Leicester Escape to the Country

These 16th century ruins are the childhood home and birthplace of England's shortest-reigning monarch,

who only survived nine days in the job.

Who were they, and where did they live? Find out in just a moment.

'It's a back-to-nature venture for today's house-buying duo.

'And there are some pleasant surprises both inside the properties...'

-I've lived in smaller houses than this bathroom.

-That's true.

-Yeah.

'..and more to amaze outside, too.'

Oh, this is brilliant. It's absolutely fabulous.

Today we're in Leicestershire and these are the ruins of Bradgate House,

the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey,

otherwise known as the Nine-Day Queen.

Her accession to the throne in 1553

was the result of noblemen supporting the Protestant cause.

But it didn't last very long, because of an upswing of support for the Catholic Mary Tudor,

who had Jane's head cut off, aged just 17.

Bradgate House and its estates stayed with the Grey family until the 1920s,

when it was turned into a country park, the largest in Leicestershire

and one of the county's crowning glories.

'Lying in central England, the landlocked county of Leicestershire

'is sandwiched by seven other counties,

'bordering Nottinghamshire to the north, Northamptonshire to the south,

'and the compact county of Rutland to the east.

'One of the highest points in the county is Beacon Hill.

'Down in the valley, the River Soar is the county's main waterway,

'which winds through the lush scenery past pretty villages

'that make the perfect escape for those seeking a rural dream.'

So which of these areas are going to appeal to our buyers today? Let's meet them.

'Prompted by the prospect of a job relocation,

'lifelong Reading resident and firefighter Stefan,

'along with his wife Ruth, are completely sold on rural life

'after a year's dry run renting a cottage in an East Berkshire village.'

We decided to do a little experiment and to dip our toe in the water, so to speak,

and try out the countryside for size

before we invested in, you know, a property properly in the countryside.

We have loved it and, you know, we don't want to go back to Reading now.

-We do want to move on and try and get our own place somewhere.

-Put down some permanent roots.

-Yeah.

'The main motivation for this move

'is the desire to give their children a closer affinity with the natural world.'

We've got two children. Olly's eight and Jessica's five.

They're particularly excited about moving to the country,

somewhere where they can have a treehouse in the garden.

'They are also hoping this move out to the east of the country

'will provide lots of new recreational opportunities.'

As a family, we're all keen cyclists.

I love to be out on my bikes

and a large proportion of my money is spent on

acquiring or maintaining the bikes.

And the roads up there and the rolling hills and the countryside,

I just thought I could spend hours out here on these roads and be perfectly happy.

'And they want that rural freedom right on their doorstep.'

It's really important that we find somewhere where we can walk out of our house

and find some woods where we can take our children

and just let them play.

'Top priority may be the outdoors,

'but they do have a couple of considerations for the bricks and mortar, too.'

For this house that we're looking for, we want it to be the house that the children grow up in.

Whether it be a period property or a more modern build,

we don't really mind.

'Their central Reading house is currently on the market,

'so all that remains is to figure out their finances.'

The budget for this move is £375,000.

'Ruth and Stef's son is soon to start studying music at school in Cambridgeshire,

'so good access by car is essential.

'So we'll be focusing our house search on the lovely villages in the east of Leicestershire.

'And we're meeting up in the county to find out more about their family's impending move.'

Hello, guys. Welcome to Leicestershire.

-It's a bit rainy outside so I thought we'd meet inside to spare our clothes.

-We appreciate that.

-So, why Leicestershire? Why are you moving here?

-Well, I've got myself a new job

working for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue.

So now we're going to move up and experience life in Leicestershire.

In terms of the house itself, what are you looking for? What's the spec for the building?

First of all, we'd like it to have four bedrooms.

If we were to find the perfect house with three bedrooms,

I think that it wouldn't matter too much as long as there was a reception room downstairs,

perhaps a study or something, that we could actually give over to our guests to have their own space.

What about the location? Are you looking to be out in the sticks or more in the centre of a village?

Mainly we drive to school.

We have to drive to the shops to pick up our essentials.

If we could avoid doing that then that would be great.

And if we could combine that with rural living or village life

-then that would be perfect.

-What about the money side of things?

How's the house sale in Reading going?

-Well, that's sold...

-Oh.

-..as of relatively recently and that sale is progressing through now.

