West Sussex Escape to the Country

This castle behind me may look familiar. But don't be fooled.

Due to its visual resemblance to Berkshire's Windsor Castle,

it's been its film and television stand-in on many occasions.

So where am I? Find out in just a moment.

'On today's show, I'm helping a retired couple

'to ditch their nation-hopping lifestyle

'to consolidate their lives in the wide open spaces of the countryside.

-'They know what they like...'

-I think it needs redesigning

-for what we would want.

-Yeah, we would have it differently.

'..and they like what they see.'

Shall I tell you something? I'd love to have this house.

I'm in West Sussex and this is Arundel Castle,

one of the longest inhabited country houses in England.

It was built by one of William the Conqueror's most loyal barons, Roger de Montgomery.

Now, he was awarded no less than a third of Sussex

on the provision that he built a castle by the River Arun

to help defend the county's borders.

And this spot is a great place to take in the stunning scenery of the South Downs National Park,

something today's buyers are hoping to see a lot more of.

'West Sussex is located in the south of England

'between Hampshire to the west and East Sussex to the east.

'All three counties have one thing in common.

'The South Downs National Park.

'The county capital is Chichester in the southwest

'which boasts a stunning 12th century cathedral.

'Further east is Arundel, a picture-perfect town

'with its castle sitting high upon the hill

'looking down on the glorious River Arun.

'If it's a beach you're after,

'head south to an impressive 40-mile stretch of shoreline

'where you can enjoy the quiet expanses of the West Sussex coast.'

So what is it about this county that so appeals to today's buyers?

'Barry and Bart have spent the last 12 years dividing their time

'between a home in the town of Richmond-upon-Thames in south-west London

'and their sunny bolthole on the Mediterranean island of Majorca.

'But now they feel the time is right for a move to the British countryside.'

-It's a lovely lifestyle but it's a divided lifestyle.

-Yeah.

So you live part of the time in Majorca, part of the time here,

and that's lovely for a while,

but there comes a time when you just want to settle and concentrate your energies in one place.

'Now both retired,

'80-year-old Barry and 58-year-old Bart

'are looking to consolidate their lives in the South Downs area of West Sussex.'

We love the area there and we're familiar with it,

so we'd like to find out more about it and actually be situated there.

'They've been together for over 30 years

'and when the opportunity arose, they formally cemented their relationship.'

We became civil partnered in 2005,

which was the big year, on 21st December,

which was the first day in the United Kingdom that was possible.

And that was quite a big day, because it felt very important to us.

Same day as David Furnish and Elton John.

-It was the same, yes. That's our claim to fame.

-Very important.

-Very important.

'A shared passion has been the added catalyst to moving.'

I am an extreme dog lover

and I really want to have another dog.

-My last dog died... When did Henry die? About 12 years ago.

-Mm.

I have a broken leg, it's healing, and I really need to exercise it.

If we had dogs then I would be encouraged to go out,

cos I can be terribly lazy, you see.

And if I don't have to go out, I don't go out now. It would be a good thing.

'And a move from an apartment would allow them the space

'to reinvigorate their love of art and antiques.

'So what would they like to trade in their dual-property lifestyle for?'

The ideal property would be a house that's not too big,

that has some character to it,

that has some interesting features, with about three or four bedrooms,

a large kitchen/diner would be good.

I think Bart's missed out the most important factor.

We're looking for something that's got some style.

-Yeah. But I think you put that into it, as well.

-Yeah.

Well, no, I'd like to see style there before I moved in.

Cos he's a lazy so-and-so. BARRY LAUGHS

'And vital to this rural move is the financial detail.'

The budget would be £800,000.

For absolutely the right place

we could stretch, perhaps, to about 900.

'Barry and Bart would like us to concentrate our search

'in the area around Chichester in the south-west of the county,

'to be within striking distance of the South Downs.

'I met up with them on local soil

'to find out what sets their hearts racing.'

So what is it exactly that you're looking for with this next move?

Something fairly simple

but very attractive,

a garden but not too big.

And something that will have a wow factor.

And a downstairs bedroom or a room which we could convert into a downstairs bedroom,

because of Barry's leg, he broke his leg two years ago.

And we'd like a good-size kitchen. A small kitchen would be a no-no for us.

-Are you going to know when you walk through the door?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-And are you generally in agreement?

-We always agree as long as I have my own way.

Right. We've got three properties lined up.

One, of course, is our mystery house.

