Norfolk Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

Now, today I'm in a county that's home to over 650 historic churches.

That's thought to be the highest concentration anywhere in Europe.

But which county are we in?

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

On today's show,

our two house hunters are craving long-awaited rural retirement.

And I'll be showing them some tantalising options...

-Is it you?

-I think it could be. I think it could be.

..as the dream moves closer to reality.

Oh, I'm loving this.

-Yeah, I'm loving this.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Well, today we're in Norfolk,

and this is the parish church in the village of Hemblington.

Now, you can notice that distinctive round tower.

It's a unique architectural feature

of up to 125 of the churches up here,

many of which, it's thought, date back to the Saxon period.

These, and the much later and more elegant medieval churches

built on the back of the once-thriving war trade,

offer a fascinating picture into life here over the centuries,

something I'll be taking a much closer look at

later in the programme.

For me, it is buildings like this that make Norfolk

and its landscape so distinctive.

Low-levelled Norfolk is the largest county in East Anglia,

with Lincolnshire bordering it to the west,

Cambridgeshire to the southwest and Suffolk to the south.

It is the fifth largest county in the UK

and also lays claim to being the driest.

It is home to the UK's most easterly city, Norwich, where the magnificent

Norman cathedral has dominated the skyline for more than 900 years.

The Norfolk coastline stretches for nearly 100 miles,

from Hopton-on-Sea to The Wash.

But the unmistakable feature of the county's landscape are the Broads -

flooded medieval peat excavations which today provide

a series of navigable waterways and lakes.

With 40% of the county's population living in the urban centres

of Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford,

the countryside is sparsely populated

and provides rich pickings for aspiring escapees.

Now, I grew up in East Anglia,

and I've always had a soft spot for it, in particular for Norfolk.

But recent improvements in the rail line between Norwich

and London have made it popular with commuters,

which you might think would have an adverse effect on property prices,

but there is some good news.

At £215,000, the price of your average detached house here

is still some £40,000 below the comparable national figure.

Now, in general terms, the farther north in the county you go,

the more expensive it gets, thanks to the draw of the coast

and hotspots like Cromer and, of course, the Norfolk Broads.

But take it from me, there are some stunning homes here

set within its famously broad landscape.

And as for today's buyers, well,

they have been thinking of moving here for a very, very long time.

Jean and Mike have lived in their four-bedroom house just

outside of Northampton, in the East Midlands, since 1986.

They met almost 30 years ago

while both working for a musical instrument company.

I first met Jean when she applied for a job with the company

I was working for. She eventually came to work for me.

We became a little bit more than just a boss-worker relationship.

And we fell in love and got married.

After having two children, they began another love affair,

this time with the County of Norfolk.

We had our first experience of life on the water

in Norfolk 20 years ago.

-On the Norfolk Broads.

-On the Norfolk Broads.

We went backwards and forwards to Norfolk every year,

just spending a glorious week over there looking at the wildlife,

fishing and just totally chilling out.

After Mike retired earlier this year, they were at last free

to follow their dream, which they have a rather unique approach to.

Working for a Japanese company,

they have a philosophy, which is called third life.

The Japanese actually have this phrase when people retire.

It's a new life.

We look upon this as our opportunity to do all the things that we

have wanted to do just between the two of us.

One of their interests will dictate the kind of house they moved to.

Our biggest passion in life is music.

That's how we met, that's what brought us together

all those years ago.

I used to be a professional musician,

oh, from about the age of 18 -

played in the German bases for American troops,

then became more of a cabaret act.

From the age of 14, I joined a band, we made a record.

We went to Thank Your Lucky Stars on TV, and then I turned pro.

And backed a guy called Beau Brummell.

We had a record at number 23 on the charts.

And I did that for six or seven years.

Over the years, we've kept on playing music

and collecting instruments.

So in our new house we have to have a music room.

And they have a good pot of money to finance their dream.

The budget for the move is £425,000.

As the Norfolk Broads are undoubtedly the draw for Jean

and Mike, we're concentrating our search on the area

between Norwich and the coast,

where these waterways are located.

And I'm meeting them there to establish more about their plans.

-Well, good morning!

-BOTH: Good morning.

-Very nice to see you both.

-And you, too, Jules.

