Kent Escape to the Country

This magnificent house was the childhood home of one young lady

who had the misfortune of marrying King Henry VIII.

Find out which of his six wives grew up here in a few moments.

'Today, we help a London couple escape the noise and pollution of the Big Smoke

'for the fresh air and quiet of the countryside, and it's not all plain sailing.'

-This doesn't feel like a home.

-Right.

-It feels like a house.

-It feels like a show home.

-Yeah.

'But finally, we come up trumps.'

-Ohh!

-Oh, wow!

That is really pretty. Super-gorgeous.

Today, I'm in Kent and this is Hever Castle

where Anne Boleyn was lucky enough to spend her early years

before losing her head as the second wife of Henry VIII.

Four centuries on, the American entrepreneur William Waldorf Astor bought this house

and upsized it in every way.

He employed over 700 craftsmen to build a whole new Tudor-style wing.

Later on in the show, I'll be taking a closer look at this lavish restoration,

just one of the great treasures this county is home to.

In the south-east corner of Britain, tucked between London and the English Channel,

Kent is thought to be the oldest county in England.

Celebrated for its rich farmland and fruit orchards, it's also known for its brewing industry

where hops were once dried in distinctive, conical-shaped oast houses that still dot the landscape.

Gentle, rolling hills, downland and wooded valleys sit alongside the county's architectural heritage

with historic towns like Royal Tunbridge Wells

which developed as a spa resort over 400 years ago.

Sitting on the nation's front line, Kent boasts more than 18 spectacular castles,

including Sissinghurst with its world-famous garden.

And while the excellent transport routes into London make Kent prime commuter territory,

it does inflate property prices.

You'll find the average detached home here costs £316,000.

That's around 60,000 above the national figure.

Places that command a premium include sought-after villages

like Chiddingstone, Ightham and Fordcombe in the north and north-west of the county.

However, if you travel east towards the peaceful pockets around Maidstone and Canterbury,

you'll get more home for your money,

so let's meet today's buyers and find out why they're drawn to Kent.

Married for five years, Dan and Celia currently live

in a rented, three-bedroom house in Greenwich, south-east London,

but now, disenchanted with city living, they want a country home in which to raise their young family.

It is extremely built-up. We're overlooked by a massive tower block.

We've got a bit of a walk to get to any green space at all.

It would be nice to leave behind the concrete jungle

and move somewhere where there's a bit more fresh air and a bit more space.

And also not hearing police sirens would be really nice, all the time.

But yeah, it's time to just move on and move out.

Having enjoyed a rural childhood themselves, Celia and Dan are keen

that their three-year-old son Ned and six-month-old daughter Clem have the same opportunities.

In the countryside, kids have more freedom. I spent my summers building dams in streams and climbing trees.

I have this vision that they can get on their bikes and cycle round to people's houses

which I wouldn't feel comfortable them doing in a busy town like Greenwich.

With doctor Celia working in central London and dentist Dan on the south-east edge of the capital,

they want to keep commuting time to a minimum, but still enjoy all the elements of a country life.

I'd like to move into a village and be part of a smaller community.

Greenwich is a nice community, but it's a very big community.

It would be nice to live somewhere a bit smaller. I'd like the children to go to a local school.

As a keen cyclist, Dan is looking forward to having a choice of scenic routes right on his doorstep.

I spend a good hour, hour and a half to get to the countryside when we go riding or running,

so it would be nice to already be there.

The family plan to spend as much time as possible indulging their passion for the great outdoors.

We're quite into camping and we've got our van. We haven't been getting to the country as much as we'd like.

I've checked out some campsites around Kent

and hopefully, we'll instil a love of the countryside in the kids while they're so little.

But as well as the space of the open countryside, Dan and Celia are looking for a house big enough

for their two small children and Dan's 11-year-old daughter Megan.