Well, good, I think that's all the relevant facts. We have three lovely houses.

And it is a beautiful part of the countryside. Much underrated, I think.

-I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of them.

-Great.

'I'm glad Stef and Ruth have managed to up their spend a bit, as every penny counts.

'So, for a revised budget of £380,000,

'they're after a house with its own unique personality,

'that has the potential for four bedrooms

'and a secure garden with enough space for a treehouse.

'Lastly, they'd like to be within walking distance of essential amenities

'as well as a good primary school.

'Rather unusually, our buyers haven't got an exacting list of house requirements.

'So we've chosen a varied range of beautiful property styles,

'at least one of which, I hope, will meet the mark.

'But as always, the price will be a guessing game.

'Then, to top things off, we've got the mystery property,

'which will pit house against garden.'

'We're kicking off the house search in the village of Hallaton,

'which is about an hour and 15 minutes' drive from Cambridge.

'Surrounded by gorgeous countryside in the Welland Valley,

'Hallaton lies in the midst of beautiful walking and cycling territory.

'This is a much sought-after place to live with a small, well-regarded primary school.

'Much of the attractive architecture is constructed from ironstone and limestone

'quarried in this eastern part of this county.

'And our first property is a Grade II listed cottage

'right in the centre of the village.'

-Very nice.

-So, several things you'll have noticed.

It's attached, it's part of a terrace.

-But it's a Georgian terrace.

-Right.

From the 1790s. I think it's a beautiful property.

-First impressions?

-Well, it's clearly a terraced property,

which is something that we've not considered.

-So I'll be intrigued to see if inside it gives us the space that we want.

-Mm-hm.

Looking in through the window, it looks really, really lovely. I can't wait to get inside.

-I am worried that there might not be a garden. It might be a courtyard.

-Let's hope. Let's look inside.

'This is a beautifully appointed and deceptively spacious cottage,

'with more than enough room for a baby grand piano in the entrance hall.

'That's got to be an immediate plus point for Stef and Ruth's musically-minded son.'

Come into the sitting room.

You get a feel for the period of the property,

cos this is a lovely Georgian space.

It's really nice. Very light.

-Yes, I'm loving the big window. That's a fantastic view.

-Yeah.

It's got the lovely Georgian casement windows,

a nice little sort of butler's cupboard.

I could definitely see us sitting here as a family

and feeling really quite chilled, cos the view's just really nice.

-Well, the kitchen area is a bit more modern.

-OK.

It'll be interesting to see what you think about this.

-Wow!

-Oh, wow! Oh, this is huge.

-Yeah. So there's a bit more space here.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

I love the window seat.

That's something I had when I was a little girl

and I'd love to have that again.

'I believe that's a thumbs up for downstairs,

'which also houses a huge shower room with enough space to hide away all the white goods.

'Upstairs there's another smart and stylish bathroom,

'this time with a roll-top bath, which serves all of the bedrooms.

'But we have just three to choose from here,

'one of which is a petite single room.'

This is the biggest room, the master bedroom.

You've got lovely light from the north and the south.

And you can see the rafters of the original cottage.

-There's some history in those rafters.

-Definitely.

Where are we going to put the children? Let's have a look.

So, the other side of the landing, we have got this room.

Another good-size room.

-It's beautiful.

-I love this room and I love the master bedroom.

I think they're fantastic rooms, big windows,

lovely views out over the village and the countryside.

If we had one child, it would be very, very easy.

With two children and visitors, it's becoming a little bit more complicated.

'We've hit a potentially thorny issue with the lack of bedroom space upstairs.

'But I think I've got just the thing to win them back over outside.

SHE LAUGHS

-It's lovely, it's like a little surprise.

-It's a complete secret.

-Wow!

-And there's your tree for your treehouse.

-Perfect.

-Yay!

It's awesome. It's a really lovely surprise.

It is a proper secret garden.

-I can imagine our...

-I know a girl who would love it.

-Very much.

-Particularly the blossom.

-Yeah, she'd stand under that and dance.

I can tell you now, she'd be so thrilled with that.

-Aw! That is lovely to hear.

-Yeah.

Let's talk money. How much do you think this is on the market for?

-I'm thinking...about 375.

-I'm going to go for 380.

Well, you should listen to your wife, because she's exactly right.

