Worcestershire Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To the Country.

Now, 70 years ago this beautiful country house once housed a

top secret broadcasting station that became one of the biggest in Europe.

But why was it build and where?

Well, join me in just a few moments and I'll tell you.

'On today's show, I'll be helping an Anglo-French couple

'trying to find a creative space in the countryside.

'We uncover some rather personal details...'

Well, I thought you would fit in here comfortably.

You won't be able to wear your high-heels, though.

'..and discover the perfect hideaway.'

We will buy the barn.

It'd make you a perfect house.

Well, today we are in Worcestershire in the grounds of Wood Norton hall

and this now dilapidated hut is one of the few surviving clues

as to its wartime past.

Back in 1939 at the outbreak of the second world war,

the BBC - fearing the threat of German bombing - decided to move

much of its broadcasting apparatus and staff out here to safety.

By 1940, some 1,300 programmes a week were being

broadcast from here all over the world.

What's more, it also went on to house the BBC's monitoring service.

Trained linguists would listen to the output

from occupied Europe, scouring it for any

scrap of intelligence that might help the war effort.

Well, these days all that secrecy has long gone

but as you can well imagine,

there are still plenty of other hidden gems in this glorious county.

Forming part of the Midlands,

Worcestershire is bordered by five counties,

including Staffordshire to the north and Herefordshire to the west.

One of the county's natural gems are the Malvern Hills

and although they only cover 3,000 acres,

they provide a hugely diverse landscape

and include the wild expanse of North Hill,

which descends to the secluded valley of the River Teme.

In recent years, the county's canal network has received a tidal wave

of investment, and at Droitwich Spa,

a £12 million restoration project has reopened

the 21-mile canal ring.

Back in its Victorian heyday, the brine springs of Droitwich Spa

made it a centre for salt manufacture

and in 1875, local salt king John Corbett commissioned

the lavish Chateau Impney for his French wife.

From the connected industrial areas in the north,

to the rural scenery in the south,

the diverse character of Worcestershire makes it

an appealing location to escape to.

Now, when it comes to the property market here,

house prices at around about £260,000

are on a par with the national figure

and they have remained fairly consistent.

But as ever, there are places

which will relieve you of that bit more if you want to.

Pretty little market towns like Pershore or the stunning

Cotswold village of Broadway could set you back another 20%.

But if value for money is your thing - and let's face it,

it's important to most of us - head towards the Herefordshire border.

The Teme valley will certainly get you a little bit more

than you might have bargained for.

It's all good news, particularly for today's buyers,

who are determined to make this part of the world their new home.

John and Dominique have lived on the outskirts of Oxford

for the past 11 years but feel that the time is right

to head for the hills and start a new chapter in their lives.

We met in Scotland over 40 years ago

and we've now been married for...

-39 years.

-Well remembered.

'Dominique has recently retired from teaching. I retired...'

-'Seven years ago?'

-Eight years ago, I think.

-Oh.

And both our sons now have a three on the front of their age

so it is perhaps time for us to look at the next stage of our life

and embrace a new project.

And living on an estate close to a city is no longer an option.

I want to move from...

the noise, the traffic, the bustle, the sort of...

the looking at your watch all the time, that sort of thing.

England, on a sunny day, if you're in the countryside,

it's the most beautiful scenery that you can imagine.

You don't need to travel anywhere, it's fantastic.

-So it would be lovely to live in the middle of that all.

-Indeed.

For John, it's an opportunity to move back to his home county.

I was born in Worcestershire

and Worcestershire has always attracted me as a county

and my family - some of my family - still live there.

So it's that combination really of almost going back

to my roots as well as going back to much more of a rural environment.

John always behaves like a little boy in the country.

-It's a release, it's a freedom.

-Yes.

-It's a freedom, the country.

-Compared to the city.

-Yes, you are a different person.

You're sort of, so relaxed, so at peace.

And they're hoping to find extra space for their hobbies.

One of the things I'm looking forward to with the move

would be to develop, perhaps, my artistic side a bit more.

In terms of sculptural work, particularly with metal.

I've been quite a fan of rogue bits of metal

which are scattered around the garden at the moment.