So I think we should finish our tea and get going.

Brilliant. Let's do that.

'For a top budget of £900,000,

'Barry and Bart are looking for three to four bedrooms, one en suite,

'a large kitchen or kitchen/diner,

'a downstairs bedroom or a room with an option to convert,

'a large, dog-friendly garden,

'and all within striking distance of the South Downs.

'We have a variety of properties to show them

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

'One is a mystery house that will hopefully pull at the heart strings.

'But before all that, first on the list is house number one.'

'We begin our property search in the south-west of the county,

'close to the coastal village of Pagham,

'around six miles south of Chichester and four miles from Bognor Regis on the south coast.

'All the essential amenities can be found nearby

'in the 13th century village of Pagham.

'Close by in the hamlet of Lagness is our first house,

'a Grade II listed farmhouse that comes with an added extra surprise,

'all surrounded by open farmland.'

So, gentlemen, for our first property, I've brought you to the south of the county.

-And here is the first house we're going to show you.

-Ah! It looks interesting.

-Yes, looks good.

There's a barn straight in front of us.

-That comes with the property, as well.

-Oh, interesting.

-So shall we start?

-Yeah. Let's go.

'It's an encouraging start, but we're taking a bit of a gamble with our first offering.

'It has plenty of space, but will the layout be right for Barry and Bart?'

And we're going to start off with the kitchen.

-Hm.

-Good size? How do you feel?

-It needs...

-It needs to be a bit bigger for me.

-It needs work doing to it.

-It's got a lot of character in many ways.

-This, to me, is lovely perhaps for the house,

-but I think it needs redesigning for what we would want.

-Yeah, we would have it differently.

The one thing you have to be mindful of is it's listed.

Built around 1742. It's Grade II listed.

-We'd like a large kitchen/diner, really.

-Yeah.

-Space.

-OK. Well, there's an option through here.

-Right.

-Because you've got a dining room next door.

-Yes, absolutely.

But it would, I think, be better incorporated into the kitchen.

But again, if it's Grade II listed, that could be a problem.

-You would definitely need to look into it.

-Yeah. That's a question mark.

OK, well, let's continue on your tour.

Oh, wow, that's lovely. That really is very, very nice.

-Nice, isn't it? I love the open fire.

-Very, very charming.

Yes, that's very, very nice.

I've got a different reaction totally with this half of the house.

-Yes.

-Yeah, this is lovely. This is very nice.

-Shall we continue, head upstairs?

-Please.

-Yes, let's do that.

-Love to.

'The utility room, storage area and cloakroom

'make up the remainder of the ground floor.

'So after that mixed reaction to the downstairs,

'we're hoping for more positives from the four good-size bedrooms upstairs.'

So here is the master bedroom.

-Yes.

-You've got four bedrooms in total.

So you've got three about this size

and then you've got a single which is currently being used as a study.

-Is there an en suite with this?

-There isn't. There's a family bathroom.

-Ah.

-Right.

-Which all the bedrooms share.

-Right.

-As rooms go, it's a nice room.

-It's lovely.

-A lot of charm.

-I love the built-in cupboards.

If you said to me that there was an en suite through two of those doors,

that would make a big difference, I think.

You'll remember when we first arrived,

-I said there was a barn.

-Yeah.

-I do remember.

-I'm intrigued about this.

-Let's head outside and take a look at that and see what you think there.

-Excellent.

-Great.

'Sadly, it seems the house isn't quite delivering the desired size in the right places.

'But before we write it off completely,

'I have a surprise up my sleeve.'

-So, this is the annexe I mentioned earlier.

-Yes.

-Nicely done, isn't it, Bart?

-Yes.

-Stylishly done, I think.

-Yes, it is, actually.

-It's nice.

-Self-contained, so you've got the kitchen area here.

-Everything you need.

And it's got two double bedrooms.

You've been very honest as we've gone around.

But we haven't seen the land, we haven't talked about the outside that much,

-which will lead us onto money.

-Yes.

'The property sits within partially walled grounds,

'including an enclosed terrace and landscaped garden

'with the option of an additional five acres of paddock available separately.'

So you've seen everything. How much is it on the market for?

I would say, all in all, probably about 650.

OK. Bart?

-670.

-Interesting.

You're both out by quite a lot of money.

-I thought you were going to say that.

-HE LAUGHS

Asking price is £795,000.

-Really?

-Mm-hm.