It is on the market for £375,000.

'Just under their top budget, the first in our selection

'is a late 18th-century terraced home at the hub of a lively village.

'The property comes with a huge open-plan kitchen and family room,

'three bedrooms and a secure secret garden.'

Good thoughts?

-We really like it.

-Ah, that's what we like to hear.

But we do have another house lined up. Follow me.

'A high concentration of the Leicestershire landscape

'is dedicated to farmland, and in the northern portion of the county,

'the small town of Melton Mowbray has completely turned around its fortunes

'by capitalising on its food-producing heritage.

'Today I'm meeting Melton councillor and champion for the town Matthew O'Callaghan.

Matthew, we're sitting in a very bustling Melton now,

but let's spin back the clock. What was this like back in the '90s?

Going through a rough time.

About '97, we'd got the Asfordby mine closed,

we'd got the army depot closed,

and we'd also had the effects of mad cow disease on the cattle market and the agricultural infrastructure.

What did the town decide to do?

Myself and a group of other people decided we'd have to do something about it.

And we looked at what could we do as a town and what's unique about the town?

And, of course, it's our food heritage.

It's Stilton cheese, it's Melton Mowbray pork pies.

We decided to focus on that and use that to regenerate the town.

'The first step of Melton's food resurrection

'was a campaign to protect and preserve the town's world-famous pork pies.

'Produced here since the 18th century,

'in 2009, the pies were granted protected geographical status,

'meaning only those made locally can bear the name Melton Mowbray.

'Our next destination takes us further north into the county

'to the village of Goadby Marwood.

'Just a few miles from the Vale of Belvoir,

'Goadby Marwood is a quiet rural village.

'Much of the architecture here is built from locally-mined ironstone,

'including buildings that date back to the early 1600s.

'But parts of the local church have origins in the 13th century.

'And the second house is in the middle of the village,

'just off a quiet no-through road.'

Round the post, here we have house number two.

-Wow.

-Very cute.

-It is!

-So we're getting slightly more detached as we go along.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Semidetached.

-Clear on one side.

-Originally it would've been two little cottages from the 1850s.

It's been extensively expanded, but it's the lovely ironstone that's so common to this part of the world.

-I love the colour of the stone. It really is pretty.

-Yes.

Yeah. I'm liking the fact that it's got a garage,

-it's got off-road parking.

-Yes.

-Plenty of space.

-It's a nice property. Let's look inside.

-OK!

'Now, our first property earlier today, beautiful though it was,

'seemed to lack the sleeping quarters our buyers desired.

'So with this second house, we're giving them more options in an altogether different design.'

Come on in. Straight into the living space.

-Oh, yes!

-This is lovely!

-It is!

-It is, it's lovely!

-It is a much more kind of open-plan...

-It is.

-Uh-huh.

I'm loving the brick there. I really like that.

-That would've been the outside wall of the original cottage.

-Yeah.

-You get the sunlight in these big, lovely bow windows.

-Yes.

-Shall we move on through into the kitchen and have a look?

-Sure.

It's a much more modern space than the last house.

There's lots of cupboards in here.

I like the window, as well, that you can see through and watch the children while you're cooking dinner.

-And I like the stable door.

-Yes, nice to have a stable door.

-And also, this is east-facing, so you get the morning sunshine.

-Oh, nice.

-They've got two kids, as well, so they eat most of their meals in here.

-I like that.

-Shall we go and have a look at the other rooms?

-Yes!

-Definitely.

'There are four rooms in total down on the ground floor,

'including a separate dining room and one more reception

'that's currently designated as a play room.'

I just wanted to show you this little room quickly,

because I think this might be a good fourth bedroom.

-Guest room?

-Yeah.

-No, I see where you're going with that.

-Mm.

Then when the guests aren't here, it's a nice little play room for the kids. Fantastic.

-It's a super space.

-It is.

-Let's peek at the bedrooms.

-OK.

'Upstairs, alongside a four-piece family bathroom,

'lie the remaining bedrooms, and there are three to choose from.

As I mentioned, three bedrooms upstairs, but these ones are all a good size.

-This is the master.

-It's lovely.

-Lots of light.

-Built-in storage.

-Yeah, that's fab. Lots of it.

-Yeah.

