Suffolk Escape to the Country

Welcome to a special edition of Escape To The Country, where Jonnie

and I are hunting for properties for two couples in one county.

We've lined up six viewings that will highlight the very best

that the county has to offer, but will also hopefully tempt

our buyers to part with their hard-earned cash.

And our destination today is full of "eastern" promise.

Can you guess where it is?

'On today's show I help a jet-set couple

'put down roots in the country.'

It's just like something out of a magazine. It's beautiful.

'And I'll be helping a retired couple

'who want to experience a new life in the countryside.

'And we'll be giving them houses that really touch their hearts.'

-That stirs me, that does.

-Love it. Absolutely love it.

Today we are setting our sights on

the delightful county of Suffolk in East Anglia,

home to some stunning medieval properties

and plenty of architectural gems to please the eye.

And as you travel around, you see these incredible churches,

particularly inland, built on the wealth of the wool trade.

But they are not the only highlights of this timeless county.

Tucked into the far eastern corner of the country

and bordered by the three counties of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex,

Suffolk is also fringed by over 40 miles of heritage coastline

looking out across the North Sea.

During the Middle Ages the county enriched its fortunes

on the back of a thriving wool and textile industry.

Evidence of that prosperity lives on today through the immaculate

Tudor and medieval architecture of its wool towns.

The low-lying terrain is home to huge far-reaching vistas.

And with parts of the county less than 100ft above sea level,

Suffolk's coastline constantly fights from falling victim to the sea.

Forming the border between Suffolk and Essex is the Stour Valley,

birthplace of famed British artist John Constable.

In his paintings, he loved to depict this special pastoral landscape,

whose appeal continues to enchant many to this day.

Of course we are very busy looking at lots of rural counties

but I think Suffolk has a special place,

because in lots of people's imagination

they think of it as being perhaps more remote than it actually is.

Yes, but you can still get into London within 90 minutes.

But that's sometimes just a bit too far away for some commuters,

which plays into the hands of the property market -

it keeps prices down.

The average price of a detached house there is 5% cheaper

than the national figure, which in real money is a 12 grand saving.

Yet, it's funny. Historically you've got places like Southwold

and Aldeburgh which are quite difficult to get to, quite remote,

and they are really expensive.

Yes, but pretty as well.

We centred a search around Lavenham

and it was a wool town stuck in a time warp.

The most beautiful medieval property.

What people have to bear in mind, it's also popular with tourists,

so get ready for people taking photos through your windows.

-A bit like living in a museum perhaps?

-Yes, it can be.

And if you've got a young family

and you're having to commute back into London,

you're probably safer looking at

-those towns like Stowmarket.

-Yes, but also Sudbury.

It's still a pretty town,

but a good direct train link into London as well.

Luckily my couple were not looking to work,

they were doing exactly the opposite.

They were retiring into the countryside.

But before we do that, let's meet my couple

and find out why they want to move to this remarkably beautiful county.

For nearly 40 years, the large coastal town of South Shields

has been home to retired deputy head Marion and her husband David,

who spent a long and adventurous career as a master mariner.

But now their grown-up sons have left home, they too have decided

it's anchors aweigh from urban life in Tyne and Wear.

What I dream of is to live in the country,

where the next neighbours are quite a distance away from me

and the only sounds we hear are natural sounds.

One only has to have a look at a map to see why I've chosen Suffolk,

or why WE'VE chosen Suffolk.

Because if you look at a map,

you'll see there's so few main roads passing through there.

It's so very rural.

And that sort of environment really appeals to us.

After four decades in their current house,

are there any must-haves for their new home in the country?

Marion definitely wants a utility room,

which is one thing we are lacking in this present house.

I'm quite a keen gardener and I would like quite a large garden.

And all that's left is to find out their finances.

The budget for our move is between £400,000 and £500,000,

David and Marion are hoping this move will help them

to stay better connected to their son in London,

so we'll concentrate our house search closest to the capital

in the beautiful villages surrounding Bury St Edmunds

in the western portion of the county.

We are all meeting up in Suffolk to finalise the specifics of this move.

Welcome, both of you, to Suffolk.

Tell me, why the big move down here from the Northeast?

Well, it's very rural and we've been brought up

and lived most of our lives in a suburban conurbation and we thought

it's time for a change and this is a beautiful part of the world.

I'm a bit of a local historian.

I've written several books about Tyneside and whatever,

and have more or less exhausted

the subject matter from my point of view,

so maybe when I move here it will give me a new impetus in that way,

discovering what Suffolk is all about.

-There is plenty to find out about.

-Absolutely. Yes.

Does your love of history transfer into maybe your desires

for a new house here? Does it need to be an old house?

-We really would like a traditional house.

-It's got to be detached.

-I would like to have land all around the house.

-OK.

-We didn't really want a thatch.

-Why is that?

Well, we just think it's like having another child.

That's what we've heard...

-THEY LAUGH

-..you know?

Do you have any differences of opinions as regards to location?

-Can I show you something in the middle of nowhere?

-No.

-No.

No. We don't want to be in the middle of nowhere.

-My idea is the outskirts of a village.

-Right.

The village must have a pub, by the way.

It's not a village otherwise, is it? Not in my opinion.

Let's start with property number one. Then we'll go from there. All right.

-That's great.

-This way.

-Right.

For a maximum budget of £500,000 our buyers are looking

for a detached character property that can accommodate

visiting family as well as their varied hobbies.

Marion particularly desires a utility room.

And for David it's a large study.

But they both want a big wraparound garden in a location

on the edge of a village,

but within easy reach of a local pub.

And we have a superb variety of Suffolk homes to serve up,

but I'll be keeping the price a guessing game

until we've had a good look around first.

Then to finish up our property tour, we've got one foot on the pulse

and the other in the past with our mystery house.