'This Grade II listed farmhouse comes in under budget

'with four bedrooms, a large sitting room, a stylish barn annexe,

'all set in rural countryside close to the south coast.'

So that's it. You've seen our first property, the farmhouse with the annexe.

-Are you ready to see property number two?

-Absolutely.

-We certainly are.

'The West Sussex countryside may be a good location for those seeking a rural retreat,

'but it's also a haven for some of the world's rarest wildfowl.

'Arundel is home to one of the UK's nine Wildfowl and Wetlands Centres,

'the charity founded in 1946 by conservationist Sir Peter Scott.

'To find out more, I've come to meet grounds manager Paul Stevens.'

-Paul, lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

Thank you for inviting us here today.

No problem, and very exciting today that you've come today,

cos we've got some young nene that hatched out at the end of last week.

-Oh!

-We've got four goslings down there.

-They're so cute!

I've never heard of a nene.

It can be called a Hawaiian goose, that's another name for it.

'Close to extinction in 1952,

'with about 20 pairs left in Hawaii,

'the nene was one of the first birds Sir Peter Scott introduced into the breeding programme.'

-So you all must have a real soft spot for the nene, all of you that work here?

-Oh, yeah, definitely.

-There's some other species that I think you need to see. One in particular.

-Let's go.

'Over 70 percent of the birds here at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust are considered endangered,

'making the work that takes place here vital.'

Point out the crowd-pleaser.

There he is, with his mate over there, the male harlequin.

-He is a beauty.

-He is stunning, isn't he?

-So is this a breeding pair?

Yeah, this is a breeding pair. And they bred for the first time last year.

-Did they?

-And it was a real success.

-And they all survived?

-Er, yes, and the three we can see down at the other end of the reserve today.

'So what makes Arundel the ideal breeding ground for Harlequin ducks?'

We are very lucky here at Arundel, we've got some very good water quality,

basically all filtered through the chalk on the surrounding Downs here.

Do you think that's why the centre here in West Sussex has had success where other centres haven't?

Definitely. Yeah. Last year we were the only breeders in the UK to breed them,

one of two in Europe, and one of three in the whole world.

'It's reassuring to know that thanks to Paul and his colleagues,

'the endangered species that find a home here continue to

flourish in this corner of West Sussex.'

'Our next offering lies at the eastern side of West Sussex,

'close to the village of Storrington,

'six miles from the town of Pulborough,

'right on the edge of the South Downs National Park.

'The attractive village of Storrington, recorded in 1086 in the Doomsday Book

'as Estorchestone, the place well-known for storks,

'is more recently known as a flourishing marketplace.

'Our second house is around two miles east of the village,

'set in a private development

'right on the doorstep of the Downs.'

-So, gentlemen...

-Yes?

-Here we are just outside Storrington.

Now, you said this search was all about the wow factor.

-How are we doing so far?

-Fantastic.

-This is scoring pretty high.

-Fantastic.

The house itself, built in 2000.

-Wow, you wouldn't think that.

-No.

You have a house that has that character, as we've all agreed on,

-but you have the convenience of a new build.

-Yep.

-Yeah. Stunning.

-Now let's see the kitchen/diner.

-Itching to get in? Oh, the kitchen/diner, right.

We'll start off there, then. Follow me, boys.

'After such a wonderful start to the tour,

'I can't wait for Barry and Bart to see the interior,

'as I'm confident this property offers the space they're looking for.'

-So, Barry, I said we'd start with the kitchen/diner.

-Mm.

-Knowing how important this room is.

-Nice!

-That's much more like it.

-Character.

-That's beautiful.

-Beautifully done.

Oak throughout.

So you've got a wonderful dining area there

-as well as in the kitchen/diner.

-Yes.

So let's have a look at the kitchen in a little bit more detail.

So, from here, you've got everything you could want.

-It's even got two fridges.

-Mm-hm.

And through the glass door is a utility room,

-again, with access to the garden.

-And I can see there's a place for the doggies.

-Yes.

-This is the sort of place we would've been looking for.

-Is it?

-Yeah, this is very close to the bullseye,

from what we've seen so far, definitely.

-Oh! I take that as a huge compliment.

-Oh, it is!

-That's what we try and achieve.

-Mm. Yeah. I'm quite amazed.

-Do you wish to continue?

-We'd love to.

-Good.

So, here we have a study.

-Very nice.

-And a lovely study, too. Two sets of windows.

