Yorkshire Escape to the Country

I'm standing on top of the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, which took 250 years to build.

But which county is home to this magnificent structure?

Find out in just a moment.

On today's show, I'm seeking a family home in the country

for a self-confessed picky and particular young couple.

Along our house-hunting journey, we have silent reactions

which have totally different meanings.

You're worryingly quiet.

It's a bad sign, I've come to appreciate.

-You learn quick.

-Yes!

-It's wowee, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-I am actually speechless.

Wow! That's wowee!

But later, it's time for some straight talking.

I'm imagining but I'm not excited.

I can see that!

Today we're in Yorkshire. This is, of course, York Minster -

158 metres long and the central tower, 60 metres high.

But underneath all this scaffolding is the Great East Window,

a masterpiece of medieval stained-glass and masonry,

which is under repair and will be revealed to the world in 2016,

so another four years to go.

Later in the show, I'll be looking at the painstaking work of its conservation.

But first, let's look at some of the other things that make Yorkshire 'God's Own County'.

The largest of England's counties,

it was once divided into three regions called ridings,

which correspond roughly to the modern divisions of North, East and West Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire, with the City of York at its centre,

has more than its fair share of spectacular landscape

as it's home to two of the country's most famous national parks,

the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

The Dales is an expansive area of hill country

which reaches heights of around 2,300 feet

in the famed Three Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent.

Heading eastwards, the North York Moors has held onto its active farming heritage

for over 1,000 years.

Moving south to the Howardian Hills, you find Castle Howard,

a 17th-century architectural masterpiece,

sitting resplendently in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Nowadays, this rural landscape continues to draw in aspiring escapees,

in search of their own country retreat.

Considering it's England's largest county,

you won't be surprised to know there's a big spread of prices here.

The average detached house here costs £265,000,

which is £8,000 more than the national figure.

However, if you go to one of the desirable areas like the national parks, the Moors or the Dales,

you're going to add another five percent

if you choose to live in a village like, for example, Ampleforth.

Generally speaking,

if you head south, around towns like Selby,

you get more for your money.

However, wherever you go, there's beautiful architecture.

Yorkstone, the sandstone quarried in Yorkshire since medieval times,

underpins the county's building heritage,

as well as being the traditional stone of choice for London's pavements.

As farming has been a mainstay of the county's economy,

you'll see a great range of farm workers' cottages here,

not least in the Howardian Hills village of Welburn,

where this restored and extended three-bedroom sandstone cottage

is on the market for just under £400,000.

At the end of the 18th century,

the small West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth flourished, thanks to the wool trade.

Mill workers lived in cottages in the surrounding areas.

This newly renovated two-bedroom property in Honley

is priced at £169,000.

Local materials, local styles,

but is it enough to tempt our buyers to become locals here in Yorkshire?

Let's find out.

Andy and Tina met ten years ago and have been married for two years.

They live in a three-bedroom terraced home in Middlesbrough

and have been considering a move to the country since 2008,

a decision that has become top priority

since the arrival of their son Jacob.

I'm really looking forward to having some garden for Jacob.

Where we have, it's all concrete, patio area.

Just to be able to have somewhere where we've got some land where he can roam around,

and after an absolutely manic week at work,

we can just sit and go, "Ahhh..."

For human resources manager Tina, a good work-life balance is an important issue

and so her commute will be a driving factor

in where they choose to move to.

I've changed jobs and I spend a lot of time on the East Coast Mainline,

travelling between London and Newcastle,

so I'd like somewhere that is better from a train perspective.

Andy, who works as a supermarket bakery manager,

is looking for a new challenge when they make their escape.

A big plus for me for this move

will be the opportunity to change my current work life.

A big dream of mine would be to have my own business and work for myself.

Anywhere that I can find...

..a little bakery for me to work in would be fine by me.

As they've already put down roots in the North East,

they've decided they don't want to stray too far

and that North Yorkshire would be the county that suits them best.

Exploring the countryside as a family is high on the agenda.

Currently, when we go out for a walk,

we have a nice wooded cemetery over the road

and we walk through there on the way to Albert Park, which is great for what it is,

but I think we're after something more.

