Herefordshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to a very special edition of Escape To The Country.

Alistair and I are going to help two couples find their rural dream in one county.

As well as featuring some top property, we're also going to

be giving our advice about making the move to the countryside.

Today's destination is a pastoral delight,

so find out which county we are heading to in just a moment.

Today I'm helping a couple who are keen to leave their city home of 27 years,

and they're intrigued by our properties.

It's very interesting.

Interesting.

That's interesting.

And I've found a fantastic selection of properties to tempt my buyers,

but there's one word we need to avoid...

I'm not going to say nice.

-This is one of the nicest rooms in the house, actually.

-Oh, nice!

I wasn't going to say the nice word, was I?

-Today we are off on a house hunting mission to Herefordshire.

-Indeed.

And for me, all my memories of that county revolve around

the beautiful, sinuous River Wye and its amazing wooded valley.

Well, I have to put my hands up here and declare an interest,

because I loved Herefordshire so much, it's now become my new home.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

So take it from me, as a county, there is plenty to recommend it.

Situated in the West Midlands, Landlocked Herefordshire

borders the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with Wales to the west.

The landscape is mainly rural

and agriculture plays a key role in the local economy.

The rich, fertile soil is excellent for fruit growing,

and apple orchards are a common feature across the county.

The capital, the city of Hereford, is dominated by its cathedral,

and the pretty streets are lined with striking lack and white houses.

With the River Wye meandering its way through scenic,

unspoilt countryside, Herefordshire is arguably

one of the most peaceful counties in Britain.

Jules, as a newly minted resident of Herefordshire,

you can tell us what's so good about it.

I've always loved it, and I love that history that goes with the Borders.

The landscape, the architecture,

and of course it represents really good value for money.

Indeed. And it's also, I read,

one of the most sparsely populated counties in the country.

It is, which means, of course, you get lots of space,

and some gorgeous landscapes.

One of my new neighbours said the thing

she loved about Herefordshire was that wherever you looked,

there was always a view, and I have to agree.

And quite reasonably priced.

I think the average price for a detached house is 260,000.

That's pretty much on a par with the national average.

It rates very well, particularly when you compare it to the

neighbouring Cotswolds where the prices are astronomical.

Who were you showing around the county?

Well, I had a very crafty couple, you might say,

who were determined that space should really define their new life in Herefordshire.

And my buyers were college sweethearts who were desperate

to leave the hubbub of suburbia for the calm of the countryside.

John and Joy live in this four-bedroom house in Bournville,

a suburb of Birmingham.

But with Joy now retired and university professor

John about to follow suit, it's time for a change.

Other members of our family have already moved into the country

We're probably the only people left who live in the city.

So we just want to move out, do something different,

and feel that it's a new part of our lives to start again.

For the past 27 years they have lived in the Birmingham home

where they brought up their three children.

But three years ago tragedy hit the family

when John and Joy's daughter, Vanessa, died unexpectedly.

So, leaving the family home behind with all its memories will be hard,

even though they are drawn to the countryside.

When we go on holidays, trips, we just love the serenity

and the tranquillity of the countryside,

and you just feel you're in a different space.

And with work no longer tying the couple to Birmingham,

they're looking forward to spending more time with the family.

It will reduce our journey to see our son and grandchildren

by approximately an hour, which will enable us,

actually, to go and see them for the day.

John and Joy already have an offer on their home,

and know how much money they've got to play with.

The budget for the move is £400,000 max.

Although we're starting our property search

in Herefordshire, John and joy are open to living in the surrounding counties,

as long as they're close to their son and grandchildren in Cardiff.

I've come to meet them on Herefordshire soil

to find out more about their ideal home.

-Welcome to Herefordshire.

-Thank you.

Lovely weather we have, very nice setting.

But we are going to go off on an odyssey, so are you ready to see some properties?

-Definitely.

-We certainly are.

-Very excited.

Thinking about the house, what is it that you are looking for in terms of the property itself?

Well, we want somewhere that has character,

but why that we don't necessarily mean the oldest house.

It could be modern, but still have character.

How much space do you need for people to come and stay, realistically?

I think we probably do need two rooms for my oldest son's family,

and one room for my younger son at Christmas, particularly.

So that would be four bedrooms in all.

What are you looking for in your kitchen?

Well, size definitely, that's important.

A fantastic view would be an extra bonus, a big bonus.

Let's talk briefly about the garden. What sort of garden would you like?

Well, I think I quite like wildish gardens.

I like gardens that look after themselves a little bit,

but I don't mind riding one of those little mini mowers.

-Everybody likes a mini mower.

-They're such fun, aren't they?

That's the whole point of moving to the countryside, to get one.

-Exactly!

-How good are you at making decisions?

Is it an impulsive thing, or do you use your head rather than your heart?

-We know what we want, obviously.

-Yes.

-Of the heart has to follow, very much so.

-Yes.

And I think that feeling of passion about somewhere.

Well, we've got three lovely properties lined up for you.

I hope that you like them all, but do feel free to tell us

-what you like and what you don't like.

-OK.

-So let's get started.

For a maximum budget of £400,000, John and Joy want a house

with character, but don't mind whether it's old or new.

It must have four bedrooms to accommodate visiting family,

a spacious kitchen and a garden

with a view of the surrounding countryside.

Location is also important,

as this move is about being closer

to their grandchildren in South Wales.

I'm hoping our buyers will be pleased with

the selection of properties I'm going to show them

and I'll be revealing the all-important price tag

at the end of each house tour.

And our mystery house will offer John and Joy

the chance of a different life to the one they've planned.

For our first property, we're heading to Great Brampton Park,

which is about seven miles from Hereford.

A mile down the road,

surrounded by Herefordshire countryside, is our first house.

OK, so, it's a little disorientating because clearly,

-not all of this is up for sale.

-Aww!

This is slightly different from what you asked for,

but we couldn't resist showing you this property,

because it's a beautiful, beautiful home.

