Devon Escape to the Country

This beautiful chapel, parts of which date back to the 6th century,

is thought to be one of the oldest standing buildings

in today's county. Find out where I am in just a few moments...

On today's show, we're helping a couple of childhood

sweethearts relive their youth in a countryside setting.

At one property, size is everything...

-Not big enough.

-Too small.

-Ooh!

But then the outlook improves...

Now, what do you think about the position?

-Well, the view's...

-The view is breathtaking.

-Wow!

Today, I'm in Devon and this is the chapel at Bickleigh Castle,

the foundations of which date back as far as the 6th century,

although the walls of the structure as it stands today were added

some 600 years later.

Bickleigh Castle itself is actually a fortified manor house

and has a fascinating history of its own.

In the 15th century, it was in the hands of the Courtenays,

who embroiled in the violent dynastic struggles

known as the Wars Of The Roses.

But gladly, the castle is known less for war these days

and more for love, as you can get married here.

But as you're about to see, this is one of many gems you'll

find across this beautiful county.

The fourth largest county in England, Devon is bounded by

the English Channel in the south and the Bristol Channel in the north.

It's a landscape of rolling hills with the rugged upland

area of Dartmoor dominating the southern half.

Devon is a farming county with a mild climate and is a popular

tourist destination, but it wasn't always so accessible.

It was the arrival of the railway that led to the

growth in its seaside towns.

Brunel's line reached Exeter in 1844

and, by the turn of the 20th century, coastal settlements

like Ilfracombe had blossomed into sizeable holiday centres.

And during the Elizabethan era, the county became closely

associated with England's maritime successes, thanks to explorers

such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake,

whose ships set sail from Plymouth to the New World.

But what is it about this beautiful county that's captured

the hearts of today's buyers. Well, let's meet them and find out.

Childhood sweethearts Karen and Steve met at a party

when she was 16 and he was the ripe old age of 20.

Home is this five-bedroom detached house in the North London

suburb of Pinner, but it's not the same as it was.

It's a nice little area, conservation area, but it's

becoming more and more London and it's not what we want any more.

It's got busier. Far more cars.

Our buyers both hail from the Glasgow area,

and Steve grew up in a Scottish village.

Now free of job constraints

and with their children away at university, they're keen to

fulfil a long-held dream and return to a more rural setting.

They decided on Devon after doing their homework...

I want hills, so I looked at a geographical map of Britain

and where are there hills.

I want nice weather so it had to be south coast

and I want good mainline links into London.

But both the location and the layout of the property will need to

take account of Karen's health.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998.

But unfortunately, in 2010, I had a very bad year

and it's meant that kind of reality has hit home

and that we have to be very careful in what we look for in a new house.

It's very important that we're in the catchment area

for a good neurologist and good MS care team.

It's also important that we have the facility to have a ground floor,

basically live on the ground floor at some point in the future.

Despite spending over 30 years together,

they don't always see eye to eye...

I would love some land.

A little bit of land is fine.

We saw one house on the internet that had 30 acres -

his idea of heaven!

Absolute heaven, but, come on, we're retiring.

Karen wants to be close to either Exeter or Barnstaple,

where there are hospitals with MS specialists,

so we're concentrating our search in the north-east of the county.

We're meeting in Devon to run over the finer

details of their proposed relocation.

So welcome, both of you, to Devon.

-You've recently retired...

-Yes.

-Is this the big change?

Is this, "Right, let's do something we both want to do for ourselves?"

It's kind of like the change I've always waited for.

How big does this house have to be?

It has to have at least three bedrooms,

I would say, and at least three reception rooms.

-OK.

-Big kitchen.

I would like a big utility room, having lived without one

for a long time. We're not so fixed on what the house needs

to look like and be, because we can change that.

We can't change the location, we can't change the views

and we are perfectly happy to extend, or convert,

or do what we need to to make it the perfect house.

-OK.

-We've done quite a lot of looking online.

Which leads me onto my next point...

-Yep.

-I have with me...

-Uh-oh.

-..a list.

This list is of no less than 18 properties that you've viewed.

Too big, too small, great house, wrong location, town location,

too remote, poor broadband. I mean...

We don't ask for much, do we?

This is fine.

So, lastly, how much money are you looking to spend for this

big move of yours?

The budget that we've been working on is £900,000.

However, we would be prepared to go above that budget

if the house was really perfect.

Tell me throughout this process what you really like

-and what you don't like. BOTH:

-OK.

-Happy?

-Yep.

