Rutland Escape to the Country

This remarkable feat of Victorian engineering

has 82 arches, and over three-quarters of a mile in length,

it's the largest masonry railway viaduct across a valley in Britain.

Where am I? Find out in just a moment.

On today's show, I'm with a young couple

who are looking for a spacious family home

to bring up their two young boys.

Along the way, it's not an easy task to get the dimensions right.

-Lots of space.

-Yep.

-Difficult to know what to do with it.

So could our mystery house end up being the best fit?

Just the sort of thing we were looking for. The kitchen's great.

The kitchen's really lovely.

Today, I'm in the county of Rutland,

and this is Welland Viaduct, near the village of Seaton.

When it was completed in 1878,

it was used to run the London to Midlands railway

between Kettering and Manton.

Today, it stretches across the border from Rutland to neighbouring Northamptonshire.

Using over 30 million bricks and 400 workers and their horses,

it took just two years to build this magnificent structure.

It's a fine example of the heritage that can be seen in this small but perfectly formed county!

Let's take a look at what else Rutland has to offer.

Surrounded by its East Midland neighbours of Leicestershire,

Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire,

Rutland's longest distance from north to south extends 18 miles,

and 17 miles from east to west.

Although it's the smallest county in England,

it is home to Rutland Water,

the UK's largest man-made lake.

Widely regarded as a leading centre for water-based leisure activities,

it's also a haven for wildlife.

The county is dotted with pretty unspoilt villages

such as Hambleton, as well as market towns like Oakham

with its 17th-century butter cross

where locals will have once gathered to buy fresh produce.

The county's borders have shifted over the years.

In 1974, it was merged with Leicestershire.

After a long campaign, independence was restored in 1997.

Small this beautiful county may be,

but living here can come at a cost.

The price of an average detached property in Rutland

will set you back over £272,000,

some 16,000 above the national figure.

Furthermore in pretty heritage villages such as Hambleton,

you could expect to pay a 30% premium.

Move towards the more built-up areas such as Oakham,

and you'll get more for your money.

But whatever your budget,

Rutland has a different array of characterful architectural styles to choose from.

As limestone forms the bedrock of this county,

you'll find a range of attractive properties feature that familiar honey-coloured hue.

This two-bed house in the village of Edith Weston dates to the 1850s

and is on the market for £250,000.

Ironstone is another variation,

more prevalent in the south of the county where it's still quarried.

This double-fronted three-bed house in the village of Caldecott

is Grade II listed

and priced at £300,000.

Many of Rutland's pretty cottages

are roofed with Collyweston stone.

Although it may look like slate, it's actually a type of limestone

from near the Northamptonshire village that gives it its name.

This three-bed cottage near Edith Weston dates back to 1847

and could be yours for £279,000.

A great range of traditional properties there.

But what are today's buyers after?

Let's meet them and find out.

Civil engineer Matt and teacher Tessa

have been in their three-bed end-of-terrace house

in the city of Cambridge for the past seven years.

But since the arrival of their two sons,

they've been seriously considering a more rural lifestyle.

Now's a good time to move because we have two little boys

who are extremely energetic

and we just want more space

and we feel like they're bouncing off the walls!

And also, we both grew up in small villages in the country

and we've had a great time in Cambridge

but we both want our boys to have that same lifestyle while they're growing up.

So it seems like the right moment when they're pre-school age.

And also it will reduce my commute an awful lot

as I'm a bit fed up of an hour and ten minutes each way in the car

so I'm really looking forward to finding somewhere closer to the office.

Matt works in the west of Peterborough

so they've decided that the county of Rutland, a short drive away, could be ideal.

And Tessa's current line of work is something she can easily do from home.

Since giving up work after our second son,

I've started to work for a company who sell cards and wrapping paper and gift boxes

and I sell them at craft fairs, Christmas fairs.

This is something I'd like to continue when we move house.

The children are obviously a top priority in this move

with everything from play areas in the house, to future schooling, on their wish list.

