West Sussex Escape to the Country

Just over there is the seaside town where, nearly 120 years ago,

one of Britain's greatest writers

took just 21 days to pen his most famous work.

Where am I? You'll find out in just a moment.

Today, our house-hunters are buying their first home in over two decades.

Will they be able to envisage their life in another house?

The question is could you put that homely feel into the house?

-True.

-Well, it's certainly possible.

And seeing what's on offer is a revelation.

-Oh, my goodness.

-My.

-We've never had an en-suite before.

-No.

Today, I'm in West Sussex,

and it was during a stay here in Worthing

that Oscar Wilde wrote his famous play The Importance of Being Earnest.

He took inspiration from an article he read in the Worthing Gazette

about a baby that had been discovered in a handbag

at Kings Cross Station.

Now, Wilde named his hero Jack Worthing

after the very place where he wrote what he himself described

as the best play he'd ever written.

And, looking around, it's fair to say

there's plenty to inspire the imagination

across this beautiful county.

Surrounding the southern county of West Sussex

are Surrey to its north,

Hampshire to its west

and East Sussex to the east.

Being a coastal county,

West Sussex is home to several award-winning beaches

and over 60 miles of distinctive coastline.

It's also home to historic Saxon ports like Bosham,

which gets a mention in the Bayeux Tapestry,

and until the earlier part of the 20th century

was still a thriving fishing village.

Being one of the sunniest counties in the country,

its agricultural landscape

is rich in the production of dairy and traditional farming crops.

And with the same chalky subsoil as the Champagne region in France,

West Sussex boasts an ever-increasing number of vineyards

rivalling the French for accolades.

But, arguably, this county's greatest draw for urban escapees

are the South Downs.

Gaining National Park status in 2011,

its rolling green hills and picture-postcard villages

make it a perfect place to escape to the country.

And when it comes to buying a house here,

that perfection comes at a price.

Remember - we're looking at a coastal AND a commutable county,

and when you add those two ingredients together,

you come up with a figure of £363,000,

which is the average price

of a detached home here in West Sussex -

some £106,000 above the national figure.

So is it worth it?

Well, when you look around

and you see countryside and real estate like this -

yeah, it probably is.

And today's buyers certainly seem to think so. So let's meet them.

Today's couple are David and Jill,

who currently live in the town of Banstead, Surrey,

on the edges of Greater London -

a place they feel has changed over the years.

Suburbia is creeping ever outwards,

whereas when we moved here,

it did have a sort of village feel.

Now it's really almost all part of Greater London.

We're looking forward to being in a more rural area

because we've really had enough of all the traffic in the locality.

But it's been a long time since they were last house-hunting.

So we've been here 23 years, pretty much since we got married.

Our elder daughter is at university

and our younger daughter, who has learning difficulties,

has now gone to a residential training college,

and we feel that we're no longer as tied as we were,

and it just seems the right time to go.

David and Jill's girls are very much part of the move.

Although the girls are away,

once they finish their education,

who knows where they'll be?

So we would need bedrooms for both of them.

And, in fact, the family will be growing.

We're being joined in the move by my mother.

She's very excited about moving. Her bags are packed.

She doesn't have any requirements

other than she wants her own little area and wants to be with us.

For David and Jill, the move means starting a new kind of life together.

When we move, we're hoping very much to spend more time together,

whether that be walking, cycling, I'd like to do some cooking.

-In fact, you enjoy cooking. Or don't you?

-Yeah, I do. Yep.

-We both enjoy cooking.

To a certain extent, we will be getting to know one another again.

It would just be a great opportunity

to develop that new lifestyle in a new place, in a new location.

But one of their lifelong interests they ARE keen to continue...

We both enjoy gardening.

We've done quite a lot to this garden

and we sort of feel that we've done all that now

and it would be nice to move on to a new challenge.

As they're moving out of one of the country's most expensive counties,

they do have a good budget.

The budget for the move is £850,000.

As David and Jill want rural,

we're moving inland from the West Sussex coastline

and concentrating our search on the villages and towns

in and around the South Downs National Park.

I'm off to find out more details.

-Good morning!

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-So, welcome, both of you, to West Sussex.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Why have you chosen West Sussex to come and relocate in?

Well, we've come from Surrey

and West Sussex is a little more countrified.

OK.

Looking to get a bit away from the traffic,

but still be within proximity of our friends and family around there.

And you've got someone to bring with you, haven't you?

Yes. We've got my elderly mother to bring with me.