Welcome, well, back to Norfolk, I suppose,

because actually this is a long-held ambition, isn't it?

Well, it is. We've been 20 years in the making.

The kind of property you're after interests me

because, unusually, you have specified single-storey.

I had a bungalow before we moved into the house. I loved it.

Having everything accessible on the ground floor is wonderful.

But it also means that as you get older and the knees start...

Well, we're thinking about the knees, really.

No stairs.

You are looking ahead to this being your ultimate move, I suppose.

Yeah, this is our final...

This is where we want to be and it's going to be the last move

we want to make, so it's got to be right.

-One of the criteria is having a music room.

-Yeah.

Which is kind of crucial for us.

So I think, on a single-storey, that's much more possible.

Would you be prepared to build something bespoke, say,

in the garden if the property didn't have the space.

If there's no room that could be adapted,

then I researched

and I found that there is a company

that will make a purpose-built studio

that you can actually put in your garden.

-And how much would that cost you?

-About 25 grand.

-OK.

Well, that's a figure worth bearing in mind as we go

through our properties.

What else does it need to have, this new dream home, Mike?

I want three... At least two other bedrooms besides the main bedroom.

A nice kitchen-diner.

How much do we want to spend?

-Well, if everything was there...

-Yep.

-£425,000.

OK. We're not short of pretty properties in Norfolk.

We have, however, got three very viable options for you,

-so we should get out there, see if we can sell you one.

-Fantastic.

For a maximum budget of £425,000, Mike and Jean would like their

long-dreamed-of Norfolk home to be single-storey,

with three bedrooms, a large kitchen-diner,

an all-important music room and, ideally,

it should be located within a 15-minute drive of water.

We've got some intriguing properties to reveal to our house hunters,

but we won't be revealing the price tags

until they've guessed at the value first.

And our third and final mystery house might just challenge

everything they thought they wanted.

To start our search, we're travelling

right to the heart of the Norfolk Broads in the village of Horning.

One of the prettiest and best known villages in the Norfolk Broads

National Park, Horning lies on the north bank of the River Bure.

Because of its great access to the water, it's a

popular location for boating and is a busy tourist centre.

But it's not just a seasonal town. With pubs,

shops and other amenities, it's a good place to live all year round.

And ten minutes' drive away in Smallburgh is our first property.

-This is quite ancient, isn't it?

-Wow, it is!

-Incredible.

-Yeah.

-You get all this, the drive and the grass either side of it.

-Wow.

-Gracious.

-And it's the approach to property number one.

Which is that.

-Wow.

-Gracious me.

-Single-storey.

-Sure. Yeah, yeah.

And I know you wanted a sense of rural life, obviously,

-but you didn't want to be isolated.

-Yeah, absolutely.

So, we've got other buildings around us.

There are six other properties in this sort of complex, as it were.

You also get the view of the duck pond,

but you don't have to look after it, which is even better.

And you get the property here.

I mean, if you saw this in an estate agent's window,

would it peak your interest?

If you just showed that little bit, you'd probably think..."mm-mm".

-But because of what I can now see...

-The whole location.

-Yeah.

-And you know this area quite well, don't you?

-Yeah.

But we've never been to this area, this particular spot.

-So it's really interesting.

-Well, it's a day of firsts, isn't it?

It is. It is, absolutely.

-Let's have a look and see what you think of the inside.

-OK.

This 19th-century barn was converted into a four-bedroom home in 1985.

As it seems Mike and Jean wouldn't have picked this out themselves,

I'm pleased we're here, or they would be missing a treat.

Well, there is only one place, really, I think

to start in this property.

-And it is here.

-Oh, wow!

-Wow.

-Yeah?

-Oh, yeah.

It's much bigger and brighter than I thought it was going to be.

-We just didn't expect this.

-It's very funky. I love it.

There's lots of exposed wood.

And it all goes through to a very nice

conservatory-cum-dining area as well.

But styling wise, is this the sort of thing you would go for?

I think, to be honest with you,

this would not have been on our first criteria,

but actually now we're here and we're looking at it,

looking at the ceiling, the beams,

the exposed wood, we love it.

That's our first reaction.

-Let's go through to the kitchen, see what you think of this.

-OK.

-And there is the kitchen.

-Oh, look at that.