It would be nice to have space in the garden to be able to play cricket

and if there was a tree suitable to turn into a tree house, that would be fantastic.

And, not specifically to do with the house, but it is important,

that there's a good primary school nearby.

-Yep.

-That's something we'd definitely look closely into, what catchment area we're in.

Tessa comes from a farming family.

Their future aspirations include cultivating country pursuits.

One thing I'd like to start doing is sailing up at Rutland.

I don't know if we'll have enough left over after buying houses

to afford to buy a dinghy,

but it would be nice to maybe get into that

and something I could do with the boys as well.

We love entertaining, love having friends round.

And it's been a great excitement this summer to use some things from our own garden,

so perhaps if we have a veggie patch in our new house,

we can - maybe I'll even get into making jams!

But maybe I'm a bit young for making jam!

With their finances in place,

they know exactly how much they can afford to spend.

The budget for our move is £400,000.

Matt and Tessa would prefer their new home to be within a 20-minute drive of Peterborough,

where Matt works.

So while we're concentrating on Rutland,

we might also hop over the borders to widen our search.

Hi. Welcome to Rutland, you two.

What first attracted you to this area?

Partly because I work in Peterborough

and the drive from Cambridge every day is quite a long one.

Rather than spending time in the car,

I'd like to spend it with Archie and Jack, our two little boys.

How old are these boys?

They're 15 months and nearly three.

-Got your hands full, then!

-Got our hands full, yep.

-And now is the right time.

-Absolutely. Before they start school.

So we can settle somewhere, find a good primary school

and hopefully make new friends.

Rutland is the smallest county in England.

Are you set on this area, or are you prepared to open the net a bit?

We're happy to spread a bit further.

One of the important things is Matt's commute.

That he can have a smaller commute.

So that does take in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire,

and the edge of Cambridgeshire as well.

So remind us what type of house you're ideally looking for.

Most important is it's a detached house with maybe four bedrooms.

And a big enough garden for the boys to run around in.

-Maybe play a bit of cricket.

-Very nice.

-Tessa?

-An open-plan kitchen is important for me.

We love entertaining, having friends to stay,

-so we want space for that.

-OK.

That seems pretty fair. And your budget?

We think we can go 400.

At a push, if it was perfect, 420.

-420,000.

-That's the ceiling.

-That's the ceiling. Absolute tops.

We've got three houses lined up to show you.

You'll enjoy this without the little ones running around,

but we're mindful of their needs when looking at properties.

One of which is our mystery house.

-Shall we get started?

-Let's get started.

-Fine.

A large enclosed garden for playing cricket and growing vegetables.

We've found three lovely properties to tempt them with

and at each one, I'll ask them to guess the price tag.

One, of course, is the mystery house

which could take their search to a whole new level.

We're getting our property search underway

ten miles east of Oakham in the village of Great Casterton

on the eastern edge of Rutland.

This means Matt has just over a 20-minute drive to Peterborough

for work, with good access via the A1.

The village has over 360 residents

served by an impressive ironstone church dating back to the 13th century,

a child-friendly pub and, for the future, a local primary school.

Our first offering lies in the heart of the village.

It's a limestone cottage dating back 250 years

with a Collyweston stone roof.

We're taking our first look from the more secluded side of the property.

So here is your very first cottage to view.

What do you think?

-Very pretty.

-Very pretty from this side, yes, it is.

It was actually three cottages originally.

It looks lovely.

It has been extended. I'll explain more about that when we go round.

There's actually been two extensions on this property.

It's Grade II listed. As you see, it's been done extremely well.

-Yes.

-So, noise aside from the front road,

-shall we step inside to have a look?

-Let's have a look.

'I hope Matt and Tessa can put aside the sounds of passing traffic

'as the inside of this property offers them all the space they could wish for

'in a family home.'

So you've got the utility room, a downstairs toilet.

And then, how's this for a kitchen?