-Absolutely.

-Let's go!

Armed with a very generous budget of £900,000,

Steve and Karen are seeking a property with three reception rooms

and at least three bedrooms.

Karen is after a large modern kitchen with a utility room

and the option to live on the ground floor should her condition

make stairs difficult in the future.

Steve's hoping for some land

and they're both up for making alterations to suit Karen's needs.

We've lined up three delightful Devonian properties to tempt Steve

and Karen, and I'll be revealing the price at the end each tour.

Our final offering - the mystery house -

will require some lateral thinking.

'Our first property is found to the north of the county

'in the village of Landkey, three miles from Barnstaple.

'The village has a population of around 2,000, and is

'placed within a ten-minute drive of a medical specialist for Karen.

'House number one is tucked away on the outskirts of the village,

'next to the parish church.

So let's pause a moment and take it all in.

What do you think? First impressions?

-Gorgeous.

-It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

You could have just painted it really this morning,

couldn't you? It's just...it's beautiful.

Excellent, I'm glad you like it. Now the house itself,

parts of this date back as far as the 15th century.

-Our kids will love that!

-Yeah, our kids will.

-Will they?

-Oh, yeah.

-Huge history buffs.

-Let's go inside.

-Yep.

A strong start to our first house tour.

This historical gem was at one time an open hall house,

with alterations made in the 17th century.

It is, however, listed - a Grade-II-star property -

and that can put some people off. We're starting in the dining room.

OK, let's quickly pause

in one of the few reception rooms we've got here.

What's your first impressions?

It's very nice. I'm worried about the step getting in.

Could be an issue for me in the future.

-Right, OK. You wanted a big kitchen?

-Yep.

Let's see if this is big enough.

So, the heart of your home.

-Not big enough.

-Too small.

-Ooh!

From such highs outside!

I know. It's smaller than the kitchen we have already.

Yep, quite considerably.

Not really what we're after, unless we could extend it

or knock walls down, but I've got a funny feeling it might be listed?

-This is Grade-II-star listed.

-Ouch!

I'm keen on finding how much bigger a kitchen might need to be?

To give you an example,

my hob at home stretches from here to the wall.

Let's not get into who's got the biggest hob here.

THEY LAUGH

Your hob... You're telling me your hob is a metre wide?

Wider.

Joking aside, although Karen and Steve say they like character

and history, I wonder if they're going to find

the size of kitchen they want in an older building.

This kitchen is almost 20 square metres

and comes with a utility room.

There are other ground-floor rooms to consider, though,

in this sizeable property,

including a spacious slate-tiled hallway,

a sitting room with original beams and a study.

Now, this house has, well, two or three,

depending on how you use them, reception rooms. This is...

Well, the owner currently uses this as a snug.

-It's lovely.

-You've also got another room at the back there. Now that,

at the moment, is currently used as a ground-floor bedroom.

-Oh, OK.

-Right.

-Which we thought maybe some time in the future...

-Suit me.

Single-floor living.

-There's also a ground-floor bathroom here as well.

-Right.

So you could have completely single-storey living.

The steps are an issue.

It would take a lot of work to put in ramps or level out floors,

and I'm not sure we'd even be allowed to do that.

It was always going to be a gamble taking Steve and Karen

to a listed building, but this house has been

renovated in recent years despite being Grade-II-star,

showing it is possible to make alterations with the proper consent.

But I'm not convinced Steve and Karen like the house enough

to consider it.

Upstairs, there are four good-sized bedrooms -

three doubles and a single.

They include the master bedroom with dressing room

and en-suite cloakroom, along with two family bathrooms.

We're heading to the older part of the property...

Now, unfortunately, another couple of stairs there,

but then look at this.

Oh, wow!

-Beautiful.

-This is a room.

-This is part of the 15th-century building.

-Yes.

Now, the lord of the manor would have been sleeping up here.

I fear it's all a bit academic,

but I still want Steve and Karen to see the outside options.

The gardens are comprised of a generous front lawn

and a paved terrace. And to the rear,

there's a triple garage together with a vegetable patch.

To the side of the house,

there's also a self-contained, single-storey annexe

which features a living room with kitchenette,

two bedrooms and a bathroom -

a good space to accommodate their children during university holidays.

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

I'd guess about 785.

Oh! I was going to say 795!

This place is on the market for offers around £700,000.

Oh, OK.

So, it's a bit of a shame,

but clearly this isn't suitable for you guys.

Not too downhearted?

-No, good start.

-A bit disappointed after the initial view...