It would be nice to have a five-bedroom house because when Megan stays with us at the weekends,

she ends up staying on a blow-up bed in Clem's room, so it would be nice for her to have her own room.

We're bursting out at the seams. We haven't got room to store Dan's bike stuff and our ski stuff and whatever.

I'm really looking forward to moving somewhere where we have a garage,

where these umpteen bikes can be stored and not cluttering up my hallway and my kitchen.

This will be the first property Dan and Celia are buying together and they have to make the right choice.

We do plan on just moving once and then staying there, hopefully, for a long time,

so it will change our life in a massive way.

It will be very exciting and nice to have a place that's actually ours.

It's a major decision, so what have they set aside for their dream home?

Top end of the budget to spend probably would be between £850,000 to £900,000.

Yeah!

'Dan and Celia are interested in the area close to the market town of Tonbridge,

'four miles north of Tunbridge Wells and around 30 miles south-east of London.

'I'm meeting them in situ to find out just what kind of property they have in mind.'

Dan and Celia, welcome to Kent.

-Thank you.

-This is an important purchase for you two. Tell us more.

This will be the first house we've bought together, so it's exciting.

So, what's important for you both? Is it the house, is it the location?

-What's the priority?

-I think in terms of our quality of life, probably it's the location.

We want a decent school for the kids to go to. We want both of us to not have a horrible commute to work.

Tell us a little bit about the home you're looking for in your eyes.

Ideally, detached, olde-worlde, a little bit quirky.

We'd like five bedrooms because we've got three children

and it would be nice to have some space for people to visit and so on, and, if possible, a play room.

Remind us how much we've got to spend.

-We are lucky enough to have a budget of £850,000.

-OK.

Is there any flexibility on that or is that the limit?

I suppose for the perfect house we would be able to go up to about £900,000.

-We've got three properties lined up to show you in this beautiful county. Shall we get started?

-Yeah.

With a generous budget of up to £900,000, our buyers are looking for a detached character property.

We've found three contrasting properties to tempt them with.

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

The last is the mystery house

which, whilst straying from the wish list, might just bowl them over.

So, it's time to head to our first property.

-As we're driving around, it's hard to believe we're not that far from the city.

-I know.

It's extraordinary that within an hour of where we live, you can be in such a rural place

with almost unmade-up roads and so much beautiful countryside. I've been really surprised.

-And plenty of paths to cycle and walk and run for you, Dan.

-Yeah, very much so.

Out in the country, obviously, there's less cars, less traffic.

-It's a lot nicer for someone on a bike to be just riding around.

-Less pollution.

'We're testing Dan and Celia with our first property which is on the edge of Tonbidge.

'It offers the convenience they're after, though will it give them enough of that country feel?

'Built around the River Medway with over 150 listed buildings, including its very own castle,

'Tonbridge offers excellent primary schools and all the shops and amenities our buyers need.

'With great train and road connections into London, they could be at work in less than an hour.'

-So, here is...

-Oh, wow!

-..our first property.

-Very nice.

-Lovely.

-Beautiful.

-It looks stunning, doesn't it?

Is this what you had in mind when you thought of moving?

It's perhaps a little more urban than we'd expected, but there are benefits to being on the edge of a town.

When the children get older, they can walk places. We won't have to drive them everywhere.

-There's pros and cons to it.

-Something to weigh up.

-Shall we start the tour?

-Yeah.

'Built in 1957, this house has been extended and the space provides a substantial family home.'

Gosh, it's lovely and light!

-Plenty of windows which is great.

-Yeah.

-Wow, I love the fireplace!

Different from where you are at the moment?

You could fit our whole house in this...

-Every room is going to be spacious for you two. How lovely!

-I know.

-It seems very grown-up to have a house this big.

-Yeah.

-Shall we continue to the kitchen?

-Yeah.

-So, you've got the kitchen here.

-Mm-hm.

-So, long and thin.

But it leads into a separate area with informal dining at the end.