-The nice thing about this property is there are lots of nooks and crannies.

-Indeed.

-Lots of outbuildings. So let's go outside.

-OK.

'Outside, the detached single garage we saw earlier has been divided up

'into useful storage space and a fully-kitted office.

'Then the enclosed garden is mainly laid to lawn,

'bordered by mature shrubs.'

-So what do you think of this garden?

-I love the magnolia bush.

Jessica and I have promised each other that's something we're going to do together in our next house,

to plant one, but there's one already here, so that was the first thing that attracted my attention.

-So you have to buy the house now!

-THEY LAUGH

It's a sign!

So now you've got an overview of the property, what do you think is the price tag?

I'm jumping in at 360.

-Can I fix you to a figure?

-OK. 365.

-365. 360.

-360.

You're both completely wrong.

This is on the market for 295.

-Wow!

-Oh, my word! You're joking!

-That's a lovely house for that amount.

-I'm genuinely gobsmacked.

Yeah. Really lovely.

'A sizable £85,000 under budget

'with a guide price of £295,000,

'our second property is an extended semidetached cottage

'dating back to the 1850s.

'It has three reception rooms,

'a large kitchen/diner, three bedrooms

'and a well-maintained, enclosed garden.'

So, if you pull the door behind you, because we are done for the day.

-Yay!

-Both properties inspected. Time for rest and relaxation.

The weather gods are smiling on us here in Leicestershire

for our Mystery House tour with Stef and Ruth.

I think they liked the properties yesterday but they might have been a little bit small

in terms of giving them the bedrooms and the garden that they wanted.

So the Mystery House. Usually mystery houses give them something they don't really ask for,

something unusual. In this instance, the Mystery House is actually giving them everything on their wish list

but in a very quirky way. Best if you have a look.

'Our final property stop is back down to southern Leicestershire

'where we're heading for Dunton Bassett.

'A small, rural village surrounded by beautiful countryside,

'residents of Dunton Bassett benefit from a couple of pubs,

'a newsagent with post office and a good primary school.

-Which one is it? Which one is it?

-I have no idea!

Here we have it. So, this is an unusual property because, as you can see, it's a courtyard property.

But the one I want to show you is the king of them,

the original farmhouse, this one in the corner.

-Wow.

-All of it.

-What, all of it?

-All of it.

-Wow.

-Goodness. That is huge.

We wanted to give you all the space you need.

-OK.

-What are your thoughts about it?

-That is massive, isn't it?

-Fantastic. I think it looks amazing.

-I can't wait to look inside.

I'm looking forward to showing you. Come on.

'To access the Mystery House, we're going round to the front door.

'Right in the heart of the village, this is a Grade II listed farmhouse

'with roots in the mid-16th century.

'But it's had a thoroughly modern makeover.'

-Come into...

-Oh, my word! Can you get in?

-..this amazing kitchen/dining room.

-Oh, my word!

-Wow.

-It's incredible.

-I nearly cried then.

-Ohh!

-That's amazing!

-Go on, give me some tears.

-That is unbelievable! What do you think?

-Yes, it's fantastic.

And then this room is really interesting, cos this is the oldest part of the house,

-it would've been the old farmhouse.

-Wow.

-Back to the 16th century.

You've got the original cross beam, which would've probably come from a ship.

And they've stripped it back and turned it into a lovely dining room.

-It's amazing. You've pulled it out of the bag.

-Just gorgeous.

Well, it's a big house, so I'll let you explore later, but let's go and look at the oldest part.

That probably would've been, I'm not sure, the dairy or something.

But this was obviously the kitchen, because you've got this great big old range,

and then a bread oven in this part here.

It's a fantastic room.

-There's some history in here.

-It's got loads of character, this room.

'Beyond this study, the garage has been turned into a gym.

'Then beyond that is the utility and storage room.

'The layout of this property takes the shape of an L,

'with the converted garage and utility to the far side of one wing.

'But we're going to make our way back through the dining room and kitchen

'towards the entrance hall and over to the other wing,

'where there are another two reception rooms.'

I guess this is the posh wing,

cos it's got carpet.

That's lovely. Really, really tranquil.

-It is.

-Beautifully done.

-It is, beautiful.

You have not one but two sitting rooms.

-It could be your summer sitting room and your winter sitting room.

-Good!

