Somerset Escape to the Country

Hello and welcome to a very special edition of Escape To The Country.

We've lined up six properties to tempt two sets of buyers

-in one county.

-We'll be showcasing the very best of the scenery

and offering some advice and tips along the way.

So, today, we've set our sights on the rolling hills of the South West.

Find out exactly where, in just a moment.

On today's show,

I'm helping two career hotshots who now want a shot at the good life.

It's one of my trickiest house hunts.

-Is it going to be a bedroom or a studio?

-Studio.

-I say bedroom.

-THEY LAUGH

And I have some surprises with my quirky cottages.

-Oh, my goodness, you're welling up!

-It means that much, doesn't it?

Yes, it does, it's beautiful.

Well, in today's show, we're paying a visit to the enticing

and magical county of Somerset.

It is gorgeous, and what I like when you get there is that feeling

of it being relatively unspoilt,

very rural, laid-back and quite mystical.

One of my favourite areas are the Quantocks,

just to the west of Taunton.

You've got beautiful landscape, gorgeous coastline

and not many people know about it, but of course,

there's a lot more to Somerset than just my favourite areas.

Set in the South West of England,

the county of Somerset is bordered by Wiltshire to the East

Dorset to the South East and Devon to the South West.

It's ancient and historic terrain is home to world-famous natural

wonders such as Britain's largest gorge at Cheddar,

with its dramatic cliffs rising 450 feet.

Heading south in the county, there are charming

towns like Axbridge, full of historic buildings.

But outside the cities and towns, this county is full of rural

communities, living in the most idyllic of pastoral landscapes.

So, it's easy to see why it's an area worth escaping to.

So, Jules, when you think of Somerset,

it conjures up images of the Quantocks, the Mendips,

the Levels, such a beautiful part of the UK

and consistently popular with our house-hunters.

Well, it is, and I think value for money is the key there.

When you think that the average price of a detached property is

only £6,000 above the national figure,

it does mean that it is really affordable and certainly

better value for money, arguably than neighbouring Devon and Dorset.

But what about the commuter areas?

Say, for example, the Chew Valley, you're going to be paying, what?

15% premium to live there, because it's so close to Bath and Bristol.

Well, at least, so my advice with Somerset is always to go further

south, towards Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster. It's also really pretty.

-But where are the new places we should look out for?

-I think Bruton.

-Why?

-It's beautiful, it has a lovely river,

the Brue, running through the middle of it, lots of other independent

shops, wonderful restaurants, and fantastic architecture.

-Now, shall I tell you about my couple?

-Go on. Where from?

Two ladies, currently living in Peterborough,

one has the most horrendous commute to London every day. That's

all about to change. Work wise, she's moving to Bristol,

so we're going to find her somewhere glorious around there.

Well, it all sounds good, but before that,

let's catch up with our first couple of house-buyers.

Southerner, Mark, and Julie from Scotland are IT consultants

from opposite ends of the British Isles.

They met at work, and three years ago decided

it was time for Mark to move into Julie's existing home in Edinburgh.

I bought this house just for me and the cat.

It was big enough for the two of us, and, erm...

since Mark's moved in, the house is just groaning at the seams.

With all the stuff that we have between us,

it's been quite a challenge to find homes for everything.

Now a new job for Julie in Bristol

is giving them the chance not only to trade up the house,

but also offering a much-wanted change of lifestyle.

When we go down to the West Country,

we're looking for the outdoor space,

we like to be around animals,

we want to do more stuff outside.

Home is currently a compact three-bedroom house

in Edinburgh's commuter belt.

This is an estate. The houses are very close together.

There's just too much noise.

We just want complete peace and quiet.

This will be the first time they've bought a house together.

It gives us the opportunity to have something that we can call "ours".

There are certain things we agree on, but there are lots of things

that we don't, in terms of what we want in the property.

If we could have a wing each, it would be great.

But there's one thing they are in complete agreement on -

the need for Julie's messy hobby of making stained glass,

to move out of the main house.

Just, practically, cutting glass in a house...

Shards of glass go everywhere.

And it also takes up a huge amount of space.

For their bigger, quieter new home they have a decent pot of money.

The budget for the move is £500,000.

As Julie and Mark want a rural property

no more than an hour from central Bristol,

I'm concentrating our search in central Somerset

within striking distance of the M5,

and I'm joining them to find out more about the specifics

of their planned move.

-Well, welcome to Somerset.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-This is a long way from home for you, isn't it?

-A very long way.

-Now, this is all motivated by your new job, isn't it?

-Yes.

This is a chance for the pair of you to buy a house

-that's actually both of yours.

-Correct.

-Yeah.

Something, we hope, which a bit bigger,

which has more character to it, and certainly has a rural feel.

Now, just give me some idea of what this house might look like.

How many bedrooms, and that sort of thing, do you need?

Minimum three.

We'd like a bit of land for keeping animals such as

sheep, pigs, er, chickens, quail...

What you're describing, to me, is a smallholding.

And, yes, you've got a very handsome budget of £500,000.

The need to be closer to Bristol

obviously puts us into Bristol's own commuter belt

which comes with a price tag at a premium.

One other element that we do need to satisfy are your hobbies.

So we want a nice workshop/outbuilding.

Because it's a great thing that you're doing with the stained glass.

There is a lot of use of blowtorches and smelly tallow

and chemicals and things that you really don't want in your house,

so we really need somewhere outside the house.

Outbuildings I don't think are a problem with half a million pounds.

-Are you ready to spend it?

-Yep.

-Yeah.

-Good!

Well, we've got three very interesting properties

to tempt you with, including our mystery house

which we'll look at first thing tomorrow morning.

-In the meantime, let's get going. After you.

-Thank you.

For a budget of £500,000, Mark and Julie are looking for...

It's quite a shopping list

but we have three properties lined up which all offer something

different and, as usual, I won't be revealing their prices immediately.