-The mother-in-law?

-Yes.

-You get on, I take it?

-We do.

-Good! That's a relief.

-Yeah, I don't.

So how are we...are you just looking for a big house

or a bit more separation with your living space?

We'd like, sort of, separate space, in some respects, for her,

whether that's under the same roof...

-Yeah.

-..or maybe in a very, very close proximity.

-OK.

-But it has to be her own sort of living area.

So talk me through a day in the life

of David and Jill in the countryside in West Sussex.

Cook breakfast...

..cup of coffee, wander around the grounds...

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

-You know, walk through the woods.

-The grounds?!

A lot of people, when they come to the countryside, they want a bit of land around them.

I've never heard them called 'grounds'.

Let's be serious about this - how much outside space do you want?

Up to an acre, I think, including the plot that the house sits on.

-We love gardening.

-Do you?

So it would be nice to really do something with the gardens...

-Yeah.

-..and some sort of landscaping or whatever.

The house itself? Are you prepared to take on a project there?

Yeah, but not just a plot that we have to build a house on.

It'd make my job pretty easy.

What does this house look like, then?

It's got a bit of character, a little bit of character,

but not low ceilings

or, you know, not very beamy.

-Not oldie-worldie.

-Yeah.

-Good-size rooms. Airy.

-Yeah. Lots of light.

How many bedrooms in total?

Three upstairs and one downstairs.

So last, and by no means least, what's the budget?

The budget is £850,000.

Good budget, actually. And is that the final, final figure?

We could stretch a little bit beyond that

for absolutely the right place with nothing to do.

OK. And what sort of position are you in now?

-You've got your house listed on the market?

-We have a buyer already.

-Have you?!

-Yeah.

-What - it's sold subject to contract?

-Yes.

What we standing here for, then? Let's go.

So for a handsome budget of £850,000,

Jill and David are after a light, spacious house

with three bedrooms upstairs,

plus a downstairs living suite for David's mother.

It needs a good-size garden or plot for them to cultivate

and some country views.

We've got some great houses to show them,

but I won't be revealing the price

until they've had a chance to guess first.

And we've got the mystery house ready,

which I think will be a very enticing option.

So this move over here to West Sussex -

what sort of things are you hoping to get up to in your spare time?

I like clay-pigeon shooting.

This is getting very country-sport now, isn't it? I mean, clay pigeon shooting?

It is, yes.

And what about you, Jill?

I have a qualification in British sign language

and I'd like to, perhaps, use that...

-Right.

-..with doing some voluntary work.

Any style of property that you just don't like?

I mean, there's different houses I do and don't like,

but I wouldn't class them as a particular style.

That means it can be quite difficult to tie you down, though.

-Yes, that is...that is true.

-OK.

I think we'll know the house that we really like when we see it.

-Yep.

-As soon as you walk through the door sometimes, isn't it?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Yep.

To start our search, we're going to the southern edge of the South Downs

to the town of Arundel.

Arundel is a town that grew up around the grand hilltop castle

built under William the Conqueror.

Today, this fortress vies for attention

with the equally impressive Catholic cathedral.

Built in the 19th century, it's Grade I listed

and regarded as one of the finest examples

of Gothic revival architecture.

The town itself is full of restaurants,

galleries, antique shops and boutiques

and it's just an hour and a half's train journey from Central London.

Just a few minutes from the edge of town,

down a private country lane away from the neighbours,

is our first house.

Here is our first property.

-Wow.

-Very nice.

Well, some of it is Victorian,

other parts of it are just a couple of years old.

-Right.

-Good.

-Blends in quite well.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it looks very nice.

-So you know where you are - just a stone's throw from Arundel, really.

-Yep.

-Yep.

-Which is - let's face it - absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

-It is.

-That'd be a nice local town to go to, wouldn't it?

-Indeed.

So first impressions are...?

-Very nice.

-Yeah. It is nice.

-Nice-looking house.

-Yep.

-OK, let's look inside.

-OK.

-OK.

Originally two cottages, which were joined together,

the house is now over 3,000ft square

and is currently used as a holiday home.

I'm hoping it will appeal to their desire for light and space.

-So you can see why we've taken our shoes off.

-Yes.

-Brand-new cream carpet.

-Wow.

-Lovely.

-That fire is beautiful.

-Good!

-Yep, lovely. Lovely open lounge.

-It's very light as well, isn't it?

-Yep.

Very light but cosy at the same time.