Yeah, that's really nice to have space for a family kitchen table.

This is where the original house ended, so you could look at opening that out a little bit more.

Wow, that would be a big space if this was all opened out!

And there's another room through here which I've got an idea for.

It makes a great office.

But what about if you took away that wall

-and opened it all out?

-Yeah.

-That would be lovely.

-Amazing for the children.

-Yeah.

You can keep an eye on them. They've got access to the garden.

-But what a great area and it's away from the rest of the house.

-It would be so big.

I have this vision of a great, big kitchen table everyone can sit around. That would be really nice.

-I think it would transform the downstairs if you could open it up.

-Absolutely.

And just behind us, you've actually got a dining area, a separate room.

People of our generation are less likely to use a formal dining room and are more likely

to entertain friends on the side of the kitchen, so you could put the kids' stuff in there.

That could be the children's play room. We've got it sorted! Now we'll go upstairs and see the bedrooms.

'Upstairs are three good-sized rooms, all with built-in cupboards,

'a light, spacious double and a family bathroom,

'plus there's an impressive master suite.'

So, lots of bedrooms with this property.

-How do you fancy having your own en-suite?

-Yeah. Are we allowed to have a little look?

-Go on.

Oh, right. It goes on.

Wow! Dressing room and bathroom.

-It's huge.

-Terrific.

'Dan and Celia seem happy with the room inside the house.

'There's also a basement with a games room and a large wine cellar.

'I hope the garden won't disappoint. There's a large patio and lawn with mature trees and shrubs,

'plus two garages to accommodate their camper van and Dan's bikes.'

You've got a beautifully presented, mature garden.

It's not overlooked at all, which, considering there are other houses around, is really nice.

-It's a decent-sized plot.

-And you've got the front garden.

It's plenty big enough for the kids to have a game of football, so that's fine.

So, who wants to go first with "guess the price"?

About eight hundred and twenty...five thousand pounds.

I've had a look at some of the houses that you can walk into Tonbridge from round here.

You've done a lot more research. That's unfair.

I think it would be quite a lot more than that with this amount of garden and in such good condition.

I'd say we're looking at more like 875.

I'm sorry to tell you that one of you is wrong and one of you is bang on the money.

Eight hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds.

Do you fancy having another look around? With that price in mind,

-take a long look at that property, all the rooms, what adjustments you can make. Off you go. Enjoy.

-Thanks.

At £875,000, this house is under their maximum budget.

-I reckon we could shut Ned in here with the ping-pong table.

-Definitely.

It would keep him occupied for hours.

From my point of view, this house has given me massive food for thought.

For it to be in our style, in our taste, we'd have to do some re-modelling, re-decorating.

It's less rural than what we'd been thinking about,

but I can see all the merits of actually living here close to Tonbridge,

close to train lines and so on.

-Are you happy? Have you seen enough?

-Yeah, very much so.

-That's our first house done. Shall we get moving now?

-Yeah.

-Come on.

Kent's ancient woodland covers more area than nearly any other county in England

and provides a rich habitat for wildlife.

Dan and Celia are looking forward to exploring the woods as a family once they move here.

We thought they would enjoy learning some new bush skills to try out with the children.

We sent them to woodland near the town of Tenterden in the Kentish Weald

to meet expert woodsman and bushcraft leader Phil Brown.

-Hiya.

-Hi.

-I'm Phil.

-Hi, I'm Dan.

-Nice to meet you.

-This is Celia.

-Nice to meet you.

-Good to meet you.

-I'll show you some bushcraft and survival skills today. Do you have children?

-Yeah, three.

-Fantastic. Hopefully, you can take those skills forward with your kids and have fun outdoors.

-Excellent.

Dan and Celia are already keen campers, but Phil is going to teach them how to build a shelter,

using the natural materials all around them in the woods.

We've got the ridge pole here and two forked sticks.