-Wow.

-That is a country kitchen.

-Didn't expect that either.

-No.

The way they have set it up really suits

the feel of the place and the aged feel without...

without giving you an old-fashioned look.

-It just works, feels like it has always been here.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah, it has a very natural feel.

-Sure.

-Is it you?

-Yeah.

I think it could be. I think it could be.

The living rooms are one side of the property,

with the bedrooms on the other.

Of the three guest rooms, there is one box room

and one which is already being used as a music room.

And then there is the master suite.

Now, this is yours.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow.

Oh, look at that. And a bath in an en-suite, you don't often get that.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Look at the wall. Brick.

-Nice, isn't it?

-Again, this theme of textures kind of coming through every room.

-It is.

Big enough for you, then?

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

-Well, let's go and have a look in the garden,

because there we have got you a fabulous studio, which you could

certainly embellish, improve or just use as maybe your music room.

Well, you know, one of the things he wanted to do when he retired

was to take back doing watercolours and stuff, so there you are.

-Here's some inspiration for you. Come and look at this.

-OK.

The house is set in three quarters of an acre,

comprising the driveway approach at the front and a large lawned garden

to the rear, where the potential studio is located.

So, the garden.

Well, ALMOST what you can see is what you get.

There is a bit more, too, beyond that rose arch.

A bonfire area and so on.

But the key thing to consider is that building over there.

-Yeah.

-Fantastic.

-Currently the artist's studio.

-Yeah.

It's on quite a big plot, as you can see.

It could do with a bit of updating, if we're honest.

But you had already considered spending up to 25 grand

on a bespoke music room.

-We had.

-We might think about that sum of 25 grand

when we talk about the price, which we will do now.

Now, you've already mentioned

about us having 25 grand in the budget to perhaps sort a studio,

so that makes me think that this won't be at the top of our budget.

So, I would say £375,000.

375, yeah. Mike?

I think a little bit more. I think 390.

Now, I would have said 390,

but I and you both...

would have been wrong.

-Oh!

-Because this is on the market

-at £365,000.

-Wow!

-Really?

-Yes. How about that?

Which would bring it to 390 if you built the new studio.

-Wow.

-Mm.

Very interesting, Jules.

-That is really interesting.

-I thought it might be.

It really is. It really is.

Go in there, explore the studio-cum-music room or den,

whatever it is going to be, and I will catch up with you later.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

For £365,000, Mike and Jean get a single-storey

barn conversion with four bedrooms, two large, airy living rooms

and an artist's studio,

all set in three quarters of an acre of mature grounds.

And it leaves plenty of cash left over for a brand-new music studio.

-Oh, this is an interesting space, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

I don't think it would do as a music room,

but I certainly wouldn't remove it or anything.

-This has a great feeling, like, atmosphere.

-Yeah.

-We could keep this...should keep it as it is.

-Yeah.

-And put the music room somewhere else.

-Yeah. This was a big surprise.

Didn't expect something that looked like this does.

But when I came inside, I was really pleasantly surprised.

It's airy, it's light, it feels nice and cosy,

but not confined in any way.

We stepped in and straight away we felt space.

Moving into the kitchen, there was a very nice,

natural feeling with the wood, that feeling that this, yeah,

was a barn once, but now it has been converted into a home.

-After you, madam.

-Thank you.

Well, I'm rather pleased.

I think, as property searches go,

they don't start much better than this one.

-Great start, Jules. Really good start.

-Can we better it?

Our buyers are not the first people to fall in love with

Norfolk's waterside lifestyle.

The Broads have been a popular boating holiday destination

since the late 19th century,

when the first small yachts were made available to hire.

The waterways are now flooded with all manner of modern craft,

but there is one group of enthusiasts committed to

preserving boats which hark back to a bygone era.

We've arranged for Mike and Jean to meet senior boat builder

John Franks of the Norfolk Heritage Fleet Trust.

They maintain a unique fleet of historic Broadland boats still

going strong more than 80 years after they were first built.

The yard was established in 1932,

by Percy Hunter and his two sons.

They actually bought the site

and constructed all the wooden boats that you see around here,

within these two sheds. So it is still all the original buildings.

The 1930s was the real heyday of sailing on the Broads.