-Yeah.

-Interesting(!)

Come on up, Matt.

It's a decent size for a cottage, this kitchen.

What do you think, Tessa?

It's a lovely kitchen. These cupboards are off-putting.

-It seems to split the room in half, somehow.

-Yeah.

They would be easy to remove. There's a supporting beam which you couldn't.

But if you took this out,

with the work surfaces here and the kitchen table there,

it would give you a great size.

-It also gives that open-plan feeling.

-Yes, it would be much more open plan.

-OK. Shall we continue?

-Great.

'With a few alterations, the kitchen could really suit their needs.

'Now for the rest of the living space.

'Off the hall, there's a formal dining room

'and we're passing through one sitting room to have a look at what else this cottage offers.'

And you've got even more reception rooms through here.

This house just keeps giving, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-As you walk through.

There's a lot of floor space between all the different rooms on this floor.

-It's just quite broken up by the stairs and the walls.

-The walls.

-And the kitchen.

You've got a reception room there.

This reception room, that reception room,

and then just round the corner,

you've got a study.

Amazing. It's great to have a study. I could put all my business things in there, which is great.

My boxes of cards.

-Lots of space.

-Yes.

-Yep.

Difficult to know what to do with it, though!

You've got to think about that!

'While Matt and Tessa put on their thinking caps,

'we'll head upstairs to where there are four bedrooms.

'Plenty of space for both the boys to have a room of their own

'and a spare room for any visiting guests.

'These all share an attractive tiled family bathroom.

'But we'll take a look at where they could be sleeping.'

Through here is the fourth bedroom, which is the master

with an en-suite.

Great.

-And a lovely light room.

-Yes.

-Up in the eaves here, aren't we?

-We are.

How do you feel about the inside of the property. The layout?

In our minds, we'd imagined a smaller village

that was, obviously where we are is closer to Stamford and the A1.

So it's not quite what we'd imagined.

Shall we go back outside and look at the garden,

-and talk a bit more about the location.

-OK.

Matt, lead the way. Thank you.

'Matt's not convinced so far.

'But perhaps what's outside will sway his opinion.

'Along with space for the children to play,

'there's a wonderfully secluded entertaining area.

'What's more, there's the bonus of three garages.'

The way they've been built, they're double-insulated.

So if you wanted to make that into a workshop or a den for the children,

it would be quite easy to do.

OK.

Yeah.

-Not really big enough for a game of cricket, though!

-It's not, no.

So you've seen the cottage, you've seen the garden and garages.

Time now to guess the price.

Who'll have a stab at it first?

-I'm going to go for 375.

-OK.

-I was going to say exactly the same!

You are allowed to agree!

Our couples very rarely say the same price, but I'll let you have that!

The asking price is £385,000.

-OK. We weren't too far off, then.

-£10,000 off, yep.

There's a lot of positives, but there are too many things that detract from it.

-At the moment.

-OK. Have another look around, anyway.

I know you love the cottage inside.

-I'll catch up with you when you're ready.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Comfortably within budget at £385,000,

this extended cottage could make a fantastic family home.

My first impressions of the house, as we walked up,

I felt quite excited. I liked the look of it,

particular when we came into the garden.

It's a really pretty cottage. The style of the house is exactly what we're hoping for.

The traditional limestone, the brickwork.

The look of the property is spot on.

First impressions, before you even get to the house,

coming down the driveway,

you can't get away from the noise of the A1, which is just behind.

And the main road in front,

which is not a busy road, but it's certainly not a little lane.

OK? You've seen enough?

-I think so.

-I think so. Lovely cottage, but shame about the location.

-Not right for us, unfortunately.

-OK.

Then let's continue.

Fittingly, the motto of the compact county of Rutland

is "multum in parvo", meaning "much in little".

Not only is it home to England's largest man-made lake,

but its modestly-sized market towns are packed with character.

For example, Uppingham is home to the Fat Stock Show,

an annual livestock event now in its 106th year,

that is held in the market square.