What we're going to do is we're going to put the base of the ridge pole

up against this big oak tree which isn't going to move,

just making sure that these...interlock.

That is how we're going to make our shelter.

-We're going to lean pieces of wood all the way down this, OK?

-Mm-hm.

If you guys want to start looking around, seeing what you can find...

Along with oak trees, the main species in this part of the woods is hornbeam.

Used for the hammers on piano keys and the teeth on water-mills and windmills,

it's particularly strong and ideal for building a sturdy shelter.

-You can do one side. I'll do the other.

-We'll see which one leaks!

That's looking really, really good.

Come on, Celia. Your side's looking poor.

I'm absolutely amazed by how this is looking even after, what, 10, 15 minutes.

-You've slept a night in one of these things?

-Yeah, they're great.

I've tried them various seasons. One time I'd been out for a week, hadn't shaved and I had a bit of stubble.

-I woke up in the morning and I had slugs squashed into my beard.

-Eugh!

-Eugh!

-Yeah, fond memories(!)

This is looking really good now, guys.

For the thatching, this is what will take the time, a bit of energy and you will get a bit dirty.

What we're going to do is we're going to scrape up the leaves around us.

This is where the work begins. You've had it easy up until now.

The leaves are packed tight over the frame to form a thatched roof on the shelter, making it watertight.

What do you think, Phil?

-It's great. Good effort.

-We've definitely learned something today.

-And got a bit dirty.

-A bit.

-Fantastic.

-Got my countryside hands on.

-Yeah.

Now they've learned how to make a temporary shelter,

it's time to get on with the hunt for Dan and Celia's permanent home in the country.

Our second house is located in the village of Chart Sutton,

around 13 miles east of Tonbridge.

Staplehurst, three miles south of the property,

offers a good selection of local shops, some traditional pubs and a library,

plus the all-important main-line rail service into London.

Let me show you our second property.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-OK...

-It's beautiful.

-That is...

-Two "wows". That rates highly.

The house itself is about 100 years old. It was extended about 30, 35 years ago.

-Are you eager to step inside?

-Yes, absolutely.

'This may look like a classic character property,

'but the interior is quite a surprise.'

So, it's not quite the cottage it looks from the outside, is it?

It's enormous.

It's huge.

-Surprised?

-It's a bit mind-boggling.

-It looks really small from the outside and in here it's a bit like a Tardis.

-Yeah.

Everywhere downstairs has got under-floor heating with its own thermostat.

As big a sitting room as you could possibly want,

then through that door is a media room. That's how they use it when the grandchildren come to stay.

-But it could be the children's play area.

-Brilliant.

How do you feel as you walk in?

I'm a bit...mind-blown, to be honest. I didn't expect it to be a big room like this.

From the outside, I thought it would be lots of small compartments.

-Do you want to see the next bit, the kitchen?

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

And if you like a lot of space in your kitchen...

-Mm-hm.

-It's taken your breath away, hasn't it?

-It's enormous.

-This all looks brand-new.

-It is, actually.

It's been here a year and a half, so you've got granite work surfaces all the way round,

a huge island in the middle,

two ovens at the end, so much storage space.

Yeah, it's a lot smarter than any kitchen I've ever had.

Yeah, it's quite sort of, um... grown-up.

-Is it too much for you?

-I think it is too much. I'll be honest with you.

Is it too sort of smart, do you think? Is it too smart for your...?

It's not to my taste, but if it's only a year old, I wouldn't dream of changing it. Do you know what I mean?

I think my problem is that this doesn't feel like a home.

-It feels like a house.

-It feels like a show home.

We'll continue upstairs now.

'Leading off the generous living room is a conservatory overlooking the garden and the open countryside,

'but despite all the space, it seems Dan and Celia can't imagine themselves in this property.

'Maybe they'll be more taken with the upstairs.'

Now, before we look at bedrooms,

I have to show you this.

-Wow!

-Step inside.

It is the most amazing shower, power shower, jets everywhere.