We are starting our search in Hundon, southwest of Bury St Edmunds.

And on the outskirts of the village we find property number one.

-It's very nice.

-Very different.

-To anything we imagined, yes.

-Is it?

-Very, very different to anything we imagined.

I think we were thinking in terms of stone, brick.

-That's called clapboard, is it, I believe?

-Is it?

-Clapboard, weatherboarding.

-Yes.

And this is lovely, this garden here and it's private.

-You said you wanted a mature garden.

-Yes...

-I think that's it, isn't it?

-..which is important, yes.

So, all in all, first impressions?

-Yes, it's possible, possible.

-Good.

-But we haven't seen the inside yet.

-You want to look inside, do you(?)

-I think so, yes(!)

-That's awkward! OK, let's give it a go.

With a pedigree spanning two centuries this old barn

was converted into a family home about 25 years ago.

So I'm hoping it will give Marion and David

the very best of vintage and modern.

Mind your step on the way down.

-So?

-Love it. Absolutely love it. Fabulous. Absolutely love it.

-Very light, isn't it?

-I think we could spend a lot of time in here.

I love this eating area here, and sitting area. Absolutely lovely.

-We do have a separate living room.

-Yes.

-Let's go and have a look at that. Come on.

-Right.

-Mind your step.

-I'm predicting that you'll like this room as well.

-Certainly.

It flows, it's the same style throughout.

-It's square.

-It's square.

-Now that was one of the things we hadn't said to you.

-Oh.

That was another demand,

that we really wanted a square sitting area, and this is it.

That window looks out onto the garden, is that correct?

-Next-door neighbour's garden.

-Next door.

-Right. OK.

That's a bit of a negative, I'm afraid, especially

from the next-door neighbour's point of view, too.

Yeah. That's fair enough.

These are the compromises that we're going to have to field,

then decide whether or not you can overcome them or not.

-Think about it.

-Yes.

-Yes.

'It was all going so well,

'but we've hit a potential hurdle with the living room outlook.

'So let's go onwards, and definitely upwards, to the first floor,'

where a mezzanine landing leads to four bedrooms served by

two family bathrooms - ideal for when family or friends come to stay.

Two of the bedrooms are good-sized doubles with exposed timbers,

and the smallest one is being used as a study,

but we're going to check out the master bedroom.

Right. It's a good-sized room.

So you've got four bedrooms, which means we've got hobby rooms,

-we've got offices.

-Mm-hm.

-You've got options.

-Right. Yes.

I like the size of this room actually.

It is definitely, very definitely a double bedroom.

Let's go outside now, have another look at the garden,

but also start to think about

-how much this house might be on the market for.

-Right.

-All right?

Outside there's a matching black weatherboarded

double carport adjoining a workshop,

and the garden has been beautifully maintained,

which lies to the front of the property,

with the added benefit of facing south.

Well, you had a first glimpse of the garden when we arrived, didn't you?

-Yes.

-Yes, we did.

Now you know that this is... This is all that you get.

All in all, apparently the plot size is about a quarter of an acre.

I like this garden very much.

-Well... You've seen it isn't wrapped around with its own land.

-Yes.

But you've seen that it's in a lovely little village with a pub

-just down the road.

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah.

How much do you think this place is on the market for?

-I'm guessing about £450,000.

-OK.

Well, I think I might go a little bit lower than that.

How about £440,000?

Well, this place has just recently come on the market.

-Offers around £499,950.

-Uh-huh.

-So that's top end of our budget.

-It is a very nice house.

We really did like the house.

Just £50 under the top budget at £499,950,

our first home is a detached barn conversion

with spacious accommodation that lends itself

to a kitchen-breakfast room,

a large square drawing room, four bedrooms and a mature private garden.

-Now then, enjoy that?

-Very much. Yes.

-Very interesting.

-OK.

-That's one down.

-Right.

-Let's go and have a look at another one.

-OK.

Suffolk's relatively level terrain and easterly coastal location

has ensured a long and distinguished role in Britain's aviation history.

And in a rural spot to the south of the county,

a small team of expert aeronautical enthusiasts are keeping

an important part of that legacy alive.

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seater fighter aircraft

that played a vital role in the 1940 Battle of Britain,

and I've come to meet Tony Ditheridge,

who's spent the last 20 years

restoring these iconic aircraft to their former glory.

-Tony, good morning.

-Hi.

Here we are in the middle of... Well, beautiful Suffolk.

And we're looking at aviation history right here.

My grandfather was in the RAF.

He always used to say that they were

the most important plane in the Battle of Britain.

Why so?

Well, the reason being that the Spitfire, obviously,

was the slightly superior aeroplane.

But at the particular time in the Battle of Britain

when it was required,

the Hurricane shot down 65, 66% of all of the enemy aircraft.

So, how many Hurricanes were used, were flown throughout the war?

There was about 13,000 Hurricanes made.

So, there must be quite a few still around, right?

There are three Hurricanes in this hangar.

-When they're finished, there will be 14 flying.

-Goodness me.

Why so few then?

They're quite complex aeroplanes.

There's approximately twice as much work

in doing a Hurricane as there is a Spitfire.

Designed by Sir Sydney Camm using a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine,

the Hawker Hurricane was introduced in 1937

and became the first RAF fighter monoplane

capable of exceeding 300mph in level flight.

Tony's team use a reverse engineering approach to restoring the aircraft.

An assortment of parts from a variety of Hurricanes are collected

in various states of repair,

'and they work backwards to figure out

'how they were constructed before building them again.

'It's a real labour of love,

'with each one taking a couple of years to complete.

'I feel extremely privileged to sit in the same seat

'from where our forefathers bravely battled for our freedom.'

-If you would like to pull that all the way back...

-Right.