That elusive "something more" is what's been missing in their house search so far.

I think the reason why we haven't found our ideal home already is, er,

I think we're quite particular.

We want the kitchen to be right,

we want the right amount of rooms, the right-sized rooms.

I guess the other thing that I would really like,

and I'm quite picky about, is schools.

Jacob's at an outstanding nursery at the moment

and as he continues to grow up I want that to continue,

so really good schools is really important.

Picky and particular they may be,

but it seems when it comes to personality, they balance each other out.

Tina's very driven

-and I'm relaxed to the point of...

-Horizontal.

-..horizontal.

We are complete polar opposites when it comes to...

..life in general, actually. We're very different!

It seems to work OK.

And they have a very workable amount of money to spend.

The maximum budget for our property is £350,000.

We're going to confine our search to within a 40-minute drive from York

because of its good rail links for Tina's job,

which involves travel to Newcastle and London.

But I need to learn a bit more about what they'd like from their new rural home.

-Welcome to Yorkshire.

-BOTH: Morning.

-Middlesbrough is just over the border, is that right?

-It is.

-So you've come into the heart of the county.

-Yes. Excited.

Now, we know a little bit about your situation with Jacob,

but I'm keen to know about the house that you want to buy.

Run me through some of the features you'd like to see in the house.

OK, ideally, a four-bedroom house.

ideally detached,

but happy to compromise!

A nervous smile there because you know it's quite expensive round here!

A nice garden is essential

and a beautiful country kitchen would be fabulous, if at all possible.

A kitchen with a lot of space to work would be ideal

because the kitchen we have at the moment is quite small.

What about the style of the house? Is the period important?

-Absolutely, yes.

-Very definite. Go on, then, tell me what it is!

We're not too keen on new builds. They're all the same, no character.

So, ideally, an older house

with a bit more of that character feel about it.

-An open fire would be lush!

-Nice.

You know, not essential, but something with a bit more feel.

We've found three lovely properties, I think, for your budget, round your budget,

and, er, we hope that you like them, too!

-So let's go and see them.

-Yes.

-OK.

-Come with me.

For their budget of £350,000,

Andy and Tina would like a detached period house with plenty of character

that gives them a kitchen with lots of workspace for Andy,

four bedrooms and a generous garden for their son to play in.

We found three beautiful properties, which we hope will impress them.

At each one, I'll be asking them to guess the price before I reveal it.

The last of these is, of course, the mystery house,

which challenges them to rethink their criteria on character.

Our property shopping starts 13 miles north of York

in the village of Sheriff Hutton.

Its amenities include a post office and a florists

but, luckily for Andy, no bakery.

What's more, there's also a local primary school.

A striking feature here

are the ruins of a 14th-century castle that was once home to Richard III.

Since 1940, it's been owned by the family of Doctor Richard Haworth.

We met up with him and his wife on the way to our first house.

First, I want to ask about the castle,

because who has a castle in their back garden,

and how much upkeep do you have to do to keep it standing?

-It varies.

-We're not responsible for repairing it,

but we're responsible for ensuring that nobody damages it.

-Do you have visitors?

-A tremendous number.

A lot of visitors, yes, but only by invitation.

What's the best part about living in the village?

It has a fantastic community spirit. Really marvellous.

I'm quite interested in starting a bakery in the community I come to.

Do you think that would be something that would go down well in a village like this?

I do. I think that's something for the future,

for everywhere actually - skills like that being used again, and I think it would be used.

-An artisan bakery?

-Yes.

-Yes.

Thank you so much. I know you're busy in the community.

-Thank you.

-Good luck to you.

-Thanks very much.

Now they've seen what a lovely village they'd be buying into,

it's time to view our first property.

-Here we have it, house number one.

-BOTH: OK.

-First impressions?

-It's a bungalow.

-It was a bungalow.

-It was. OK.

It looks small.

-Well, it's a four-bedroom house.

-OK.

It's what you asked for. It's detached.

It's not wowing me. It's OK.

I'm reserving judgement!

-Andy?

-Yes, it definitely doesn't have the wow factor for me, either.