-It's a double shower.

-It's got room for two.

-We'll not go into that!

-You have a bath, a jacuzzi.

-You could have the whole family in there.

I'll bring you back to reality and show you the bedrooms now.

So, we have a very light and spacious master bedroom with en-suite.

-Plenty of space.

-Loads of light.

-This has got a lot of light and beautiful views.

Yeah, really nice to have a kind of...two-aspect views.

And high ceilings. It doesn't feel cottagey inside. It feels big.

And this is the old part of the property. So, you've got five bedrooms in total - one single,

-four doubles, two of those are en-suite.

-Right, OK.

-When your guests come to stay...

-They'll be very happy.

-Then you've got your family bathroom as well. How would you feel waking up with that view?

-Extremely lucky.

-And the children as well...

-Yeah, it's an idyllic spot.

Let's head outside. I've got some out-buildings to point out to you

and also we are going to have to discuss money.

So, the total outside space, it is pretty impressive.

You've got an out-building there. A bit of work has been done on it. Piping and everything's in there.

Next door to that you've got a sauna and a hot-tub.

A huge garage, a carport. Then we start on the land.

In total, there's four acres, including the footprint of the property.

So, if you follow the conifer trees down, past the gee-gee in a field,

all the way up, right to the back, then it comes all the way round here

and you've got the play area right at the back for the children.

-It's a big chunk of England.

-It is.

-Shall we walk round to the front of the property and talk about money?

-Yeah.

-Come on.

'Having guessed the exact price of the last house, can Celia do it again?'

-We're at the front of the property. It looks attractive, doesn't it?

-Very attractive.

I really like the Kentish clapboard. We've seen a lot of these houses. They're really pretty.

Celia, I think it's your turn to go first, isn't it?

Well, it's a big house. It's been newly done up and it's got masses of land.

I can't imagine all that will come very cheap.

I'll have another stab at 875.

Right. How about you, Dan? Guess the price.

-I think very similar, very similar.

-You can agree.

But I would say slightly cheaper,

maybe 860?

Right. Interesting.

-The asking price is £850,000.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Surprised?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Definitely surprised.

-Have a second look around. I'll meet you out the back door in true country style.

-Lovely.

-Thanks.

-See you when you're ready.

On the market for £850,000,

this modernised period property is well under Dan and Celia's maximum budget.

I love the location, I love all this land.

It really feels like you're in the country which is what we're after,

but I'm a bit less enamoured on the inside.

I like old properties because they have old, quirky features inside and this has been stripped bare of those

and done to a very, very high standard, but not to my taste

and you can't really replace those old features once they've gone.

This house is a paradox.

It's beautiful on the outside

and olde-worlde, 100 years old on the outside,

but when you walk in on the inside, it just feels like a new build,

so, to make it feel olde-worlde and 100 years old in the inside

would be a lot of work.

-Happy, you two?

-Mm-hm.

-Thank you.

-What a glorious end to our day!

Sun shining, in the countryside...

It's gorgeous. It certainly feels a million miles from London.

-Yeah. We've given you some thinking to do with these properties.

-You have, yeah.

'It's the second day of our house-hunt in Kent with London couple, Dan and Celia.

'They have a generous budget of up to £900,000 to spend on a rural family home.

'Coming up, it seems it's love at first sight at our mystery house.'

-That is absolutely beautiful.

-Wow! Unbelievable.

'And I visit historic Hever Castle where Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII did their courting.'

That is what I call a view!

Yesterday, we showed Dan and Celia a country home on the edge of their preferred location of Tonbridge

with all the convenience close to hand.

Our second property, the cottage, it had had an extensive makeover,

but was surrounded by rolling countryside.

And it seemed to me the couple were in a real quandary.

Do they want the convenience of being on the doorstep of a major town

versus the country, rural idyll?

Today, we're going to show them a mystery house

that is a beautiful home right next to a stunning village with a school,

but it's in a part of the county they've never considered before.