Nearby, close to the village of Pilton,

some of the rarest and smallest livestock in the world

are farmed and protected.

As Tessa was brought up on a farm,

we sent her and Matt to get a taste of the rural life she's been missing

from Sam Gough, whose parents run the 40-acre Chater Valley farm.

They have a variety of rare breeds

and are Europe's leading breeder of miniature Hereford cattle.

We've got some miniature Herefords.

This is Gulliver, our oldest one, he's three years.

That's as big as he's going to get, which is not very big.

The other two are Charlena and Cherry

who hopefully should be pregnant,

and we should have our first natural miniature Herefords in February.

-Great.

-Excellent.

The Hereford breed are about 250 years old.

They started in the UK, then got exported to America

where the fad at the time was "bigger, bigger, bigger".

And one family in west Texas actually went against that

and bred them smaller and smaller naturally.

Other rare breeds on this farm are miniature Falabella horses,

which originate from Argentina.

And grey-faced Dartmoor sheep.

I hear you've got some animals, your parents.

-Yes, I've grown up with horses, chickens and dogs.

-Great.

The breeds are chosen for their docile temperaments

as alongside a breeding programme,

the long-term aim of the farm is to run a scheme using the animals as therapy

for children with autism.

Next stop for Matt and Tessa is a rare breed of pig.

This is a Mangalitsa called Mango.

She's one of two big Mangalitsas that we've got

and she's got that curly coat, which in winter,

becomes really curly and looks really sheepish.

Could be mistaken for a sheep rather than a pig!

-Quite unusual in the UK?

-I think there's only 52 registered breeding Mangalitsas

in the UK.

So there's not a lot of them.

A descendant of the Lincolnshire curly coat pigs

which became extinct in 1972,

these blonde Mangalitsas originate from Hungary

and were first imported into the UK in 2006.

They share the space here on the farm with another rare breed of pig,

the British saddleback.

Ooh, they're really wiry.

They are, aren't they? Not as soft as they look!

Mind you, that is definitely softer.

-Let's get some pigs!

-Get yourself a few micro pigs!

Not very micro, any more, this one, is it?

If Matt and Tessa were after smaller pigs,

they've come to the right place.

The farm's second Mangalitsa has just given birth to eight piglets.

Oh, look!

Oh, they're gorgeous!

Pop that in there.

They're incredible.

Cute little things, aren't they?

We've given Matt and Tessa a real taste of country life

with these rare breeds.

And maybe some ideas for the future!

But now, let's return to our search for their rural home.

Moo!

For our second house, we've crossed the border into Leicestershire

to the village of Skeffington.

Matt's drive to Peterborough would take around 45 minutes

and there are two local primary schools.

A couple of miles away, the village of Bilston

provides essential amenities

such as a post office, a local pub and a corner shop.

Back on the outskirts of Skeffington

situated on a quite lane is our second property.

A red brick modern build.

So, here is your second property,

completely different from something we showed you earlier on.

-Yeah.

-Yep.

-Looks new build, is it?

-It is.

-Built in 2001.

-Much quieter!

-Much quieter location.

-Listen to the birds! Very nice.

-Yeah.

-And no traffic.

-Yep.

-Great.

-Come on.

'The exterior may not have the historic character they prefer,

'but the proportions inside are certainly impressive.'

So come on in. A little bit drier in here!

So, as you've probably noticed,

-a very large hallway!

-It is! It's enormous.

-Yeah.

Huge. I can see our boys chasing each other through the doorways!

Much more space than the last property.

'That's a much better start!

'And as we explore further,

'I hope they'll appreciate that the size of this house

'is very workable for a young family.'

The first room I want to show you is the reception room.

-Again, completely different.

-Very different, yep.

From the previous house.

But you get the space, plenty of light. Triple aspect.

And views out onto your garden.

Yeah.

It's much better proportioned than the last place.

The size of the living room is very good.