An out-building would give me chance to perhaps

look at soldering and welding.

'Most of the things I enjoy doing involve making a noise'

or a mess.

'I've always been interested in sewing,

'particularly with curtains, blinds, cushions.'

I've started doing a little bit of silver jewellery

'and I can see myself doing a bit more from home

'rather than having to go to classes.'

If I could have a little studio to make some jewellery,

that would be lovely.

So how much do they have to finance this Worcestershire move?

The budget for the move is £650,000.

John and Dominique have asked us

to focus our search in the south of the county.

But before we get started, I'm meeting them on Worcestershire turf

to find out what it is they're after from their new home.

Well, Dominique, John, welcome to Escape To The Country

and to Worcestershire.

Now, there is one factor that does concern me slightly, John,

and that is how tall you are.

Just tell us how high you come to.

Six foot six on a good day.

Six foot six, with a good breakfast inside you.

That is going to preclude many of the properties that are out there

that we'd ordinarily show you. Low beams are out.

Perhaps the small black and white cottage is out on this occasion.

-I would think so.

-Well, fortunately we're not that keen

on that sort of property anyway.

-Well, tell us what you are keen on.

-Erm, I like airy properties.

I need light and sort of a downstairs space, erm...

and a nice garden.

A nice sort of space outside, outbuildings would be wonderful.

-Three bedrooms is a sort of minimum.

-Yeah.

Erm, a big kitchen, I'd like a big kitchen.

To get you what you're after, because of the kind of size

of property physically that we need to actually fit you in,

we're going to have to travel fairly far and wide.

We might even do a bit of border hopping outside of Worcestershire.

-How do we feel about that?

-Absolutely fine, yes.

I'm all for discovering new areas as well.

Now, just remind us of the budget, has it changed at all?

We talked initially of 650,000, but, erm,

we can stretch to 700 if everything is in there.

If there's some project work needs to be done, it would need to

be done within the 700,000 total figure.

Well, I think we've got three very interesting properties

to show you, including our mystery house, which is a real classic.

I can't wait for you to see that one.

So without further ado, let's finish our coffees and juice

-and get going.

-Lovely, can't wait.

-Thank you.

We've found three fantastic properties to show them

and at each one I'll be testing their eye for valuation

when they guess the price.

And third on the list is our mystery house,

which could really blow them away.

Now, Dominique, it's interesting really, because obviously John knows this part of the world well

and clearly you're no stranger to Britain,

-but you grew up in Paris, is that right?

-Yes, that's correct, yes.

And do you think there are big differences between

rural life in Britain and rural life in France?

I hope so.

Why do you hope so?

Because I think true, rural life in France is...

very rural.

-Too simple.

-Too simple, yes.

It's called the deep France, really, you know.

The deep France? That's interesting, OK.

La France profonde.

I'm not even going to attempt to repeat that.

Bearing in mind their specific requirements for a home

and John's height, we're casting our net far and wide.

Starting in the east of the county in the village of Kington.

A few minutes down the road is Inkberrow village,

thought to be the inspiration for the Radio 4 series, the Archers.

Beside the green sits the church, dating back to the 13th century

and one of its two traditional country pubs.

Along with a post office

and local store for the basic everyday supplies.

On the fringe of Kington village is house number one,

a period barn conversion with views across the open countryside.

So there we go. What do you think...

-of that, Dominique?

-Very nice.

I love its... It looks very friendly and welcoming.

You're responding very nicely to this one, but what does John think?

I'm holding all my questions in.

-Retreat, retreat, retreat.

-Let's see what you think of the inside.

'Converted in the early '90s, the property has been architecturally

'redesigned, hopefully delivering the light and space they're after.'

OK, Dominique, there we are.

Is this big enough and light enough?

It's very nice, yes. Very fresh, like the colour.

And you've got this nice sort of dining area here,

a little bit of a sitting room around the corner there too.

Yes, it's got a good feel definitely.

-Yes, I like it.

-Good.

-Very much so.

-Very much so. Worcestershire is outside the window.

-Absolutely.

-As much of it as you want to look at.