Let's see how we get on.

'We're taking a risk with our mystery house, travelling around 30 miles south-east of Tonbridge

'where you get more property for your pound, but it's a longer commute to their work in London.

'However, this property has real period charm and I think it could be made for them.'

-Have you thought about what we might be taking you to see?

-I have, but I'm really quite nervous.

I'm really nervous. It could be...a more extreme version of either two of the houses.

I'd like to think it's the good bits of both of them.

What would be your worst nightmare?

-A new build on an estate.

-Yeah.

'Our third and final property is just outside the small village of Mersham.

'There's a church, a couple of pubs and village shops here,

'but although the road connections are good, it would mean a longer drive to work for Dan

'and Celia would have to travel three miles to Ashford to catch the train to London.'

Education, how important is it, on a scale of one to ten, for your little ones?

In the top two, definitely.

-This could be your local village school.

-It's lovely.

It got a good ranking from Ofsted last year. It's got about 200 pupils.

So, if you buy the mystery house, this could be their local primary school.

-Are you ready for our mystery house?

-Absolutely.

-Come on.

'This timber-framed manor house is Grade II listed

'and is thought to date back to the 16th century.'

So, I'm bringing you to see our final property.

I know this is a very important move. It's the first time you'll have bought a house together.

You want this to be your home for the next 20 or 30 years.

Dan and Celia, this is your mystery house. Take a look.

-Oh!

-Oh, wow!

That is really pretty.

Oh, wow, that is beautiful!

Super... Super-gorgeous.

-Shall we start the grand tour?

-Yes, let's.

-Very much so.

So, I have to say "welcome".

Wow!

-Wow!

-That's absolutely beautiful.

-It's unbelievable.

-It's hard to believe this is a home.

-Yeah.

-How keen are you to get started?

-Desperate.

-Shall we start with the kitchen?

-Yeah.

-Kitchen first.

-You might have a period house, but you've got a fantastic modern kitchen.

-Wow!

-But done in such a nice style. It really fits with the feel of the house.

-It does.

It's lovely. I love the big, open range at the end.

-Would you change anything here?

-No, not at all.

-I'd be very happy for this to be my kitchen.

-You could walk straight into this.

-Yeah.

-This is absolutely beautiful.

-We've surprised you, haven't we?

-I'm a bit blown away, yeah. It's really nice.

It's not often you get to see the inside of a house like this, let alone being told you could own it.

It could be your future home.

-Dan, if you want to lead through, we'll keep going.

-Mind your head.

Oh, wow!

Look at the fire!

-I want to see your faces.

-Oh, my goodness!

This is exactly what you expect from a country cottage or house.

-It's just...stunning.

-So, if you think the house is old,

those beams are ships' beams, so they're going to be even older.

They could be 150 years older than this house even.

-Wow!

-I feel like we're in some sort of National Trust property,

not somewhere where you would be allowed to live, but it's still got a lovely feel to it. It's gorgeous.

If I was to imagine any house, this would be it.

Just from the walk up the drive, everything.

The beams, the fire...

-It's absolutely amazing.

-It's gorgeous.

'The ground floor also offers an elegant dining room with another original fireplace,

'a small office and wine cellar.

'Upstairs, there are two floors.

'At the top of the house is a bedroom and bathroom, ideal for visiting guests.

'The first floor consists of a family bathroom and three more spacious bedrooms,

'including a show-stopping en-suite master.'

Oh, my God, it's enormous!

I was expecting poky little bedrooms.

Even enough room for a sofa in it, but there is more.

It used to be a dressing room. It's now an en-suite.

An en-suite in a medieval house? I don't believe it!

-Shall we head outside?

-Yeah.

'Dan and Celia clearly love what they've seen so far

'and I wonder what they'll make of the grounds?'

So, you've got all this. I just want you to take another look.

That is what you call a period property.