Very light.

There is a second option for this room.

-I know.

-HE LAUGHS

-What do we think?

-Another bedroom.

-Do you think we could fit a bed in here?

-Yes.

How about if I took a step backwards and opened that door?

-Oh, for goodness sake!

-Ahh! Ahh!

-Ta-da!

-Magic!

-For goodness sake!

-That is incredible.

-Isn't that clever?

-Now, that is very good.

Good. And I haven't even finished with the ground floor.

So, what's your first impression of the sitting room?

-Stunning. Very, very nice.

-Yes, beautiful.

Cosy, charming, warm, light.

And then you've got your conservatory next door.

'The ground floor has exceeded expectations

'and seems to offer everything they're after.

'So if the four bedrooms upstairs meet with approval,

'we could be on to a winner.'

So we've got a his and his little dressing room area here.

-Lovely.

-And then the master bedroom.

-Very lovely.

-Nice, nice room.

-Very lovely.

-En suite or not?

-It is. En suite is just in here.

Take a look in there.

Oh, wow!

-Oh, fantastic, Barry. Look.

-It's great, isn't it?

-Look at the shower.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Very, very impressed with it.

So you do have three bedrooms upstairs,

-three good-size bedrooms, one en suite.

-And I can't wait to see the garden, cos that's important.

And on that note, your wish is my command.

-Barry, would you like to lead the way?

-Thank you very much.

'The house is delivering on all levels

'and as we head outside to cast an eye over the garden,

'dare I say it, we may have found them their textbook country home.'

-I know the garden's important, and surrounding area.

-It's lovely.

It's beautiful, the way it wraps round the whole house.

-You liked it as soon as you walked through the door.

-Yeah. It's amazing. Every room you look out of,

you see this garden with fantastic views.

-So it's all going very, very positively...

-Until...

-We've got smiles on our faces.

-Until...

-Until... money.

-The painful moment.

-The painful moment.

-I dread to think.

It's going to be right at the top end of our budget, right at the top end.

I'm going to go for 880.

OK.

-I was going to say something like that. Round about the 900 region, I'd have thought.

-Yeah.

-I'm being optimistic here, I think.

-Are you hoping?

-Yeah.

£895,000.

-Oh, almost spot on!

-Yes! You're very close!

-Very close. And just under your top budget.

-Yes.

-Wow.

'This modern character property sneaks in under their top budget

'and offers Barry and Bart just about everything they asked for from a home in the country,

'with a large kitchen/diner for entertaining,

'three bedrooms including a good-size master bedroom with en suite,

'a study with options for converting into a downstairs bedroom,

'a utility room for the dogs and close to the South Downs.'

-Are you OK, boys? Have you seen enough?

-Perfect.

-Yeah?

-So that's it for today. I think we've ended it on a high.

-Yes.

-I'm so pleased!

-Yes, hard to leave. With the sun out, can't believe it.

-What a perfect end to a day.

-Yes.

-Come on.

-Thank you.

'For our mystery house, we're stepping over the border into Hampshire,

'to the village of Finchdean, right at the heart of the South Downs National Park.

'Close by is the village of Rowland's Castle,

'right on the Portsmouth to London Railway,

'and a popular jump-off point for walkers and cyclists heading for the Downs.

'Just over a mile away from the village lies our mystery house,

'a 17th-century, three-bedroom cottage set against woodland right on the South Downs.'

Gentleman, I've brought you to see your mystery house. You may open your eyes on three.

One. Two. Three.

Built in 1643.

-Wow!

-Although they think it was actually modernised in 1643.

There could well have been a property here before that, much more of a basic house.

It's chocolate box, isn't it, really, in many ways.

-It's very impressive.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

-It is, indeed.

-But let's see if it could be your future home.

-Are you ready to start?

-We are.

-Let the tour begin.

'This stunning cottage certainly delivers on the outside.

'However, it remains to be seen whether the period charms of its interior

'can serve their practical needs.'

So, I really feel we're stepping back in history.

Amazing character.

Wonderful, isn't it?

And I imagine it's listed, as well.

-It's not, surprisingly.

-What?

-No.

-You're joking?

-It's not listed. And how is that for a fireplace?

-Amazing.

-Stunning. Yeah, that's fantastic.

-Some of these original beams have been dated back to the 13th century.

-Is that right?

-Yes.

-Wow!

-Keen to see more?

-Very keen. Can't wait.

-OK. Follow me.