And there were a lot of very rich people in the area.

They would hire a crew to do the sailing regattas.

It was very prestigious.

So, would you say that these boats are

-specifically designed for use on the Broads?

-Absolutely.

These boats are built for purpose, that is to sail on narrow waterways

and to traverse through the narrow bridges that we have on the Broads.

There is not really a waterway within the river system

that these boats cannot get into. If you'd like to come this way,

I'll show you a boat that we have in the shed at the moment

that we're doing some repairs on. So if you'd like to follow me...

These magnificent cabin yachts have remained virtually unchanged

since they were first built in the 1930s,

including the fact that they have no power or electricity onboard.

Inside the boat sheds of Hunter's yard, work is under way to ensure

the preservation of these noble ladies of the Broads.

Here we have Hostler 1, which is out for repair.

The boats are mahogany on oak frame.

And for 1936 she's not doing too bad.

In the winter, what do you do with the boats?

Do they all have to come out? Do they all come in to the sheds?

Yes, we bring them in from the dyke. We will strip them completely down.

The sails will be dried, which they

are currently being done at the moment.

And all the boats are then lined up in the area here,

so both sheds will be completely full of boats.

They're all snug away in the winter.

It's during the winter months that the real repairs get under way

to ensure these boats can continue to be enjoyed out on the water.

Martin and Jean are going out on one of the half-deckers,

a day boat with no berth.

Ready about.

Skipper Martin Calley might have a job on his hands to keep this one

out of the repair shed.

-Whoa!

-Wow!

Let's hope it's plane sailing for Mike and Jean's future life

on the Broads.

For our second property,

I'm taking Mike and Jean further north to the village

of Swanton Abbott,

which would offer them access to water within ten minutes.

The nearest town is North Walsham, which offers plenty of shops

and amenities. Swanton Abbott is just over three miles away.

It is a pretty village with a charming 14th-century church

and some beautiful rural properties,

and it's here that house number two is located.

OK, you can turn around and have a proper look at it.

-There we are.

-Wow.

-That's number two.

-Happy?

-Look at that, that's amazing.

But you're probably thinking, "But, Jules, it's not a bungalow."

-No, it's not.

-It was originally a kind of two-up, two-down cottage.

But in the last five years, they've added on a huge single-storey

extension, which gives you another further two bedrooms.

-So it's a four-bedroom property.

-Oh, wow.

So, effectively,

-it's single level.

-Sure.

-But with a roof.

With a roof, that will do.

-And a thatch.

-Yeah.

I didn't think we could really come up here without showing you

a thatch or indeed something that's got a bit of flint in it,

cos that really is Norfolk.

-Yeah, that's Norfolk, the flint. Norfolk flint.

-Again, surprised.

And it's something, again, that would not be on our criteria.

Because we're not looking for a thatched cottage,

so I think you have kind of, yeah, taken us by surprise.

-Let's have a look inside.

-OK.

With the original cottage over 300 years old,

this is a classic slice of Norfolk heritage.

And the property retains many of its original features.

So, how's this for cosy, then?

Oh, wow, yeah.

-Wow.

-Yes?

-This is cosy.

-This is Norfolk, isn't it?

-This is Norfolk, yeah.

-Wow.

-Beams.

I mean, that speaks for itself, I think.

-There's another one of these next door.

-Ah-ha.

There's a lovely little snug there, actually,

which you could reinstall a fire into.

-But, yeah, I think cosy is the word I would use.

-Yeah.

-And original.

-Look at the door.

-I know.

-Yeah, stable door there.

Now, that goes through to part of this new extension, which gives you

what they've got as a sort of study corridor at the moment.

But it also leads into quite an interesting family bathroom -

-roll-top bath, et cetera.

-Oh, wow, lovely.

-A surprise, again.

-Yeah, a good one?

-Interesting one. Let's say interesting one.

-Yes.

Interesting is one of those great words, it's a real caveat for,

-"I'm not really sure."

-While sitting on the fence.

I am not really sure.

I hadn't envisaged anything as old as this,

so this is quite different for me.

But like I said, open to all sorts.

The kitchen, which is through there, I think

-is one of the real selling points.

-Oh, wow. Let's have a look.

OK, this I love.

-It's this great sense of space that this room gives you.