-Classical Worcestershire.

-Yes!

Well, let's continue. This way.

So this is the dining room. Again, lovely views out there.

-Nice little separate room.

-And then this is your principal living room.

-Oh, interesting.

-Come on in.

-Now, this is what I want to see.

-Will I get under the beam?

-Come in.

My brother wouldn't be able to visit.

Brilliant. Yeah, it all works.

-Oh, look at these beams here.

-Yeah.

So you've got this nice kind of mixture

of the very contemporary look in the kitchen

and you drift through into the older bit.

I like that, I like the mixture. Definitely.

-But all the wood is original from that barn, or...?

-It is, yeah.

Well, I thought you would fit in here comfortably.

-Plenty of head room.

-You won't be able to wear your high heels, though.

Right, come on. Let's go this way.

The building is essentially one long line of rooms

all leading onto one another.

There is a guest bedroom with en suite at one end

and three bedrooms at the other, comprising one double

and a single and both served by the family bathroom.

And then there's the master.

-Straight onto the garden. Again, very light.

-Yeah, lovely, isn't it?

-Yes.

-To our specs.

-Could be slightly bigger for us cos we have a huge bed.

Well, you have a choice. You know, there is the one at the far end,

-maybe that's a bit bigger for you.

-Yes.

That is en suite, as indeed is this one. A nice shower room and so on.

Oh, yes, that's lovely. I like the colour scheme. Very, very nice, yes.

There is one thing that we haven't discussed yet

and that is the outside space.

You wanted a nice big garden and some outbuildings,

we've got plenty of both.

-Very keen to see it.

-Come and look at these.

'There is extra living space in the study

'and a utility room sits off the kitchen.

'The grounds of the property total around three and a half acres,

'with a formal lawned garden looking out over a paddock.

'There's also a stable block that could work as a workshop.'

So, let's get our thinking caps on and think about the...

..the money. You go first.

-As long as you're not teasing us, I'll say 675.

-675, yeah.

-Dominique?

-I say a bit less, 650.

Well, I'm afraid you're both wrong.

-It's 645.

-Ah!

-Yeah.

There's a lot on offer with this one.

-Yes, a lot to think about.

-Yeah. Right then, off you go.

And I will catch up with you a little bit later.

Thank you.

The kitchen's very good, it's probably my favourite room.

Because I think, as you come in, it really feels spacious.

I think, in a way, I like that sort of feeling

when I go into other rooms.

The idea of having to go through the dining room to go to the lounge,

to go to the bedroom, is a slight issue for me, I think.

The house itself,

disappointed slightly to see it was a single story.

No problem with the height of the rooms,

a good half inch clearance on the main beams in the...

the lounge area.

If I was to perhaps score it...

the land and the outside space is a nine, nine and a half.

The house, probably...

six to seven.

-How are we doing then?

-Very well.

-You wanted a view, you wanted Worcestershire, there it is.

-Yes.

-That is a view.

-I think this is a really interesting one to start with.

-It certainly put a smile on your face.

-Well, you've set a high standard.

-Good.

-Not quite sure what you're thinking.

-Well, I'm always more cautious.

I like to think things a little bit, but...

-Every man needs a cautious woman.

-There you go.

Never a truer word spoken. Come on, let's go.

Alongside Worcestershire's northern,

more industrialised centres

are rural belts of mostly farmed landscape,

where traditional rural hand crafts are still practised today.

At the heart of this is a thriving creative hub

known as the Jinney Ring Craft Centre in the village of Hanbury.

For over 30 years, farm buildings from the former Hanbury Hall estate

have been home for crafts people to create and sell their work.

Given that John and Dominique are passionate crafts people themselves,

we arranged for them to meet current owner

Amanda Sunter to find out more.

What range of crafts do you have here?

We've got a hardcore of key, old-fashioned type of crafts.

We've got glass blowing and stained glass here.

We've also got some woodworking, rag working

and also the soap maker is doing very well.

Do you have any jewellery?

Yes, we do and the jeweller makes some absolutely fabulous tiaras,

you must see them while you're here.

-Can the public come and learn the skills?