-Let's have a look inside.

-OK. Let's go.

So it's a big tick for the location but a muted first response to our house.

Let's see if inside will measure up.

-Come on in...

-Thank you.

..into the front room.

OK.

It's a nice room. It's, er, quite tight, isn't it?

-It's small.

-Small.

-It's smaller than what we have.

-OK.

Because this is actually a fair-sized room. It's not palatial but...

-It's too small.

-Too small for you.

-Mm-hm.

-This is one of two reception rooms.

-OK.

-There are two in the house.

-OK.

-And I think... You're asking for quite a lot in your budget.

-OK.

No, it's absolutely fine. It's your dream home and you want it to be exactly as it is.

But just bear in mind that you wanted a big kitchen-diner, that was your big thing,

-so to have a big reception room wasn't on your list.

-Big everything is not happening, no?!

Plus all the other things... But it's very good to dream.

-Yes.

-I like a dreamer.

-Let me show you the kitchen and see if that lives up to your dreams.

-OK.

'Although this property hasn't yet hit the mark,

'I think the next room should make the grade for Andy.'

-Here you go.

-I do quite like this, however!

Yes, this is definitely, er,

definitely more on the, er,

the sort of thing we're looking for in a kitchen.

-You can see why we brought you here.

-Uh-huh. No, I do like the kitchen.

I love the floor. We've got more workspace here. Yes, really like this.

The beams, as well. I'm now getting a feel for this house.

Through here, you've got a bathroom and shower, bathtub and toilet

and also, a utility room through there.

You can explore there later on, but let's go upstairs.

'We turned up the heat in the kitchen.

'This leads into a second reception area,

'currently used as a study.

'One of the four bedrooms on offer is also on the ground floor, off the utility room.

'But we'll head upstairs to check out the other three on the converted first floor.

'One has a skylight and space for a sofa,

'while the other might work as a playroom for their son.

'But let's see if Andy and Tina can envisage the largest one as theirs.'

This is actually the last part that the owner developed, up into the eaves.

-OK.

-They left the master bedroom till last.

What do you think?

I feel enclosed,

and I think I knew I was going to because we're in the roof now

and the roof sort of starts to enclose in on you.

-The floor space is quite good.

-Mm.

Erm, but it does feel quite enclosed.

You've got an ensuite.

-A good size...

-Oh, yes. That's a nice-sized room.

That's very nice.

Tina, you're worryingly quiet. It's a bad sign, I've come to appreciate!

-You learn quick.

-Yes!

-It's a really pleasant home, but I'm not sure it's my home.

-Right.

Let's have a look in the garden, see if that swings it for you.

'It's a shame that Tina and Andy don't seem to see this as a family home

'as outside the garden is enclosed and child-friendly,

'with well-established fruit trees.'

The garden's a sort of wraparound.

How much do you think this little slice of North Yorkshire costs?

-£330,000.

-I was going to say 325, but I'll go with 330, as well.

-It's on the market for 350.

-I thought you might say that.

It's only been on about eight weeks.

The area's going to push it up. I appreciate that.

Have a quick peek round

-and I'll see you round the front.

-OK.

-Head off that way.

-BOTH: Thank you.

It's hard because you have an image in your head of a dream house

and it's difficult when you have to make compromises.

But it's only house number one.

Hopefully, things will shape up this afternoon.

Bang on budget at £350,000,

our first property might help our couple rethink their expectations.

It delivers in many respects, giving them a large kitchen-diner with a spacious utility area

which Andy could expand for his baking,

along with two reception rooms,

the four bedrooms they wanted and a child-friendly garden.

When I first saw the property, I wasn't wowed. It looked quite ordinary.

It's become a realisation that if we want a house in a specific location,

certain sacrifices might have it be made.

With regards to the area, I love the village feel.

It's really sweet. It doesn't have a bakery, which is fantastic for Andy.

There's huge potential. So location-wise, it's fantastic.

Maybe this house will grow on me, who knows?

It's a good family home. I'm not sure it will have won them over.

Any miracles happening in there?

-No.

-No, I don't think so.