One of the reasons we've brought you here was because we haven't really managed to give you the bedrooms

in the other properties. But in this one,

oh, boy, have we given you bedrooms!

'The stairs back in the hallway lead up to the bounty of bedrooms.

'In the more modern part, above the sitting rooms,

'there's a family bathroom and three bedrooms,

'all of which are really generously sized,

'with plenty of space to accommodate Ruth and Stef's two children

'as well as visiting family and friends.

'And that just leaves the far wing, all of which has been dedicated to the master suite.'

Mind your head. But I wanted to show you this room to see your reaction.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-That's amazing!

-This is a room and a half.

-And it really is a master bedroom.

It's beautiful.

-Big and spacious and very light.

-Yes.

-Yeah!

-Definitely.

-That's great.

-Does it fit the bill?

-Without a doubt.

-Yeah!

I'd feel like I was living in a luxury hotel every night coming in here.

One disappointment is that the en suite's a bit small.

I'm sensing sarcasm.

-Oh, my gosh! It just gets better!

-Oh, my word!

THEY LAUGH

Wow. Oh, this is amazing!

-I've lived in smaller houses than this bathroom.

-It's true, isn't it?

Definitely, yes. Let's go outside.

-You can explore upstairs later on. After you.

-OK.

'There's no doubt that the house itself more than meets our buyers' criteria,

'but the compromise of this mystery package is outside in the garden,

'which is the smallest of all our three properties.'

What do you think about having a garden of this size, and it's obviously a bit exposed.

-Yeah.

-To be honest...

..we like the house so much that it actually didn't become an issue.

It's a nice, manageable space.

Well, it's a big property. What do you think it's on the market for?

I think it might be a little over our budget.

Erm, perhaps around 389.

-Right.

-Well, I'm going to go a bit lower,

-so I'm going to go in at 369.

-369.

Well... you were right in the sense that the property is over-budget.

So brace yourself. It's on the market for £400,000.

But don't despair, because we've been talking to the owners and they are open to negotiation.

-They could possibly come down to 380. But there is nothing you'd need to do to this house.

-No.

'On the market for £400,000,

'the listed mystery property may be over-budget,

'but it's also overflowing with features

'that include a large farmhouse kitchen,

'through to a separate dining room, a further three reception rooms,

'and four spacious bedrooms,

'one of which is a rather sumptuous master en suite.'

OK, guys, that's all the properties seen.

Time for us to gather our thoughts.

-Long day.

-Mm.

Let's talk about the properties. I got the impression that the Mystery House was a bit of a winner.

-Is that fair to say?

-I think you might be right.

-Definitely.

-Good, good.

But I was a little bit unsure about who might be a contender out of the other two.

Any clues about that?

I think the house that we saw second,

I think we've discounted that one because it's too far for Ruth to travel.

-Does that mean house number one was a contender?

-Downstairs was fantastic

and we really liked it, but the problem with the third bedroom being so tiny,

it is surmountable, but...

..we're just not sure whether or not we, you know, we may have liked another house more.

Hm. So clearly you're referring to the Mystery House there.

What is the situation with what happens next?

Can you proceed? Would you put an offer in?

-Yes, we'd like to go back and visit again.

-Without a doubt.

Go back, have a look, maybe take the kids so they can have a look.

They're very good judges of a house

and they'll quickly identify which bedroom they want, although it won't be very difficult.

That would make us very happy if they feel comfortable in there.

Yeah. And possibly make an offer after a second visit.

-So were you excited enough that you thought, "Oh, I can imagine living here?"

-Definitely.

Well, I know that time is pressing. Your job starts soon and your house is sold.

It's lovely that we found one that really struck a chord.

-We appreciate your help.

-We do. Thank you.

-Best of luck!

-Thank you.

Well, it looks like our Mystery House may be a winner,

though I think that Olly and Jessica will have a very important deciding vote to cast.

They're the part of the house-buying process we haven't been privy to.

Still, I think our work here in Leicestershire may be done.

Join us next time for more Escape To The Country.

'On reflection, Stef and Ruth decided that the garden of the Mystery House wasn't ideal for them.

'So the search for their perfect Leicestershire home continues.

'If you'd like to escape to the country in Northern Ireland,

'Scotland, Wales or England and you need our help,

'why not apply online at:'