And the pilot would be doing this

-to make the aircraft climb?

-Yes, he would.

So if you want to bank to the left, you would do that. If you

want to bank to the left and climb, you would do that.

So now you'd be going...

It's very intuitive, this way of flying, isn't it?

Mm, yeah.

Well, Tony, it's been absolutely fascinating to not only meet you

and talk through these planes,

but also to get a real sense and feel of these beautiful aircraft.

-Thank you very, very much.

-You're more than welcome.

That's certainly one of my boyhood dreams come true,

but now I'd better leave this flight of fancy behind

and return to Marion and David's search for a new home.

For our next stop, we're heading further north into the county,

where we're destined for the village of Redgrave.

We've chosen our delightful-looking second property

for its generous proportions, both inside and out.

But we're taking a bit of a gamble with the roof.

-This is what we're going to have a look round.

-Right.

-Right.

-A thatch, eh? We knew you would show us a thatch.

-Did you?

-Yes.

I'm not being mean to you.

I know you said you might have a question mark

-over looking at a thatch. A lot of it is fear of the unknown.

-It is.

-It looks a beautiful house, actually.

-Very nice.

It's quite substantial.

-I like the colour of it.

-So, shall we go inside?

Yes, please. Let's go.

This second option presents

a Grade II listed, part-thatched Suffolk pink property.

Originally believed to have started life as a 16th-century cottage,

it has been considerably extended over the years

and now covers some 3,000 square feet.

We are starting in the modern wing, through a substantial hallway

and into an impressive kitchen/dining and family room.

-Now then.

-This is big. This is big. Yes.

-Wow.

-It's very different, yes.

-Do you not think it's...

It's not really the sort of space and light you would

expect from looking at a thatched cottage from the outside, is it?

No, it isn't. You're right.

It's got a lot more light coming in here than

I would ever have expected, looking at the exterior.

Yes. Well, look, this is 1986. Let's go back a couple of centuries.

Just off the kitchen, there is a pantry

and separate utility room with a downstairs loo.

Then the reception areas all lie in the original part of the property.

-Now.

-Right.

Well, now, this is very much to my taste, this huge fireplace.

-That stirs me, that does.

-Does it?

-Yes, it does. It does indeed.

It's got light both sides as well.

Well, the one right at the end is even brighter,

so this could be your...

I don't know. You could have one as a snug or one maybe as a hobby room.

You've got options here. Of course you have.

-You might have noticed a couple of sets of stairs here.

-Right. Yes.

-We did.

-Now those stairs go up to the first floor, obviously,

and there you have two bedrooms and a bathroom.

You, however, get the master suite this way.

Let's go and take a look, shall we?

At the top of these stairs, above the hallway,

there's the fourth bedroom, that's being used as a study.

And then above the kitchen, there's the master suite.

Now, we're back in the 1980s part of the house...

Yes. Dear me. It's so big!

What a wonderful view out of the bedroom window, isn't it?

-That's magnificent.

-Very big room.

And it's really nice size, isn't it?

You've got a couple of almost walk-in wardrobes.

You've got your very own beautifully fitted bathroom

and another room which could be a bedroom, but the owners

are currently using it as a walk-in wardrobe/dressing room.

You've got a lovely little balcony out there.

That's a real added bonus, that.

I could see me sitting out on the balcony in the evening air.

-Well, up to now we're blown away with this property.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-It's so big as well.

-It's so big.

-It's just goes on and on and on.

Well, I have got two more cards up my sleeve with this house.

-Have you?

-I think you're going to love both of them.

-Right.

-Let's go and have a look.

There's no doubt this space here is winning over our couple

but that's not the lot for this property,

as we're about to discover outside

in the back garden behind the double garage.

-So...

-Wow.

THEY LAUGH

And this comes with the house, too? This studio?

Yep.

Well, now, this would be a great asset to either of us, wouldn't it?

Now, look, there's plenty of space inside the house for libraries,

for hobby rooms. We've seen a lot of property.

There's more for you to see later.

Marion, I'm dying to show you

-the garden so come with me now.

-Right, OK.

I'm dying to see it.

So you've got the main garden just at the back of the house

-and then it is split into three rooms, if you like.

-I can see.

What a good idea.

-So this is the soft fruit for the jam making...

-Yes.

-..the vegetable plot...

-Mm-hm.

-..the ornamental fountain.

-Uh-huh.

And through here, a very special sculpture

and a summer seat through there. I've noticed.

Are you selling this to me or to you?

I'm falling in love with this place, the way you describe it.

You see, the biggest worry is can this possibly be within our budget?

Well, let's find out. You've got to try and price this now.

-I think it must be beyond our budget. £550,000?

-All right. David.

I would guess £520,000 - £515,000. That's my estimate.

Well, this house has been on the market

for approaching four weeks now.

-It's up for sale for offers around £495,000.

-Right.

So it's exactly on our budget.

Right, well, I'll have to give a lot of thought to that.

Because for me, this works.

-Now then, all done inside?

-Yes.

-Yes. Thank you very much.

-Did you enjoy?

-Yes, we did.

-Oh, it's wonderful. Wonderful, yes.

It's a great house. It is.

-Well, that's all we are going to do today so let's go back.

-OK.

So it looked like your risky thatch paid off.

Well, it was a bit of a gamble

-and I've still got the mystery house up my sleeve.

-Indeed.

Well, let's meet my couple, who I'm also taking to Suffolk

and actually, I am also centring my search around Bury St Edmunds.

-Really? Not copied me at all?

-Great minds, Jonnie, great minds.

I'll go with that.

Now they've stopped jetting around the world,

music teacher Jenny and her husband Mike find themselves

permanently living in Theydon Bois, Essex.

Conveniently close to London airports, their house has served as

a great base during Mike's 30-year career

in international health development.