And a woodburner, which you're a fan of.

Keep us toasty warm.

And the size of the room. Does this work for the furniture you had in mind?

Cos you're moving. You've got to move soon, haven't you?

We've sold our house, so the pressure's on.

Yes, we'll have to buy some more furniture. We only have one sofa.

-So we knew we'd have to get more. So yes, the size is good.

-Absolutely.

Good. OK. We'll continue.

Leading off the hall is a large study

which would be perfect for Tessa to work from home.

There's also a formal dining area.

But I'm going to show them the room I think they'll really appreciate,

a living family kitchen.

Wow!

-Crikey!

-Gosh. Fantastic kitchen.

This is just the sort of thing I was hoping for!

Definitely no lack of space in here.

What a great space!

And as if this wasn't big enough, there's a utility room to the right.

Wow. Amazing. That's another log burner in here, is it?

That's a wood burner and it works as an oven with a hob at the top as well.

-Wow!

-A great feature. And it's staying as well.

Amazing!

I could imagine doing a bit of cooking in here!

A little bit of entertaining.

-This is a family kitchen, definitely.

-Absolutely.

You're liking what you're seeing so far?

So far, yep.

'Well, the kitchen has sparked some real interest from Tessa

'and I hope the upstairs keeps that enthusiasm simmering.

'The light, airy feel continues in the four generously sized bedrooms,

'providing plenty of storage and separate room for their sons

'as well as a spare room for guests.

'They all share the very large family bathroom with shower.

'But we're heading past the huge landing to where Matt and Tessa would sleep.'

So, here's the master bedroom.

-Very good size.

-Another big room.

They're all huge, aren't they?

If you look at this room, it's got loads of storage,

it's got the en-suite next door.

Everywhere in this house, there's storage in the eaves.

Absolutely everywhere.

Great. Something we really miss in our house is storage.

That'll make a big difference.

What do you think? What's the vibe you're getting so far?

I'm not sure. I can't read you two!

I don't think we can make up our minds.

I'm finding it hard to put my finger on what it is I think about this house.

It's a bit difficult to look past what's here already in terms of fixtures and fittings.

To try and think how we would make it our own.

It's enormous. There's so much space here, which is fantastic.

It's what we're looking for. But I'm not quite sure

what it is that isn't quite right.

-I can't quite put my finger on it.

-Right.

Let's go and see the garden.

-Then we'll talk about the price.

-OK. Great.

'Matt and Tessa are clearly struggling on how they could make their personal mark on this house.

'So can the garden win them round?

'It's wonderfully child friendly

'and there's definitely enough room for a children's cricket pitch.'

So, the all-important garden.

It comes to about a third of an acre, including the footprint of the house.

-And it's a very big house!

-It is a big house.

Let's see what the price is.

How much is it on the market for?

I was going to guess 390.

I'm going to say 400, at least.

I'm going to tell you

it is at the top of your budget.

It's just slightly over at £425,000.

I thought it would be top of the budget.

Big garden. Masses of space inside.

It doesn't surprise me.

And that does make a bit of a difference.

Yeah. OK. Have another look around.

It'll take you forever!

Those bedrooms are enormous.

And have one more look. Have a think.

Is this the type of house that would work for the two of you

with the young family growing up.

See you in a little while. I won't be out here too long cos it's raining.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

Priced a tough over budget at 425,000

a sensible offer on this generous family home

would bring it with reach.

One of the main things about this house

because it is a really good family home

is that it's very much at the top end of our budget.

In an ideal world, we'd love to have this space.

It's not too much at all.

The space is wonderful. And I wouldn't change that at all.

The house is obviously new build.

We've not ruled that out.

We'd like a house with character, traditional feel to it,

but at the end of the day, you get a gut feel for a place

and it hasn't made either Tessa or I feel like we want it.

OK, you two. Back out in the rain, I'm afraid.

That's the second of our two houses today.

The weather's so bad, we should call it a day,

then tomorrow, of course, is our mystery house.