-But, as you can see, it is part of a complex.

-Yeah.

So this used to be a cider farm, built in the 19th century, 1870s.

And converted ten years ago. Any thoughts about that?

Yeah, I like the idea in many ways,

because they're all fairly individual.

And it gives a sense of a community, which is never a bad thing.

So it's certainly not a deal-breaker by any means.

-Yeah, I mean, we might need to interview the neighbours.

-One by one!

JOY LAUGHS

John and Joy seem open to the idea of living within a community

and this long barn conversion is one of 13 properties on the site.

So, come in and have a look at the kitchen with its very fine rafters.

They look quite old, don't they?

Yes, it's a bit of sort of agricultural archaeology.

-Although you don't have to dig much.

-Perfect!

-That's true. Nice, tall ceilings.

And come in here.

I think this is a lovely, this is sort of heart of the home, really.

-Oh, I like this.

-I love the floor.

-The floor, and just the whole feel.

-Yes.

-And what about the space?

-The space is good, the space is very good, actually, I mean,

you could easily get our family into here with no problem at all.

OK, well, let's go and look at the sleeping quarters.

Hmm, so far, so good.

And the ground floor living area also features a utility room

and a family bathroom off the kitchen.

There are four bedrooms in the property.

Three are on the ground floor.

Of those, two are doubles and there's one single.

But there's also a double bedroom upstairs

with its own adjacent bathroom. A perfect suite for guests.

Let's hope the positivity continues in the master bedroom,

which is on the ground floor.

I think this is not much bigger than our bedroom at home.

And one of the things I rather like the idea of

is increasing the size of our bed.

You snuck that in, because you didn't mention that before!

LAUGHTER

Well, it's an interesting property because, obviously,

most of them are all on one level.

-This one does have an en-suite shower room.

-Well, that is a plus.

OK, well, let's go outside and talk about the price

-because then you can explore it properly.

-Thank you.

I fear we may have hit a wall with the size of the master bedroom,

but there's still the garden to see.

It's all at the front of the property

and includes this sunny patio seating area.

But will it be up to size?

-Compact.

-Compact?

Is that code for "not big enough"?

I think, to be honest, it is. I have to be honest.

-And not simply not big enough, we do not have the views. That's for sure.

-That's true.

And possibly, we don't even have the privacy from the other properties.

-No.

-Well, it is all much more communal than private.

What do you think it's on the market for?

I would say about £320,000.

Uh-huh.

I would say close, 330.

330. Well, you are both in the right ballpark.

It's actually a little bit more expensive.

-It's on the market for 350.

-OK.

-OK.

Under budget at £350,000, our first house is a converted barn

which was once part of a working cider farm.

Renovated ten years ago,

it retains much of the fabric of the original building.

The accommodation features a kitchen, breakfast room,

and a spacious living room with vaulted ceiling.

There are four bedrooms in total,

including an upstairs guest bedroom with an en-suite.

And as one of a number of properties on the former farm complex,

you're living amongst a friendly community.

It's ingenious what the owners have done with the space up there,

but I think it's going to be too cramped for John and Joy,

-because it's already feeling a bit squeezy here. All right, guys?

-Yes.

-All done.

-Very good. So, pull the door. Let's head to property two.

Excellent.

Herefordshire is perhaps best known as a food-producing region,

famous for its apple orchards and beef.

Its rich and fertile soils also make it a popular location

for growing soft fruits.

30% of the UK's blackcurrants are grown in the county,

the vast majority sold on to make a well-known British cordial.

But in these tough economic times,

Herefordshire farmers are diversifying and some

are using the blackcurrant to make something a little more potent.

I've come to meet one of those entrepreneurs, Jo Hilditch.

-Welcome.

-Hello. So this is your family blackcurrant farm?

-Yeah.

-How long has it been in the family?

-Four generations.

Oh. It's quite an impressive field.

Is this the only one, or do you have many?

No, this is about 25 acres and we've got about 125 acres.

The soil suits it, the weather suits it and the way the land lies,

the frost runs away down the hills.

So how many tonnes of currants do you produce?

Depending on the season, something between 300 and 350 tonnes.

We do keep a bit back for ourselves

because we've diversified into making our own cassis.

Cassis originates from France, where the blackcurrant liqueur is mixed

with wine to make the cocktail kir, or champagne to make kir royal.

Jo first came up with the idea of producing it herself after

trying the drink when she was 18 on a French exchange programme.

-So this is the bottling room.

-Oh, it's very petite. Hello.

And this is James, the juice master. James Moss.

So James, what's the process? I mean, how do you make it from the...

Well, once we've got the juice back from the press,

we just ferment it with a champagne yeast and British sugar. That's it.

Use a champagne yeast because you get a higher alcohol yield over a time.

Before being bottled, the juice stays in the barrels for up to

six months until it reaches an alcohol level similar to wine.

And then, it's ready to taste.

Well, here's to your alcoholic fruit empire.

Mmmm!

-That's nice.

-It is nice, isn't it!

It's good to see that diversification here, at least, is paying off.

But now, let's get back to John and Joy's house hunt.

For our second property,

we're crossing the border into Gloucestershire

and venturing 25 miles south-east

to the village of Ruardean Woodside,

which is on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

This is the property I want to show you.

-Interesting! Wow!

-Taken aback?

-Yes.

What are your thoughts from the outside?

I love the stone and the rocks and all the higgledy-piggledy sizes.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

It's holding a lot of promise. Let's say.

-Let's see if the promise is fulfilled inside.

-Well...

Built in the mid-19th century,

our second property was at one time a schoolhouse, then a chapel,

which fell into dereliction before the present owners converted it.

-Come on in.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-Oh, yeah, I agree. Hmmm.

-Yes.

-It's got a good feel. A very good feel.

-Yes, it has.

Describe the feeling. What are you feeling?

Warm and fuzzy. Tender moments.

Yes. It's got lovely views from the windows.

We'll see what comes next.

