-Yeah.

-And it's quite a long room, which is a surprise

-for some reason.

-Very cosy. Very homely.

I feel better now I'm inside than I did outside.

The house is at right angles. It's opened out a bit

-and that feels better.

-I actually like the feel of the place.

OK. All right.

'Thankfully, our mystery house is growing on them

'and the kitchen is cosy and rustic

'so I'm hoping they'll feel at home here, too.'

What do you make of the kitchen?

It's a good size, actually. I like the design of the kitchen.

-Yes, I do.

-Definitely country style and it fits in with the house.

I think it's not a bad-sized kitchen.

You can get a small table in, which is all you need, so that's good.

And I think the bright blue tiled surface, it doesn't dominate.

Sometimes a bright colour dominates,

but that's fine.

Two good reactions from both rooms.

-Let's have a look at the bedrooms.

-OK.

Just off the kitchen is a utility room.

Heading back through the sitting room, we pass a formal dining area

which leads to the sleeping wing of the house.

There are three bedrooms here, the smallest of which could be Jane's reiki room.

The second guest room is a good-sized double

and it adjoins the very stylish family bathroom.

But we've saved the best bedroom until last.

So, three bedrooms in total. This is definitely your master.

Yes, it's a good size. It's nice and light.

I like the access directly onto the garden. That's good.

-And I like the part-stone wall.

-Yep.

It's a TARDIS, isn't it?

This house is much bigger on the inside than you think it is from the outside.

-I quite like it.

-One thing this room certainly has

is a lovely aspect out to the garden.

We can reach the garden from these double doors.

-Let's do just that.

-Yes, OK.

Outside, there's a beautifully manicured garden,

but as it stands, no space for John to build his workshop

or store the caravan.

But there may be a way around that.

The boundary is the far laurel hedge.

That land beyond is hugely overgrown,

but it does have road access.

About two-thirds of an acre.

So there might be a strategic move for you with that land.

So how much do you think, in its current guise,

this house is on the market for?

It's hard. It's hard for me to put a figure on it.

But I would say 245.

-Right.

-I would say it's nearer our budget maximum, which is 270.

Well, the asking price for this property is offers around £255,000.

All right?

So, I imagine

this house could be of interest...

-..if you got that land.

-If we got the land.

-Got the land.

Am I putting words in your mouth?

No, that's right.

Being able to have the bigger garden

and the access from another side

would solve the issues we have with the outside space.

Actually, it would put the icing on the cake,

because it is a lovely house.

Now is a great opportunity to go back into the house,

have a look at the bedrooms you haven't yet seen,

but really just spend some more time here

so you've got all the nuts and bolts to make the decision later on.

-Yeah.

-So have a look around the house and I'll meet you out front.

-OK.

-All right?

Priced at £255,000,

our mystery house has definitely challenged John and Jane's opinion

of single-storey living.

They could make enquiries about the adjoining parcel of land

for their caravan and workshop.

On first impressions,

I wasn't too taken with it, really.

On further inspection, coming into the house,

it's a very nice conversion.

So Jane and I have got some decisions to make

and quite a bit of discussion, I think.

The issue for us again would be the outside space.

Whether there would be the possibility of buying the additional land

to be able to make it into the type of property we would need

with the outbuilding that John requires.

Hopefully, that's something else to have a think about.

-Yeah.

-"Yeah"!

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

-Yeah.

-OK.

Set in Lincolnshire's rich agricultural landscape

are a number of iconic stately homes

that are key landmarks of this county's heritage.

Burleigh House is a fabulous Tudor mansion

with parkland laid out by famous landscape architect Capability Brown.

Near Lincoln, Doddington Hall is a stunning Elizabethan manor.

It was built by architect Robert Smythson in 1595 for Thomas Taylor,

who was registrar to the Bishop of Lincoln.

Since 2005,

it's been home to Clare Birch,

who inherited it from her parents

and now runs it as a business with the help of over 80 people from the local community.

She's revived the hall's walled kitchen garden,

and also has another large conservation project on the go.

I visited her to learn more about her work

on some historic tapestries.

You have to use your imagination, but this room, in Georgian times,

had tapestries nailed to the walls.

Every surface was completely covered with the tapestries

and they'd got really, really dirty.

The dirt from the coal fires and sunlight and everything,

it got into the fabrics and they were falling apart.

-Right.