And for the final offering, the mystery house -

I've got something up my sleeve they really won't be expecting.

We're kicking off the house search six miles east of the M5

in the rural village of Catcott.

And not far from the centre of the village is our first property.

Right, in you come. In you come.

What do you think to all this, then? Come over here.

This is our first property for you.

Looks good so far.

Loving the stone.

Isn't it lovely?

That bit is the oldest bit - about 300 years old.

It's an old barn that's been converted and this bit was added

about three years ago,

with some wonderful oak beams in it, wood burner, and so on.

One thing we have to be upfront about, is that we don't have

acres and acres for you here.

As you can see, it is quite an enclosed garden set up,

but we do have access to somebody up the road

-who regularly rents out paddocks.

-OK.

So, if this little village community is for you,

and if this house is for you, I think we can satisfy every end.

But it is a fantastic property, this.

Looking forward to seeing inside it.

Come on, then, let's have a look.

With the option of land for animals off-site,

this magical walled garden does fulfil their desire

for a restful retreat from work,

and I'm hoping the inside will impress.

So, this is the new bit.

-What do you reckon?

-Very nice.

-Fantastic. Loving the wood.

-I like the woodwork.

Isn't it beautiful?

-And I love the stove!

-Yep.

And the light, as well. Coming in from the skylights.

Is this the sort of thing that would work?

It's definitely a place that you can relax...and chill.

And it goes on into the kitchen,

which is here.

A nice open plan.

There's a larder and a utility room through that door there.

-But it's got a lovely kind of flow to it, I think.

-It is.

And it's nice and country-feeling, too.

You're not saying very much, Mark, which is worrying me, slightly.

What's going on in my mind, is -

does it give us that formal space for formal dining?

Yeah. We don't mind doing the sort of informal things,

if we've just got house guests,

but when it comes to big occasions like Christmas, etc,

we do like to have the formal dining space.

I mean, there is the snug next door, that could become a dining room.

You can adapt part of that enormous living room through there.

-It does give a lot of options.

-OK. Let's continue this way.

It might not have a ready-made dining room,

but, as well as a separate WC,

there is a downstairs third bedroom

with its own en suite shower and sauna.

And upstairs, there is a further guest double

as well as the master bedroom.

Now, there are two bedrooms up here.

None of them are en suite

but they are served by a very big family bathroom right next door.

-OK.

-This is currently the master bedroom.

-Good.

-Nice size.

Good high ceilings, fantastic light.

I want to finish off with this, I think, amazing studio in the garden.

It's currently set up as an en suite,

so it's a great annexe for your guests,

but could it be your workshop? Let's have a look.

Overlooking an ornamental pond,

this single-storey cabin could

make a fantastic stained glass studio for Julie.

-What do you think?

-Oh, wow.

-Not bad, is it?

-It's very nice!

The question is, does it stay as a bedroom,

with en suite through there,

or is it going to be a studio?

-Studio.

-I say bedroom.

THEY LAUGH

And there's another outbuilding currently being

used as an office and extra bedroom which could also be

made into a workshop or more guest accommodation.

Have you got any idea of what property number one

is on the market for?

I'm going to go for... Top end of the budget, I think.

-I would go for 495.

-I am going to go a lot less.

-OK.

-425?

This is on at £475,000. Obviously open to offers, but

you do get quite a lot for it.

The only issue, I suppose,

is whether or not you can compromise on the lack of obvious acreage.

-Mm.

-And whether the whole animal issue is one

that's going to really take hold of your minds,

and you want to pursue more fully.

But as a property to come and live in, I think it works.

For a property to live in, it hits the mark for me.

For £25,000 under budget,

this converted barn and outbuildings give Mark and Julie...

But is it enough house and garden?

Ah! There you go.

I was rather enjoying this.

I thought you were going to take a bit longer.

I thought you'd found the kettle and made us a cup of tea.

Lots to see, lots to think about.

Well, I think this is a great start certainly,

but I think we still have some way to go. Let's get going.

Somerset is essentially a rural county

but over the years it's also been a centre for industry

with coal mining, quarrying, wool, weaving and textiles.

Much of this manufacturing declined long ago

but, thankfully, some is still thriving

and today I'm visiting the south Somerset town of Castle Cary

to see the last remaining horsehair weavers in the UK.

Established in 1837 by a travelling Scotsman called John Boyd,

today it's run by managing director, Anna Smith.

Hello, Anna.

I'm Jules, very nice to see you.

This is what I was hoping to see, a classic old-fashioned

kind of weaving shed.

-Here you are holding some of the famous horsehair.

-Yes.

What is it about horsehair that makes it such a fantastic fabric?

It's a very unusual fabric.

It a very, very strong, resilient fabric.

It will last more than 100 years if it's properly upholstered.

It was the original fabric used by Chippendale, Hepplewhite,

Rennie Mackintosh. So if you have a good piece of furniture,

it's the right fabric to put on it.

To many people, the idea of making anything from horsehair might seem quite unusual.

It's a fashion that's kind of disappeared, really. Why?

It was very popular in Victorian times.

Originally, they used local horses and then when the car was invented

in 1890, there just wasn't as much horsehair available.

So we would travel up to London,

-we'd meet hair brokers from overseas...

-Yeah.

-..and source the hair.

-Hair brokers?

-That's like a commodity broker but dealing in horsehair?

-Yes, yes.

-Where do you get it from now?

-It comes mainly from Mongolia

and Siberia where they still use working horses.

-That's incredible and yet here it is in Somerset.

-Yeah.

To prepare the hair for weaving, it's first washed and then dyed.

Each tail starts off in its natural state

and is stained to order from a choice of over 200 colours.

Once dyed, and before it can be weaved,

the hair needs to go through one more traditional process.

-Duncan...

-Hi, there.

How are you? Chief wizard of the dying process.

Yeah.

And also of hackling. This is hackling, is it?

This is hackling, yeah. This is done to remove the short and broken hairs.