Come into the kitchen.

Oh! Yes.

It's got a cottagey feel, but modern-ish at the same time.

So, you've got all the handmade bespoke oak cupboards,

-and this is all local oak.

-It's very interesting.

You've said that word a lot. What does the word "interesting" mean for you two?

-It means I haven't quite made up my mind.

-Oh, good.

-I'd love to see a bit more.

-I'm afraid not, no.

-JOHN LAUGHS

-Come with me.

This is all the new bit. This is the extension.

Sort of garden room or a sitting room.

-Yes.

-And that sort of entrance into the garden...

-Is lovely, with the trees behind.

-Yes.

Yes.

Good. So far, not a grumble. Let's see what you think of upstairs.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms,

one less than our previous property,

but they're all big enough for double beds,

and there's a good-sized family bathroom.

So, we come into the master bedroom.

Oh, this is lovely. Very spacious.

Windows strike you straightaway and are very pretty indeed.

-And size is good as well.

-Yes.

-Yes, it feels spacious, doesn't it?

-Yes, yes.

And you've got this very nice sort of walk-in wardrobe.

-Oh, yes.

-Oh, yes.

And if you have a look in the bathroom,

-this is a particularly good one.

-Ah!

Oh, this is a lovely bathroom, isn't it? Look at the shower.

Oh, now, that's what we're after, isn't it?

Well, this is much more the idea I had in mind.

The drawback with this property is that it only has three bedrooms.

But let's have a look at outside, and the garden.

As well as a double garage, the grounds include this large

landscaped, terraced garden set into the hillside with a patio area

with more flagstones, a vegetable patch and a pond.

What are your first impressions coming out into the fresh air?

I think the house looks really sweet from this angle, actually.

Sometimes with the extension, it looks like an add-on,

-a stick-on, but that is really working, isn't it?

-Yes.

I think this garden has a real wow factor.

If you brought people here, they'd be like, "Wow!"

-Yeah, I'd agree with that.

-And how much would you think it all costs?

I would say...

probably about 360,000.

I was going higher, 385.

OK, well, the truth is a little in between.

-It's on the market just a shade under 380.

-Both quite close.

On the market for just shy of £380,000,

our second offering is still under John and Joy's top budget.

It's a converted 19th-century former schoolhouse then chapel, retaining

many of the original features, including stained-glass windows.

There is a large dining room and separate kitchen

and it has three double bedrooms.

The rear garden is large and landscaped

with views of the surrounding countryside.

Anyway, that's our houses for the day. Let's go and rest and regroup.

Good idea.

So, after singing the praises of Herefordshire,

you skipped over the border into Gloucestershire.

Yes, well, it is a county that has a lot of the same appeal.

-Still, we do have the mystery house to come.

-Indeed.

We shall catch up with the story there a little bit later.

But in the meantime, let's now meet our second couple,

who themselves are hoping to engineer a move to the countryside.

-JULES:

-Steve and Yvonne currently own this four-bedroom house

in Wheatley on the outskirts of the city of Oxford.

Their desire to live in a more rural setting has been on the cards for a while.

Just under ten years ago, I retired

and the master plan was to spend two years round the country

on a narrow boat that I'd just bought,

but that never came to fruition.

The move was put on hold as Yvonne gave up her teaching job

to become a full-time carer for her elderly father.

Sadly, he died this year.

Leaving their home will be emotional,

but they feel it's time for a change of scene.

What I won't miss, I suppose, is the closeness of everything

and the noise and the traffic. I hanker for wider spaces.

And having that space around them

is probably a good thing as Steve has some particularly noisy hobbies.

I've always tinkered about playing guitar

and one of the things I always said I'd like to do when I retired

was to learn to play the drums.

And I'm just looking forward to going somewhere

where I can start to learn and bash away.

And when he's not hammering the drums, he's keen to work

on the new house, having completely renovated their current home.

I have a go at most things.

You know, brickwork, plastering, plumbing.

I've done a lot of woodwork

and also built some bespoke sheds for myself and Yvonne.

Fortunately, Yvonne prefers quieter pursuits.

I spend a lot of my spare time in the craft studio

that Steve built for me.

Although I call it a shed, but it's posher than a shed.

I do crochet, I do needlework, I do artwork.

I also love my gardening. I grow veggies as well.

When I'm not doing that, I go swimming.

So, I'm a busy girl, really.

All that's left is to find out how much money they've set aside

for this move to rural Herefordshire.

The budget for the move... Well, between £600,000 and £700,000.

Although if we find the right property,

we could push ourselves to 750,000.

Steve and Yvonne aren't fussy about a specific location

in Herefordshire, but want lots of space around them.

So, for a change, we have a free rein with our property search.

I'm meeting them to go over the details of what they want

from their country relocation.

-Welcome to Herefordshire.

-Thank you.

So, just paint us a picture, Yvonne, of what this new life is going to comprise.

Peace. Quiet.

Just time to spend to do the things I want to do.

I mean, I know you're an engineer, Steve, and I know that you've done

quite a bit of work on previous properties that you've owned.

How involved are you intending to get with this new building,

whatever it's going to be?

If you've got the right place in the right location,

if it's done and finished and shiny, that's fine.

-Obviously, that will reflect the budget variation.

-Yeah.

If it was a rural barn that wanted fitting out,

but was the right place

and the right location, then I'd take that on as well.

So, the specification of this property, Yvonne.

Like everybody, I'd like a spacious kitchen. I love open plan.

I'd like more accommodation downstairs than upstairs.

-Outbuildings. I love outbuildings.

-Yeah, don't we all!

So that I can do painting and flap about in it

and make mess without having to tidy it up. Just leave it.

Now, you said more space downstairs than upstairs.

-How many bedrooms do we need?

-Three's OK, but four would be fine.

Just remind us of the budget for this move.

Well, we said sort of 600,000 to 700,000,

but obviously, if the right place came along, we'd push to 750.