Shall we go? Let's go.

As dusk falls over the Rutland landscape,

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

With a budget of £420,000,

Matt and Tessa are looking to escape the city of Cambridge

and put down roots in the Rutland countryside with their young family.

The two properties they've seen so far

have struggled to meet their desire for a characterful family home

in a good village location.

Coming up, the mystery house offers a different view.

This garden is phenomenal.

Really brilliant.

And I meet a modern miller who single-handedly

restored a 19th-century windmill.

Well, our house search here in Rutland with Matt and Tessa

hasn't quite gone according to plan.

Yesterday, we showed them two very different properties

which in all honesty didn't hit the mark.

But what has become clear is that this move is all about their children.

So will the mystery house be the child-friendly family home

they so crave?

For our mystery property, we've crossed the border into Lincolnshire,

close to the market town of Bourne,

just over half an hour's drive to Peterborough for Matt's work.

This historic town has plenty of amenities.

Its impressive town hall is Grade II listed

and its market charter was granted in 1729.

So what better place than the market to find out what's on offer here

from trader Bill Pauley.

Bill, you're local to this area. How long have you had a market stall?

-30 years.

-A long time. How often is there a market here?

Twice a week. Thursdays and Saturdays.

All selling fantastic local produce.

Plenty of good local produce to keep the local economy going.

Matt and Tessa are thinking of moving to this area.

Good place to move to.

We've got young children. Can you tell us what there is for young people?

Plenty to do. There's sports. Rugby, football, cricket.

-Cricket.

-There's an outdoor swimming pool.

There's not many left, outdoor pools.

And are schools good around here?

Very, very good schools. A lot of people move to Bourne because of the high quality schools.

-Really good.

-All these things you have to bear in mind, don't you?

-Yes.

-The school catchment area. Critical.

-Bill, thank you very much.

-No problem.

-Let's hope the sun keeps shining today.

-And I keep selling.

-Thank you!

'So, good news about the schools, but what about the house?

'We're heading three miles south-east of Bourne

'to the village of Ednam, to find our mystery property.'

'And it's a bit of a gamble

'as we'll be trying to tempt Matt and Tessa with a building style

'they've never considered before.'

So here we are in Lincolnshire

for your third and final property.

Our mystery house.

Certainly a surprise!

You might guess why it's our mystery property? Want to help me with that?

-Seems to be all on one floor!

-It is.

One level living. A bungalow.

But a huge bungalow. And what I'd like you to do

is to keep an open mind.

Because there are many elements to this property, which, standing here,

you really can't see.

-OK.

-Shall we get started?

-Let's get started.

'We definitely delivered the unexpected with this one.

'But I do hope Matt and Tessa will give this property a chance

'as it could provide the open plan family spaces they're after.'

So, let's start off with the first reception room.

I gave a bit away there. "First" reception room.

What do you think?

Um...

Very sweet.

Very, um, homely.

-It's all, er...

-It's a good size.

Nice looking out onto the garden. Nice bay window there.

You've got this as a small reception room. Actually quite a good size.

-Great.

-Shall we continue?

-Yeah.

'A muted response so far.

'But that could all change when they see the main family living area.'

-So you've seen one reception room.

-Wow!

-Goodness!

-Amazing.

-Here's the second.

-Huge, isn't it?

-It's huge. It's a fantastic space.

You've got your reception room here which has been divided up into a dining space.

Access to the garden. So much light. So many windows.

And your kitchen conveniently next door in that open plan feel.

A bit of an L-shape going on.

Then there's a door just to the left

with a utility room with access outside as well.

-Amazing.

-It's just the sort of thing we were looking for.

-It's fantastic.

-The kitchen's great.

-The kitchen's really lovely.

They've done that well. And so much light.

-And we were really thinking of the boys.

-Absolutely.

That is the most perfect play area there.

And eating all in one. This is a really lovely room.

'So things are looking up for this property.