-Potentially quite dangerous by the looks of it?

-It is, yeah.

You have to be careful with your knuckles.

But also, I imagine, quite cathartic, is it?

It's not too bad, it gives you time to think.

-Can I have a go?

-Of course you can.

Just hold it tightly there and start at the end.

-Start at the end?

-Yeah, and work your way up.

-Look at that, it's lovely.

-OK.

Flaxen hair, lump of mane, look at that.

So you just flop it on?

Just flop it on the end and pull it through.

-That's it, you feel it.

-Oh, yeah.

Then you go a bit further next time.

I'm with you, just working your way down.

Yeah, pulling the knots away.

How much hackling do you have to do on one of these pieces of hair?

Until it runs through smoothly. Basically...

It varies.

It can take a couple of minutes, it can take five or ten minutes.

Once you've finished your hackling, I guess it's ready to go onto the looms.

Incredibly the looms at this factory

are the originals, making them around 150 years old.

The lengthwise threads, known as the warp,

are made of cotton, silk or linen.

The horizontal threads, known as the weft,

are the individually inserted horsehairs

and each loom can produce just two to three metres of fabric a day.

Here it is, finished, and what I love about this is you can

still see the individual horse hairs.

Just remind us how many there are to the inch?

There's 90 hairs in one inch of cloth

and they're all put in individually.

And here we have it in its applied form, the finished product,

-doing what it's supposed to do.

-Yeah.

Is this what we might expect to see in royal palaces, for example?

Yes, we supply to royal palaces both here and also overseas, as well.

So is it a market that's now growing again?

Yes, we're very fortunate a lot of contemporary designers are showing

more interest in the product because of its unusual properties.

I think it's absolutely fabulous and it's a real treat to see

that it's a tradition that's very much alive and well

here in Somerset.

And let's hope it's a skill that can continue

for at least another 150 years.

The search is taking us south to the village of Othery,

which is just on the edge of Julie's maximum commute to Bristol

of one hour.

And just a short walk away is our second property.

What have we got here for you?

-What about this?

-That's nice.

-Yeah?

-Really nice.

-What do you make of number two?

-Very pretty.

I like the stone, I love the front door, it's absolutely gorgeous.

-It looks like it's got a fair amount of character.

-Oh, yes.

If I tell you it goes back to between 1400 and 1500...

-Oh, fantastic.

-..you've got loads of character.

There is also that enormous barn attached to it

which I'm going to describe as a kind of party barn.

It is a really good space and I know we've talked about friends

and family coming down and you entertaining.

Clearly, the dining room is a good indication of your need to entertain.

That's a great spot.

-Great spot.

-I'm excited to see inside, now.

-This I am excited about, as well.

-Good.

That's a great reaction for the outside of the property

and I think Mark and Julie will be impressed with how much house

they'll get for their money on this one.

Let's start with one of the three

reception rooms this place offers you.

Very nice.

-Yeah?

-I do like this.

-Very impressive.

What's working?

The fireplace, the size of the room,

the height of the beams, just at the right height.

-This is working well, isn't it?

-It is, so far.

-So far.

I want to see more.

Right, let's go to the kitchen.

There are two further living rooms, both with exposed beams

and inglenook fireplaces.

In this house they're spoilt for choice as to where

that formal dining room would go.

This is the kitchen, guys.

Very nice. Very nice.

Bigger than the last one.

-Yeah?

-Far more cupboards which is something that we're looking for.

-Oh, yeah.

-I like the worktops.

THEY LAUGH

There's definitely more smiles coming from you on this one.

Come on, there's so much to get through.

Follow me.

A corridor leading to a rear conservatory

concludes the downstairs layout and the spacious ground floor

is definitely ticking boxes for Mark.

Upstairs offers just as much, with four good-sized bedrooms

full of period features and one family bathroom.

This is what we've got in mind for you two.

-A nice size.

-Yeah.

-It's a good size.

Plenty of room for furniture, plenty of room for the wardrobes.

-Nice and light with the windows on either side.

-Good.

Similarly to our first property you've got the annexe

with another double bed in it

but I really want to finish off in the garden

and we'll talk about the price of property number two, as well.

-OK.

-After you, lead on.

The space in this house is clearly a winner

and the annexe gives them more than expected, too.

With three rooms downstairs and a mezzanine bedroom upstairs,

there is plenty of space to house both the workshop and guests.

So, as you can see, here is the rest of the garden.

We had a glimpse of it when we arrived back there.

Within its half an acre it's got some interesting little zones.

I think you've got room enough, certainly for plenty of

vegetable gardening and, indeed, for some chickens and maybe some quail.

As a garden, it works for me.

-Does it work for you because I know space is the key issue?

-Mmm.

It's not far off it.

You've got half a million to spend,

where do you think property number two comes on the scale?

Near the top, 485,000.

485,000, yeah, OK.

-I'm going to go 490,000.

-490,000.

You're both wrong but you're not far off, in fairness to you.

This one is bang on the budget at £500,000.

How do we feel about that?

-Quite good.

-Yeah? I would.

It surprises me because it's a lot of house...

-It's a huge amount of house!

-..for £500,000.

I know it hasn't got everything but it's got an awful lot going for it.

So bang on the budget at £500,000,

this converted farmhouse offers all the space they could

wish for with four bedrooms and three spacious living rooms.

There's enough land to start their bid for the good life

as well as the huge annexe and an unconverted barn,

which might need a bit of vision.

Right, out you come.

You have had a lot to explore,

we've given you loads of time on this one but well worth it, I think.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Is it a contender?

-Absolutely.

-Yes.

It should be, I love it, I was very excited to show you this one

but it's been a long day.

We've got our mystery house awaiting us tomorrow morning

so time now for some supper and a drink, maybe.

-Yeah.

-Come on, then.

What a property.

Got a definite contender there, but, have you peaked too soon?