The property market in this part of the world is absolutely superb

-and you've got a budget to match it.

-Excellent.

-That's good.

-Follow me.

For a maximum budget of £750,000,

Steve and Yvonne want a house with space around them

and far-reaching views.

In terms of layout, they prefer open-plan accommodation

and favour the downstairs space over the bedrooms,

although they would like at least three of those.

Yvonne would like a large kitchen

and an outbuilding for her artwork.

We've arranged three stunning properties for Steve and Yvonne

to view here in Herefordshire

and at each one, I'll be putting their pricing skills to the test.

Our last, the mystery house,

may leave our buyers brewing with excitement.

For our first property, we're heading to the village

of Kerne Bridge in the south of the county.

And the house we're showing them is nestled

into the hillside, on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

So, there is property number one.

-Mm-hm.

-All right.

But you did say location was everything,

-and that view...

-Yeah, stunning.

-..I think really kind of makes this property.

-Yeah.

-That certainly is a view, Jules.

-So, what do you think, Yvonne?

I think the views are stunning, absolutely stunning, yeah.

-But what about our property?

-Um... Well, I'll wait to see.

The outside looks promising. I'm eager to see the inside.

-But in terms of setting.

-Oh, yeah, sure.

I mean, obviously, it speaks for itself, the setting.

-Let's have a look.

-Yeah.

It's a thumbs up for the location, but let's hope

that this 19th-century building,

which has been extended over the years,

continues to deliver once we get inside.

We're accessing it via the conservatory.

Right, we're going to start with the principal living room,

which is this one.

Yes...

-It's, uh... I'm not going to say nice.

-You can do.

-Nice is the gist of it.

-It's...

Yeah, it's oldy looking, isn't it?

It's in keeping. It has mega views.

-Well, that's what it's all about.

-Mega views.

-Yeah.

-Mega views.

-Through that door over there, is a little study area.

-Right.

And the boiler room.

Um, and of course, you've got the great big fireplace as well.

Which you could put a log burner in.

Let's see what you think about the dining room.

Follow me up the steps and through the hallway.

And then this is the dining end,

which also goes out into the conservatory, which we saw already.

-Yeah.

-Right, yes.

I don't know, something is worrying me about your reactions to this one.

-Uh... I'm not moved at the moment.

-You're not moved?

-I can't fault that view, but...

-No.

I mean, the views are excellent, absolutely.

But it has got to be more than a view.

-Let's keep going, let's see if we can find a bit more for you.

-OK.

Come and look at the kitchen.

Oh, yeah.

-I wanted something a bit bigger than this.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Probably a bit more open plan as well.

-Yeah.

-I'm finding it a little bit boxy.

-Mm.

One of the issues we sort of faced with your very generous budget -

in this part of the world,

-we could find you something absolutely enormous.

-Yeah.

-And arguably too big.

-Yeah.

-So we've tried to strike a balance

-with our first property.

-Yeah, nice to have that.

Just to complete the picture,

you've got a little utility room through there,

which is very handy, and another door out to the front.

-But that's pretty much the principal areas downstairs.

-Yep.

-Let's go up.

-OK.

-I'm crossing everything, maybe we can find a way.

All right.

Not the best of starts with the downstairs tour of our first house.

I fear it is just not grabbing Steve and Yvonne.

Perhaps we can do better upstairs, where there are four bedrooms,

all of which are good-sized doubles.

One of those offers a large en suite and could make a good master.

But I've another bedroom in mind for our buyers.

-So this, we're thinking, would make a very nice master.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

This is a good size. Plus it's got a nice feel, this room.

-It's cosy.

-Yeah.

-It may not be the biggest room up here and, of course,

-it doesn't have the en-suite that exists down the corridor.

-No.

-But with the little box room next door...

-You could knock through.

-That's what we're thinking.

-Yeah.

This is one of the nicest rooms in the house, actually.

Yes, lovely feel.

-So, we didn't get a wow, but we did get a nice.

-Yeah.

-Oh, nice!

I wasn't going to say the nice word, was I?

You think it deserves it?

Cos lying in bed, looking at those views, must be fabulous.

But the downstairs doesn't do justice to it at all.

Well, one other factor on your wish list are, of course, outbuildings.

Yep.

Let's go and have a look at those and we'll talk about the price.

Cos that will be interesting to gauge where we're at with this one.

-Follow me.

-Yep.

The gardens include a planted rockery, shrubs

and lawned areas with stunning views over the Wye Valley.

There's a large double garage with a generous office space

at the back, as well as two further outbuildings -

one could make an excellent workshop or craft room

and there's an additional one for storage.

There's also a swimming pool, which should keep Yvonne happy.

-Now, some buyers, of course, insist on the pool.

-Yeah.

You've got one as a bonus.

Now we're going to talk about the price on this one.

I'm certainly going to go on the low side. That is going to be about 575.

-575?

-It's even under the lower part of the budget we set.

-Yeah.

-I would say 585, just fractionally more.

-585.

But I'm just saying that to play devil's advocate, really.

Well, you know, it is all in the eye of the beholder,

and that is you two on this occasion.

This is on the market for offers in excess

-of 635.

-Is it?

-Oh, not too far over.

Priced at offers over £635,000,

our first property is well within budget,

with money to spare to make adjustments.

It is a 19th-century home, situated on a hillside

overlooking the River Wye.

The downstairs accommodation includes a large living room

and kitchen and breakfast room.

All the four bedrooms are of a good size.

The outside space includes two outbuildings.

And from the garden, there are stunning views

of the surrounding countryside.

-Right, out you come. Grab the door, Steve.

-Uh-huh.

-Something tells me you are not going to be opening that again.

-No.

-I don't think so.

-No.

Well... Tough sell, I suppose.

In some respects, if it has got this issue with levels

and the space, but I am confident property number two is going

-to be more what you are looking for.

-Good.

-I'm crossing everything.

-Let's be positive.

On Escape To The Country, we get to show buyers around

all manner of different houses, some of which are historically

and architecturally important enough to have listed building status.