-OK!

We'll say farewell to this property.

-We've got another one to see.

-OK.

-Follow me.

Yorkshire's expansive moorlands and valleys

are home to a rich agricultural and industrial heritage

that for centuries has underpinned its closely-knit communities.

In West Yorkshire's Colne Valley, in towns such as Slaithwaite,

wool manufacturing and a thriving textile industry prevailed during the 1800s.

These industries may now have dwindled,

but a sense of rural enterprise is still strong.

Mindful of Andy's desire to open his own bakery in the future,

we sent him and Tina to meet Matt Betts,

of one of Britain's most unusual bakeries.

Since 2009, The Handmade Bakery

has been a not-for-profit workers' co-operative,

with around eight members and 15 employees.

It was the originator of the first subscription bread service in Britain.

-How many loaves do you make on average a day?

-It tends to fluctuate,

but our busiest day, probably on a Friday or Saturday,

it's nearly 500 loaves a day.

The business is not for profit

so, whilst we want it to be a successful business,

we're trying to develop it in an ethical way.

Our whole ethics is to try and keep the whole operation as local as possible.

When we started out, we had a subscriber service, which we still have now,

and so we were supported by local people

who pledged to buy a loaf up front and gave us money each month,

which meant we knew what orders were going to come in.

We supply them with a loaf each week and they say what they want.

We've got about 40 of those subscribing members.

As artisan bakers, all the loaves produced here

are folded, shaped, scored and loaded into the ovens by hand.

Once Tina and Andy had donned their aprons,

Matt shows them one of the organic specials, known as the "wild white".

This particular dough here has no yeast in it

so it's made with a leaven, a wild leaven.

That's mixed initially at five o'clock, when we first come in,

and that's allowed to froth up and get some energy to it.

It's added to the wild white dry mix,

which is just wheat flour and salt and water,

mixed and then continuously folded for half an hour, over a period of three hours.

That really gets a great open crumb to it.

While bread made by more industrial methods typically takes 90 minutes

from first mixed to baking,

these loaves are produced over a 16 to 24-hour period,

which deepens the flavour.

Overnight fermentation, known as the sponge method,

makes the yeast work extra hard,

so only a small amount is needed.

You can see how stretchy that is,

so we need to shape and cut this. You can do that, Andy.

If you'd like to have a go with these scales, see how you get on with these.

OK. What we do at this stage is give them what we call a pre-shape.

It's a case of move your hands, giving it a nice kind of...

My colleagues will be watching to make sure I do this properly.

OK, marks out of ten, everybody. OK, Andy, have a go.

So that's how the professionals do it.

-Tina, would you like to have a go?

-This is going to be awful!

You made it look really easy.

Use the table and it gives it a bit of friction and...

That's good.

Slaithwaite's bakery has been such a model of co-operative success

that similar community-supported bakeries have since opened in Birmingham and Suffolk.

Now that Andy and Tina have had first-hand experience

of what one enterprising village community has achieved,

let's see if we rise to the occasion and find them their dream home,

as our property search continues.

We've made the journey to the village of Wistow,

giving Tina a half-hour drive to York.

Amenities include a village hall,

a fish and chip shop, a traditional pub

and a well regarded primary school for their son.

Our second property, while it may have a modern aspect,

is actually a period farmhouse dating back to the 1750s,

which has been extended.

Here it is, house number two.

-I'm getting a really nice feel about this one.

-I feel better already.

It's a characterful property.

We've got the apple tree, which wasn't on the wish list,

-but it's become nice to have after the first one.

-Well spotted.

One reservation as we walked up,

I noticed the back garden might be quite overlooked.

-You are eagle-eyed!

-She doesn't miss a trick.

-You know, we'll see! I'm optimistic.

-Good!

Let's have a look inside!

'I think Tina will have every reason to be pleased with this property

'as the inside has been renovated to a very high standard,

'as she and Andy will see from the outset.'

Come on in.

-Ahh!

-Oh, wow! What a lovely room.

-I like the fireplace.

-Love the fireplace.

-Is this the main sitting-room area?

-There's a bit more round the corner.