'And it delivers on everything else thereafter inside too,

'with a study at the front of the house for Tessa.

'There are three bedrooms, two of which look out onto the back garden and could suit the boys.

'What's more, there's a shower room and a modern family bathroom.

'But we're heading for the front of the house

'and the room which could be Matt and Tessa's.'

This is the master.

-Plenty of storage.

-Yeah. It's a good size, this bedroom.

How do you feel about the boys being literally just next door?

It's convenient when they're little, obviously, for getting up in the night, at the moment.

But when they're a bit older,

and they've got the music on.

They're not having a drum kit!

-But this works for you?

-Yes, this works.

I'll let you explore the house on your own.

Let's go outside and look at that all-important garden space.

-Yes.

-Where they might play.

-And that cricket match, you're desperate, aren't you?

-Absolutely!

Follow you.

'Some positive reactions to our mystery property.

'But really, this is all about the outside space.

'The child friendly garden comes in at around an acre

'and offers fantastic views of the surrounding countryside.'

So, the all-important garden.

-It's fantastic.

-A fantastic garden. Really good size.

-Enormous.

And straight onto fields, which is what we wanted.

That tree is perfect to be made into a tree house!

It's possible. Yeah, it's possible.

-Double garage.

-Good for a swing, anyway. That'll make them happy.

It is a fantastic space.

It really is. And the outside decking area is amazing.

I love that. For eating outside. Really good.

But have you got enough money? How much is this house on the market for?

I'll go for 400,000.

I'm just guessing as we're slightly further into Lincolnshire,

slightly less, so I'll say 390.

You're both under.

-It's £420,000.

-Is it?

-Right.

-Goodness.

Hasn't been on the market very long.

OK.

Well, it does have a huge amount of space.

This garden is phenomenal.

-It's really brilliant.

-Yep.

-Would you like to go and have another look around?

-We'd love to.

And think about this garden. I know it's so important to you.

And the location with the school and everything else.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

We always like to surprise people,

and I think this property has certainly done that!

Priced at £420,000

our mystery property is at the top end of their budget.

But with some imagination,

has all the makings of a great family home.

The big positive for this place is definitely the garden that comes with it.

The amount of land, the openness and the fact it backs onto fields.

There are views in all directions. It's a lovely quiet spot.

This garden really is spot on.

This house has challenged my perceptions.

It's made me realise that you should never judge a book by its cover.

Because this does offer us the sort of living that we would like.

It's just that it's not the traditional style that we'd dreamed of.

Hello. That was definitely the best house tour out of the three, wasn't it?

-It's safe to say.

-Yeah.

-Shall we go and have a little chat somewhere?

-Yep.

-Come on.

Like its neighbouring counties,

Rutland's relatively flat terrain

has made it the ideal location for wind-powered technology.

Of the seven historic windmills the county is home to,

most have been converted for residential use.

Only one of them is still a fully functional tower mill.

In fact, this windmill at Whissendine

is one of the last remaining 19th-century working windmills in the entire country.

The 60-foot mill was built in 1810

and ceased to work in the early 1920s.

It stood idle for over 70 years

until it was bought by artisan miller Nigel Moon who aimed to restore it.

It took nearly 14 years until he first ground wheat here in 2009.

With the machinery now fully in action,

I've come to meet him to find out more about this miller's tale of restoration.

How much work have you had to do to restore the windmill

back to its former glory?

Basically, below the top of the tower, it was basically complete.

That's how it was in the 1960s when they'd just put the new hat on

which kept it dry for all those years.

And then the whole tower had to be completely repointed from top to bottom.

As you see, it was all scaffolding and had about seven men on it

for six months.

-Is the windmill listed?

-Yes.

It's a Grade II *.

Well, I would love to see how you turn wheat into flour.

Nigel runs this mill practically single-handedly.

But his mum Ruth, who's 94 years old,

helps bag the flour for him and is always on hand.