But it's not somewhere they want to be tied to now.

We want to move now because I've had a very long career as a teacher

and we've worked abroad and had a wonderful life

but now we're retired,

we feel that we would like to get more into the countryside

where we can pursue our interests of cycling and bird watching.

And they want to reduce the size of their current family home,

which is a substantial 1950s' property.

We're not getting any younger.

We feel that this house is just uneconomical to run for us.

It's much too large.

We have five bedrooms and we don't need them any more

because all our family have flown the nest.

The plan may be to downsize their home, but they are taking

with them a super-sized, 7m-long motorhome.

The house would be our home and our base,

but it has got to have space to accommodate the vehicle

in a way that doesn't offend the neighbours.

We like our motorhome and we've had it for the last five years

and we've travelled all over Europe.

This is because we lived in Africa for so many years

and we hardly visited Europe.

With their children settled and the chapter closed

on their rather nomadic international lives,

the new plan takes on a more rural focus

in the East Anglian countryside.

I think the countryside there is beautiful.

We would like to have views.

That's our major, major concern that we don't have here.

We would like to be able to look out of our windows and see countryside

and possibly have a dawn chorus to wake us up in the mornings.

Binoculars at the ready, but when it comes to birds,

both Jenny and Mike have their ears pinned back and their eyes peeled.

Birds just fascinate me. One - they're beautiful.

Two - they're incredible creatures.

A thing that you can put in your hand

and that you wouldn't feel the weight of

can navigate from Cape Town to a barn in Epping.

I'm looking forward to having more opportunities

and more close opportunities to indulge in this activity.

But before we can take flight with the property search,

we need to find out about the finances for the move.

Our budget for this move is £400,000.

Our buyers are keen to keep connected to

their children and grandchildren,

so we are concentrating our property search

on the attractive countryside surrounding Bury St Edmunds,

which has good road links out of the county.

Time for us all to step into Suffolk

to find out more about this planned move.

Welcome to Suffolk.

It is a slightly overcast day

but that's not going to hinder us, is it?

-Of course not.

-Not at all.

-Now, why Suffolk?

Because you've travelled all round the world - Africa, Caribbean.

What drew you to Suffolk?

I think it is near enough for our family to be able to visit us

and we like the idea of being in the countryside.

It is much more of a county for beautiful, agricultural

and natural scenery,

so we would prefer that to where we're living at the moment.

Tell me a little bit more about the actual specifications of the house.

What does the house need to be like?

For me, I want to have it nice and light and airy,

possibly two bedrooms, three bedrooms, no more.

I think we would like to still have a study and in the study,

I'll have my electric piano and I think we...

I would like to keep that as my music room as well,

so a room big enough for that would be fine.

I don't have a problem with quirkiness.

I quite like houses with a bit of quirkiness about them.

Something that is a bit different and unusual.

We would like a fairly moderate-sized garden,

not too big we don't want.

We're not very keen gardeners and not very good gardeners either.

We've got some lovely houses lined up.

I think they're really interesting. Tell me again your budget.

£400,000.

And is that sort of absolute top limit

or does it have any flexibility?

I think it could have flexibility.

-I think there could be some wriggle room, yes.

-Yeah.

Well, no time like the present.

Let's go and look at some of these wonderful houses we've lined up.

-Follow me.

-Thank you.

-Come with me.

With a budget of £400,000 or thereabouts,

Mike and Jenny plan to downsize

and are seeking a quirky, characterful property

with two to three bedrooms, a study-cum-music room

and a low-maintenance garden.

A key requirement on their wish list

is space to park their 7m motorhome.

We found some lovely Suffolk homes that will take our buyers

on a tour through a variety of property styles and ages,

but I won't be revealing the prices straightaway.

And finally, we present our mystery house,

which comes with a cashback guarantee.

So without further ado, we're hitting the road.

We're kicking off proceedings

in the village of Stansfield,

12 miles from Bury St Edmunds.

And in this village lies a charming, newly-thatched cottage,

which we have chosen as our first home.

I'm excited to show you this one. This is house number one.

-Wow, this is amazing.

-Good gracious.

-It's impressive, isn't it?

-Isn't it incredible?

-It is picture postcard, isn't it?

-It is certainly striking.

It is a 17th-century property,

but at the back there's a modern extension

which we can explore later on.

Wow. And the double garage.

The current owner is a musician,

so it is actually a totally rigged-out music studio.

-SHE CHUCKLES

-So, it is your music room.

-Designer.

Let's take a look inside.

The gravel driveway that fronts the property

has plenty of room to park a motorhome.

We are starting the tour in the extension of the main house.

Come on in. Straight into the kitchen here.

And this is the new extension, so this was put on in 2008,

completely new-build at the back of the cottage.

As you can see, very contemporary.

Oh, it is just like something out of a magazine. It's beautiful.

I think it is a really nice space, nice liveable space.

-So, a good vibe so far?

-Very good vibe.

-Yeah. Can you imagine having breakfast here?

-Oh!

-Yes, certainly can.

-Absolutely.

It'll certainly be big enough

for when we're looking after the grandchildren.

-Exactly.

-Perfect.

The next part of the house is much older,

so it's a bit fairy tale for the grandchildren.

With no main hallway to speak of,

the property flows from one room to another

and we're making our way past a shower room and utility

to the main sitting room, which is a step back in time.

So, you come through a little corridor into this,

like through a time machine, time tunnel.

SHE CHUCKLES

To this bit of 17th-century cottagery.

My word.

-Aha. This is just...

-Just graze your... You're on tip-toes there.

No, I'm not, no.

Is that a wood-burning stove?

This is a wood-burning stove in a proper inglenook

with a bread oven in the corner.

-So you really do have the...

-That works?