Well, this is the modern part of the house as well

and they've put things in

like the picture rails, they've got these decent windows,

and I think this fireplace just sets it off, doesn't it?

-Very much so.

-Certainly, yes.

Moving through to the old part, it's no less impressive.

-Follow me.

-OK.

-OK.

So...

..a room big enough to hear your own echo.

-Wow.

-Yes.

-Beautiful.

-Very, very nice.

-That's a fantastic size.

-That is beautiful.

And with all five of us here, we wouldn't be on top of each other.

-No, not at all.

-It's beautiful.

I mean, you told me about your daughters coming back.

-This is where you'd love to come back to, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It still feels like a family home, doesn't it?

-Very much so.

-And yet it's a very sociable space, isn't it?

-Yep.

-Don't you think.

-Yep, yep. And it has a nice dining area.

And the light coming through there again is just beautiful.

Now, let's talk about your mother, your mother-in-law.

She needs somewhere to live on the ground floor.

Now, just past that stair there

is a door going into a room

which would make a perfect double bedroom,

and next door to that, there's an en-suite shower and loo.

Is that enough accommodation?

I think we definitely want her to have a sort of separate living area.

You know, a sort of sitting room type thing.

She could share a kitchen. That's fine.

But we definitely want her to have her own sort of sitting room area.

Well, in that case, then, your only option is to hive off some of this living area here.

You've got more than enough natural light.

You could put a partition across,

and there is a door going into that accommodation as well there.

That's possible.

I mean, in some respects, of course, it would be a shame to partition

such a lovely room there.

But it could work.

-Now, kitchen. You both love cooking, don't you?

-Yes.

-Let's have a look.

There is a bit of work to do to create the perfect granny annexe,

but at least having so much ground floor space,

there is still lots of living room for the family.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Brilliant.

-So, you like?

-Very much.

Actually, you could put a centre island in here.

Yes. It would be nice to have just a little bit more workspace.

-So that would work well, wouldn't it?

-That's a good area. Yeah.

Now, the space is continued upstairs.

-The master bedroom is a whopper. Let me show you.

-OK.

The large rear conservatory and the utility room off the kitchen

round up the ground floor configuration.

Upstairs, there is bags of room for them and their two daughters,

with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

And that doesn't include the enormous master suite.

Now, then.

-Oh, my goodness.

-My goodness me.

-En-suite. We've never had an en-suite before.

-No. Certainly not.

-His and hers wash hand basins.

-Fantastic.

-This is enormous, isn't it?

-Great, great size room.

-Enormous.

-I like the height as well. That's great.

-Yeah.

And the colours as well.

I know you can just use a paintbrush, but we wouldn't.

-This very much suits our taste.

-Good. OK.

Well, that is... It all seems to be working fairly well for you guys.

Yep, it is.

-Let's look outside at the garden and start thinking about price.

-Oh, yes.

Lead the way.

The garden to the rear is an expansive lawn and mature borders.

It's a great plot for their landscaping plans.

Now, garden-wise, what do you think? Big enough?

Yeah. A good size and a good shape.

Nice square shape with mature plants. Yeah. Lovely.

Yep. That would work.

So how much do you think this house is on the market for?

I think...

-..£825,000.

-OK.

And that's exactly the same as I was going to say, so, um...

I'd like it to be £810,000.

OK. Well... This house is on the market for offers around £850,000.

OK.

-I...I think that's...

-That's reasonable.

-I'd be putting it on at that price if it were mine to sell.

-Good.

Well, look, you've had good reactions inside.

When you go back in, have a good look around

maybe your mum's accommodation,

but also look around all the bedrooms upstairs that you haven't yet seen.

-And I'll meet you whenever we're done.

-OK.

-All right.

-Lovely.

-Catch you in a bit.

-Thanks.

So at the top end of their budget of £850,000,

this renovated Victorian property gives five bedrooms,

spacious open-plan living rooms,

the potential to have a granny annexe,

and it's all set in a half-acre plot.

The house is very light and airy on the ground floor.

It's all open plan.

I very much like that the house has six bedrooms,

which includes the bedroom for Mum downstairs.

The garden is a lovely size, lovely shape and it has mature plants,

all of which are a bonus.

It's perhaps a little bit too isolated for us.

I think it would be nice to have one or two neighbours nearby.

I could see myself living in this property,

but I'm not sure that it works for my mother.

There's not quite enough space for her

and I can't quite see how we would actually annexe

the extra room that I think she'd need.