-Well, that's true.

-Yeah.

-..to be honest.

Under budget by £200,000,

on paper this beautiful listed period manor house

gives Steve and Karen everything they asked for -

three reception rooms, more than three bedrooms,

and the option of ground-floor living for Karen.

Beautiful home, but ultimately, practically, not really for you.

-Yep, not for us.

-Not for us.

-OK, well, I've learnt quite a lot, let's go to the next place.

-OK.

Sitting in the heart of the Devon countryside,

on the banks of the River Culm, is the village of Uffculme.

From the 16th century, the village became a favoured location

for the wool industry in Devon, thanks to a plentiful supply

of running water to drive the mills

and its proximity to sheep-grazing land.

The industry reached its height in the 18th century

when this mill was built and the wool was sold internationally.

Today, the Coldharbour Mill is a working museum.

I've come to meet museum administrator Peter Fisher

to find out more about the village's links

with Devon's famous fluffy export.

So, Peter, it looks like we're surrounded by some industrial

history, when did it all start?

It all kicked off in 1799 when a fella called Thomas Fox,

who was a wool merchant over in Wellington, Somerset,

decided he'd like to build a mill so he could start

-spinning on the new machinery of the time, spinning jennies.

-Yes.

He needed a site where there was going to be

a good water supply.

Uffculme had a lot of people who were spinners and weavers,

so he was hoping they'd be persuaded to come and work in his mill.

The Industrial Revolution, it was so fast paced that

I imagine this water mill, did it become obsolete fairly soon?

I mean, how did that change?

Well, they carried on with that sort of early process till the 1860s.

But by 1865, most of the weaving was being done on machines as well.

-Right.

-And that meant that the mill had to change

-to a different sort of spinning. They needed much more power.

-Right.

So they had to introduce steam engines as well.

For nearly 200 years, the family-owned mill ran successfully.

But after the Second World War,

it became hard for the mill to compete with cheaper imports.

It finally closed in 1981,

but a local Community Trust raised some money

to buy Coldharbour Mill from the Fox family.

Since reopening, the mill has continued to produce

high-quality knitting yarn on its historic machinery,

which charts the progress of innovation

during the Industrial Revolution

from power sources, including this 1867 beam engine,

to spinning machines, such as a spinning jenny from 1907

and this Hattersley loom, which is creating the Devon tartan.

The green colour represents the countryside, and the blue,

the county's two coastlines.

So I kind of get the picture...

What I'm noticing as well, you're making a tartan?

This is Devon!

Well, one of the very early ideas, actually,

when the museum first opened,

-was to design a special cloth that would be unique to us.

-Right.

And one of the... In fact, one of the weavers came across

and designed us two Devon tartans,

which we then got registered with the Scottish authorities.

So this is what you're looking at, it's the official blue tartan.

It's just lovely to see the end of this process.

Now, this has been... This has been made here, I understand?

That's right, yes.

-I mean, that's the bluebell.

-It's beautifully soft.

What's the aim of the trust for the future, what are the goals?

Well, the aim is to preserve the mill

and to continue to show people how the process is worked.

But obviously, to be sustainable, we need to be making money as well.

And you've no shortage of volunteers, I imagine?

No, we're very dependent on our volunteers.

I've got to say, it's been a fascinating process.

I wish you and the volunteers all the best for the future.

I'll keep an eye out for that Devon tartan.

-That's great, thank you.

-Thanks again.

-Bye-bye.

For our second offering, we're heading eight miles north-east

to the large village of Bratton Fleming.

Situated on the edge of the Exmoor National Park,

the village is well placed

for access to Barnstaple's medical facilities,

and offers a shop, post office and a Victorian church.

Set in two acres of land,

our second property sits in a secluded spot

on the edge of the village,

with spectacular views over open countryside.

This...is the second property

-BOTH:

-It's lovely.

Victorian, not listed.

Yay!

THEY LAUGH

What do you think about the position?

-Well the views... Wow!

-The view is breathtaking.

'A good first impression, although I've heard that before!

'However, I'm hopeful that the interior

'of this detached period cottage will live up to expectation

'as it's been restored and extended in recent years.'

Now, let's start off with the kitchen...

It's a bit small, but we could make it bigger.

In what way?

Obviously you said it's not listed, and there's already a conservatory,

which means there's a possibility to extend that way.

I'm... You know, I'm pleased to hear you're open-minded. Absolutely.

-Let's keep walking through, shall we?

-Yep.