But what does that mean when it comes to buying

and renovating one of the hundreds of thousands of listed buildings?

Herefordshire has around 6,000 examples,

and I have come to one of them -

Wellbrook Manor - to meet Laura Norris of the Vivat Trust,

a charity which specialises in restoring listed properties

and turning them into exclusive holiday lets to pay for the work.

-And this is Wellbrook Manor.

-This is Wellbrook Manor.

-Isn't she beautiful?

-Absolutely stunning.

Now, what grade of listing is Wellbrook?

-Wellbrook is a Grade 1.

-Is it?

-Grade 1 listed.

-So that is as high as it gets.

-Exactly.

The same as Buckingham Palace.

But what is it about this building that makes it so special?

Number one, it is from 1340.

So that is kind of a bit of a marker.

It is a medieval hall house that sits on the border of England

and Wales. It is a very unusual.

And you don't really see that outside.

What you see is a lovely building.

Inside, it tells a different story.

-Come on, then, give me the tour of it.

-All right, then.

Wellbrook Manor was altered in the late 16th century

and restored in the 1920s.

Laura's charity is in the process of correcting the previous

restoration work that, at the time,

was considered good building practice.

The first stage was to remove a cement pebble dash render

applied a century ago to keep the moisture out

that has revealed the original medieval timbers

and now allows the building to breathe again.

The work will now move to the inside of the house,

where the manor is slowly revealing its secrets.

Tell us how this building has evolved

and what you have learned about it.

-Well, Jules, see that ceiling?

-Yes.

In 1340, that's not there.

A vandal in the 1700s came and put that ceiling in.

So this should be a double-height space

-and it should have another wing running down the side...

-Should it?

..where the lawn is. That would have been the service wing.

Going back to the fact that it is listed

-and that it is at the top of the listing scale...

-Yeah.

..are there any compromises that you had to

make in terms of the repair and conservation of this building?

Actually, no, because what we have done is we have listened to

the building and dealt with it appropriately for its listing.

That said, not many people are as fortunate as we are.

We are not going to use it as a permanent residence,

it will be holiday lets, so you don't need as much storage,

you don't need as much clutter space.

You need something that is beautiful.

It is quite a holiday let.

THEY LAUGH

The older a building is, the more likely it is to be listed.

Grade 1 buildings are of exceptional interest,

often considered to be internationally important.

But the vast majority, around 92%, are Grade 2.

Whatever the grade, listing doesn't mean you can't change anything,

it simply means that consent is required to make any

alterations to the building which might affect its special interest.

Anyone can suggest a building for listing for English Heritage,

although the decision on whether to list rests with the Government.

One of the reasons this building is listed

is its impressive medieval timber-framed roof.

I mean, going back to the date of this, 1340,

again, how much of this is original?

Quite a bit of it.

And, yes, it has been supported and it has been mucked around by various

generations, but the majority of this, particularly the roof...

-Yeah.

-..is 1340.

-I mean, this is why we celebrate listed buildings.

-Exactly.

Because of the history and the character that they have.

But I meet a lot of people on Escape To The Country who would run

a mile from a listed building.

They are not to be feared.

No, they are not, they are to be embraced.

Although the listing is there to protect buildings

such as Wellbrook Manor,

they need to be lived in in order to survive.

And it's exciting to think that it won't be long before this

historic treasure will be opening its doors to the general public.

For our second property,

I've got to confess that, like Alistair, I also indulged in a spot of border hopping.

We're heading into Worcestershire, to the village of Callow End.

Although we have left Herefordshire, we are much closer to Oxford

and Steve and Yvonne's friends.

Here we are, our second property.

Not a bad spot and, actually, not a bad looking property.

-No, it does look nice.

-It looks OK from here.

-Looks good.

-Steve, the wheels are turning, what is happening?

-So far, so good.

-So far, so good.

I mean, give us a sense of what you make of its look and character.

-Because it certainly has a bit more about it than number one.

-Yeah.

No... I mean, there's no comparison.

It's got a lot more character. You got the black and white outside.

You know, you can see the old brick-style cottage.

You can see, you know, the new side, all done very sympathetically.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

-Relieved?

-We'll see.

Come on.

It is a slightly better reaction to our second house,

which is a large, part-timbered property

that traded as a public house until the early 20th century.

But the interior has been substantially remodelled

Let's start with the big kitchen-diner you are after.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-Yes?

-Yeah.

-That's very nice.

-This is more like it.

-Yeah.

-More like it.

-I thought this might be.

-Yeah.

It's all new, it's all been done in the last three or four years.

There is a very generous utility room through there

and a really nice downstairs shower room, as well.

-Yep.

-Should you need it.

-Yeah, excellent so far.

-No, it's nice. Ah!

I'm not using that word nice.

-It's OK.

-It's very pleasing to the eye.

Let's go with nice.

Let's enjoy the word nice and soak up all that it means.

-Because it is nice, it's gorgeous!

-It is, it is.

You don't very often get a wow out of Yvonne,

but very nice is probably...

We might be building towards it, Steve.

-Yeah, could be, you never know.

-Let's see if we can get one. Come this way.

As well as the open plan kitchen-breakfast room, there is

a large entrance hallway and, off that, a spacious study.

And then this is your main living area. Come right into this room.

-Because it's quite a lot to take in, actually.

-Yeah, it's ni...ce.

There's that word again. But I love the beams.

-Yep. Good size, actually. Dual aspect, nice views.

-Exactly.

-The dual aspect is unusual in a house this wide.

-Yeah.

-Nice feel. Relaxing.

-It does have a nice feel.

-Relaxing?

You said earlier that, obviously,

-it was the downstairs that mattered more.

-Yeah.

-I don't think the upstairs is going to disappoint you.

-OK.

-OK.

-I'm crossing everything.

You never know, we might get a wow at some point.

There are four good-sized bedrooms on the first floor,

including a large double and two smaller rooms.