You know what?

I thought I would find you in here because this seems to be

the only slight sticking point in this whole house

in the tour, that I saw.

-So why don't you have a think about this on the journey to the next house?

-OK.

Let's go.

Part of David and Jill's move to the countryside

is a desire to claim a slice of rural life for themselves.

And right in the middle of our property search

is a place dedicated to keeping the county's rural heritage alive.

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum is a 50-acre site

which spans over 600 years of history,

depicting the lives of those who lived and worked

in the Sussex countryside between 1300 and 1900.

Mindful that David and Jill are keen gardeners and cooks,

we arranged for them to meet life interpreter Leslie Parker

to find out more.

-What are all these amazing buildings here?

-They're all rescued.

They would have been destroyed for one reason or another.

Road widening, reservoirs being built, gravel pits.

So if we're offered a building,

it's taken down, literally piece by piece,

like taking a jigsaw puzzle apart,

and then it's re-erected here, um, literally piece by piece.

-And how many buildings are here?

-Over 50 now.

These are all what we today would call working-class houses,

although, of course, that's not an expression

they would have used in the past.

And we've got everything from 1300s, very much a peasant house,

up to Bayleaf, our Tudor farmhouse here,

is probably the most well-off one

of all the houses we have on the site.

And we have the gardens, which are a huge resource as well.

-I understand that's something you're interested in.

-Very much so, yes.

So maybe if you would like to have a look at Bayleaf's Tudor garden.

We'd love to. Thank you.

The Bayleaf garden was created in 1989

and is a re-creation of a late medieval garden,

which would have been laid out in blocks of beds.

Tudors employed a wholly organic method of gardening,

finding a use for everything.

We've got lots of different plants here.

In the herb beds, we've got herbs for cooking,

we've got herbs that are

for medicinal use.

We've got plants that would help

keep the bed bugs from your mattress.

And which ones keep the bed bugs from your mattress?

Well, tansy is a good one which is actually this plant behind you here.

Oh, right.

Because the leaves are very bitter, people picked it,

they hung bunches at windows and doorways

and they would put sprigs under things like mattresses as well.

And do you use some of them in cooking?

This one is called winter savoury. It's not such a common herb today.

That was particularly recommended also to help problems of flatulence.

So they often put that in recipes with beans and peas.

Slightly like lavender, isn't it? It's got a slight lavender smell.

Some people think it's more like a sort of thyme-oregano cross.

Oh, yes. Yes, yes.

And then we've got lots of vegetables,

including some we're using today.

At the moment, we've got things like parsnips and leeks, leaf beets.

We were talking about winter savoury as a more unusual herb of the time,

so if we use that in our pottage.

-If you'd like to just pick a little bit more each.

-Lovely. Thank you.

And then we'll head over to Winkhurst, our Tudor kitchen,

and do some cooking.

David and Jill have seen what ingredients

were cultivated by Tudor society.

It's time to head to the kitchen

and prepare a common Tudor dish called pottage.

So what we're going to do here is cook a very basic seasonal pottage.

A one pot meal. That's all that means.

What we're going to do is start by chopping an onion.

First, onions are fried and then the vegetables are added.

Pottage can be made from any vegetables and meat.

It was the staple of Tudor society

and the main meal for most families, from the poor to the wealthy.

It was just the ingredients that differed.

To add bulk and thicken the dish, barley soaked in ale is added.

And the final ingredients, winter savoury and leaf beet

collected from the garden are put in the pot.

Time to find out if this Tudor dish is any good.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Mmm!

-Very sweet.

-It's got quite a lot of spice and flavour in it, hasn't it?

-It has.

Having sampled an historic snapshot of West Sussex,

it's time to spool forward to the present day

and serve up our next property.

For house number two, we're going ten miles further inland

to Pulborough, a large village on the northern edge of the South Downs.

Pulborough dates back to Roman times

and is one of the larger villages in West Sussex.

With a population of around 5,000,

it has a good number of shops, pubs and other amenities.

Three miles from the centre of the village,

down a long country lane,

is property number two.

So a completely different kettle of fish for property number two.

-Very much so.

-What do you think?

It looks a little bit like a chalet bungalow.

I see what you mean. Yeah.

Well, it looks like a one storey with one storey above.

Take my word for it, it doesn't feel like that inside.

This is a good-sized family home.

Now, of course,

you couldn't fail to see that we've just gone past a Victorian castle.

-Yes. I'm not keen.

-Not keen? How so?