-Absolutely.

A lot of the craft units will run one-to-one type workshops,

but today, we're going to introduce you to Phillip.

He's our woodworker

and you're going to come and have a look at what he does.

One of the skilled craftsman working from the centre is

Phillip Baldwin, who is carrying on the family tradition of

hand crafted woodwork started by his father,

in the very same workshop.

So, Phillip, where do you get the wood from?

I get it from all over the world.

Locally, if possible, but South America, Africa.

Anywhere that's got a nice coloured wood with grain

and nice characteristics to work with.

Do you have a type of wood you prefer to work with?

I like to work with yew and walnut.

They have a good variation in colour and relatively easy to work with.

It's time for John and Dominique to show off their craft skills.

The trees have been cut from Phillip's design using a fret saw

and they're going to work on stage two, adding definition

to the trees using an electric carver to chamfer the edges.

How long would you be spending doing this on that sort of piece of wood?

I'd normally do it all day. So I'd do, probably, 10 trees maybe.

-I think it's your turn now, Dominique.

-OK.

There are four main processes -

cutting, carving, sanding and finishing.

The cutting alone takes around an hour per tree,

so Phillip works in batches of 10.

I knew you'd be better than me.

Once carved and sanded, it's the finishing process.

Dipping the trees in Danish oil for a matte finish.

John and Dominique seem quite happy to carve themselves a future here

but time now to get back to our property hunt and find them

a creative space of their own.

For our second house, we're heading

to the very north of the county to the village of Wolverley,

right on the Worcestershire, Staffordshire border.

Wolverley is set beside two major waterways, the River Stour

and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal.

Sandstone is a feature of the village,

with roads cut through the rock and cottages into the cliffs behind.

On the outskirts of the village,

just over the border into Staffordshire, is house number two.

A very unusual, extended property

offering a mixture of styles and character.

Now...

oddly, with this one, we're going to start back to front.

There is a front door but we're going to deal with it here to start with because

I think this really gives you the story of this building.

The whole thing started life back in the mid '90s

as a bungalow.

-Difficult to imagine.

-It's impossible to imagine it now.

I'm slightly speechless at the moment.

I want to remain open-minded.

-I'm not sure.

-John?

Struggling to stay open minded. This is quirky plus, plus.

I think what we'll do is, we'll start with that half there

that looks like a chapel.

It's built from the remains of a chapel.

-You'll see what I mean when we get inside.

-We'll pray for insight.

'House two is certainly not one for traditionalists,

'as despite having bags of space over three floors,

'they may have to see past some of its more unique styling,

'as we head to the lower ground floor.'

You see what I mean? It's the most amazing

hammer beam ceiling, this. Or roof truss.

-Is that what it's called?

-Yeah, absolutely and they've imported this from a...

-You know, a reclaimed chapel.

-This wasn't here originally?

-No.

-This was all added.

-I've never seen anything like it before.

-It's...

-So that's part of the church, then?

-This... Yeah, absolutely.

Look at this skirting board. Isn't that incredibly original?

-Never seen anything like this...

-Original.

-Roof slates.

-Original with quirky.

-Yes.

-The vocabulary's building, yeah?

This is something of an annexe.

There's a little kind of kitchen area through there,

a bedroom and so on.

-Let's have a look at the rest of it, let's go upstairs.

-OK.

'I think the chapel annex has caught their imagination,

'so let's see what they make of the living space.

'We're heading up to the kitchen on the ground floor.'

So when you get up to the middle floor, it's the kitchen...

-that greets you.

-Good grief.

That's quite a... quite an impressive kitchen.

-It's a great size.

-Yeah, lovely size.

Very bold in the way that it's put together.

Yes, but it can take it because the room is big

and the red does give a bit of warmth.

The beam is good, the way it separates the room.

-I love the number of windows.

-Yeah.

I mean, I would have to change quite a few bits and pieces

to feel more comfortable. It's not...

I don't feel it feels like a nest.

I like the idea of a nest.

Well, if you want a bit more cosy, have a look at the living room.

I think it gets cosier through here.

Come in, Dominique.

Is this cosier?