Very nice. Very comfortable room.

I could see myself relaxing in here.

I like it. It's got a nice warm feel to it and a lot of character.

They've kept a lot of the features but they've gone right back to the bones

and sort of really made it very modern.

-It feels like a modern house.

-Perfect. Very nice.

From there, you go round into this...

-Oh, wow.

-OK.

-Very cosy.

-Yes. I can fit the furniture in.

-Ahh!

-Which is great. And I love the fact that it goes out into the garden.

-It's space that we could happily utilise, don't you think?

-Yes.

-So living space - tick?

-Definitely.

-Tick.

Kitchen...

'I think the modern, yet homely feel of this one

'will win their approval.'

Come on, then, give me your thoughts on the kitchen.

OK. This is nice. This is, erm...

Big smiles and "nice" and...!

I think I like this kitchen better than the last property.

-It's smaller...

-It is smaller.

..but really nicely finished and it's got a lot of character

with the beams across the ceiling and the beams across the cooker.

You've got the utility through there and a door out into the back garden.

-The good feeling is continuing.

-Mm-hm.

I'm feeling a warm feeling inside!

Let's hope it continues upstairs.

'This property also has a downstairs cloakroom off the entrance hall.

'But we're heading upstairs to where there are four bedrooms in total.

'There are two good-sized rooms, either of which could be suitable for their son,

'and there's a spacious master suite which comes with its own bathroom,

'as well as a walk-in wardrobe with plenty of shoe space.

'But I want to show them the guest bedroom,

'which is something of a modern masterpiece.'

Oh! Ooh!

-Oooh!

-Oh, yes!

-It's an "ooh" room, isn't it?

-Yes. This is really different! This is amazing.

-It's wasted on the guests, isn't it?

-A little bit, yes!

But this is the last thing they've done.

They've gone right up to the top of the barn, skimmed the roof

and put in these two daylight windows.

And if you peek round, there's a really nice shower room.

-Oh, wow!

-That is a very, very nice shower room.

Five-star accommodation at the Reid household, huh?

-It's wowee, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-I am actually speechless,

-which...

-That's wowee!

-THEY LAUGH

See this?

Press that. Do you see this?

Watch.

-Whoo!

-Oh, wow!

How could you resist? I'd be up all night!

THEY LAUGH

Anyway... Enough of that!

Excuse me! Follow me.

'There's no doubt that they've warmed up to our high-spec farmhouse,

'but let's see if Tina's view on the garden has changed.'

Here we are,

-the final piece of the puzzle.

-This is really nice.

I think the one minus point,

-if I dare say one about this house...

-Dare you?!

..is something we've always said we don't particularly like,

is if it's quite overlooked, which this is,

but I don't feel that it's that much of a negative.

It's a word called compromise, darling. We may have to do it.

You spotted it before we'd even entered the house!

I think, in some respects, I might just put up with the fact that it's overlooked.

-You'll just have to make friends with the neighbours.

-Mm-hm. It's a nice patio area.

-Is there a bakery in the village?

-There isn't. A fish and chip shop.

-Right.

-But no bakery.

-No bakery.

-Brilliant.

-OK. We're still smiling.

Well, we still don't know the price.

-What are your thoughts about that?

-I think we both think it's over-budget.

-Yes. 375?

-OK.

I'm going to go with an optimistic 370.

370.

Well, not optimistic enough. It's actually on at 365.

-Wow.

-OK.

It's not beyond the realms of the possible, financially.

-Have another look around and I'll see you out the front.

-Sounds good.

In you go.

On the market at £365,000,

this renovated farmhouse nudges them over their budget

but they could see where a sensible offer might lead them.

It provides them with an ample kitchen-diner,

a large family living area,

four bedrooms, an enclosed garden

and there's a good primary school on their doorstep.

Walking through the house, Tina and I got the impression that it would be above our budget.

When we found out that it was 365, which wasn't quite as much as we expected,

I think that's quite encouraging and gives us a bit of room for manoeuvre.

Perhaps the vendors will accept an offer.

It's got that older, more solid feel,

but it's still done really well, to a really high spec inside.