-Perhaps feeling a little overlooked, maybe.

-Oh, OK. Um...

Well, I'll tell you this. That's a good point. The house faces that way.

So are the views.

But I thought with having that there

and there's another neighbour way over the other side,

you wouldn't feel so isolated.

Yeah.

Let's see how you feel when you get inside the house, shall we?

-OK.

-Let's go.

The Victorian castle next door is residential,

having been converted into luxury flats.

And whilst they may not be entirely swept away with the exterior,

I'm hoping the internal layout will more than fulfil their needs.

Coming in through the hallway, there's a central room in this house

which all the other family spaces feed off.

There's a light, modern country kitchen,

a dining room with views out to the garden

and then there's the sitting room.

-So this feels very much more the living room, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-This is lovely.

-Open fire.

-A good size and, again, lots of windows.

Very nice.

-Are you getting a feel of what you might do with the spaces?

-Well, yes.

I was thinking perhaps making this the more formal dining room

and then perhaps the room that is currently the dining room,

make that perhaps a space for the youngsters.

Yeah. Not a bad idea.

And that's what this house gives you. It's very flexible.

-You've got 3,000 square feet to play with here.

-Goodness me.

-It's a big house.

-Yeah, it is big.

Let me show you where your mum might be staying.

These family rooms form one wing of the downstairs layout.

The other wing is where a suite of rooms are located

which could be a perfect annexe for David's mum.

So...

..right at this end of the house

there's as much privacy for your mother as she wants, really.

-You think this is a living room.

-Yes.

-But is it?

-Because you've got an en-suite there.

-Oh, OK.

So this could be a bedroom, if she wants an en-suite,

or the living room.

And you've got a study next door

which would be either the bedroom or the living room.

And on the other side of the corridor,

there's a utility room for the house,

-which is easily big enough to be a kitchen.

-Yes, yes.

-So she could have her entire annexe or wing.

-Right.

-Yes.

I can see that. She would like that, I think.

Very attractive proposition.

Yeah. And this is a very nice size for her.

-That would work well.

-So far so good?

-Yeah. Absolutely.

-We're on the right track.

-Good. Onwards and upwards. Follow me.

What's on offer for David's mother is a definite winner in this house

and there are some great options for their daughters upstairs.

Built into the eaves of the house,

there are three good-sized double bedrooms to choose from,

all with ceiling windows

and lots of natural light.

There are two bathrooms, so the girls can have one each,

and all of this doesn't include the main bedroom for Jill and David.

Now, I want you to see what I call the master suite.

-So pretty funky bathroom.

-Very nice.

-But this bedroom also gives you a rather nice balcony.

-Oh, lovely.

-Have a good look.

-That looks fabulous, doesn't it?

-Very nice.

Now, on a clearer day, that's a view right over the South Downs.

Beautiful.

Bearing in mind there's lots of, you know...

..there's en suites up here as well,

there's enough privacy

for your three generations of family to spend time here,

which I thought would be good.

-Absolutely. Yes.

-I think that would work OK.

-Yeah. Very much so.

-Good. All right.

So let's go and brave the weather again and start thinking about price.

-OK.

-Yep.

-Not an easy one, this, is it?

-No, it's not.

As well as the size and great layout,

the views are a real bonus with this house.

However, it is currently used as a holiday let,

so it doesn't have the feel of a home that's lived in full-time.

Outside, the garden is an undeveloped half acre

ready for the attention of some green fingers.

This probably isn't the best day to be saying, "Isn't it nice out here?

"Is this what you had in mind?" But imagine this on a clearer day.

-Nice?

-Very nice.

-I can see it working for us.

It's a blank canvas too. We can do with it as we wish.

Do you remember when we first walked up...

..you said "Oh, it looks like a chalet bungalow"?

It's in, you know... almost underneath a Victorian castle.

What do you think now we've looked around?

I think it's a great space inside. It's absolutely right for us.

-So practicality-wise, I think that's spot-on.

-OK.

-Sounds like there's a but there.

-Does it feel entirely like a home?

No.

I think you're right. I mean, on paper it's perfect and some.

-I mean, it's everything we could ever want.

-So...

How much do you think it's on the market for?

Uh...it's a difficult one. Um...

I would say £830,000.

-OK. Jill?

-I think it's considerably more than that.

-I think it's £875,000.

-Not a bad guess, Jill.

-It's on the market for offers around £860,000.

-Mmm! OK.

-So...practically, you think it's spot-on.