-Come in, John.

-Very nice room. Nice brick, I like the exposed brick.

-Gorgeous room.

-It's... It is worth you seeing, this place.

I mean, it offers a huge amount.

So eclectic, it's wonderful.

Eclectic, I note, is good. Quirky, original, eclectic.

-I think we've cracked it.

-I particularly like the split level,

I think it's a very adventurous way of living and, um...

Let's you imagine living in the room.

Well, let's have an explore. Come and have a look.

I mean, it's bigger down here than it is up there, I think.

You know, as garden rooms go, I mean...

-This is a party room.

-It really is a party room.

-Can you see that little gallery up there?

-Yes.

That comes off of the master bedroom.

So that's probably our cue to go upstairs.

-Yes, please.

-Yeah? Follow me.

'A study - the fourth bedroom -

'and shower room complete the ground floor.

'Upstairs, the spacious family bathroom with corner bath

'serves two double guest bedrooms and the master.'

So we're thinking that this would be your room.

Very good size for a master bedroom.

I hoped you'd say that. Yes, it's... It almost...

And that balcony over there, that's the one that

looks down into kind of the garden end of the main living room.

Perfect for the chaise longue, isn't it?

-So is it big enough, John?

-Yes.

-It may be over-quirky, but it's...

-You can always tone it down a bit.

-It has a je ne sais quoi.

-Perfect!

That's the word we were looking for, wasn't it? Yes.

Well, I think we should go outside.

Talk about some land cos we've given you a huge home,

we've also got you plenty of ground to play with.

-Come with me.

-Wow.

'There is plenty of room in this property

'but is the unique character too much for John and Dominique?

'The grounds total three and a half acres,

'comprising lawn and paddock areas and come with a large timber barn.

'A perfect location for a workshop.'

All of it is so unusual.

Let's try and make sense of it with the numbers,

you've got £700,000 to spend.

-Go on, John.

-I think there's a lot of value here,

if only in the land, and I'm going to go 625.

625. Dominique?

Slightly higher, 630.

630. You're very close to each other, aren't you?

-But you're right to be because you, sir, are dead on.

-Result.

-Not that we're remotely competitive.

-Of course not.

But, yeah, £625,000.

How do you feel about it, now you know the figures?

It's interesting, it's just...

It's a grower. Yeah.

-It's got some exceptional rooms.

-Lots to think about.

-Indeed.

Changed my mind a lot since I first saw it.

I told you it's a grower. Maybe the money's done it?

Right, then, off you go. I'll catch up with you a little bit later.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Go and explore.

This is one that certainly needs exploring.

Wow.

-What a fantastic space here.

-Absolutely stupendous.

-I like this very much.

-Superb. We'll buy the barn.

It'd make your perfect house.

It's a very unusual property

and I think you need to keep the sort of..

the eclectic side of the property to give it justice.

And I'm not sure we're the right people for this

cos we're very traditional people.

Split-level lounge, very nice. Wonderful room, good party room.

The best room in the house without a doubt.

The barn itself is absolutely tremendous,

you could not have a better barn.

-After you, madam.

-Thank you.

-After you, sir.

-Thank you, Jules.

Well, you did say it was worth coming.

-It was.

-Look, at last.

At last I'm almost the same height as you.

-Almost.

-Come on, let's go.

'It's the second day of our property search in Worcestershire

'with John and Dominique,

'who have a maximum of £700,000 to spend on their country residence.

'Coming up, the mystery house delivers more than one superlative...'

Whoa.

-Yeah.

-What a magnificent room.

-Can I add another one, then?

-Go on.

-Magnificent.

'..and I visit the scene of many a childhood ambition.'

Now, my understanding of what happened yesterday

is more or less along the lines of, they loved the land

but they weren't overly wowed by either of our properties.

So for our mystery house we really have got to pull out all the stops.

We're going to forget about land,

we're going to put all our money into property and run for home.

This is a mystery house I really do think they're going to love.

We're travelling south into Herefordshire

and our third county for the mystery house,

close to the market town of Ledbury.

Granted a market charter in the 12th century,

Ledbury is home to a wide variety of independent shops and eateries

along its attractive cobbled lanes.