-Oh, wow, yeah.

You come through from the dark, cosy end into this, well,

fabulous kitchen, I think.

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

-Kitchen-diner.

-The sink, range. Look at that.

-This is a good space.

This is good.

-I think when you come into here this house starts to make sense.

-It does.

Cos this is a space where you're going to spend an awful lot of time.

-Yeah, you can have a banquet here.

-Through here

is the rest of the new extension, which offers you bags of room.

-OK.

-Wow.

The extension consists of a kitchen-diner, two bedrooms,

two bathrooms, the study and two utility rooms,

which means, with the living rooms in the cottage,

Jean and Mike would have complete single-storey living.

There are, however, two upstairs bedrooms in the old house,

which could be used for guests.

Up in the eaves, they're accessed by a narrow staircase.

Back down on the ground floor, I'm showing them

one of the other two bedrooms.

I'm wondering if whether this could become something

-of a sort of music room.

-Right.

It's certainly big enough

and the shape of the ceiling would give you some good acoustics.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

This is what we are thinking about in terms of internal music room,

but let's have a look at the master bedroom.

-So there we are.

-Oh, wow.

Well, that's nice and light and airy, isn't it?

-It's probably the lightest room in the house, actually.

-I think so.

With shower room en suite there. Could it work?

-It's a space, it could work, yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK. How much is it worth?

Let's go to the garden and discuss. Follow me.

The house is set in a third of an acre of mature gardens.

Well, the garden you got a pretty good look at when we first arrived.

-Mm-hm.

-It's pretty extensive, it would certainly incorporate

the freestanding, brand-new music room

that we discussed at property number one.

-Plenty big enough.

-Very manageable.

-Yeah?

-How much is it on the market for, then?

-350.

-I would say a bit more.

-Yeah?

-I think it is nearer four, so 395.

-395.

It is actually on the market at

399,950.

-Not too far out, then.

-A very different proposition to number one.

-Mm-hm.

-It's more money, but does it give you more house

and more of what you're looking for? That's the big question.

-Go and explore those attic rooms.

-OK.

-And I'll catch up with you later on.

-Right.

-OK.

For just shy of £400,000, this attractive thatched cottage

with a modern extension offers four bedrooms,

with the potential for one to be used as a music room,

two bathrooms, a large kitchen-diner,

as well as a third of an acre of land.

Wow, look at this.

-Oh, this is quaint.

-It's very quaint.

Mind you, after a couple of glasses of wine,

I don't know if I could negotiate those stairs.

-Maybe this is the guest room.

-I agree.

-Guest room.

The first room was a nice snug, obviously very quaint with the beams.

It had that typical cottage feel.

The old part of the house, that was full of character.

And that was the opposite to the new part, which was very extensive.

But I didn't feel there was a good flow.

Thinking about the knees for the future, the practicality of

going up and down the stairs, um, I think

slightly put us off a little.

-Ah! Are we all done?

-We are.

-We're all done.

-Very good.

Well, an interesting way to finish our first day of house hunting.

-Very much so.

-One more to come tomorrow, though.

-Yeah.

-Ready for the mystery house?

-BOTH: Absolutely.

Come on then.

It's the second day of our house hunt in the Norfolk Broads,

where Jean and Mike are escaping suburban Northamptonshire

with a budget of £425,000 to spend on a rural home.

Coming up, is it job done with the mystery house?

-All right, when are we moving in, then?

-Well! Are we now?

And I discover some of the county's dark secrets.

-This, we think, is a curse.

-A curse?

Well, there is no getting away from the fact that for Mike and Jean

this move has been a long time in the making - 20 years, in fact.

But their sense of passion and urgency to finally get on with

what Mike describes as their third life is clear for all to see.

Now, yesterday went well.

We were certainly onto something with property number one,

but we're really going to push the boat out for our final offering,

our mystery house, for our couple who love water

and the Norfolk Broads in particular.

This one is a cracker.

Now, yesterday I thought was very interesting.

Two very different properties.

Has that provoked a discussion that has gone on into the evening?

Well, it did.

We were very taken with property number one

to the degree that we actually redesigned it over dinner.

We decided where we were going to put the new music room, that would

be right at the back. And even a few changes internally.

So, Mike, what do you think our mystery house might comprise?

