Wiltshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country. Now, if like me, you're a fan

of the history of the Industrial Revolution

and in particular our canals, this is a place you have to visit.

The flight of locks behind me represents,

arguably, one of the most impressive parts of the canal network

anywhere in the UK.

Find out where in just a moment.

Today's house-hunting couple are heading to the countryside

to be closer to their son,

and they're not afraid of a property project...

And I might even add a little utility room out there.

..as long as we get the colour right.

I don't like yellow houses.

-THEY LAUGH Paint works, David.

-I know.

Well, today we are in Wiltshire

and these are the Caen Hill Locks just outside Devizes,

the jewel in the crown, if you like, of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Built some 200 years ago,

they were the brainchild of one John Rennie.

Now, he was the man tasked with directing the canal

over the shortest route possible,

and here the solution was to send it uphill.

And the way he did it -

he built 16 locks in close succession to one another.

But here's the really clever bit.

In order to keep enough water in the system,

he also built this series of ponds,

each one of which contains the same amount of water

as two Olympic-size swimming pools.

It is a fantastic feat of industrial engineering.

And just goes to remind us

that Wiltshire is a county brimming with history.

Known as the gateway to the West Country,

landlocked Wiltshire is bordered by six counties,

including Somerset to the west and Berkshire and Hampshire to the east.

It's a picturesque county of rolling, chalky downland.

Historic attractions include Salisbury Cathedral,

with its 13th century spire, the highest in England,

and the world-famous Stonehenge.

Wiltshire's earliest inhabitants have left an extraordinary

and sometimes mysterious archaeological footprint,

from stone circles including Avebury to prehistoric burial mounds.

Wiltshire also has its fair share of pretty villages

and attractive market towns.

Marlborough, with its wide high street,

is lined with fine, old buildings that make it a property hotspot.

With a wealth of awe-inspiring architecture

set in a timeless landscape,

it's easy to see why people are attracted to this rural county.

But what is it about Wiltshire that's attracted today's buyers?

Well, time now to meet them and find out.

Jackie and David have been married for 30 years.

Jackie, who's originally from New Jersey in the US,

met David when he was holidaying in Manhattan.

It was because of the rain.

Dave was in a place and didn't leave because of the rain

and I ran in with friends of mine because it was raining.

And we wound up talking, and the rest is history.

They're currently living in a three-bedroom rented property

in Oxfordshire, having recently sold their Canterbury town house

of six years.

We put the house on the market and it sold extremely quickly.

The people who bought wanted to be in the house

within five, six weeks of the offer.

For many years, David worked as a systems analyst in Brussels

and commuted from Canterbury.

Jackie was a primary school teacher.

But having both recently retired,

they're now free of work constraints.

We've always wanted to be west of London.

This is our opportunity to do it.

The main reason for David and Jackie's move

to the Wiltshire countryside is their 30-year-old son, Nicholas.

He's a captain in the Signals

and has recently returned from his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

He's in the military

and he's going to be based out towards Salisbury Plain,

and we didn't want to be that far away from him,

so that we can see him and his partner.

The garden is key in what they want from their new home.

And Jackie must have somewhere to grow her own produce.

I grew up in an Italian-American family

and everybody gardened in the family.

So, it was something that I grew up with.

I'm happiest when I'm in the garden - digging, planting, cropping...

As well as gardening, the Wiltshire countryside will give Jackie

and David the opportunity to indulge their other hobbies.

I think that we'll be out walking and enjoying the countryside

a lot more than we were able to in Canterbury.

Yes, definitely. That would be nice.

Our buyers have mentioned Marlborough

as a town they'd like to be close to,

so we are concentrating our search with that in mind.

I'm meeting up with them in the attractive village of All Cannings,

around ten miles from Marlborough itself.

-Well, David and Jackie, welcome to Wiltshire.

-Well, thank you.

-Very exciting to us.

-It's a big adventure, yes.

It is a big adventure. Well, it's a big county to explore, too.

This is the village of All Cannings. Have you ever been here before?

-We haven't been here before, no.

-No.

But, very excitingly, your search is off to a flying start

because you sold your house in Canterbury in record time.

How long does it take?

Erm... Less than one day, actually.

How many people watching this

are wishing they could sell their house in a day?

-So, the pressure is on to find you something...

-Yes.

-..to get this dream under way.

-Absolutely.

Now, the budget it has given you is what?

300,000 to 400,000, yeah.

So, would you take on something that needs a bit of work,

then, at the lower end of the 300s?

-Yes.

-We...we would love a project, yes.

Well, let's think about the kind of property that you are after.

Just describe it to me.

Probably three bedrooms, a decent kitchen, a garden.

The garden is the most important thing to me.

A garage, if possible. Maybe, an outside workshop.