It's noted for its many black and white timber-frame buildings,

in particular the 17th-century market house.

On the outskirts of town in a rural location is our mystery house,

a converted farming property.

However, in order to give them a spacious home, there's a compromise.

So here we are, just outside Ledbury and our mystery house.

Now, I have to tell you that you don't get all of it

but you do get the central third of it.

There are three properties here, sharing this driveway.

You also get two garages up there,

which we're thinking workshop space, John.

-It's an old oast house.

-We gathered that.

Built about 1910 and now much renovated.

But the great thing about these vast,

old, agrarian industrial buildings is space.

We have spoiled you up to now with lots and lots of land.

We have got you a very generous garden

-but not acres and acres.

-OK.

What do you think of it?

-Very impressive. I mean, the building looks fabulous.

-Good.

Well, I think now we've whetted your appetite, let's go and have a look.

Come on then.

'Great first impressions

'and I think the six bedrooms and over 3,500 square feet of living

'accommodation could be just enough space of for them.'

Do you see what I mean about high ceilings?

-This is fantastic.

-And look at these doors.

I don't think I've ever seen doors that high.

-You don't get those off the shelf, do you?

-You don't. Let's start in here.

This...

..is the snug.

But this is probably the place to start because it's

the smallest reception room here.

Well, not bad for the smallest.

So is it living up to expectations from the outside?

It's better inside than I thought it was from the outside

and I love the outside, so, um...

Wood and stone. Two of my passions.

-Yeah.

-And space.

-Yeah, indeed.

-Lots of space.

If you're enjoying this, I think you'll love

what's through here, Dominique. Come with me.

OK, Dominique.

-Whoa.

-Yeah.

-What a magnificent room.

That's the first "magnificent" of the week, that's good. That's good.

-Can I add another one then?

-Go on, then.

-Magnificent.

I mean, as you can see, they've combined dining, living room

-and kitchen.

-I think that's lovely.

I think it would suit us very well, wouldn't it? The way we spend...

Yeah, the bay into the larger window adds that extra dimension to the room.

I mean, this is a room that you're going to use 90% of the time,

I would think.

So is this one getting further onto any kind of list

-that might be a contender?

-Yes.

-For me, yes.

Yes, excellent. Thought it might.

Come on, let's go up.

'The mystery house seems to be wowing them

'and we've still two floors to go.

'On the first, there are two double bedrooms served by a family bathroom

'with a double ended bath.

'And of course, there's the master.'

THIS is the master.

-That is incredible.

-It gets better.

-This is huge. This is, agh...

-Yeah.

There's a dressing room in there which is currently a study

but I would suggest probably more useful as a dressing room to you.

Lovely views out there and then you've got an en suite in here.

-Kind of double shower and so on.

-Excellent.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-I love it.

-The space, the light, the warmth of the wood, it's...

very, very impressive.

Well, it's not over yet, let's go upstairs. Come with me.

-On the top floor.

-What, there's only one more floor?

Only one more, yeah.

'They're clearly blown away by the sheer scale of this property

'and there's more to see on the second floor, with bedrooms

'four and five both doubles with en suite, next to bedroom six.'

So I guess it poses the question,

what will you do with all these bedrooms?

and we were thinking maybe this would be a nice kind of studio...

-I think you're right.

-..for the craft.

-Cos you have the light sort of in the roof there.

-Yeah.

Craft room or a man's room.

-Ah.

-Erm, crafts room.

-Crafts room, then. Yeah.

Consider yourself told, John. You have got the double garages outside.

-Exactly.

-Don't forget.

But, yeah, I mean, you've got so many choices here.

-That's what's nice about it.

-Definitely.

OK, well, let's get outside into that sunshine...

look at the garden and we'll start to think about the price.

Have a poke in the garage?

Might let you have a look in the garage. Bit later on.

'I think they might just have fallen for this splendidly roomy home.

'The question is, will the gardens be enough for them?'

Last but not least, the garden and the views beyond.

Now, we said at the outset we weren't

going to give you acres and acres.

With all this to play with, does it matter any more?