Absolutely. It's idyllic. It really is.

A couple of other things to mention - you've got a cottage here. It used to be the hayloft.

It's got a massive bedroom with three beds in it, a kitchen, sitting area, self-contained.

You've also got a double garage there and a studio flat.

-And if that wasn't enough, you have three acres of land in total.

-Goodness!

-But how much is it on the market for? We've now got to get serious, haven't we?

-You can go first.

I would have thought this would be double our budget. Really!

I'm puzzled as to why you've brought us here. I couldn't imagine that this would be less than £1 million.

-Yeah.

-Really.

-What do you want to say? What's your figure? A million?

-Yeah.

-OK.

I'd almost agree with her. Just slightly under. I don't think we can afford it.

I think it's still just under a million.

Are you ready...?

The asking price for this amazing property...

£895,000.

-Wow!

-I think it would be an honour to live somewhere like this. It's just beautiful.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked that it's even within our grasp.

Please go and explore. Take as long as you like.

You've got a lot to see and an awful lot to think about.

-We certainly have.

-See you later.

-Thanks.

-Thanks very much.

I can honestly say that has to be one of the most amazing house tours I have ever done.

Houses like that just don't come on the market, certainly at that price, very often.

I've just got my fingers crossed that they do think it's their future home together.

At £895,000, this house is just inside Dan and Celia's maximum budget.

But it would make a longer journey into work.

I thought the bathroom would be crammed into a tiny, little dark room,

but this is like a super, luxury, smart hotel bathroom. Isn't it gorgeous?

But still in keeping with the oldness of the house. I love the black and white.

Oh, this is like a little, tiny doll bedroom!

This is beautiful. This is like my dream bedroom when I was a little girl.

This is a really lovely house.

It is really nice.

Yeah, we've always said we like quirky buildings,

we like houses without straight lines in them

and this has got it in spades. It really has.

It's absolutely beautiful.

Because it's not in a location we've thought about before, I've got to get my head around that

and wonder how to make that work with both of our jobs.

You don't want your quality of life to drop because you've both got a two-hour commute.

We're a little bit further out of London. Yes, I admit that.

And I think I'm prepared to compromise the distance, the commute

for this...amazing house.

Dare I drag you both away?

-I'd rather stay inside.

-Would you?

-Yeah.

-That's a really good sign.

-But don't give too much away. Shall we go and have that chat?

-Yes.

'We've shown Dan and Celia three amazing houses in Kent

'and there are plenty more to choose from if you, like them, are looking to re-locate to the county.

'17 miles south-east of Tonbridge is where the boarded house, a common sight in the Kentish countryside,

'is a treat offering three bedrooms and exposed beams.

'It's on the market for £450,000.

'And for those property hunting on a lower budget,

'this two-bedroom, Victorian cottage close to Tonbridge offers a large living and dining area

'and contemporary kitchen.

'It's on the market for £249,950.

'One of Kent's most famous historic houses

'is the stunning, 13th century Hever Castle near Edenbridge.

'Best known as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII,

'it's now one of the county's most popular tourist attractions.

'I'm meeting Chief Executive Duncan Leslie to delve into the castle's extraordinary history.'

Duncan, great to meet you.

I have a real passion for anything to do with the Tudor period.

-Anne Boleyn's family had connections to Hever Castle.

-Absolutely.

This was their main home. They needed a home close to London

and we're only 21 miles, as the crow flies, to London.

She spent a lot of her formative years here before going to France.

Then she came back and spent a lot of time here when Henry VIII was courting her.

So, what happened to the castle after she left?

Henry VIII actually gave Hever Castle to another of his ex-wives, to Anne of Cleves.

-No?

-As part of the divorce settlement. Anne of Cleves lived here for 16 years.

-Two out of the six wives lived here?

-That's right.

'Over the years, the castle was owned by a number of prominent families,

'but had fallen into disrepair when it was bought by wealthy American William Waldorf Astor in 1903.