Nigel's gone back down to the ground floor to bag up some wheat

and we'll start the whole process.

Apparently, if I pull this lever here,

this bit of string will come shooting up through this trap door

goes over here and the whole process starts.

Let's see how Miller Chapman gets on!

Nigel, I'm ready!

Here goes. I've got to pull on this as hard as I can.

It's heavy!

Coming up!

This is so heavy, I can't tell you!

Any second now it's going to come through the trap door.

Here it comes.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is my wheat.

So whilst the wheat has been winched up using the power of the wind,

the next step is grinding it.

That's a little hopper which I'm using. That stores the wheat.

Then the little wooden spring, you can see it's tapping.

And that shakes the grain in very gradually

into the millstone.

It's slowly ground up

-and what comes out on the edge is wholemeal flour.

-Right.

Then it drops down a pipe to the floor below

to what we call the dresser.

It's just a big drum with a fine mesh in it.

That simply takes off the coarse bits

if we're making white flour.

Then the white flour drops down another pipe

and arrives on the ground floor.

Nigel produces up to two tonnes of organic flour each week,

depending on demand.

With a little help from Mum, of course!

You're very passionate about being a miller.

Why is it so important to preserve our mills?

Well, they've got something to contribute.

When you get a wind, it's all environmentally sound.

It's local production. Very often you're buying from local farmers.

So the money goes round in the local economy.

-Nigel, thank you very much indeed.

-Pleasure.

-Thank you.

It's been fascinating meeting Nigel and seeing this old tower mill back in action.

But it's time to find out if Matt and Tessa have made a decision

on any of the properties we showed them.

I think I know what the answer's going to be!

Matt and Tessa, that's it.

Our tour of the Rutland area, taking in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire as well, is over.

Let's go with the first property we showed you, that beautiful old cottage.

Tell me what you thought.

It was a great place. Hard to ignore the road noise.

It was a beautiful property, there's no other way to describe it.

However, the layout didn't seem quite right for us

and the garden, the grassy bit, was very small.

A beautiful outside cooking area

but not quite right for children at the moment.

We then decided to show you something completely different.

Took you to a new build across the border into Leicestershire.

A brand-new property, very, very different from the first.

You'd found this property that had everything we were asking for,

a beautiful big kitchen, four enormous bedrooms.

A huge landing, huge hallway.

But it was just a bit too far away.

-40 minutes.

-Too far away and also the garden being narrow

and hemmed in.

I know we could have done something with those hedges,

but it still didn't just quite fit the bill.

And because it was at the top of our price range,

it was too much to compromise on.

So we then have to talk about our mystery house,

picked for Jack and Archie, not for the two of you at all.

They would have loved it, wouldn't they?

It really was. If Archie and Jack could have chosen a house,

they would have chosen that, definitely.

If we had to pick one out of the three it would definitely be the mystery house

just for the huge garden, the fields behind and the village setting. It was very peaceful.

How do you feel about one-level living? That's how I've renamed it!

My initial reaction was, "Oh, no, a bungalow!"

I have to say my heart sank when I saw it.

But the house did redeem itself.

When I saw how big the garden was

and how fantastic the space was inside,

I did, I could imagine, I did think of the boys running around and things.

I'm just not sure it's the house for us for the next five to ten years.

Which is a shame because it's got so much going for it.

But it really is at the top of our budget as well.

We're going to continue to search in the area south of Rutland Water.

Possibly into Northamptonshire as well as the other surrounding counties you mentioned.

Well, all the best with it. With the boys, as well. Enjoy.

Let us know how you get on. I'm sorry we didn't get close.

Thank you very much for all your hard work.

-We've had great fun.

-Thank you.

Having already sold their house in Cambridge,

time really is of the essence for Matt and Tessa.

It's such a shame we couldn't find them that perfect family home here in Rutland.

But by the sounds of things, they're prepared to move here, rent

and continue the search themselves.

So we wish them the very best of luck.

Until next time, bye-bye!

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