We are hoping that we're maybe going to be able to see

water from this mystery house.

Almost. Almost, that's all I'm going to tell you.

But if water is what you want, water is what I'm going to give you.

Thank you.

For today's mystery house, we're going back into the centre

of Norfolk Broad territory to the village of Ranworth.

Situated alongside Malthouse Broad on the River Bure, Ranworth is

a popular place both to live and to take a holiday.

Its impressive 15th-century church, St Helens,

is known as the Cathedral of the Broads.

The village is also home to a unique wood-and-thatch village hall.

And just ten minutes' drive away,

we're getting closer to the mystery house.

Well, you wanted a taste of the Broads. Look at where we are.

This is Upton Dyke, and it leads up there about a half mile

to the River Bure, which I think you know quite well.

-Mm-hm.

-We do. We've motored the river many times.

We've gone past the dyke many times,

but we've never actually come down here.

So it's really nice to come here and see the yachts.

The reason we are here

is to tease you with our mystery house,

because we love this place and it really sets the scene for what

might be your future, cos our mystery house is just down the road.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Shall we?

-Let's.

And as ever, today's is a wildcard, and something I know

Mike and Jean would never have considered themselves.

Can I look?

You can look. You can look that way.

Good grief!

We are in classic mystery house territory here with our chapel.

Very much.

-Look at that!

-Didn't know we were going to church, did you?

-No, dear.

-Wow!

-Wow.

The only compromise with this one is that it is not a bungalow,

obviously.

It is this cavernous chapel, which has been beautifully converted.

I love the outside, Jules. That is captivating, it really is.

We always said that we were open to all suggestions,

and I don't think we expected this, but it's not a problem.

-Just now really eager to see inside.

-Well, there's an awful lot of it.

Come and have a look.

Well, their interest is definitely piqued with

the exterior of this 1874 Methodist chapel, and I think

their desire for space and character will be rewarded on the inside.

Do you see what I mean?

Gracious me!

I am speechless.

-Look at the fireplace.

-I know.

Now, the fireplace is really clever.

What they've done in dividing it up is to create the fireplace there,

which obviously is off-centre and at an angle,

and then behind that is a separate snug or music room.

-Oh, my!

-It breaks up the box, and it's really clever.

-I love these iron pillars.

-So do I.

-Staircase.

-I know, I'm just looking.

-Spiral staircase.

-Glorious.

I think it's absolutely beautiful.

You could have lovely recitals in here.

Quite, because of the space and the height of the ceiling.

-Think of the parties!

-The acoustic in here would be good, I think.

Oh, yeah. Very much so.

-I'm loving this. Yeah, I'm loving this.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Great. Let's have a look at the kitchen, then.

The chapel was converted six years ago

and has kept the large dimensions Mike and Jean are after.

Look at this one.

Oh!

It's a cracker.

-Isn't it just?

-I love it.

-This is incredible.

-Right, when are we moving in, then?

-Well... Are we now?

Yeah, it's a beautiful house.

It's a really good option for the both of you.

Behind me in here, quite a generous study.

-Oh!

-Wow.

-Could be a music room again, if you wanted it to be,

whatever, or another snug.

Yeah. I really, really love it.

Now, as I said on the outside, the only compromise is that it's not

-a bungalow, but I don't think we care any more.

-No.

-No.

-Absolutely not.

-Shall we use the stairs, then?

OK. After you.

A downstairs wet room

and a generous utility room make up the rest of the ground-floor layout.

Upstairs, there is another large bathroom

and two double guest rooms, in addition to the main suite.

So, this is your bedroom.

-Aren't they lovely, these beams?

-Beautiful.

-Really...

And they've retained them, that's the main thing. Really lovely.

You've also got a really nice en-suite through there.

-Oh, does it?

-I think we are on to a bit of a winner with this one.

I think you could well be.

-You've really, really taken us by surprise on this one.

-Uh-huh.

And we don't care about bungalows any more.

-No.

-Bungalows, what are they?

You see? I thought that might disappear. Excellent.

Their enthusiasm is music to my ears,

but we have yet to discuss the price tag.

-A little bit of deck, as you can see.

-Mm-hm.

Not a huge garden,

but I'm thinking you're going to be busy out on the water.