-So a year ago, we had them taken off the walls,

sent off to Belgium to be washed.

They've all been washed now. This is a sample of a washed panel of the tapestry.

But the big, big job now is,

because they're very fragile, they need to be put onto backing

and they need to be mended all the way through.

This conservation work is going to take about two years and cost probably £300,000.

-This room and another room full of tapestries.

-Wow.

They actually date from the 1620s

and when they were nailed to the walls in the 1760s, they were already antiques.

That's one of the fascinating things about it.

The guy, John Delaval, who lived here,

it's an early example of antiquarianism.

He wanted an old-fashioned look for the house.

This major project involved removing over 1,600 nails.

Eight students from Lincoln University

worked with a textile conservation expert

to take down the nine tapestry panels

in preparation for them to be cleaned.

The transformation between that and what it can become is huge.

You can see why. Every room has a fireplace in it

-puffing out the smoke.

-Yes.

The project has been assisted by the Heritage Lottery Fund

and the next stage is to set up a "conservation in action" workshop

complete with looms.

This will be open for visitors and will provide opportunities for students of conservation

to get practical experience in preserving tapestries.

Well, a beautiful old hall and garden,

steeped in family history.

It sounds like it's got a bright future ahead of it,

thanks to its current owners.

Time now to catch up with today's buyers

and find out if I've found anything suitable for them

here in Lincolnshire.

At last the cloud's finally burnt off.

How have you found looking for houses now,

after all your vast experience of looking at properties,

how have you found this session in Lincolnshire?

It's been an interesting journey

to have a look at three properties that have been chosen by somebody else.

-Yes.

-That means that the parameters that you set yourself

are slightly moved and different things come up.

So let's start at the beginning.

The first property, the semi-detached farm cottage.

What were your thoughts then when you first saw it?

I was worried straightaway about the access

and the surrounding farm.

-Yes.

-When I went inside, though,

the downstairs space, the kitchen/diner, was a really good size.

The lounge was nice. Warm, cosy and inviting.

When we went upstairs, the upstairs space was a little bit small.

The two single bedrooms wouldn't have been enough for me to do reiki in the rooms.

And I think we had some issues with the land space outside.

Yes. It was a pretty narrow garden

and I want my caravan with me in the garden, rather than in storage.

I learned quite a bit from that first house.

Which is why, in the afternoon, I was so chuffed with your response to that modern place I showed you.

-Very positive feelings about it.

-Yeah.

I think it's very similar in style to the house that we sold.

And therefore it immediately felt more welcoming and comfortable

because it was a style we were familiar with and used to.

And the up-to-date facilities and the newness of the build

appealed as well.

It had been done nice. You were on about the finish

and I thought, building-wise, it had been done really well, hadn't it?

Very well. I immediately liked the house.

It was absolutely brilliant.

Now, today, the weather's almost been a metaphor for the mystery house itself.

It started off dull, but it's come good.

Your reactions outside the mystery house were a bit muted, to say the least.

-Subdued.

-Yeah. But then it came good inside, didn't it?

-Yes.

-It did. Initially, we could only see one side of the house,

from the front door.

At first, I thought it looked rather small.

When we went inside and realised the house was a U-shape

and we'd just seen a third of it from the outside,

that's when it started to feel a possibility.

The back garden was lovely laid out. Very nice.

But not enough of it.

At the moment, it's between two houses.

The second house and the mystery house.

I think, of the two, it would be the second house I'd look at again.

What's your next step, then?

-Probably to have a further discussion on houses two and three.

-Yeah.

And try and really work out what compromises would need to be made

with either house.

And then decide whether we want to take either of them further.

-Let me know how you get on. Do keep in touch.

-Yes.

-Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much for your help.

-My pleasure. It's been fun.

Thanks for all the work you've put in. Thank you.

I've got to say, going back to yesterday morning,

when I first heard from John and Jane, they'd already seen 40 houses,

and I was a bit concerned whether I'd be able to find them the right sort of place.

But then I saw their reactions to the second property,

that wonderful new-build house right in the heart of the village.

They really opened up and fell for the place.

So I'm a bit surprised on what's happened between then and now.

Have they talked themselves out of it?

I really do hope that they go back to that property,

heed my advice and give it a second chance.

And then, if it's not for them, it's not for them.

But of course, that number then creeps up to 43 viewings.

But one thing's for sure. If the right property is there for them, they're determined to find it.

See you next time.

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