They are all serviced by a large family bathroom,

which just leaves the master suite.

And then finally, his and hers basins in your own en suite.

Nice freestanding bath in there.

And then, this is obviously the master bedroom itself.

-Very nice.

-Very nice.

-Yeah?

-The way the en-suite through there... It flows lovely.

-Yeah.

You know, it's not... It doesn't look like it's stuck on the end

-or anything, it's lovely.

-Curiously,

it also has this little sort of mezzanine dressing area

-up there in the roof space itself.

-Interesting.

-That is really sweet.

You could have it as a kind of master snug if you wanted to.

A little sofa in there, a TV. So how are we doing?

You are doing pretty well.

In addition to the main house, our second property comes with

a range of outbuildings in the grounds.

These include a laundry room and garden stores,

but there is also this red-brick building,

which houses a garage and workshop and, on the upper floor,

a vast loft space offering plenty of options for Yvonne's artwork

and Steve to tinker around with.

The gardens are extensive.

Most of it is laid to lawn,

but there is also a terrace with an ornamental pond.

The property even comes with its own apple orchard.

Now, grounds wise,

-it is just under, just under an acre.

-Yeah.

-Oh.

-All right? But I love that view.

-Yeah, it's gorgeous.

-It's nice.

Now, the Severn, the River Severn is just a few yards that way.

So, you know, it is kind of on your doorstep.

-So, it is an interesting property in terms of its location.

-Yeah.

It's imposing, but it hasn't lost its cottage sort of feel.

No, and it is not over the top.

So, let's think about the price, then.

It has got to be top end of our budget.

740, 750.

740, 750, yup.

Yeah, well, I'm going to come down a little bit from that.

I'm going to come down to, say, about 720.

-I myself would expect this to start with a seven.

-Yeah.

The exciting news is that it starts with a six.

-Does it?

-£685,000.

Oh, that's good.

-It's gone the other way this time, you see?

-Yeah,

we have gone over the top.

On the market at offers around £685,000,

our vast second property is still within budget.

It is a part-timbered former pub,

parts of which date to the 17th century.

The interior has been redesigned in recent years

and includes a large, open-plan kitchen-diner.

There are four bedrooms as well as the additional room

off the master suite.

The property comes with a range of outbuildings

and it is all set in a acre of land on the banks of the River Severn.

The last rays of sunshine after a busy day.

This is just lovely.

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-Talking of lovely...

-How is our lovely house, then?

-It's lovely.

It's lovely.

-But is it the one? Who knows?

-Who knows?

Maybe for one of us, maybe not the other one, I don't know.

Let's go and sleep on it and prepare ourselves for the mystery house.

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

-Only you would find them a converted boozer to move into.

-JULES LAUGHS

But as you can see, it had bags of space and bags of character.

But for all that, it was certainly dividing opinion between Steve and Yvonne.

But what about you? How are you getting on?

John and Joy, they've got £400,000 to retire with.

After day one, not sure.

Reading of the situation would suggest it was struggling a bit.

I don't think they loved the first two properties,

but the mystery house, it gave them lots of space,

but it also came with a big challenge.

We're crossing back over the border into Herefordshire to find

our mystery house, and travelling to the village of Blakemere

at the foot of the Black Mountains.

It's ten miles from the historic market town of Hay-on-Wye,

which is famous for its second-hand bookshops

and annual literary festival.

Hay is naturally popular with tourists and that's

one of the things I want John and Joy to bear in mind when

I show them today's mystery house, as I hope it will challenge our

retirees to consider a new business opportunity here in the country.

And it's not just Jules who has the monopoly on converted boozers.

This is a mystery and a half, this house.

It's a very old property, the oldest property we've shown you.

It goes back to the 1640s and it was a cider house, like a pub.

-What are your first thoughts?

-That it's old.

-It certainly has got character in spades.

-Yeah. So far, so good.

Joy, I can see that you're thinking deeply.

No, I'm being Yorkshire!

Safer!

Well, I'm actually not going to show you the house straightaway,

because first of all, I'd like you to point out the beautiful garden.

I tell you what, I love that bush there. I'm not sure what it is.

-It's a Chinese tree peony. You've got a fantastic magnolia.

-Yes.

-I love magnolias.

-Yes, yes.

There's some beautiful trees planted in the garden

-and you have an acre of garden.

-Goodness me.

-That's interesting.

But the thing that makes this the mystery is not that, but through here.

Our mystery public house comes with an outbuilding,

-but it's one with a few strings attached.

-Ooh!

-Something is under construction.

-Something is under construction.

My goodness.

Now this makes this property very unique, because bearing in mind

we're ten miles away from Hay, one of the most popular destinations.

-We love it.

-But actually, what you have here is a really

substantial second property in the grounds of your house.

With access from the road and planning for a holiday let.

Basically, it's being sold as the sort of planned shell

-for a property that you would complete.

-Mm.

So when you said you don't like to do DIY, this is the challenge.

-Ba-doom!

-Massive challenge.

-Well, that is the mystery.

-It certainly is.

-It is a mystery.

-Yes.

-Shall we go and look at the main house?

-Yes.

Let's do that.

The current owners of the property believe that this half-built

three-bedroom holiday let could make £500 a week at full capacity.

But John and Joy are after a house and they need to fall in love with that before they could

consider the business potential of our mystery property.

And there may be some work to do there, too.

OK, so this is... This is the old kitchen.

Yes. Yes.

Bear in mind that this is an old cottage and it's sort of,

you know, has been kept sort of as it was

so you've got the lovely black and white beams.

-Which are gorgeous, I have to say. I do like...

-And good head height.

But I think this wouldn't be the room where you'd want the kitchen.

-Ah! That's interesting.

-Follow me.

-This room, however...

-Oh, this is lovely, isn't it?

-Oh, wow! Yes.

-This is...

-Loving it.

-This is lovely. Yes.

My first thought was, you know,

this would be a lovely kitchen/ dining room.