-Yep.

Can you make this house a home?

Why don't you go back inside? Have a look around all the rooms.

There's lots of it.

And start to think about "Could you move into this place?"

-Could you warm it up, if you like? All right?

-OK. Lovely.

-I'll see you later on.

-Thank you.

So for £860,000, this substantial house offers four bedrooms upstairs,

potential for a self-contained annexe downstairs, a half-acre of garden

and fantastic views over the South Downs.

I think the floorspace is great.

The configuration downstairs is perfect.

The configuration upstairs is perfect. It would work well for us.

The longer I spend in this house, the more it's appealing to me.

It's got everything we could want and more.

And it's perfect for David's mum.

I just have a niggle that there's something missing

and I can't put my finger on it.

I think it's that feeling that is missing.

It would be nice to perhaps come back

and see what we could do to make it our own.

You get a sort of 90-degree panorama all the way around.

You can see why they put the balcony here, can't you?

-You certainly can.

-And it's so peaceful.

-Yeah. Lovely.

So you can see some of the view even on a day like today, can't you?

-Yeah, it's beautiful.

-Had a good look around?

-Yep. Thank you. Yeah.

Well, this is the last thing we'll see today,

-so let's take you back and you've got something to think about tonight.

-OK.

-Plenty to think about.

-After you.

-Thank you.

It's our last day of house-hunting with David and Jill

who are looking to move from Banstead, Surrey, to West Sussex

with a budget of £850,000.

Coming up, I've still got some surprises for our buyers.

It wasn't what I expected at all. It has a really homely feel.

And I find out about one of our country's great aviation triumphs.

I've got nothing to compare that to, but that sounds pretty amazing.

It's awesome.

So here we are. A beautiful day.

Two properties down,

both of which I think marry David and Jill's shopping list,

but there still seems to be something missing.

So I'm somewhat relieved to be taking them both to the mystery house,

as, let's face it, it normally stirs things up a bit.

Now, I think they're both going to enjoy looking round the house itself.

It has a lovely homely feel to it.

The garden is a good size,

albeit on a bit of an angle which could be a challenge.

And there's even potential for a granny annexe.

But when I see potential, it is potential, but with a capital P.

For our mystery house, I'm taking David and Jill

15 miles north to the village of Fernhurst,

close to the West Sussex and Surrey border.

One of the northern gateways to the South Downs National Park,

Fernhurst is surrounded by five hills

and miles of walking trails.

It's a classic rural village with a church dating back to Norman times.

Now, this village - well, it gives you everything.

What you want from a village these days.

You've got your pub, of course. You've got your shops.

Got a good, vibrant community.

Now, rumour has it that apparently the last wild bear in England

was killed here.

Whether or not that's true, what I do like to believe

is the ghost of that bear haunts this whole area.

-So is that putting you off?

-No.

-No.

-Good. All right.

-Let's get along to the mystery house.

-OK.

-Lovely.

Three miles up the road, through woodland, is our final property.

So...

..atop this hill is our mystery house.

-Very nice.

-I'm very aware of the slope.

-Right. OK.

And an 88-year-old mother-in-law.

Let's just ignore my mother for the moment. It's a very nice house.

It is a very nice house. It is.

I know you love gardening. There's terracing that can be done here.

Some landscaping to be done. Yeah. That's good.

But the mystery here, if you like,

is the fact that there's work to be done to this house

and that is making it a bit more OAP friendly for your mum

and also maybe converting some of her accommodation later on.

-Let's look inside.

-OK.

With approaching half an acre of mature secluded gardens,

there's plenty to keep David and Jill busy outdoors.

But given they're finding it hard

visualising their life in another house,

it's the inside that I really want them to see.

-So the kitchen. Very different feel to what we've seen so far.

-Wow.

-Lovely.

-It's beautiful.

-It's a real country kitchen, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And also do you not think it feels really homely?

-Very much so. It does.

I mean, it's, you know, great dining area.

Lovely view over the garden. Good-sized kitchen as well.

Loads of workspace.

-Spot-on.

-Good stuff?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Great stuff.

Right then. Let's go to the sitting room. Just squeeze past here.

There are two living rooms in our mystery house -

one which has views out to the garden,

and the other which is larger and L-shaped.

-Now, the living room, or one of the living rooms, is pretty big.

-It is.

It's a lovely, cosy room.

I think the fact that someone lives here permanently

really brings the house alive.

-Yeah. You can see yourselves making this a home.

-Yes.