I don't know if it works

but certainly that's what it was used for originally.

You've got Suffolk clay tiles throughout this part of the house

and these are the original beams.

What are your thoughts about this sort of period property?

I can see Mike bumping his head a bit.

I can see crash helmet wearing becoming a...

-But I do think it is very, very beautiful.

-Yes, I do too.

Yeah, it's lovely.

I think it really is the kind of room, once you've been...

-You're going to remember this.

-Yeah.

A large, formal dining room lies behind the fireplace,

which in turn leads to a good-sized study.

Then upstairs, the main family bathroom

sits alongside two double bedrooms in the older part of the property,

which all feature exposed timbers.

The largest bedroom is the master,

which is in the extended part above the kitchen,

with access via a spiral staircase.

So after all those low beams,

you come into this room with a big high ceiling.

Wow! This is a very light room, isn't it?

You were talking about waking up to the sound of birds,

but here you could wake up and actually see the birds.

And the sun shining in.

It worries me getting a tray of tea up to this room.

-Not getting any younger.

-I'm certainly not getting any younger.

At the moment, I'm pretty nimble

and could cope with everything this house could throw at me,

but I'm thinking ten years on.

So it's throwing up

-lots of thoughts, which is good.

-SHE LAUGHS

Let's step outside because I know that the views and the outside space

is important, and then we can also talk about the price.

-Ah. Aha.

-Follow me.

Both Jenny and Mike are clearly enjoying

the historic character of this property,

but they raise a good point about the navigation.

So perhaps a simpler layout might be more practical.

However, the south-facing gardens are a more straightforward option,

with a paved terrace, level lawns, as well as a summer house,

which could be ideal for bird watching out over open farmland.

Look at these beautiful fields. Very well-manicured farmer's fields.

Well done. This is beautiful.

-This is the garden you don't need to maintain.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Someone else does it for you.

-SHE CHUCKLES

This is the garden that you do. Is this about the right size?

I think this is well within our competence.

Yes, we can cope with this. Mostly grass. Wonderful.

This gives you everything that you want

in terms of views and birds and a quirky property.

-Very quirky.

-So, how much do you think it is on the market for?

I don't know. About £395,000 possibly?

I think maybe a bit lower. Maybe £375,000.

ALISTAIR INTAKES BREATH SHARPLY

Split the difference and you'll be spot-on,

because it is on the market for £385,000.

So the two of you sort of hovered around the price.

-Not too bad.

-Very good.

Kicking off with a property under budget

with a guide price of £385,000,

the first house is a characterful thatched cottage

featuring a kitchen/breakfast room, three receptions and three bedrooms.

What's more, it already has a detached music room

and space to park their motorhome.

It is a beautiful spot.

All I can hear is skylarks in that field opposite.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Are you all done with your exploration?

-Yes, thank you very much.

-Yes.

-Very good.

Well, that is house one finished. Time for house two. Follow me.

-Excellent.

-OK.

With its vast areas of low-lying arable land,

farming is a major part of rural life in Suffolk.

A county speciality is the growing of root vegetables,

thanks to the light, sandy soil

which is perfect for producing smooth, straight tap roots.

I'm visiting the Elveden Estate,

which has a long history of large-scale root vegetable farming.

However, in recent years they have been cultivating

a more localised artisan approach with their Kitchen Garden project

that focuses on more unusual heirloom varieties.

Farm manager Andrew Francis is going to tell me more.

What's the idea behind the Kitchen Garden?

We have a passion here for local, seasonal food,

so we looked at how we could bring

different colours of vegetables and salads,

different shapes of vegetables and salads.

What sort of thing are we growing here? Is this fancy carrots, or...?

Yeah, we'll have different coloured carrots in here.

So we have purple,

a Purple Haze one as well as a deep purple, different shapes.

It's like a rock'n'roll pantheon of carrots - Purple Haze, Deep Purple.

-Yeah.

-Can we pull any? Any of them ready to pull?

Yeah, we can go into that section over there and pull some out.

OK.

Just pull them down... Hand down as close as you can to the soil.

-Whoa! Look at the colour. Yeah.

-So these are the Purple Haze carrots.

The colour gradually bleeds away as you go down the root.

And perfectly straight!

Purple may seem an unusual colour for a carrot,

but for centuries it was the norm.

The orange carrot, as we know it today,

only appeared in the 17th century,

when Dutch growers cultivated it as a tribute to William of Orange,

who led the struggle for Dutch independence.

I'm off to meet chef Peter McBurnie,

who's going to show me what can be done with these heritage vegetables.

-Hey, Peter.

-Hi.

-Very nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

Ah, I see. You have some of those.

Andrew was plucking some out of the ground.

Some of Andrew's vegetables.

There's a fantastic array of vegetables, really.

Everything from the three-coloured carrots to the different beetroots.

I mean, amazing what you can do with them for the colours.

-That's beetroot, is it?

-Yeah, globe beetroot.

Coloured like a carrot.

-Wow!

-It's like a kid in a playground when you've got produce like this.

So basically, you've got this lovely set-up where you have all these

extraordinary heritage vegetables growing in a field next door.

What is it, less than half a mile travelling?

Exactly, so there's no carbon footprint.

It's all local, all comes straight to us.

I think one of the reasons we're so popular

is because people know that a lot of the food has come locally.

And what do you do with it? I know you're famous for making chutneys.

One of the ones that we do do is a thing called "Elvedenilli"

using our main crop vegetables,

which are parsnips, carrots and onions are our main crops.

-Elvedenilli, that's a take on piccalilli, is it?

-Exactly.

Have you got some I can taste?

It just happens that I've got a nice little platter.

We actually call this the "mmm" chutney

because people taste it and just go, "Mmm".

It's a beautiful colour as well.

-Mmm.

-Mmm.