It feels quite modern, so style-wise, no complaints from me.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-This is rather a nice seat!

Someone finally provided me a seat to wait for you!

-Are you happy?

-BOTH: Yes.

-Things to think about?

-Mm, certainly.

-Definitely.

-Then, let's have a rest and we'll reconvene tomorrow.

-OK.

As the sun sets over the spectacular Yorkshire landscape,

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

Bakery manager Andy and his wife Tina, who works in HR,

are looking to escape from Middlesbrough to the North Yorkshire countryside with their son.

Andy hopes to start his own bakery business once they get there.

The two properties they've seen so far have tried to balance the equation

of giving them a character home in the right location.

So, does the mystery house have the solution?

-It's a nice kitchen. It's not a great kitchen.

-Yes.

And I get a behind-the-scenes look

at a huge restoration project at York Minster.

It's day two of our property search in North Yorkshire. It's damper.

It's going to be quite tough to follow on property two

because Andy and Tina loved just about everything about it,

and as you've probably guessed by now,

Tina is not an easy woman to please when it comes to property.

But the mystery house... It's a gamble, to be honest,

because it's way out in the countryside and it's modern,

but it's not modern as we usually imagine it.

What do you think we're going to show you?

I think it's going to be in the middle of nowhere.

And I'm thinking it's going to be something that, er,

either has everything that we want and it'll be over budget

or it will need a lot of work doing to it

but it'll have potential.

Good. That's a whole range of opportunities.

We've covered all the bases there, I think!

For our mystery house, we're going out of range

to near the market town of Kirkbymoorside,

from where Tina would have around a 50-minute drive to York.

However, Kirkbymoorside is charming and has a good primary school for their son,

along with all the amenities you might expect on the high street

and a selection of pubs.

Our mystery house lies four miles out of town

in the quiet village of Normanby.

We've taken a bit of a risk

because as well as giving Tina the longest commute of the three,

we've also gone for a brand-new build.

The twist is, it's been constructed in the traditional style

from local sandstone.

-Is it new? It looks like a new build.

-It's double-fronted.

-It's what you've been looking for.

-It's double-fronted.

-You two don't miss a trick, do you?

-No. Not when presented with the facts!

It is indeed a new build.

It was finished a year ago. It is a bit of a punt.

We were worried about showing it to you because it's brand new

and you did say that you didn't really like new builds.

Because, generally, they don't have any character,

but this looks like it might be an exception.

Good feeling from the outside.

-Shall we have a look inside?

-BOTH: Yes.

-Let's do that.

-Let's go.

'Happily, the external character of our mystery house is holding their interest,

'however, inside is unfurnished.

'Let's see how imaginative they can be.'

Come on in. As you can see, it really is a new build.

-It's completely bare.

-Wow.

-It's big.

-There's no criticising the decor in this house.

-Exactly.

You can't complain about the furniture.

-How solid are the walls?

-That's a lovely fireplace.

-But it's got these enormous doors at the bottom.

-That's really nice.

-And there's light coming in on all three sides.

-Yes.

And not overlooked at all.

-Uh-huh. It's a nice, spacious room.

-It's a good room.

What might you do? In your fantasy home, how did you have it?

I guess it's hard to tell without looking at the other rooms.

Would this have to be the living room and dining room?

Is there another area for a dining room?

It's a fairly simple layout. You can see through there there's a smaller room,

which might be good as a sitting room or playroom.

This is, I would suggest, going to be your dining and living area, as one.

Through here is the kitchen.

'Although the kitchen doesn't have space for a table,

'it is bright and modern

'so I'm hoping they'll give it a fair viewing.'

-Mm...

-It's not wowing me, the kitchen.

I think the reason why is, it's quite narrow.

Coming from quite a narrow kitchen, it's one of the things we wanted to get away from.

It's a nice kitchen.

As Andy says, it's narrow and it's not the right style for us.

It's really nice,

it's just not the country cottage-type feel that I'd personally be after.

-Right.

-It's just a gut reaction.

-Yes.

-It's a nice kitchen. It's not a great kitchen.

-Yes.