'The ground floor also offers a dining room

'which opens out onto a double-aspect sitting room

'with stone fireplace and wood-burning stove.

'Off this, there's a potential study and spacious utility room.

'And just beyond the kitchen, another living room.'

So this is one of two reception rooms. OK.

-What do you think of this so far?

-It's a nice, relaxing room.

-It's a lovely view.

-I can't get my eyes off the view, really.

Those steps?

-They're not ideal.

-Could you not make this practical?

-It's how long it would remain practical for...

-Sure.

-..which is, you know, crystal-ball time.

-Yes.

-I have no idea.

-Now, I'm sure you've just peeked a glance.

-Yeah, we have.

That's your ground-floor double bedroom,

-with an en suite there as well.

-OK, great.

-Right.

So, if you can get up these steps, you're future-proof!

-It's just these steps, isn't it?

-Yep.

Despite the possible problem with the steps,

I think Steve and Karen can see

how they might be able to arrange this house

to suit them in the future.

And that's a big improvement on our last viewing.

Upstairs, there are four good-sized bedrooms - two are large doubles,

although one of those is being used as an office.

There's also a single, and a half-tiled family bathroom.

The master bedroom...

What do you think of this?

Lovely room, but storage?

Where do we put the wardrobes?

-Next door? In the other bedroom?

-Possible.

-Yeah.

We're definitely spoilt for choice with this property -

not least when it comes to bathrooms,

as there's also a large en suite off the master bedroom

with a raised bath and separate shower.

Heading outside, there's access to the attached garage,

and above that, a large loft room

that could be transformed into more living space,

subject to planning consent.

And let's not forget the land.

At last, you get to see the view up close and personal.

Yeah, spectacular.

For a man that wanted outside space, you've got a bit more of it here.

You've got two acres in total,

-you've got that paddock the other side...

-OK.

..this garden here, as far as you can see,

just the other side of that leat,

-which is that stream running through the garden there, look.

-OK.

Follow the hedge line, and... that paddock there.

So how much do you think this house is for sale for?

I would go at 725.

Yeah, and I'm thinking these views add a bit to that.

I'll say 795.

Well, this house is on the market for offers around £749,950.

OK.

Possibility!

Again under budget, this time by £150,000,

our second property, a stone-built cottage,

gives Steve and Karen the space they wanted both inside and out -

with five bedrooms, three reception rooms and two acres of land.

Plus, there's plenty left in the pot

to make the alterations for Karen's convenience.

-What do you think? Do you like it?

-Yes.

-Yeah, very much.

-Yes.

Hopefully it's given you something to think about this evening.

-Yep, a lot.

-Good, let's go back.

After yesterday's two house tours,

I'm wondering whether Steve and Karen really want a period property,

because of all the work that goes with it.

I genuinely think the house that you're after...

..hasn't been built or hasn't been built to your specifications.

The house that you get may well need a lot of work.

-Which is fine.

-Which is fine.

That's one of the options, you know,

the mystery house is taking us somewhere that needs a lot of work.

So let's see if Karen's right...

For our mystery house, we're heading south, deeper into Devon,

and to the small village of Down Saint Mary.

Conveniently placed between Exeter and Barnstaple

for Karen's medical care,

it boasts a pretty village green and a 19th-century church.

The mystery house itself sits in a beautiful river valley,

half a mile from Down Saint Mary.

With this house, we're giving Steve and Karen

a lot of what they dreamt of,

but it will require big alterations to make it right.

It's also Grade-II listed, and after our first house tour,

I'm concerned this property might also be a step too far.

First things first, you like thatched houses.

Well, what we're looking at is a building with parts of which

date back to the 16th century, there are more modern additions

-scattered around the land.

-Yep.

There's a lot to this.

-Let's have a look.

-OK.

The former mill house was later improved in the 17th century

and retains many original features.

And as I've already hinted,

the house isn't the only building on the sizeable plot.

-Very grand entrance hall.

-Wow!

-Follow me.

-That's beautiful.

This is your dedicated living room.

-Very nice.

-Very nice. Very cosy.

-Yep.

So, the fireplace you saw as you walked in, the back of it,

-old bread oven.

-Yeah, I just spotted that. Nice feature.

The floor is sloping, so we'd have to do something with the floor.

But as first impressions go?

-Yeah, no, it's...

-The beam's nice, it's cosy.

I think the changes, to make this house work for you,

-will start from the kitchen onwards.

-OK.

All right, just mind your step on the way back up.