I agree with you. Yes.

-Actually, that could then be your utility room.

-Yes.

-You could put a big range here.

-Yes.

-And some, you know, some sort of sympathetic units.

-Yes.

-That could be rather nice, yes.

-It would, wouldn't it?

So the thing to remember with this property, however,

-is that it's a Grade II listed building.

-Ah.

So that limits what one can do.

It limits what you can do, but it doesn't mean you can't do anything.

It's a great area.

I mean, the actual size of the room is perfect, really, isn't it?

There are two further reception rooms downstairs, a cosy living area

with a log burner, and a breakfast room off the current kitchen.

There are three good-sized bedrooms upstairs, all in the eaves,

with exposed timbers and they all share a large family bathroom.

This is the master bedroom.

-A sort of classic cottage upstairs.

-Oh, it is. Yes. Yes.

-Beams aplenty.

-Like it. Yeah. First feeling.

-Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

It feels like a lovely little house in the sense that it's got

-a good atmosphere.

-Oh, it has. Oh, yeah, and this room, definitely.

Yes. Well, you said you wanted something different from what you've got.

-It couldn't be more different, could it, really?

-This fits the bill.

Our buyers have already said they liked the front garden,

but there's so much more round the back, including a substantial

lawn area, a summer house, and a large veggie patch.

One acre of land in total.

But there's still the price of the whole package to consider.

What do you think it's going to cost? Clearly you're going to have to spend some money.

Well, yeah. This is our big concern, really, I think.

Well, I just...almost finding it impossible,

but I know I have to give a figure.

For it to come into budget with the sort of work we would need

to do, I think the bottom line price would need to be 320-330.

Yeah, I probably think I would go probably with 300,000

and I know I may be a bit low, but that would give us

a clear 100,000 to do the garden, the barn and everything else.

This is, actually, I'm afraid, quite high in your budget,

-actually, over your budget. It's on at 410.

-Mmm.

-I'm not surprised at that figure.

-Yeah.

-I'm really not.

-Yeah.

At £410,000, our mystery house is slightly more than what John and

Joy originally wanted to spend,

but does offer them a potential income.

It's a Grade II listed former cider house,

parts of which date back nearly 400 years.

The accommodation includes three large reception rooms

and three double bedrooms.

It's set in one acre of gardens

and comes with a half-finished holiday let,

offering business potential in the future.

Now that John and Joy have seen all of our houses,

I'm going to find out if any of them have taken their fancy.

Usually at this point,

I have a pretty clear idea about which properties you don't like.

I have to say, with you two, I have a slightly sinking feeling that

you may not like any of them.

Is that...is that fair?

I think I can speak for both of us for once in saying that we both loved the third property.

Well, there's a turn up for the books.

The house proved a bit of a surprise, because as we were standing

outside the front door, I thought, "This is going to be so small."

But it actually turned out to be bigger than I'd thought.

The views from there were absolutely tremendous.

How lovely to live at the foot of the Black Mountains.

-Now, what's happening next, because obviously, your house is pretty much sold.

-We hope so.

Seems to be, that's right. Close to exchanging contracts.

I think we are going to think further about that third one.

I mean, it has potential.

It would be a lot of challenges

and ones that we need a bit of time to get our heads around.

-Do you feel that, actually, you want to leave Bournville?

-Hmm.

Yes. It's more than just a normal move.

For us, Bournville meant a part of our lives when we had our family.

We haven't got all our family now and we need to move.

At the same time, we will be very sad,

-so leaving memories behind is a double-edged sword.

-It is.

-Very much so.

-It's very much a double-edged sword.

We're only going to do this once, I think,

so we've got to get it right now.

-Well, it feels like we've given you a little shove.

-Definitely.

-I think so.

-Towards the country,

and I hope that the rest of the journey goes very smoothly.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

So, a very moving end to the journey.

Yeah, they'd held it together throughout the whole filming,

and I think sitting down and really contemplating the move

and everything that move entailed, and the memories they would

-leave behind in that house was just the tipping point.

-Yeah.

-What about Steve and Yvonne?

-Well, a very different kind of story there.

They had three quarters of a million pounds to spend on just

the pair of them, and we were heading to our mystery house.

-Did you find a goodie?

-I think we did.

I think we got into classic Escape To The Country mystery house territory,

and we had to, because frankly our first two properties hadn't wowed them at all.

So we had it all to do.

So, for our mystery, we gave them something big,

something beautiful, and something that was all done.

-JULES:

-For our final property, we are heading back over the border

into Herefordshire, into the hamlet of Canon Frome.

The area has a long hop-growing tradition,

and in its former life, our mystery house played an important role

in the brewing industry here in Herefordshire.

It's packed with character and history,

but it isn't the isolated property Steve and Yvonne were after,

so I'm crossing my fingers with this one.

So this, I think, is the best place to really take in our mystery house.

-Yes.

-It certainly is. It is

-an old oast house. It is enormous.

It is about 4,000 square feet.

The only compromise, Steve, is the fact that there is a farm next door.

-Yeah.

-OK? But that way...

-Yeah.

-..there's nothing.

-I think... I'm not too uneasy with that.

-Good.

-Let's get in our mystery house and sell it to you.

-OK.

-Come on.

I'm relieved that Steve isn't put off by the neighbouring farm

because our spacious mystery house really is worth seeing.

Built around 1895, the former hop barn was completely

renovated by the current owners three years ago.

-Now, what a greeting!

-Wow!

-Wow.

A wow! Two wows.

Wow. Yeah.

-Isn't it gorgeous? It is.

-Yes, it is.

We don't normally sort of linger in hallways on our house tours,

but this is one that is worth spending some time in,

because it really is the hub of this building.

-Yeah.

-What they have done is totally renewed the floor.

This is local stone from the Black Mountains. Underfloor heating.

Big kitchen-diner?

This way, madam.

So, Yvonne...

..come on up, let's explore.

-Gosh!