We could cope with this size garden.

It is a lovely garden.

-It's well laid out and with a field at the back.

-Yeah.

You get the view and that's for free.

But you don't get that for free. So...

Now, what's coming next, then?

Dominique, it's your turn, I think.

-670?

-670,000, yeah. John?

-I was thinking higher but I want it to be lower.

-All right.

-So I shall say 685.

-£685,000.

You're quite good at this, you two, aren't you?

This is on the market

for 675.

That's put a smile on your face.

I thought you would push it right to the top of the budget.

Well, it's comfortably underneath your £700,000 proposed

maximum spend and what a house.

You know, I get the feeling it just kind of fits you.

-Yes, it certainly felt very good.

-It was love at first sight, I'm afraid.

Oh, don't be afraid.

Well, that gives it away, doesn't it?

Well, let this love affair continue.

Off you go, go and have a look around and I'll and find you later.

BOTH: Thank you.

Brilliant. Well, there we are.

Our mystery house, our lovely converted oast house,

possibly has done it again.

It's a very unique property, this one, and they have spotted it.

The height of the rooms in particular.

Nobody would need the height but what it does achieve,

it gives the rooms that really airy feeling.

The size is more than adequate.

You could almost forget you've got a third storey,

which would almost just become a guest suite.

Although there is the option of course with the room

in the centre to be a crafts room or a man's room as I suggested earlier.

Inside the house, it's just so spacious

and all this pine.

The doors were really fantastic.

And I could see, I mean, we have a lot of old pine furniture

and it would be perfect.

Erm, so from a heart point of view, I think it's a fantastic place.

I think now, the head's got to start, you know, agreeing with the heart.

Is it too big for just two of us?

Well, I think that was a very interesting final house tour.

-Very much so.

-So are we that little bit closer - do you think -

to finding your new home?

-I definitely think so, yes.

-A lot closer. Yes, definitely.

-A lot to talk about.

-I should think there is, yeah.

Right then, off you go. Have a good chat and I'll find you later on.

-Thank you.

-Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that conversation.

Well, if John and Dominique's story has inspired you to want to

move to this part of the world, here's a selection of

some other rural gems currently on the market.

If it's character you're looking for, then this timber-framed,

three-bedroom, grade II listed cottage in Rous Lench fits the bill.

Packed with exposed beams and buckets of charm, it would

suit the average budget, on the market for £249,950.

For individual style with a modern feel,

then barn conversions might be worth a look.

Like this three-bedroom example in Honeybourne, on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Making the most of its wood and stone features,

it's on sale for £384,950.

And should you hanker after a grand country residence, then maybe this

converted four-bedroom farmhouse in Bickmarsh hits the spot.

Brimming with reclaimed brick and timber features,

it has a price tag of £575,000.

The Severn Valley Railway is one of the great heritage

highlights of the area.

Following the meandering River Severn for 16 and a half miles

between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.

Opened in 1862, it was never financially successful and by 1970,

passenger and freight services had come to a grinding halt.

However, a group of enthusiasts had already formed a preservation society

and by 1967 had purchased a five-mile section of the line,

an engine and four coaches.

A charitable trust now handles fundraising

and a current share scheme has so far raised £1.5 million.

Today, I'm meeting Nick Ralls,

general manager at the southern terminus in Kidderminster

to find out more about this wonderful railway.

-Hello, Nick.

-Good morning.

-Very nice to see you, sir.

-Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway.

-Is this train ready to go?

This train is going to be going very soon, so we'd better get on board and have a good look.

Let's not be late.

'Volunteers are the lifeblood of the railway,

'with currently 1,300 helping out driving trains, manning

'signal boxes, maintaining track and overhauling the locomotives.

'With a national skills shortage,

'the railway aims to boost the restoration expertise

'of their workforce to continue the preservation of the line.'

How do you ensure that you've got that skill set to keep

something as historic as this going?

We're piloting this year, actually - this September -

a heritage skills training academy

and we're going to take on five young people as trainees.

They'll be undertaking experience and training on the railway

to complement the engineering they're learning at college with

-the heritage skills that we demand...