-BOTH LAUGH

It's great that you're kind of championing this fresh use of food.

Tempted as I am to stay and sample

more of these tasty local heritage vegetables,

it is time to get back to our buyers and continue their house hunt.

For our next property, we're travelling northeast,

making for the village of Finningham.

And just a two-minute walk from the centre is our second house.

A very different offering for house number two,

but I'm quite excited to show you.

This is a barn conversion.

Ah! Nice big drive too.

-Big drive, plenty of space for the...

-Motorhome.

-..motorhome.

It doesn't look like a lot of barn conversions I've seen.

Well, actually this was the barn

and it was extended to have a cattle shed at the back,

which was actually then extended again.

You can see the sort of history of the structure of the barn

from the inside, so shall we go inside?

Oh, yes. Lovely.

Converted in 1999, at first glance this sprawling barn conversion

may not seem like a downsize.

But this property will give Jenny and Mike options,

which I'll reveal later on.

So into the kitchen at the back of the house.

Oh. This is very different.

-Yeah.

-Isn't it? Very spacious.

-Very high.

-Yes.

You're not going to bang your head on these beams.

JENNY AND MIKE LAUGH

This is not traditional but it is unusual.

-There is still a quaintness about it.

-Yes.

That's the kitchen.

But next door is the main sitting room

and there you can see the bones of the house very clearly.

Right.

Step inside here.

-Oh, wow!

-And take a spin upstairs.

Oh, my word! This is amazing.

-It's a big space, isn't it?

-I like this. Good for singing.

Yes? Want to give it a spin?

SHE TAKES A DEEP BREATH

-No.

-Aw, I was getting excited there.

Mike, what do you think?

Well, I just think it's a lovely room. And very different.

Quirky?

A bit of the quirkiness again, yes. You know I'm up for that.

-Less of the concussion.

-Less need for a crash helmet.

The upstairs is like a mezzanine.

It is a floor with three bedrooms

and a family bathroom and not much else.

Mm-hm.

Downstairs, as we're about to see,

there is all your living quarters that you need.

-So you could effectively just live downstairs.

-I see.

So no stairs up and down, which is something you were considering.

Put the relatives upstairs.

And then upstairs you could just leave as a sort of guest suite

which you use when you need it.

Wonderful.

Well, I think the layout of the house will make more sense

-when you've seen the master bedroom, so let's have a peek.

-Thank you.

Back of the main hallway, there's also a downstairs shower room,

as well as two more reception rooms.

So with either the dining room or the study,

there are possibilities for Jenny's music room.

And up a small flight of steps, we come to the last room downstairs.

This is the master bedroom because it is on the ground floor,

so it's all on one level.

You've got an en-suite bathroom through there

and loads of hanging space.

Wonderful. Actually, this is a very nice room, isn't it?

The stairs in the last property would never be, you know,

-an easy thing to surmount.

-No.

So, I was wondering whether the idea of living all on one floor

would be appealing to you?

It does make sense. It does make sense to us.

But with all those bedrooms upstairs and three bathrooms,

-it is difficult to imagine this is downsizing for us.

-Hmm.

Well, I take that point, but let's have a look in the garden

and see whether that piece of the puzzle adds up

and then we can make some decisions.

Fine, thank you.

Despite the choices here,

I fear they may not be fully on board

with the space this barn provides.

But outside, the low-maintenance garden

would suit the not-so-green fingered

and is framed by a lovely vine-covered walkway

backing onto the river.

At the bottom of the garden...

-is a river.

-Wow.

Not any old river either.

The River Dove, which flows into a town called Eye.

And then this lovely sort of wooden pergola walkway

with wisteria this end, grapevine at that end,

clematis over the front and roses.

Yes. Beautiful. That is lovely.

But a very manageable garden.

-Absolutely, yeah.

-The right size for us.

-This is the right size?

-Yes, definitely.

Very easy. Bit of lawn to mow, few beds to water.

-Places to sit out.

-Yeah.

Looking at the garden itself, if this is about the right size,

the house you are thinking might be a bit big.

You haven't explored all of it.

But before I let you inside to have a look around,

how much do you think this big Suffolk barn conversion costs?

Well, I think it is a very large property,

so I think it will be over £400,000 I would think, possibly £440,000.

I would agree with over £400,000 but not quite so much.

-I would go for £420,000.

-£420,000.

So this is on the market for £400,000.

-Ah.

-It's been on the market for a while so they might accept an offer.

Right on budget with a guide price of £400,000,

this fascinating converted barn is a generous offering

chock-full of character.

The versatile accommodation lends itself to two separate living zones,

but as a whole offers three reception areas,

an impressive kitchen/breakfast room, four bedrooms

and comes with the all-important

off-road parking for the motorhome.

-All done?

-All done.

-Not left anything behind?

-Nope.

-Nope.

So let's have a little rest.

So at this stage in the proceedings, I am slightly worried that

I have overestimated how much space they want.

-It's normally the other way around, isn't it?

-I know.

So if we return to David and Marion from South Shields,

they had a budget of £450,000 and so far,

they had shown that they were genuinely open-minded.

So I am hoping that the mystery house,

or should we call it the history house,

will appeal to David in particular.

We're travelling back down south to Clare,

about 14 miles from Bury St Edmunds.

Our mystery house

can be found right in the heart of this historic town, and I'm hoping

that its rich heritage will prove to be a real winner.

Now then...

I think the best view is right from this spot here,

so if you come back...

Take a look at the mystery house from here.

SHE LAUGHS

That's a really ancient timbered house, isn't it?

Dates back, apparently, to around 1450, maybe even earlier.

I can believe it, yes.

-So, let's see how we get on inside, shall we?

-Right.

Set over three floors, the walls of this Grade II listed property

conceal over five centuries of stories,

and the earliest accounts of the house suggest it was once

used as a brewery.