-Yes?

-Yeah, it's lovely.

You have got the boiler room through there and utility room as well.

-And you have got this view, yeah.

-They are all bifolds.

-They will open up, exactly. So on a nice, hot summer's day...

-Love it.

Come on, give us a score out of ten.

Well, I used to teach, and I never gave ten out of tens,

so I'll give it a nine.

I'll take that as a ten, then.

As well as the kitchen, there are three other rooms off

the spacious entrance hallway,

including a generous study and a cosy snug,

but I want to show our space-loving couple the largest reception room.

-Yeah.

-Like that.

-Yeah?

Yeah, I like the open stonework on the wall there. Nice feel, too.

Just a nice relaxing feel again here.

You've got some lovely bits of detailing

-like this old door and so on.

-That's stunning, isn't it?

And look at the width of it.

I mean, that is the joy of converting an agricultural,

industrial building like this, is that you get these

proportions you don't get in a modern building.

Tell a few stories, that one.

Let's go and take a look at the upstairs and find you a sumptuous master bedroom.

There are four large bedrooms off the first floor landing

as well as a family bath and shower room with exposed brickwork.

There is one large double and two of the bedrooms have separate

stairs access to two further rooms on the second floor of the property,

ideal for storage or as extra office space, which just leaves the master.

Quite an unusual layout in many respects.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah. It is.

Now, when we first met,

you said very clearly that what really mattered

-was the downstairs space.

-Yeah.

-But this place clearly delivers over and above upstairs.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-Definitely.

-Definitely. Nine double plus.

A nine double plus? Excellent! I like that, good.

Now, this is the master because it has this very unusual en suite.

You liked open plan, you said,

how about a bit of open-plan bathing?

-That is, isn't it?

-Well, that's different, isn't it?

It's very different. It's the sort of thing you might find

-if you go to a boutique hotel these days.

-Yes.

My guess is that you might give yourself a little

bit of our project here, Steve,

by continuing these walls,

-maybe even rearranging the access with a door.

-Yeah.

But I think in some cases, you have to live in a place

first before you decide what you are going to change.

-Yeah.

-Get to know it, around it.

Well, I get the feeling that this really has struck a chord

with both of you.

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

The house has certainly passed with flying colours, but I am

keen to see if we we'll get top marks with the garden and grounds.

Although there are fewer outbuildings here

than at our last property, just this timber carport

and adjoining shed, there is a generous 2.3 acres of land,

including three paddocks as well as a large lawn.

So this is one of the paddocks. Friendly sheep looking on.

And there, of course, is our mystery house.

-And you like what you see.

-I do, I really do.

-So do I.

-Nine triple plus.

-Nine triple plus! We'll never get a ten out of you, will we?

-No.

-But will it score highly on the price?

-750.

Straight in at the top end of the budget. OK, no messing.

It has got to be around that area, isn't it?

-I think it is 750, really.

-Shall we agree on 750?

Let's go for 750.

I would if I were you, cos that is what is on the market for.

-Right.

-Spot-on.

-We got one right.

-Spot-on.

-Excellent.

-You are not fazed at all, are you, by that?

-No.

-No.

I'm just thinking about I'd rather it be spent on that than leave

-it in the bank, quite frankly.

-Well, you get more fun out of it here.

-Yeah.

-That's for sure.

On the market at £750,000, our mystery house is as far as Steve

and Yvonne are willing to go on price.

It is a former oast house, which has been renovated in the last

few years, but retains much of its character.

The accommodation includes a large sitting room

and kitchen as well as four good-sized bedrooms.

It sits on 2.3 acres of land, which includes paddocks for stabling

and the property has views of

the surrounding Herefordshire countryside.

-Well, I think we might have arrived at our destination...

-Yep.

..as far as your future is concerned. Who knows?

-I think you have done really well with this one, certainly.

-Good.

Right then, I'm going to whisk you away out into the rain. Come on.

Well,

-what a week it has been with you two, hasn't it?

-Yep.

Three very different properties.

Now, I'm guessing there is only one real contender here.

Yeah, number three, the mystery house.

-Why?

-Oh, cos it just had everything.

It had space, open plan...

-It just blew me.

-There's no competition with the rest.

I mean, the space is all there, the architecture is lovely

cos it's a bit of a quirky building, which is nice.

But is it your new home?

Well, potentially we are going to, on the way back, go and have

another look around it, and then we'll take it from there, I think.

I think it would be a great base for you from which to launch,

-well, this new chapter in your lives.

-Yep.

-I've got one concern.

-Go on.

Well, if we ever invite our friends across there,

then we're going to have a job getting rid of them, aren't we?

I think you will! I think you will.

-But you're going to have plenty to keep you busy in the garden.

-Yeah.

-Because you really can start again with that.

-Yeah.

-It is a blank canvas.

-Yes, it is.

I am already ticking off all sorts of things I could do.

I'm delighted that we have got you that bit closer to

realising your new dream and what could be, I hope,

your new home, our mystery house. Well done.

We saw six different properties, and, in a way,

we had contrasting challenges, but in the end

we got the same outcome - a big, spacious mystery house won the day.

That's what I love about house hunting on the borders.

Whatever your budget, you will never be short of that all important space.

And it was interesting for me, cos I think for John and Joy it was challenging.

They really wanted this new start,

they really wanted to move to the countryside,

but they had enormous tenderness for their family home in Birmingham, and I think we forget that.

We get so excited about the challenge and the excitement of moving away,

but then we also have to think about what we're leaving.

Well, moving is rated as one of the most stressful things you can do,

and we tend to think about all the hassle of packing and boxes, and all the rest of it,

but actually, for me, I think for many people,

-it's the emotional hurdle that's the real challenge.

-Indeed.

Anyway, that's all we have time for on this special edition

-of Escape To The Country, but do join us next time.

-We'll see you, then.

Steve and Yvonne are still looking for their dream home.

And John and Joy have now bought a property in Ross-on-Wye.

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