It's always a worry, isn't it? But it did all end rather well.

Let's just hope they're still smiling when I show them the

mystery has, because to be honest, I did take something of a gamble.

No surprise there then, but, before that,

let's meet our second couple, who were hoping to swap their suburban

semi for the character of the Somerset countryside.

Our house-hunters currently live on a housing estate in Peterborough.

Michelle and Sian have been together for five years

and are engaged to be married.

Our family consists of us two,

our daughter, Ellie, who's 12,

and then our two dogs, Bentley and Ruby.

So we are very tight in our unit.

Sian works locally as a teaching assistant,

but Michelle works in the finance industry

and commutes each day to central London.

I leave the house at 6am,

And then I come home at 8-9pm, and Ellie is in bed.

At weekends, we're sorting ourselves out ready for the next week.

It's like Groundhog Day.

And Michelle has already started to make changes.

Where I work at the moment in London,

and we've got another office down in Bristol,

and there is an opportunity that potentially,

I could go down and work there and do the same job.

It is ideal.

Getting out of the suburban hubbub

and embracing country life can't come soon enough.

The house we live in at the minute, it works for us,

it's big enough, but it's not what we dream of.

-We both have the same dreams, don't we?

-Yeah.

We want a cottagey feel.

We want to be able to have those oaky smells.

We love walks with the dogs.

We would love to be part of a small community in a village.

We're village people.

They need to sell their current house for the move,

but have they figure for their new home in mind.

The budget for the move would be £300-400,000.

To get Michelle and Sian the rural setting they want,

but with a manageable commute to Bristol,

we're looking at villages no more than an hour from the centre.

But I need to find out what else they're looking for.

Welcome to a very brisk Somerset today.

-Yes, very much so.

-It looks absolutely beautiful,

but I think we are going to be fighting the rain most of today.

-It's not going to put us off, is it?

-No.

-No.

Tell me, why Somerset?

Well, you can see exactly why Somerset, really.

It is just absolutely beautiful.

The setting, the lifestyle, everything.

It's just a very calming place to be.

Now, you currently live in a modern house.

What are you looking for with this move?

We are looking for something a little bit more villagey,

warm, homely kind of country feel to it.

-You want some fire or something.

-Yeah, I want a fire. Just a fire.

Just a fire? Sian, you and I are going to get on.

-She's going to buy this house, the fire is good.

-Just a fire.

Tell me more about this house. And many bedrooms?

A minimum of three so that we can have

people stay over and things from back up north.

Not too worried about the size, really.

Just a minimum of three bedrooms.

Some garden, possibly, for the dogs.

So, tell me about your budget.

OK. Within the region of about £350,000.

Obviously, that can go up. Depends on the kind of house we see

and if it's something we fall in love with,

then obviously, we could look to go a bit further if we need to.

Give me that top budget if we find you something perfect.

-Top budget, 400,000.

-400,000.

-Tell me, do you always agree on everything?

-BOTH: No.

-That was quite definite, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-We agree on agreeing that we don't agree.

-Yeah.

So we have got three splendid properties to show you.

The landscape's disappeared behind us.

I think that rain's coming in, so on that note, shall we get started?

Definitely. Yes, let's go.

So, for a maximum budget of £400,000,

they're looking for a characterful country home

with a minimum of three bedrooms, a real fire for Sian

and in a rural setting no more than an hour from Bristol.

And we've got three fantastic houses that

I know will deliver on their country dream, but I won't be letting

them in on the price until they've had a guess first.

And then there's the mystery house,

which is a heavenly proposition.

Our search today kicks off in the hamlet of Yarley Hill,

just 15 minutes from the centre of Bristol,

but in the heart of the Mendips.

A five-minute drive out of the village up a quiet

and narrow country lane is property number one.

So, I've brought you to a beautiful hamlet for your first property.

-Tell me

-what you think. Amazing.

-Beautiful.

-Yeah. I do like the stone.

-It's really... It's what we're looking for, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It used to be part of a blacksmith's forge, all these buildings.

And looking at it, you can probably see

-it was three separate properties.

-Has it got a fire?

-Has it got a fire? Has it got more than one fire?

-Ooh!

-That's what you've got to ask me.

-I'm interested.

-Yeah?

-Definitely.

Come on, let's have a look.

Dating back to around 1780,

this stone cottage has bags of character

and I think the features inside

will be just what Sian and Michelle are looking for.

Come on in, ladies, out of that rain.

So, the door opens straight into the sitting room.

-Sian, what can you see in front of you?

-A fire. It's beautiful.

-Does it make you happy?

-Yeah, it does. It's amazing.

-I just feel really emotional.

-Do you? Already?

-Yeah.

Oh, my goodness, you're welling up! It means that much, doesn't it?

-Yeah, it does. It's beautiful.

-Well, that's good.

It shows this is what you're after.

-This is why people want to move, isn't it?

-Definitely. Really nice.

Complete opposite of what we've got at home. Complete opposite.

If you'd like to follow me, I'm going to take us

through into the dining room and kitchen.

The original inglenook fireplace was discovered

by the owners during their renovations over the last 10 years

and it has clearly struck a chord with Sian.

This part of the property has been divided up.

-You've got more of a snug or dining area here.

-Yeah.

And then you've got your country kitchen there.

I just worry that it's too small in terms of the storage.

The size of the kitchen is great. It's just the storage.

How about opening this up and making it a kitchen/diner?

-We could do, yeah.

-You wouldn't even need to take down any walls.

You wouldn't want to take the walls down

because it's part of the character.

-I love this, as well, with the fire.

-It's absolutely amazing.

On the ground floor, is this enough space for the three of you with the dogs?

-I think so, yeah. This is about the right size, as well.

-Great.

Would it be a problem if I gave you a little bit more space downstairs?

-No.

-No, that would be good.

-Yeah? OK. Let's see what's down here.

The corridor off the kitchen

and living room leads down to a further, larger living space.