-So here is your drawing room.

-Super. It's warm in here, too.

-Wow.

Can you imagine yourself sitting here on a winter's evening?

-Gosh, yes, it's...

-Wonderful. I haven't seen anything like it before.

There's a little bit more to see on the ground floor

but what there isn't is a downstairs bedroom.

-Yeah, I thought not.

-So you have a downstairs toilet,

a small study.

This would be the side that you'd need to convert into a bedroom if you wanted to.

-I wouldn't want to convert this.

-It would be a shame.

'We hit our first stumbling block with no realistic area downstairs to accommodate a bedroom.

'But can we redress the balance with another key room high on their agenda?'

-Ye olde kitchen.

-Oh, my goodness me!

-Come on in.

-Really, really nice.

Really nice. Very well done.

-Isn't that lovely?

-Shall I tell you something? I'd love to have this house.

-Would you?

-It certainly is very enchanting.

But I'm not sure I could live in it. Almost, almost, I can't find the right words.

'Emotions are running high as we head to the three bedrooms upstairs.'

So, the master bedroom isn't full of all mod cons.

-But we can allow that, can't we?

-Very, very stunning.

Because it's fabulous.

-So it doesn't have an en suite, but we don't mind, do we?

-No.

-We've got the family bathroom just down the way and two more bedrooms, so three in total.

-OK.

One could be quite emotional about a place like this,

-because it is mind-blowing.

-Yeah.

-Mm.

-It is mind-blowing.

-And I'm very grateful that you showed it to us.

-Yes.

-Good.

-Let's head outside and we can admire it from the garden.

-Right.

'The impracticality of the almost perfect character features of our mystery house

'was always going to be a risk.

'All that's left to see before I ask an overwhelmed Barry and Bart to guess the price are the grounds.

'Over an acre of land including a paddock, stables and a double car port.'

-Who wants to go first to guess the price?

-I'll have a go.

It's a very, very difficult one, but I would say about 875.

-875.

-OK.

I would pitch it lower than that, I'd pitch it at about 800.

The asking price is £900,000.

-Ah, really? I was very close.

-You were.

'The 17th century mystery property has bags of the character and style they wanted,

'along with three large bedrooms, a dining room and large reception room,

'all located within the South Downs National Park,

'ideal for walking the dogs.'

Well, that's it, chaps, we've shown you our three properties.

The question is, have we found you your next home?

-We'll let you know.

-Well, let's have a good think about it.

Well, that's it for our house hunt here in West Sussex.

Three properties which evoked three very different emotions.

So have we found Barry and Bart that perfect escape to the country?

Shall we go and ask them?

Well, Barry and Bart, we've had a great few days,

-but how do you feel it's gone?

-Excellent.

-Yes.

In fact, you have found for us

something that we think is everything we could've wished for.

Well, shall we just cut to the chase and talk about this house? Put us out of our misery.

Out of the three, I think I'm safe in saying it wasn't house number one.

-No.

-No.

-Am I safe to say it's house number two?

-For all the oohs and aahs?

-You are quite right.

-Fantastic.

-Yeah, absolutely right.

You always said from the very beginning that you would know as soon as you saw it.

Yeah, and we did know that.

It had everything we could possibly have wanted,

it had the possibility of a bedroom downstairs,

beautifully designed house,

it had character, it had charm,

it's what we'd hoped for.

What you hoped for, how wonderful.

Because I did wonder

whether our mystery house might give it a run for its money.

My heart was very much with the wonderful third house.

-But my head wasn't.

-No.

-Where do we go from here?

-We are definitely going to pursue the second house.

-Yes.

-Because we loved it.

Well, Barry and Bart, we think of you with character and style,

that's what we're going to take away from our search in West Sussex.

-And please, please, tell us how you got on.

-We most certainly will.

-I so hope you get that house.

-We hope so, too.

Well, it's been a great week here, and what a truly brilliant couple Barry and Bart are.

Now, at the beginning of this search, I was worried.

We kept talking about style, it's so subjective,

I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to meet their expectations,

but I'm pleased to say, I think we may have got there.

Because here in West Sussex, we saw a number of characterful properties.

And I think we may be introducing another two characters into the fold.

Until next time, bye-bye.

'I'm happy to report that Barry and Bart returned to Storrington for a second viewing on house number two

'and have put in an offer that has been accepted.

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

'or even further afield to the continent,

'and need our help please apply online at...'

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