-Absolutely.

-This is plenty.

-This is lovely, look at that.

-Just enough.

-The way they've done that. It's enough. Wonderful.

How much do you like it? You know what's coming now, don't you?

I know, I know!

OK, Jean, short and sweet,

-make me an offer for our mystery chapel.

-Right.

-425 grand.

-425.

-Mike.

-450.

-450.

-435.

-Oh, really?!

-Really?

-Oh, wow!

-It's 435.

Now, of course, it's technically over your budget of 425,

but I think it's a stretch worth making.

I should also tell you that they have had an offer on it,

but it has been rejected.

So, if this is for you, you may need to think and act fairly...

-Quickly.

-..swiftly, yeah.

I hadn't expected anything like this.

You really surprised us, but you really pulled it out of the bag.

-Well done.

-Absolutely.

Well, look, this is clearly a building you have enjoyed.

Go and spend some time and indulge it to your hearts' content.

-Thank you, we will.

-Off you go.

-Thanks.

-Brilliant.

Well, there we are, our mystery chapel is everything they wanted,

but everything they weren't expecting

Sometimes with mystery houses that's just the way it goes.

So, at 10,000 over budget, at £435,000,

Mike and Jean would get an impressive converted chapel

with three to four bedrooms, three downstairs living rooms,

one of which would make a perfect music room,

and all located just five minutes from the water.

The minute I got inside, I felt at home. I thought, "This is me."

This is so homely, yet elegant.

The character feel is here.

And the open space, the light... I could go on forever.

But I really, really like it.

Walking into the lounge area, it was just a real, real pleasure.

The height of the ceiling and an amazing fireplace.

I think the highlight for me

is I could never, ever have imagined living in a chapel.

I can't find anything wrong, and I'm being totally honest there.

There's nothing that I would change.

-After you, Mike.

-Thank you.

-After you, Jean.

Well, our chapel seems to have stolen your hearts, hasn't it?

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

But we have given you in total three fantastic options,

each of which deserve your full consideration, so

-let's go think, shall we?

-Yeah, let's do that.

The old chapel isn't the only religious building causing

excitement in the county.

I'm visiting Norwich's spectacular cathedral to learn about a revealing

graffiti project that is shedding new light on medieval society.

The project archaeologist is Matthew Champion.

-Matthew.

-Jules.

-Nice to see you.

-Pleasure.

Now, you're running this graffiti survey, which is

an odd thing in many respects,

cos I suppose today we take a fairly dim view of graffiti,

but for you, it has really given us a whole new window on the past.

What we've been doing is looking at pre-Reformation

and medieval graffiti, and it has given us a whole new understanding

of what was going on with the medieval parish.

The Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey began in 2010.

Since then, its volunteers have been uncovering

thousands of fascinating inscriptions.

Here's a really good place to start looking.

If you stand back and look at a wall like this

with our natural daylight on it, you can't really see a great deal.

-Just a few scratches.

-Absolutely.

However, if you get in close and if you start using one of these,

suddenly it all changes.

Here we go.

Ah! Yeah. Isn't it amazing? Just the simple addition of light...

-Absolutely.

-..but it picks it out a treat.

It's what we call a raking light survey.

The first thing you can see here,

and the most obvious thing on this particular pier, is this ship.

-Yeah.

-And it dates back to about 1450.

-But why ships in a cathedral?

The idea was, we'd find a lot of these by the coasts,

however we are now finding them as far inland as Leicestershire.

We think these are devotional in nature,

whether they were thanks for a voyage safely undertaken or

whether they were asking for a safe passage yet to come.

But what fascinates me is here we are, let's face it,

in an elite building -

how did people get away with this?

Back then, I think we have to assume it was both accepted and acceptable.

In the Middle Ages, just about every inch of this cathedral

would have been painted.

So, far from being hidden away and hard to see, it would have been one

of the most obvious things you saw as you walked into this cathedral.

Matthew's team have created reconstructions of what

they believe that churches

and these inscriptions would have looked like when they were made.

Now, one thing that I see a lot of in historic buildings, particularly

in beams above fireplaces, are what we would call witches' marks.

Presumably, the cathedral has got a few of those.

Absolutely. And it has probably got some of the finest ones

we have ever come across in the country.