-Wow!

-An additional little sitting room.

-Wow!

-Oh, it's amazing!

-It's not that little, actually, is it?

No, it's not at all. Complete surprise.

-I didn't expect to see this bit here.

-Yeah, it's incredible.

-Yes?

-I love it.

-Do you?

-I absolutely love it.

I can see myself living here.

Well, let's hope you feel the same about upstairs, with the bedrooms.

Michelle, if you want to lead the way. Thank you.

A study and cloakroom round off the downstairs rooms.

Upstairs, there is one family bathroom

which serves all four bedrooms,

of which there are two doubles

and a single before getting to the master.

So, right at the end of the hallway upstairs...

-you have the master bedroom.

-Oh, wow!

-It's big.

-That's very big.

-It's bigger than the one we've got now. It's amazing.

-Yeah, it is.

-I like the brickwork.

-The brickwork's great.

We know this cottage is quite quirky.

It continues with the garden.

It's not at the back, it's at the front of the property,

the other side of that lovely lane.

I'm going to ask you to take a stab at the price, as well.

With no garden to the rear, the land that comes with the house

is across the road and is terraced up the bank.

So, the cottage has had a very favourable reception.

Bringing you across that little babbling brook with the bridge,

this actually is your garden. Now, how do you feel with the dogs?

-Because you do have two dogs.

-That's my only reservation.

-To make it secure and...

-Well, let's see how you feel about the price.

-Yes.

-Who wants to guess the price first?

I'll go first. I would say it is about top end, about 390,000.

Right. Sian?

I'd go similar to that

because it's ticked practically every single box, so 395.

It is over your budget.

-The asking price is £425,000.

-OK.

Now, outside of the major cities and towns,

we know properties aren't flying.

They know what your budget is

and they are happy to have a conversation with you.

Oh, right, OK.

Priced at £425,000,

this house is the classic picture-postcard stone cottage.

It has four bedrooms, two large living rooms, fireplaces

and original features throughout and a garden across the lane.

Right, you two, how do you feel we've done with our first property?

-Really well.

-Yeah?

-Really like it.

Yeah. It's got enough fires for me, four.

The fire-mad woman! We love it!

-And that is only our first house, as well.

-I know, yeah.

-Still got so much more to show you, so we'll keep going.

-Brilliant.

The city of Bath

is known throughout the world for its architectural wonders.

No more so than for its incredibly large parish church, Bath Abbey.

I've come to meet archivist Lucy Rutherford

to learn more about this site and the intriguing works going on.

Lucy, thank you for inviting us to Bath Abbey.

It's a treat to be here. The most beautiful building.

But you've also got some serious repair work going on, haven't you?

Yes, we have at the moment.

This is not usual for us to have quite so much building work.

I'm intrigued to know more about that.

First of all, can I ask you about the building itself?

I believe there's been three churches on this site.

-Is that correct?

-Yes, that's right.

There have been, in the last thousand years, an Anglo-Saxon abbey,

then a huge Norman cathedral, much bigger than the present church.

-Bigger than this?

-Yes. And this building was started in the 1490s.

The abbey, built from Bath stone,

is particularly noted for its intricate ceiling.

-Do we know how high up that ceiling is?

-It's about 80 feet or 24 metres.

-It seems higher to me!

-It does to me as well!

-Yeah.

It is beautiful.

You do have to stand and look up and just admire the work.

This type of fan vaulting is considered to be

one of the finest examples in the country.

Looking around, I've noticed there are so many memorials on the wall.

We're surrounded by them.

They are absolutely everywhere in this building.

Only Westminster Abbey has more memorials than we do here.

These memorials, they're closely linked with this building work?

-Something different is going on here?

-They are indeed.

-Is it possible to see some of it?

-Yes, it is.

-We can go and see it now.

-Thank you.

For more than 300 years, both the landed gentry

and ordinary townspeople have been interned in the abbey.

Lucy, I understand that people are buried under these stones.

Do we know how many there are?

We've had a lot of estimates

about how many burials there are under the floor.

We think somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 burials, approximately.

That's one of the reasons you're doing the building work, isn't it?

It is, yes.

Because there have been so many burials under the floor,

this has caused a certain amount of...settlement.

That's a nice word!

This means that there have been large voids left under the floor,

which is causing it to gradually subside.

If we don't take the opportunity in the medium term to put this right,

the floor is in danger of collapsing.

As it is a unique and unprecedented project,

they're currently working on a test section of the floor.

The stones are being removed

and they are digging down to fill in the air pockets,

which should stabilise the floor before the stones are replaced.

What's actually happened to the bodies, shall we say?

We knew that we would find human remains

because we were aware of so many burials under the floor.

We've been very careful, as we've been doing this work,

to carefully store them.

They will be reinterred under the floor with a service.

Whilst they are doing this essential work,

they are adding some modern comforts.

At the moment we are heated with a very antiquated Victorian system,

which costs us a great deal of money to run.

Because we are taking up the floor, this gives us

a unique opportunity to put in underfloor heating

in a partnership to use the energy from the hot water springs

in the Roman baths next door to the abbey.

What a difference it's going to make.

Hopefully, generations will be able to enjoy it as well.

-Lucy, thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

Time now to return to Sian and Michelle's property hunt.

For our second property offering,

we're driving half an hour east to the village of Leigh-on-Mendip.

Right in the centre of the village but set back from the road

with a gravelled driveway is property number two.

So, I've brought you to the village of Leigh-upon-Mendip -

we're surrounded by the Mendip hills - to show you this cottage.

-It's beautiful.

-Absolutely lovely.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

The country life, the perfect country life.

We even have horses behind us.

-You don't see that in Peterborough, do you?

-No.

-There you go.

-What do you think of the actual house itself?

-Really quaint.

It looks really quaint and rustic. I think it's really pretty.

-First impressions are good.

-Yeah, very positive.