'He set about lovingly restoring it at enormous expense.'

My word!

This just gives you an idea of the sort of workmanship.

We're talking hundreds... thousands of hours of work.

-It's not just this room. It's the whole castle.

-The gardens as well?

There were 600 or 700 people working in here, but just for the lake, there were 800 people

-and another 150 in the gardens, so come and have a look.

-My goodness!

'It's hard to believe the elaborate gardens around the castle were just marshland

'before Astor embarked on his massive restoration project.'

Now, that is what I call a view!

This was just fields. He wanted a lake, so 800 men were employed for two and a half years,

digging this lake by hand.

This garden, the Italian Gardens, was built just for his statue collection.

He had about 150 items and he needed somewhere to put it, so he built this garden for it.

I wonder if he had any idea that we would be appreciating this huge investment 100 years later?

I think he wanted to leave something behind that he would be remembered by

and I suspect he's probably succeeded.

'It's 110 years since Astor bought the castle

'and to mark the anniversary, the Japanese Tea House on the lake is being rebuilt.

'I'm meeting landscape designer Simon Scott who is overseeing the project.'

So, these dragons, were they on the original building?

They are hopefully something similar to what was on the original building.

'The Tea House was taken down in the 1930s to make space for a pillbox,

'the dug-in guard post, built as part of British anti-invasion preparations

'during the Second World War.

'Simon's job is to try and re-create it as accurately as possible.'

A lot of the records and photos were lost during a flood in 1968.

The only bit we have got is the existing roof, the original roof which is here on top of the pillbox.

The only other bits we know about the Tea House...

A pensioner who lives in the village remembers taking down the original Tea House to make way...

And the only bits he actually remembers are the roof and the gold dragons.

So, all you do here is just a nice, circular motion to get right into all the cracks,

then just brush it out a little bit.

The Tea House is nearly completed. Would the public have access to it?

What the castle are trying to do is to take the essence of the original building

and create something that everyone can enjoy the views of the lakes.

I'm looking forward to seeing it complete in all its grandeur.

I'll be wondering which of those dragons did I help paint?

'If everything goes to plan, they should be finished here in a couple of weeks.

'And I can't think of a more relaxing place to come and enjoy a cup of tea.'

That's it, our house hunt here in Kent is over.

I think Dan and Celia's reaction to our mystery house said it all,

but is it enough for them to put in an offer?

Let's find out.

Out of the three houses we've shown you here in Kent, there is one that I want to talk about

and it is our mystery house.

-Mm-hm.

-And my goodness, did we get fantastic reactions...

-Fireworks.

-We did. We got everything, didn't we?

Yeah, it's incredible.

If you'd told us a couple of weeks ago that we'd be going to see a place like that within our budget...

I didn't expect you to be able to find somewhere like that for us.

You can almost imagine yourself here already, but you've got to think about it.

What happens next?

Definitely want to go back to see the mystery house again, have a look round,

then have a total chat about it.

I'm pretty much sold, but you need a bit more convincing.

I need to shift my mind-set a bit further east in Kent, but I couldn't ask for more from the house.

You do have to think about work, locations and commutes. I totally agree.

But from a family point of view, if it is the house for you, I wouldn't sit on your hands.

-Thank you so much. It's been great.

-Thanks.

-Thank YOU.

Well, that's it.

For a couple desperate to leave the capital behind and bring up their family in the Kent countryside,

I think we may have found them their dream, first owned home together.

I think Dan and Celia's reaction to our mystery house... Well, it said it all, didn't it?

Great house, great garden.

I just hope Celia's nerves about the location and commute to work can be settled.

For me, that house is a journey worth making.

From the Kent countryside, goodbye. See you next time.

Dan and Celia fell in love with our mystery house,

but have reluctantly concluded that the extra commute would prove too far for them.

They're continuing their search in the Tonbridge area.

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