But now it's an enchanting family home with a few characterful quirks,

and set off by a roomy entrance hall.

So a nice little vestibule area, if you like,

and then into this amazing room.

Amazing is the word. It is really lovely.

-I really like this, yes.

-Nice square room.

Plenty of space here.

-Lovely fireplace.

-That's a real open fire as well, isn't it?

-Working as well.

-It's lovely.

Yes, I'm impressed.

I thought you'd like this. I mean, what's not to...?

What's not to like about this?

-Knowing us as you do now.

-Quite.

But...

with this come maybe potential compromises in other areas.

You're about to see the smallest kitchen out of the three properties,

-so mind this step here.

-Right.

Yes.

Small kitchen.

Very small kitchen.

Mm-hm. But I like it.

I like the kitchen. I like the units, I like the tiles...

I like the feel of it.

-David?

-It's a...very nice compact kitchen.

Let's keep looking round the rest of the house.

-Upwards to the master bedroom.

-Right.

Up on the first floor, there's a bathroom as well as a compact

second bedroom that could be ideal as a hobby room or study,

right opposite the largest bedroom.

-Now then, this is your master bedroom.

-Oh, right.

This is a fine room, isn't it?

Very much in keeping with downstairs.

There's some intriguing little features here of...

Where that might have been a door.

-It might have been a window, in fact.

-A window. Oh, right.

-Hmm.

You could imagine this house

being a very important part of the town actually.

Yeah. Well, let's look at it.

Over the years, it's been maltings, it's been...

Parish council used to meet here.

It's been a library. It's had a big role in the local area, hasn't it?

This is... This is a really good-sized bedroom.

-Good.

-And very atmospheric and...

I think I could sleep well here.

There is a third bedroom in the eaves that they could use as a hobby room.

Though as it has its own en suite, it would be perfect for guests.

The mystery house is the surviving wing of a former larger property

and it attached across the back,

so the grounds all lie to the front and are enclosed by hedges

that gives the garden a very private feel

despite the property's central location.

So...the front garden is the only garden with the mystery house.

Right. Rather small, isn't it? And...

I'm afraid it hasn't got a great deal of character,

but I suppose that's up to you to introduce some.

I mean, what I would do...

I'm not one for cutting trees down, but that tree would go,

and I think it could be enhanced.

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

£475,000.

OK. David?

I think it might be 520, something of that nature.

You might be surprised to hear that this house

-is on the market for offers in the region of £395,000.

-Hmm.

That is surprising.

For offers in the region of £395,000,

the mystery house is a real vintage gem that date back to 1450

and is awash with period features.

Laid out over three floors, it has a large drawing room, three bedrooms

and a private enclosed garden in the heart of a very desirable town.

-Now then, that was fun, wasn't it?

-Yes.

Well, that's the end of the property search for you guys,

so why don't you go off somewhere and have a bit of a think,

-and I'll catch up with you later on? All right?

-OK.

-Good luck.

-Bye-bye.

So I've got a fair idea what your favourite property might be...

..but I can never be 100% sure.

So...what is the favourite?

Well, our favourite property definitely was property number two.

How close a second, I take it, was property number one?

Well, that would have been the second choice, but pretty far behind

because there wasn't enough of a garden there at all.

Why was property number two your favourite?

The garden was absolutely perfect.

It had a wonderful studio there,

which could be used by either of us for our hobbies.

The house was very historical.

And, at the same time, quite modern.

It sounds like it's... It's quite an interesting option to you.

What's the next step?

Well, the next step is that we'll probably have another look at it..

and then we'll go away and give it very serious consideration.

And then who knows?

You may well be living in Suffolk in a partly thatched house.

-How does that sound?

-It sounds great.

-Marvellous.

Thank you very much, Jonnie.

So the mystery with the history didn't work out.

I'm afraid not. But property two is still in the running.

Very good. So coming back to Mike and Jenny,

they've got £400,000 in Suffolk and I think we have been showing them

houses that are too big, being in mind they want to downsize.

It's not always about size, is it?

Now, but the mystery house is not a small house either.

-But it is a green house.

-You mean...?

-It's not a greenhouse.

-It's a GREEN house.

-All, right. I know what you mean. I think.

Our mystery property takes us to the village of Elmsett.

And our colourful final offering

is a modern and mysterious one-of-a-kind build

that lies right in the heart of the village.

-This is the mystery house.

-Wow.

-It is a beautiful construction, isn't it?

-Do you like it?

Yes. It is new, isn't it?

-It is 15 years old.

-And it's lovely.

-It looks fairly sort of low-key from the outside.

-Yes?

Nothing shouts out, because the mystery about this house

will be revealed when we go round the back.

-OK.

-So I'm not going to say anything more

but I'm going to ask you to come with me.

Come round the back.

I'm going to do a brief detour into the garden. Lovely garden.

-Wow.

-Beautiful planting. Lovely garden.

Come onto this little terrace here.

-Ha!

-And take a look. What's on top of the house?

Oh, my word.

This house is a green house.

One of the things you were worried about about your big house

and the big house that we saw yesterday it is the running costs.

-Absolutely.

-Mm-hm.

This house makes you money.

Last year, the owners spent £800 on their electricity bills

but they made £1,800 selling back electricity to the grid.

Aha. SHE CHUCKLES

So they made almost £1,000.

And then if you take out the water bills.

Now, they only get the water in

because they have a reed drainage system in the garden,

so they don't pay for any water flowing out.

That is truly a big surprise, those numbers.

No question.

-Let's take a tour of the house.

-Right.

Dating back to 1998, the aim of the architect who designed this property

was to save energy and, as a consequence, save money too.

Inside, the unconventional layout

should appeal to Mike's wish for quirky

and wraps itself around a generous hallway.