This double-fronted stone cottage is Grade II listed

and retains all the character Sian and Michelle are looking for.

The first room on entering the house is currently used as a dining room.

-So, you have a small porch that leads us into the house.

-Oh, wow!

-Beams!

-Very old beams.

-It's lovely.

-Really nice.

-Lots of character.

-Yes.

Now, I do know with this house move, we are fire obsessed.

I don't know why I'm looking at you, Michelle, because this is the one.

-Sian, tell me, how do we rate that fire?

-Yeah, it's amazing.

It's bigger and...

-It's a great open space.

-It's a real feature of the room, isn't it?

-It's really lovely.

-Let's see what you make of the rest.

-OK.

To the right of the dining room is a modestly-sized living room,

which is equally characterful.

Lovely beams again.

And you might notice just through there, there is a conservatory.

-OK, yeah.

-OK.

-Yeah, so that's a bonus.

Because it's not huge, this sitting room, is it?

-But enough room for you?

-I think so.

-I think so.

-Yeah, more than enough for the three of us and the two dogs.

-Yeah?

We've still got the room next door as well, so there is still room.

So far, we had such a thumbs-up with our first property,

are you getting a good feeling with this?

I've kind of got a better feeling about this one.

We know the kitchen is a really important room for the two of you,

so let's see what you think of this.

At the back of the property is an extension which houses

a spectacular kitchen/diner.

-So tell me what you think of this room.

-Wow!

-Incredible.

-Really nice.

-Surprised?

-Yeah, very.

From the front of the house, I didn't expect this.

-Look at the door.

-Oh!

-What did you say...?

-I always wanted a farmhouse door for the dogs.

-Did you?

So you can keep an eye on them in the garden.

OK. Well, let's see what you make of upstairs.

A study which leads to the outside could work as a boot room

and is the final room on the ground floor.

Upstairs on the first floor are two bedrooms.

Both doubles and a generous bathroom.

That's not all.

This house has a second floor and a bit of a surprise.

-We come up here...

-That's incredible!

..and we have the master.

-Oh, that's gorgeous!

-Oh, wow!

There we are. See, this house keeps on giving.

-It does, doesn't it?

-You don't realise this is here.

It's got a real modern theme about it, but still old.

So, have they got the balance right? Character, charm...?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Still got the character,

-but it's just got that modern edge about it.

-Yes.

I'm going to take you back downstairs and outside.

-OK, brilliant.

-Thank you.

As well as the large driveway out the front,

there is a south-facing garden to the rear and a patio area.

-So...we've actually got an enclosed garden here.

-Yep.

-Mindful of the dogs.

-Yeah, which is great.

-Enough of a garden for you both?

-I think so.

It's bigger than where we are and the setting,

we don't really need a huge garden, to be fair.

-We can go out and go on walks and do things we might want to do.

-Yeah.

I've now got to ask you how much is it on the market for?

I think over budget, but I'd like it to come in at 375 if possible.

OK. Michelle?

I think it's definitely going to be over our budget, unfortunately.

I'd like it to be about 375.

Are your fingers crossed in those pockets? Completely crossed.

I could see your face when you said it, you slightly grimaced.

Well, you are both right, it is over budget.

The asking price is £425,000.

It's worth it, definitely.

It's a lovely house. Really lovely house.

-The owners are happy to have a discussion with you.

-Right, OK.

-They will look at some offers.

-Right, OK.

-Good.

For a negotiable £425,000 price tag,

this is a classic stone country cottage,

which has a great combination of characterful living rooms

with a contemporary kitchen/diner.

There are three bedrooms, including a delightful master suite,

and an enclosed rear garden suitable for the dogs.

Today has gone so well.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-Look at you.

-You're both still smiling. Have you enjoyed it?

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Lovely.

Good. I'm so pleased. Come on.

Now, I don't think that could have gone any better.

Do you know what, it was probably one of the most enjoyable

and successful house hunting days for me ever.

If only they were all like that.

So, meanwhile, back to Mark and Julie, don't forget,

they were coming from Edinburgh down to Somerset, with £500,000.

That's a good, healthy budget - half a million.

Well, they were going to need every penny,

because halfway through the house tours,

Julie let slip that she had been given

-a cow to bring with her.

-A cow?

-A cow.

-That has to be a first.

Absolutely, let's face it, normally it's children, dogs, cats,

-maybe a horse.

-Donkeys.

-Maybe a donkey. But never a cow.

So, for our mystery house, well, the gloves were off. We took a gamble.

For our final property, I'm taking Mark and Julie

six miles further south to the small town of Langport,

just over an hour from Bristol city centre.

And just a mile up the road is today's mystery house.

So, you remember in the car, you said, "Is it going to be a thatch?"

-Mm-hm.

-There it is.

It is a thatch and I know you've got some

misgivings about thatched properties. You're not alone.

There are many misconceptions about thatched properties,

that they are going to burn down, they leak, they're damp and all the rest of it,

-that they cost a fortune to insure, none of which is true.

-OK.

Thatch has been around for thousands of years.

It is a brilliant and very durable material.

It does create the classic kind of chocolate box image

of your new country home.

JULIE CHUCKLES

We've got you 1.63 acres that run up behind here

through a lovely range of gardens

up to orchard, paddock and so on and so forth.

-OK.

-Let's have a look, then.

Yeah, let's see what you think of it.

I'm relieved the thatch hasn't put them off because the land

behind this charming cottage with annexe could make it a winner.

To start with, downstairs loo and shower room in there

and a little cloakroom and then this is the kitchen.

Oh!

Small.

-Well, we've spoilt you, haven't we?

-You have.

We've spoilt you with what we've seen already,

but that's the kind of compromise.

-Let's see the rest.

-Yeah, come on.

You're thinking it won't take long.

Next to the kitchen, the dining room, obviously.

-This is important to you.

-That is nice.

-Yeah!

-Yeah.