'The kitchen may not have fired their enthusiasm,

'but the layout has the right sort of flow for a great family home.

'Time to make our way upstairs to the bedrooms,

'which sit alongside this modern family bathroom.

'Our mystery house has the four bedrooms they asked for,

'two of them with views to the front of the house

'and the others looking out onto the rear garden and the neighbouring church.

'But will theirs measure up?'

Here's the master.

Although, it could be any one of the four bedrooms up here if you wanted,

-but this one has the ensuite.

-Right.

-OK.

Smaller rooms than house number two,

but a decent-size room.

Wardrobes...? Where would you...? I suppose you'd stick it behind this.

-Behind the doors.

-Exactly.

You can configure these rooms as you like because they're empty.

I'm imagining but I'm not excited.

-I can see that. I'm picking that vibe up.

-Are you?!

It's always a risk taking people to empty houses

because they never feel as warm and enticing as one that's been finished.

-But it is an option.

-I will try harder.

'I'm pleased they're giving it thought,

'even though they're finding it a challenge to conjure up that sense of character.

'Outside provides a quiet, secluded place for their son to play.'

Mind the step.

As so often with these new builds,

the garden is, again, a green blank canvas this time.

-Uh-huh.

-You can do whatever you like with it.

-This is low maintenance. I like this.

-It certainly is at the moment!

And it's not really overlooked by anybody

-who would give us any bother.

-TINA & ALISTAIR LAUGH

-What do you think it costs?

-Oh, yes...

-TINA SIGHS

-Shall I go first this time?

-OK.

I think this is on the market for £340,000.

Mm...

330.

This time, again, you were both a bit unoptimistic

because it's actually on the market for 325,

which would give you 25 grand to put in a new kitchen,

put down wooden floors.

-OK.

-Mm. OK.

Maybe I should go back in and try harder with the imagination!

-Why don't you do exactly that?

-BOTH: OK.

I always knew this was going to be a tough sell.

It's difficult to sell things to Tina!

But it's a great mystery house

because it really is everything that they asked for in terms of the property,

it just requires them to use their imagination

and fill it up with things they like.

Well under budget at £325,000,

our modern mystery property is built from traditional stone

and has a great layout for family living.

It includes two bright reception rooms,

an adaptable kitchen,

four bedrooms, one with an ensuite,

and outside, along with a stone-built garage,

there's a garden, which is laid out to be child friendly.

When we walked up and saw the front of the house, I think we got a pleasant surprise.

Even though it was quite obviously a newish build,

they'd done it to quite a characterful style.

I am feeling a little confused at the moment,

just because I felt quite strongly when I initially walked in the house

and as I continued walking through, that this really wasn't for us.

When I found out the price, I started thinking,

"We might have money to play with. Maybe I should be a bit more positive."

So now I'm caught between house number two

and trying harder with house number three,

because it could have potential.

Nice church.

It's your namesake, the church, St Andrews.

-Ah, right, the patron saint of Scotland.

-Indeed.

-How are you doing?

-Good.

We've been trying to imagine what we might do to it.

-And I'm left very confused.

-Aww! Confused?

-Mm-hm.

Let's go and find somewhere warm and with some hot beverages

-and we can unconfuse you.

-Sounds good.

-OK.

North Yorkshire's prominence in history

can be charted through its rich architectural legacy.

Standing at the heart of England's religious life for centuries,

York Minster continues to be one of the country's landmark buildings.

This Gothic masterpiece contains some of the finest stained glass windows in Britain,

one of them being the Great East Window,

which has been under wraps for four years while restoration work is carried out.

Known as the Sistine Chapel of the stained glass world,

the window was created at the start of the 15th century

by the leading stained glass designer of the times, John Thornton.

I've come to meet senior conservator Nick Teed

to learn about the scale of the work the York Glaziers' Trust are undertaking

to return it to its former glory.

I see you've got a picture here. That's a lot of work.

This window is certainly the largest medieval window in this country

and possibly the largest medieval window anywhere.

There are 144 panels just in the main section,

-and there are 167 panels in the tracery.

-Wow.

It's a gigantic window.