Come into the main room.

-Oh, wow.

-Talk about light.

So you can see now some of the features of the house.

From the inside you can see how thick the walls are.

-Ah, yes.

-Amazing concrete build.

So the walls are all concrete,

the floor is almost 0.5m of concrete with insulation.

So what happens is that the sun comes from these giant windows,

heats up the concrete and then the concrete,

the heat in the concrete is retained pretty much all through the day

and through the night.

You've also got triple glazing.

The secret of the house really is that no heat leaves.

-It's clever, huh?

-Very clever.

I mean, it is a bit of a shock and you're right to call it a mystery

because compared to the other houses we've seen, this is...

..you know, very, very, very different.

So this is the heart of the home.

It is also the heating generator because of these big windows.

But obviously, there are other rooms, including the kitchen.

Ah-ha-ha, the kitchen.

-Come in here.

-Oh, wow!

I'm loving all these "wows". That's great.

-This is the sort of size kitchen that I love!

-Really?

Oh, it's beautiful.

OK, so this is downstairs. It's pretty much a simple layout.

You've got an amazing washroom with all the white goods.

Let's look upstairs because that is interesting too.

The combination of light and space in this unique home

appears to be winning over both our buyers.

And the brilliance continues upstairs,

where a four-piece family bathroom serves four bedrooms.

Two are spacious double rooms,

and a single is being used as a study.

That just leaves the one earmarked for Jenny and Mike,

which also benefits from both the views and daylight

coming in from the huge, double-height glazing

in the sitting room.

This is an interesting room.

-Yes.

-Wow.

It is the mezzanine above the living space.

It is very, very good for a bedroom. It's got plenty of space.

Have you ever seen a bedroom like this before?

Nope. But I could definitely do something with it, I feel.

I'm confident about that.

Or the alternative is that you use this as the study

and don't have it as a bedroom.

-Oh, that's a possibility. That would be lovely.

-Yeah.

-Good idea.

-And music room.

-It's true. This would be a lovely music room.

-Yes, it would too.

-Echoing round the house.

-Yes.

I'll let you explore the other rooms upstairs,

but I want to show you the rest of the garden.

-Oh, right.

-Come with me.

That concludes the internal tour

of our super-efficient mystery house,

so we're heading back down to the kitchen/diner,

past a sunny paved patio and into the south-facing rear garden.

So, as you can see, it is a garden of paths.

There's decking pathway throughout,

the raised decking so you don't get your feet dirty,

in the midst of all these bushes and shrubs and trees,

which, of course, are bird paradise.

I can imagine.

It's the sort of garden I've never even thought about

that I might have.

It is very, very unusual.

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

I'd go for £440,000.

And I think about the same - £440,000.

-You're both wrong.

-Oh.

This house is on the market for £425,000.

Wow.

And with the bit of give-and-take that the market allows,

you might even get it in your budget.

-Wow.

-So...

-Well, that is a real surprise.

-Strike me down.

And indeed, a mystery.

Ah, that's why it's called the mystery house, Mike.

I suspected as much.

Surprisingly closer to budget than expected,

on the market for £425,000,

the mystery property is a modern, one-off, detached eco house

with a range of energy-efficient features

that make it cost-effective to run.

The accommodation features a double-height sitting room,

kitchen/diner and four bedrooms with

an enchanting landscaped garden.

Ooh, did you notice how snugly fitted that door is?

-Absolutely.

-No draughts.

-Oh, and no letter box.

-No.

Indeed, the letter box is in the garage

for exactly the same reason - no draughts.

Good house, huh? Follow me.

OK, I don't have to be a mind-reader to know that

you didn't really like the second house yesterday.

So I am still not sure in my mind which of the houses you prefer.

The mystery house on the one hand or that lovely romantic first house?

I think the romantic first house

was just something anybody would dream of

and the views were what we really, really like.

It did have a little problem with the height of the ceiling.

Yes, Mike, your poor head.

Have you got bruises?

Yeah, I had a little bit of difficulty

-combing my scalp this morning.

-ALL CHUCKLE

The mystery house was probably sensible.

And perhaps right in the sense that, you know,

we would be doing the kind of things that people should be trying to do,

which is live a more green life.

Sensible, however, does come with the sort of...

-HE TUTS

-.."Well, it's sensible."

Does your heart really kind of warm to the mystery house?

I thought that it was so well built but it didn't have the view.

OK, so what happens next?

I mean, are you thinking of revisiting any of the properties?

I think we should investigate that mystery house more

to see how economical it really is.

So, yes, we would probably go back

and discover a bit more about that area,

which we know absolutely nothing about.

Well, I really hope that you do proceed on one of our houses.

That would be wonderful. But that you get to Suffolk very soon

cos it's been a great pleasure showing you around.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

So, apart from probably quite a lot of cleaning windows with that

mystery house, it actually earns you money? What's not to love?

Well, it is interesting,

the whole thing about love and houses, isn't it,

because I think Mike said it?

He said that would be the sensible choice because on paper

it all makes perfect sense but I don't think his heart was taken.

And you know what, when people go down the sensible road,

they are often haunted by the one that got away.

The house that really captured the heart and imagination so, I suppose

really, it comes down to balancing the head versus heart, doesn't it?

But Suffolk is a good place to do that because it's good value,

which pleases the head,

and there is such an amazing array of architectural styles,

that beautiful rural countryside,

big houses, small houses, old houses.

There's got to be something for your heart there.

You can see why people want to want to go and live there.

So that brings us to a close.

And hopefully you'll join us next time on Escape To The Country.

Marion and David continued looking for their dream home,

which they eventually found very near to our second property

and they've already settled in.

And Jenny and Mike are now looking for a house not far from Essex

to be close to their family.

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