-This is a nice, quiet, slightly darker room.

-Yeah.

The other one's much more open and light.

Well, the other section we walked past, it has those nice big windows

that you can see maybe opening out onto the garden.

So the two reception rooms have two quite different functions, don't they?

-Good. All right. Let's have a look at one of the bedrooms.

-OK.

-OK.

The final rooms downstairs are a small corridor office

and a utility room.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms for their daughters to choose from

and a bathroom for them to share.

All of this is separate from the main bedroom suite.

-So the master, well, it has the best view. Look at that.

-It's beautiful.

-Nice and light.

-Yep.

-Yes, isn't it?

-It's good.

-It gives it a nice feeling.

-Yes. It wasn't what I expected at all.

Um...it has a... As I say, it has a really homely feel.

OK. Well, this is good.

Let's go and have a look at an idea

for some accommodation for your mum, David.

Can I just squeeze through the middle there?

For this house, I have a different proposition for a granny flat -

a stand-alone annexe just across from the main house.

So, as you can see, at the top, we've got a collection of outbuildings.

Now, this was originally converted to be a teenager's den

and then they started to make upgrades

to turn it into a granny annexe

and circumstances along the way changed.

What you've got here is a footprint of buildings. So...

..the ability for an annexe, a garden, albeit on a bit of a slope,

-and a really lovely family home.

-Yep.

How much?

I think, probably...

..seven...

..£765,000.

-Okey-doke. David?

-I'd say £750,000.

Well...

..you may well be surprised to hear, then, this mystery property

is on the market for offers around £850,000.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-Good heavens.

-Well, we were wrong, weren't we?

-We were.

It's something to think about and hopefully, and I really mean this,

something to compare against the first two properties.

-Yes.

-This...

There's a reason why we've looked at all these three properties.

-It's a big thing you're embarking upon. First house in 23 years.

-Yes.

So go back to the garden. Have a look at it.

Start to think about this place in relation to everything we've seen.

-Sure.

-All right? Catch you later.

-Thank you very much.

So at the top of their budget of £850,000,

they get a beautiful hillside house with a stunning interior,

four bedrooms, two living rooms and potential for a separate annexe.

When I first saw the property, I was a little aghast at the garden,

thinking about David's mum and the slope.

Although, obviously, she wouldn't be out there gardening with us,

I just felt it was a bit restrictive for her.

I think the space for my mother could work.

There's another square footage there to actually turn it into

a self-contained granny annexe for her.

If it were on the same level,

I think that would work perfectly well.

It's a good property to see, notwithstanding the fact that it has

some challenges in terms of slope and access for Mum.

It's this beautiful elevated position

that I think's going to be the big problem with this house.

Shame, though.

Now then. You survived the steep garden.

-There's no mud on your knees.

-Nope, nope.

-Did you enjoy looking round that house?

-Very much so. Yeah.

-Well, we should find somewhere for you to have a bit of a chinwag.

-OK.

-Come with me.

-OK.

Being on the South Coast,

West Sussex has always played a strategic role

in the country's security,

and no more so than during World War II.

I'm off to Tangmere Aviation Museum near Chichester,

which is on the site of a former RAF base

which was crucial in defending the south against the Luftwaffe.

I'm meeting retired squadron leader Dudley Hooley to find out more.

Dudley, thanks so much for seeing me today.

-How are you?

-It's a great pleasure. Very well, thank you.

What an exciting place to be.

As a boy that grew up next to an airfield, with planes going over,

to see these up close and personal is an absolute treat.

Now, tell me, Tangmere itself, I suppose...

Is it the proximity to the coast

behind its existence and its importance?

That's a great part of it

because Tangmere was the premier base in the south of England.

It controlled six other bases here during the Battle of Britain.

That's probably when it became most famous.

So you'd have had Hurricanes and Spitfires

taking off from this base, then.

Primarily Hurricanes.

Spitfires were operating from Goodwood Airfield

and the Hurricanes would go after the bombers.

The Spitfires would go after the accompanying fighters.

I also understand you have a very famous son here at Tangmere.

Douglas Bader. Who else?

He came here in 1941 with the first of the big wings.

Douglas Bader was a wing commander at Tangmere in 1941.

He was one of the most famous fighter aces of the Second World War

due to his prolific record of shooting down 20 enemy aircraft

in a short space of time.

But he was also hugely inspirational

because he achieved all of this after having lost his legs

in an aviation accident in 1931,

and used two artificial limbs.