The amazing fact is that we know that John Thornton made the window,

probably with a smallish team,

between 1405 and 1408.

-In three years?!

-Only three years.

We now have around about nine years to conserve the window.

-It'll take that long to do it.

-And that's just to conserve it?

So it's remarkable to even conceive of making it in three.

Depending on how complex the panels are,

each individual panel of this size can take anything between

about 500 hours through to about seven or 800 hours of work.

It's an awful lot of work.

Along with the work on the 23-metre-high window itself,

which has been in progress for the last four years,

the masons are restoring the tracery stonework that surrounds it.

It's one of the biggest conservation projects of its kind in the UK.

Head Banker Mason Dave Lamb

is taking me up to where the window will eventually be put back in,

around 60 metres off the ground.

So, this is what we were seeing downstairs in situ?

-Well, a different bit.

-Yes, this is a different bit, but it's the same kind of principle.

We've got the new tracery stone in here.

In order for them to fit that,

they've had to support and prop the stones above.

They've cut out the old stone, they've fitted the new one into the correct position.

They've put the clay round it and that's going to be lead-grouted.

-And through those, the inside of the cathedral.

-Yes.

It's kind of weird. It's quite a thin wall. You'd think it'd be more substantial.

So actually how wide is the window?

How much space are we talking about?

Well, I believe the glass will cover two tennis courts.

-Really?

-Yes.

-That's amazing.

Thanks for taking time out.

Obviously you have to be patient. You're not in a rush.

Well, we are and we aren't!

-A very slow rush!

-That's it.

-Brilliant.

'The scaffolding is due to come down at the Minster in March 2016.

'We'll have to wait a bit longer to see all that medieval glass back in place,

'thanks to this truly staggering project.'

It's amazing, all that mass of painstaking detail up there,

and from down here you can barely see it.

OK, time now to go and see whether Tina and Andy

have made any decisions.

Before I ask you which house you liked best,

maybe we could spin back and consider them one by one.

-The first house, if you can spin that far back...

-Mm-hm.

-.."Too small!" you said.

-Too small, yes.

-What are your thoughts about it now?

-It's not on the list.

I loved the location, the people were really warm and friendly,

I think there's good potential for a bakery,

so location-wise it was great, but that house isn't for us.

The upstairs rooms and the eaves closing in on you

were definitely the minus points for me.

It was a lovely home but it's not for me.

And the second house, this seemed to get a good positive response.

-Still smiling.

-Suddenly a smile comes back on your face!

I think it gave us a warm feeling when we both stepped up to it.

All the upstairs rooms were a great size.

The reception rooms were quite a good size.

We'd have to do some creative thinking in how we'd use them best.

The overall feel was really good.

I think I'd like to do more research on the second home,

just in terms of the location.

But the thought of being five minutes away from work for me,

fall out of bed, onto the train and straight down to London, is a bit of a dream.

I think it's certainly got potential.

-And the mystery house?

-Well, it's interesting,

before we embarked upon this search,

my mother said, "Don't look at the decor, just see the bare bones"

and you deliver us a house that was bare bones!

-Your mother was right.

-Yes.

With a bit of extra time to think about it, I can see some potential for the house.

It comes well under our budget,

which means there could be leeway to spend some more money on it.

It's just sort of, "Do we want to spend that time?"

Actually, I think the house could be a really good house,

but I gain nothing in terms of location, so I think that counts it out.

As much as I'd love to say "The mystery house is awesome!"

I think it's going to be too hard.

It seems there's a favourite. Would you consider moving?

I think we'd want to explore the area a bit deeper,

but I think we would seriously consider a move on that house.

Well, I have to say, if you, Tina, move on one of our properties,

I will consider it a personal triumph!

I'm really hoping that you do.

-You're a lovely couple and it would be great if you find somewhere.

-BOTH: Thank you.

What a great couple. I do hope they find a place to live here.

I think Tina will have to rein in her perfectionism

because the longer they spend looking at the pros and cons of the area,

the sooner they will lose that house.

I hope you've enjoyed our stroll through the housing market of North Yorkshire.

Do join us next time for more of the same on Escape to the Country.

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