-Fantastic.

-..to keep going as a railway.

Of course, you're then investing directly in those young men to keep the railway alive.

Yes, it's important that we invest in them

year on year as well because we are going to have

probably 50 apprentices on the railway at one time.

-Wow, yeah.

-TRAIN WHISTLES

Thank you. 'I'm getting off at Bridgnorth station over

'the border in Shropshire and home of the boiler shop,

'where the restoration of the engines take place

'and where new apprentices will be learning their craft.

'Boiler manager Duncan Ballard, who started his career

'as an apprentice 18 years ago has agreed to show me around.'

How important do you think these apprenticeship schemes are?

Massively. I mean...

you can sit and show people books all day, at the end of the day,

you're only going to learn by being exposed to the job, you know.

-To actually have a feel for it, have a go.

-Yeah.

-Learn the hard way when something goes wrong.

-Yeah.

Use your own mind, you know, a bit of initiative.

But what I love is, you're not just resurrecting these skills,

you're resurrecting these locomotives.

I mean, for example, that one there. How old is it?

-That one's from Dunrobin, that's 1895.

-1895!

-So well over 100 years old.

-Yeah, it's a time capsule.

You're bringing these skills together, keeping everything going.

And we're also using the skills they were using in 1895 to preserve it.

Well, it's an absolute credit to you and the apprenticeship scheme, I can only celebrate.

I think it's just a fantastic idea.

It says a lot about the railway and its vision. Congratulations.

OK, thank you.

'We wish the academy great success in developing new talent with

'old skills, to keep this wonderful railway chugging through

'the heart of the Worcestershire countryside for years to come.

'But time now, though, to return to our property search

'and catch up with our house hunters.'

Well, John and Dominique have been thinking long and hard

about all the properties we have shown them

and I'm hoping they're getting towards some sort of a decision.

But in this case, I'm beginning to wonder

if decision is the right word.

Maybe it's more of a confirmation.

Let's go and ask them.

Well, Dominique, John, here we are at the end of our house search.

It has flown by and we started off with up to £700,000

of your hard-earned money to spend

and high hopes for a new home in the countryside.

We've given you three very interesting properties,

question is, have we found the perfect one?

You may well have done.

Can I take a flying guess as to which one it might be?

Do that, let's see.

-The mystery house?

-You're clairvoyant.

-I think you're right, yes.

OK, I mean, properties one and two were both very different,

shall we say? The second one, I think you described as eclectic?

-I did.

-We had quirky in there as well.

Our first one, much more traditional I suppose in some respects

but it's the mystery house what did it.

The house itself has got so much character.

The architecture is so interesting, the space in the house is fantastic.

Yeah.

The lounge in particular, well, this sort of open lounge, kitchen,

diner, overlooking the garden.

I can see myself living there.

The master bedroom, it was just incredible.

Just being on the landing and sort of this opening onto the bedroom,

it was very special.

So the question I must now ask you...

is what happens next?

Try to sort of use our head over the heart.

Because the heart was sort of, you know...

totally...

overcome and... yes.

But is it too large for us?

You know, a few questions like this, but...

very tempting.

So we started off looking in Worcestershire

-and we've ended up in Herefordshire. Who'd have thought it?

-Yes.

-But as ever, let us know how it goes.

-No, thank you very much.

-It was a very good experience.

-Our pleasure.

-Thank you.

Well, how do we make sense of this one?

Not for the first time,

buyers have arrived on Escape To The Country

with a wish list that by the end of the process,

they've radically re-designed.

That, of course, is exactly what's happened with John and Dominique.

We started out in Worcestershire

looking for a property with lots of land.

We found ourselves in Herefordshire with a beautiful garden

but a fantastic mystery house thrown in.

And I'm crossing everything that very soon they will call it home.

Which is exactly where I'm now going.

And it's that way.

Although our buyers fell in love with the mystery house,

after much deliberation they concluded the house had

too much space inside and not enough outside.

They're continuing their search in the area.

But if you'd like to escape to the country in Scotland, Wales,

Northern Ireland, England or maybe even further afield to

the continent and would like our help, then please apply online.