I really like the way they've made a feature of the brickwork

and rendering halfway up the wall.

It's very cosy and it is very, very pretty.

-Right then, living room.

-Yeah.

Across this little hallway is the living room.

Watch your heads.

HE CHUCKLES

-Very nice.

-Yes.

This has got a great, big smile from you, Mark.

-Yeah, it's just, er...

-The fireplace.

-The fireplace.

-We've not been short of an inglenook or two this week.

-No.

There's lots of features in here to recommend it.

The annexe is self-contained at the moment but you can access it

through that little door there which takes you into a little lobby.

We'll get you to have a look at that a bit later on.

On a practical level, seriously, would this suffice?

It would me.

I still think it's a room short downstairs but, as you say,

you've got this annexe next door.

Yeah, certainly you could spill through into there if you wanted to.

Erm, you'd still have to duck.

THEY LAUGH

Because you couldn't chop the beam out

but, for all of its size,

bizarrely, it's got four bedrooms upstairs, not including the annexe.

-Really?

-Yeah, come and have a look at this.

With exposed beams throughout, there is

one double room and two smaller ones for visiting friends and family.

And then there's the master.

Come on in.

-Very nice.

-Yeah?

I'm loving the wonky walls. I love that.

It gives so much character to the room.

-I think you're more interested in the wonky walls than he is.

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

OK.

All right, but, you know, in terms of your classic slice

of country living, as it were, you know, this is the picture, isn't it?

-Yeah, definitely.

-It's a bigger room than I expected.

-Yes.

Of course, the other thing is that you get a really good sized

en suite through there. Go and have a look.

It is the bathroom up here so your guests have got to use the shower room downstairs.

-It's a nice size.

-It is a nice size. Nicely kitted out too.

-Yeah?

OK, well that more or less concludes the property, as such,

with the exception of the annexe, which I'm going to let you

explore at your leisure later on.

Next, however, I think we should get to the main event which is outside.

The garden and the paddock and somewhere for this cow.

Yeah? Come on.

For Julie's stained glass making there are outbuildings aplenty

with a garage, three sheds and a stable

and across the formal lawns is the land that I think is the real draw.

Now then, we talked about the good life and self-sufficiency,

what about that for a bountiful vegetable patch?

Yeah, and a compost heap.

-Compost heap, you've got two greenhouses.

-Yeah.

It's kind of all here and we haven't got to the rest of the land yet.

-Ah.

-Keep going.

-Yeah, come on, then.

The ready-made vegetable plots would give them

a head start on their dreams of a smallholding

and this property offers them just under an acre of paddock,

more than enough for Julie's new cow.

So this is it.

This is the paddock and orchard.

-So, Mark, would this work?

-It would work, definitely.

-Good.

Even the way it's been laid out is

not dissimilar to something I would have done myself.

OK, good.

So, madam, you can go first for our last guess.

Make us an offer on the mystery house.

Well, we've gone smaller on the house,

-bigger on the ground, so bang on our budget of 500,000.

-Mm-hm. Mark?

I am going to go over budget at 520,000.

£520,000.

You're not bad at this, you two, to be fair.

On this occasion you, madam, are right.

Yes, at £500,000.

That gets you the mystery house. Happy?

Yeah, very happy.

For £500,000 this chocolate box farmhouse offers four bedrooms,

two living spaces

and just over 1.5 acres, including formal gardens,

vegetable patches and a paddock,

plus a self-contained annexe which could be remodelled.

What are you thinking about the thatch, then?

-Are you still agonising over thatch?

-I'm afraid so.

I thought this might have been a turning point.

-I think we have given you three very interesting options.

-Yes.

-Maybe we found you a solution?

-Mm.

-Who knows?

Yeah? Shall we go and have a cup of tea and think about it?

-Yeah.

-Come on, then.

-Well, this has been an interesting week.

-It has, indeed.

It has, indeed.

Have we managed to find you a new home?

No, I think, is the short answer.

Erm, but given us some really good properties to look at

and lots of things to think about.

His face said it all.

THEY LAUGH

Can I pick bits of each three, one bit from each?

You would not be the first buyers to want to put all of our

properties into a bag, shake it all up and pull out your dream home.

So, if we could put property two in property three's location...

-In the middle of property three's location...

-THEY LAUGH

-It would be perfect.

-Right.

But I guess you are understanding now perhaps a bit more

clearly the limitations on what the budget can do?

So, actually, we've sent you off having to find more money

and still as confused as you were when you arrived!

We're not... I'm not confused. It has been a great experience

and seeing the contrast between the three different houses, you know,

it's built a good story for me to...

-from what I need to look at in the future.

-Yeah.

Well, I certainly enjoyed it,

you can't beat house hunting in Somerset.

Whatever the outcome, best of luck to you.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

Oh, Jules, that looked so hopeful.

I thought you'd nailed it on that one.

I thought we nailed it, the crew thought we nailed it, we were all so

hopeful, but, as is often the case, as you know, so near, but yet so far.

-It can be frustrating, can't it?

-Very.

Well, let's go back to my lovely couple, Michelle and Sian.

Desperate to leave Peterborough behind them

and move to the glorious countryside of Somerset.

-Now, £400,000 they had, and it was going well.

-It was going so well.

We had set the bar very high.

So with the mystery house, was it going to be three out of three?

I'm taking Michelle

and Sian three miles north to the small village of Holcombe.

The village boasts four churches,

of which just two are still in use as religious buildings.

And that's a clue for our mystery house, which is

located in the heart of the village.

Michelle and Sian, can I introduce you to your mystery house?

I feel like you're trying to kill me with a heart attack.

In a good way, I hope? Really?

-Yeah, goose pimples up and down my spine.

-It's emotional.

Completely speechless.

Oh, Michelle, you've gone as well.

The reason we've picked it as our mystery

is you live in a modern property at the moment, very contemporary.

This dates back to 1890, so it has charisma, it's got charm,

it's got the original features, but it's very contemporary inside.