-In fact, I can show you one of the best I've ever found.

-Right.

Go on, let's have a look.

In Norwich Cathedral alone, there are thought to be between 2,000

and 5,000 inscriptions, and some have a darker side.

Take a seat, Jules, and we have got a very special piece just here.

Now, if I run that light across the surface, you can see in here,

we've suddenly very clearly got a medieval text.

It's quite difficult to read, and that's because it's upside down.

-I was going to say, it's back to front.

-It is.

It's not back to front, but it has been inverted.

And just below it, you can just make out this other symbol here.

This is an astrological symbol

and it's a symbol associated with the moon.

Now, when you were talking about your witch marks

and your protection marks,

I think what we've got here is one step beyond.

This, we think, is a curse.

-A curse?

-This is a late medieval curse.

-Directed at somebody or something specific?

-Very specific.

In this case, if you can read the text backwards,

we have got the letters K-A-Y-N-F-F-O-R-D.

But it is clearly produced

by somebody who is literate in a time when not everybody was.

There is a suspicion that these were actually produced

by members of the clergy, clerics.

So you could effectively order a curse upon somebody

by having a chat with the clergy.

You have to remember, the medieval church was

quite into cursing. Many of their services involved curses.

"Cursed be he who moves his neighbour's boundary stone."

So, it is only a very short step away in the medieval mind

from actually bringing down God's wrath and God's curse on something.

So actually being able to bring a specific wrath on a specific person.

But why is it upside down?

It's this idea that it is something that is broken and inverted.

So, where your wonderful witch marks

and protection marks were the right way up, when you invert it,

it brings down the opposite effect.

Absolutely fascinating.

A genuinely unique window on the medieval past here.

A genuinely unique window on the medieval mind.

-CHURCH BELLS RING

-Matthew, I could spend all day here. And on cue, the bells.

It certainly is a project that has sparked my imagination.

And with another 400 medieval churches in Norfolk still

to survey, who knows what else will be found?

Well, it is of course now decision time for our musical duo

of Jean and Mike, and they are so obviously

excited about trying to turn their future dreams into some

sort of reality that I can't wait to hear what happens next.

Well, what a fun time we have had.

I've really enjoyed showing you two around Norfolk

and I have learned a lot about Norfolk from you two as well.

It has been tremendous, Jules, I can't tell you.

I mean, we never expected to see what we have seen.

We started with a property which remained

a front-runner for most of our search.

Our second property...

-Didn't quite do it for it you, did it? Our thatch.

-No.

-Not really.

Not really, and I was frightened to death of the stairs.

-Were you?

-Yeah, I've got this thing about stairs, you see.

Well, stairs were the moot point

because you did say endlessly how much you wanted a bungalow.

-I know.

-And then we went to our mystery house.

-Which had a spiral stair.

-Yeah.

But all objections flew out the window with that one.

They certainly did. You captured us totally.

The minute I walked in, that was it.

I just felt, "I'm at home, this is it."

We didn't expect to see a chapel.

I mean, a chapel was not on the radar at all.

And it has got everything.

We can make a music room inside,

-we don't need to put a music room outside.

-Yep.

But of course, it is challenging your budget somewhat at 435.

Can you do it?

Well, I think what we would probably like to do, Jules, is go in

with an offer and see how we go from there.

Fabulous. Guys, I wish you all the very best of luck.

I do hope to hear in the not too distant future that you have

-done it and you have moved in.

-Thank you, Jules.

We have had a great time, thank you.

You know, people often ask me to describe what it's like

house hunting on Escape To The Country,

and I suppose, in many ways, I'd liken it to the Grand National.

But of course, in our case, it is

only ever going to be a three-horse race.

Occasionally, nobody reaches the finish line.

Sometimes it's a photo finish between two or indeed all of them.

And every now and then there is of course a clear winner.

And that is what has happened this week.

In the final furlong,

our mystery house has come storming up the outside to take the prize.

And now with any luck, and very soon,

Mike and Jean will be calling it home.

So that's it from me, from the Norfolk Broads and the rain.

I'll see you next time.

And I'm happy to say that Mike and Jeanne have made

an offer on the mystery house which has been accepted.

So I'm hoping it won't be too long

until they're making music in their new chapel home.