'Being a listed building,

'Steve and Karen will need consent to make any alterations,

'but they seem to be open to the idea in principle.'

Now, the kitchen as it is, I think, is lovely,

-but we know your need for space.

-Yes.

It'll need to grow a wee bit.

It is a bit on the dinky side for us.

-But it's a really nice kitchen.

-It's...

'Dinky it may be, but this isn't the only kitchen in this house,

'and I have an idea up my sleeve which will give our buyers

'the huge open-plan cooking and eating area they're after.

'But it will mean installing at least one stairlift.'

-So there's the issue.

-Yep.

Now, once you've walked through that summer kitchen, if you like,

you come to this wonderful sunroom.

-It's a very nice room.

-It's lovely.

You've got a ground-floor bedroom with an en suite next door to it.

-If you can put some form of lift here...

-Yep.

-..or in the kitchen there...

-Yep.

..all the rooms you went through then

are divided by a stud partition only.

'My plan would be to knock down the walls

'between the second kitchen and garden room

'to create a huge kitchen/dining space

'next to the downstairs bedroom.

'There are three further decent-sized bedrooms upstairs,

'arranged along a long corridor, and all with exposed timbers.

'There's also a family bath and shower room.'

So, right at the end of that corridor,

you've got an en suite there.

Good-sized bedroom as well, isn't it?

-This is a nice room.

-It's a very nice room.

-Yes.

-Lots of light.

The floors undulate a bit,

I think you'd probably have to look at some over-boarding here.

-Yes, it would be an issue.

-Well, it's something to think about.

We're going to now go outside,

-because, Steve, you're going to like this - there's lots of it.

-OK.

Adjoining the main house is a separate, self-contained cottage

which is occasionally used as a holiday let and guest accommodation.

It consists of a modern kitchen, sitting room,

and three bedrooms - one on the ground floor and two upstairs,

both with their own en-suite bathrooms.

There's also a further two-storey outbuilding

containing an office, gym and storage facilities.

The gardens include large lawn and terraced areas

and a raised ornamental fish pond.

But that's not all that's on offer here.

So, Steve, at last in the great outdoors.

Where would you like your land to go to?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Somerset?

Well, you've almost got it, mate. That river is the River Yole, right?

That river goes through your land.

That disused vineyard is included

and it comes back down, all the way around,

that paddock's yours, 19 - one-nine - acres.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, this is going to be too much!

This is going to be too much.

So how much do you think this substantial property and land

is on the market for?

-Wow.

-This is... This is going to eat up

virtually all of our budget, I think. I'd put this 830...

-Ooh!

-840.

I'm going to try and be positive and say 875.

It's just come on the market

at offers around £895,000.

Thought so.

At £5,000 under budget,

this former mill house offers Steve the rural dream he was after,

but it may need some future-proofing.

There are more bedrooms than they wanted - four in the main house

and another three in the adjoining cottage.

The 19 acres of land is made up of meadows and a former vineyard.

-So are you glad we brought you here?

-Yes.

-Very.

You are as well, Karen?

It's given us a huge amount to think about.

Well, let's find you somewhere to do just that. Let's go.

I've been thinking that...well, this morning the second property

was in the running, but seeing your reactions with the mystery house,

I wasn't sure whether that would still be here to be thought about.

-We like them both, for very different reasons.

-Yes.

And we can't reconcile the two of them.

It's kind of bizarre, because when we arrived

at the mystery house,

our initial reactions were, "Nah, it's not really for us."

But as we went further around it,

we just really began to fall in love with the place

because it's got such a lovely feel.

It kind of went downhill when I looked out the windows

and saw that I couldn't really see a view.

Does one of you like one property more than the other?

I don't know if I even like one property more than the other.

-That surprises me.

-I loved the land with the mystery house.

What's next for you guys? How are you going to reconcile

the differences between property number two and the mystery house?

We will go and see both of them again.

Let us know what you decide because we seem to have gone so far.

-I know.

-I want to find out what you do at the end.

-You will.

-Please.

-We will.

-Promise.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I must say, when I first met Steve and Karen

and they told me how they wanted such different things from a house,

I wasn't surprised that they'd been to, what,

18 properties before, and discounted each and every one of them.

So I'm pretty chuffed to be stood here

with not one but two houses under serious consideration.

And whilst I have no idea which of the properties will come out on top,

hopefully a second viewing will flush out a winner.

I do hope so. I'll see you next time.

Steve and Karen did go back to view both properties again,

but decided the work that might be needed to alter them

to meet Karen's future needs was going to be too much.

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