It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

-So I'm guessing you'd like to take a look inside.

-Kind of.

-Come on.

Let's see what you think.

Converted in 2003,

this Methodist chapel has been divided into three homes.

Our property occupies the whole front end of the building.

So...

-What are you thinking?

-I'm not going any further. This is our dream home.

Already. I've not even walked through the door.

Well, let's hold judgment, just in case, but I think you're right,

I don't think you're going to be disappointed.

Let's start off with the sitting room.

This 21-foot reception room continues the mix of heritage

and contemporary interior styling.

Just the light that comes straight through those windows!

-Wow!

-It's breathtaking.

-It's us, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Does the fire work?

The fire does work, yes, but it's not a traditional wood burner.

-It's a contemporary burner.

-Lovely burner.

-I could compensate for that.

Michelle, how do you feel as you walk through the door?

Exactly how I thought it was going to be inside.

-Are you scared you might have lost your heart?

-Yes, and I have a bit.

Amazing.

-Lost for words, that's a rare thing with you, isn't it?

-A little bit.

-Would you like to see a bit more?

-Yes, please.

-Definitely.

-OK.

Across the hallway is the kitchen.

Now, I know you love contemporary, modern kitchens.

-Lovely.

-Incredible.

-Really nice.

-Really spacious. And bright.

-You really do love this house, don't you?

-Yeah. It's incredible.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms in total.

Two good-sized doubles, which Ellie could choose from, a single,

which is currently used as a study, as well as a family bathroom

-and the main bedroom. This is the master.

-It's lovely.

-Really spacious, and with the window... Really bright.

-Airy.

-Still the character because of the ceiling.

-Yes.

-Really lovely.

-This is exactly what we would do.

-So we've already done it for you.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Any more thoughts on the house before I take you back outside?

-Can we stay here?

-Yeah, we'll stay here now.

-Do you love it?

I do, absolutely. It's us to a T.

Oh, it's a lot to take on board, isn't it?

-OK, we're going to head back downstairs, girls.

-No problem.

Outside, the garden extends out to the front only.

-And you have your garden right here.

-OK, so no back garden?

-There's not.

I know it's hard to believe when you're walking around

because it's such a large house, but the chapel itself is

-divided into three different properties.

-Right, OK.

-OK.

So we've got a third of it here.

So if you look to the side, and there's a fence, that's where your land actually finishes.

-We like this property, don't we, girls?

-Yeah, too much.

Well, let's see if it is too much, because how much for the final time

is the mystery house on the market for? Guess the price

of the Methodist Chapel.

I reckon it would be over budget compared to yesterday's - 450.

-OK. And your top budget?

-Is 400.

-Yeah. Michelle?

I'd say exactly the same. I'd go about 440.

Oh, the asking price for the mystery house is...

Don't hate me, will you?

Go on.

£375,000.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Really?

-Yes!

Wow.

-Gosh. Really?

-Hm-mm.

-Under budget.

-Are you crying?

You're making me well up, just seeing your face.

Where do I sign?

Is it cheque-book time? How do you feel, Michelle?

Oh, overwhelmed, and it's a good price, really good price, so yeah.

So for 25,000 under budget,

this £375,000 converted Methodist chapel

gives two generous living spaces, four bedrooms,

original Gothic style features mixed with a contemporary finish,

and is right in the heart of a village location.

This house hunting in Somerset has been emotional, hasn't it?

Pure emotion.

-How are you feeling?

-Drained and emotional.

-Really?

-I've got a headache.

-You're confused now! Do you want some time?

Collect your thoughts, have a chat on your own

-and then we'll see what your next step is going to be.

-Yeah.

Michelle and Sian, I must admit, when we started this tour

of Somerset,

I didn't realise quite how emotional it was going to be.

-Did you?

-No.

-Not at all. It's been such an amazing experience.

We've learnt loads.

Let's talk about the properties that we've seen.

With you two, all three properties got such great ratings, didn't they?

They all gave us something that we were looking for.

They all had the fires, the quirkiness,

the picture postcard kind of setting.

But with that last house, it was just so overwhelming.

With the final property, the mystery house,

both of you literally dissolved in tears looking at the chapel.

Completely. We both felt exactly the same way about it.

You said you weren't going to agree. You've agreed the whole way!

We scare ourselves, I think. We do have the same tastes.

As you both lost your head and your hearts to the mystery house,

what is the logical next step?

Our next step would be to involve Ellie

because she is the most important person in our lives,

contact the vendors and speak to them

and bring Ellie over and see the property with us.

-That's great.

-See if she loves it as much as we do.

You're both in that place where you're desperate to find a house.

-We are, yeah.

-We really want to get down here as quick as we can.

But no different than any other person. We've got to sell

-the house first, which is always the frustration of it all.

-Yes.

If you had sold your property, what would you be doing today?

-I would like to think we would be exchanging.

-Really?

-So, you are that desperate to move?!

-Without a shadow of a doubt.

-I'm thrilled we've been able to help...

-Thank you.

..thrilled to have found you a fabulous property

close to the family but, most importantly,

right for the three of you.

I can't tell you how much I'm going to keep everything crossed

that you get that property and you sell your house in Peterborough.

-Thank you so much, girls. It's been an absolute pleasure.

-Thank you.

Well, it looks as if you may have found Somerset

-its two newest residents.

-Yes.

It went so well, I think it was one of the most enjoyable house

hunts I've ever done. It was fabulous.

We had tears, we had laughter, we had all of the emotions.

Well, it looked like you were all having a huge amount of fun

and there's plenty more where that came from

here on Escape To The Country.

-Do join us again.

-See you again. Bye.

Mark and Julie are now renting a property in Somerset

while they continue their search.

And Sian and Michelle remain very keen on our mystery house

but are still trying to sell their home in Peterborough.

If you'd like to escape to the country

in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, England or perhaps further afield

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