I didn't realise till recently

that he'd already lost his legs

by the time the Second World War came around.

He put his hand up and said "No, I want to volunteer again."

That's right. He did. Yes.

And once he did become involved

in the effort, if you like, the war effort,

he obviously inspired a lot of young pilots.

Yes. Yes, he did, because people would look at him

and say - a little bit like the Paralympians today -

that if he can do that without any legs,

then as an able-bodied person,

that's something for me to aspire to.

But he was an absolutely brilliant pilot.

Staffed entirely by volunteers,

the museum has lovingly restored a total of 16 iconic planes,

including two jet fighters from the Cold War era.

Now, Dudley, I'm starting to grin from ear to ear

just to be close to these amazing aircraft.

-Let's talk about the Hawker Hunter.

-OK.

This is the Hawker Hunter. In military terms, it's a DFGA.

-A day fighter ground attack aircraft.

-OK.

This was probably the most loved aeroplane,

second only to the Spitfire in the RAF.

-Really? Why is that?

-It flew beautifully.

And then, a number of years later, along came this.

And I've got to say... they don't even look related.

The Lightning just looks... It looks huge and very different.

The Lightning jetfighter was a supersonic aircraft.

Introduced as an interceptor, it could fly at Mach 2,

twice the speed of sound.

It was a brute of an aeroplane,

designed to get off the ground very, very quickly,

get up to 50,000 feet, intercept the Russian bombers,

if necessary, shoot them down.

This is Cold War time.

-This is the muscle car of the jet plane world.

-You're absolutely right.

Its performance was astonishing.

It has a 50,000 feet per minute rate of climb.

I've got nothing to compare that to, but that sounds pretty amazing.

It's awesome.

One of the original test pilots, George Aird,

when asked what was it like to fly,

he said, "Well, I was in total control of this aeroplane

"until I released the brakes."

HE LAUGHS

The feats achieved by the incredible engineering of these planes is astonishing

and I could spend all day here,

but it's time to get back to the house-hunt.

So three properties down, the big question

is have we finally found that missing ingredient for David and Jill?

Well, we've given them some thinking time.

Let's find out their thoughts.

-So after some thinking time, what's your favourite house?

-Number two.

-You both agreed on that?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-Right. OK.

Well, we looked at property number two in not great weather.

-Mm-hm.

-Yet it was still your favourite.

And didn't have great first reactions either, did you?

I wasn't keen on the outward appearance of the property.

-But once we got in and the views were just beautiful.

-Lovely location.

Great view. Very practical inside.

So let's pick up on that. You said it's practical.

Looking around the house, you said that, at the same time,

you struggled to get... the feel of a family home when walking around.

-Have you thought about that some more, then?

-Yes.

I mean, I think there are things we could do to make it more of a home.

-Whether it's the right one for us, I'm still not sure.

-It's a...

It is a big move from "It works, there's great views"

to "Do we love it?"

And it is very difficult to get to the "Do we love it?"

when it's a bit cold because it's not lived in

and it hasn't got the furniture and the knick knacks in

and it's difficult to bridge that gap.

It's tough, isn't it, because after living in one house for so long,

in one place,

the thought of choosing your next house

for maybe the next quarter of a century

is tough going, isn't it?

-Very tough.

-It is and we haven't really looked very much,

other than on the internet,

and if anything, this journey has told us

that we need to look at the properties inside.

Absolutely.

Look, it's been a pleasure showing you these houses

because you've been a bit rusty, haven't you?

You've not looked at houses for so long.

-It's opened a door on something else.

-Just a bit. Yeah.

But whatever you decide to do and wherever you decide to go,

do please let us know, won't you?

-Indeed we will. Thank you so much for all you've done.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

So by the sounds of it,

David and Jill have been on a bit of a journey these past couple of days

and whilst they both freely admit

that house number two gives them everything they set out to achieve,

for them, there seemed to be one thing missing

and that's that feeling of home.

But, of course, as we all know, home is what you make it.

And if they do go back there for the second viewing,

they'll hopefully see past what isn't there

and imagine the house with all of their stuff in it.

And if they're able to do that,

then they should be at least one step closer

to making their big move here, to West Sussex.

See you next time.

David and Jill have been back to West Sussex to look at more properties

and have even upped their budget.

But the search for a house with the right accommodation

for them, their daughters and David's mother continues.

If you'd like to escape to the country

in England, Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland

and need our help,

you can apply online at bbc.co.uk/beontheshow.