But you're also very keen on securing somewhere

with a real sense of community about it, aren't you?

Yes. Very important to us to be in a very active type of village,

so that we can be involved with our neighbours, yeah.

Well, here's the thing.

We've got the properties to show you,

but our first one...

is just down the road.

This could be your village green.

-Oh!

-It's beautiful.

-Yeah?

-It's gorgeous, this.

Come and have a look at this.

For a top budget of £400,000,

David and Jackie are seeking a property with character,

three bedrooms and a decent kitchen.

They would happily take on a project

and Jackie is after a garden with a vegetable patch

while David would like a garage or workshop.

They're keen to throw themselves into the local community

and want to be positioned in or close to a dynamic village.

We've uncovered an assortment of wonderful Wiltshire houses

with which to woo our buyers,

but I won't be revealing the price tags until the end of each tour.

Our final offering, the mystery house, is awash with history,

but does come with a big challenge.

So, our first houses in the village of All Cannings.

Lying at the base of the chalky Pewsey Downs,

the award-winning village is centred on the Hall,

which hosts a monthly garden club.

This is what we want to tempt you with -

our first offering in All Cannings. What do you think?

-Oh, it's beautiful.

-It's incredible.

-Yeah?

-It's nice. Yeah.

Now, in terms of its style,

it's built in 1912, very much in the Edwardian mode, I would suggest.

Now, you don't get all of it.

You get this bit with the blue door.

-Now, in terms of workshop space, David, a garage here.

-Uh-huh.

-Yeah.

-It's probably got your plans written all over it.

I saw that first.

To give you an idea of just how popular this village is,

this has only just come on the market

and they are considering two offers at the moment.

I think this could be an absolute dream.

-I do too.

-It looks very interesting. Yes.

-Yeah?

-I do. Yes.

-So, let's see what you think of the inside.

-OK.

-Yeah?

Well, great reactions to the location

and appearance of our first property -

an extended Edwardian semi-detached cottage,

which is packed with character inside.

Well, let's start with the main living area.

-Oh!

-There's good space.

I love these high ceilings. I think that really makes it.

And these lovely big windows.

You've got some really lovely features here.

-The parquet floor.

-Look at this floor!

Parquet floor. Yeah, that's beautiful.

-This is a really good size. It really is.

-So far, I'm impressed.

-Yeah.

Good! Well, let's go through to the dining room and the kitchen.

-See what you think of this. Just across the hallway.

-OK.

There you go.

Ooh, OK.

-Another great big, tall room, which I love.

-Yes.

-It's a good space.

-Yeah.

-Nice and bright, too.

-Yeah.

-And is that a range I see?

-It is indeed a range, yeah.

Oil-fired range for you.

Alluding to the kitchen behind this wall.

Now, the wall, itself, is obviously doing a job

in supporting what's above it,

but it wouldn't be a great job to remove that wall

-and give you an enormous kitchen-diner.

-Yes.

-Family space.

-I think so, yeah.

-Can we...

-Absolutely.

-..see around the wall?

-You get the idea.

-Yes.

And then this is the kitchen.

Functional, not massive, but again, you get the idea.

If that wall wasn't there...

-How much...?

-We could transform this.

Could be beautiful.

And I might even add a little utility room out there.

But you could also pinch a bit of the garage.

-Of course.

-Erm... We'll have to talk about this.

No, you couldn't! No, you couldn't! It's a workshop.

So, we're OK on character and downstairs space

and both David and Jackie can see the potential this property offers.

Upstairs, there's a period-style family bathroom

with roll-top bath, four good-sized bedrooms,

three of which could make excellent guest rooms.

But we're heading to the master.

Oh, this is nice.

I mean, we're calling this the master.

I mean, to be honest, you could sort of take your pick, really,

out of almost any of them.

-But look at the view! Oh, it's beautiful.

-Yeah.

I think this is a really good, viable option for you.

It is, of course, going to depend on two things.

One, what you think of the garden and two, what you think it's worth.

-Price, yes.

-OK.

-Let's go and find some outdoor space.

-OK.

So, the house gets a thumbs-up,

but Jackie also wanted a garden she could make her own.

This house gives her a front lawn and a good size, mature garden

at the back of the property with lots of potential.

Oh!

Vegetable patch out there.

That's what they've got at the moment.

You've got these old hurdles here, which are kind of delineating that.

The interesting thing is you also get a chunk of that red building over there.

There is one final question I have to ask you,

and that is, what do you think it's worth?

-I'm thinking about 355.

-Yeah.

Erm...

-I'm going to say about 360.

-360?

Yeah, I'm going to say about 360.

Well, I think 355, 360 would be fair enough,

but the welcoming news is that this place is on the market

for offers in excess of 3...

25.

-Wow!

-Ooh!

-Room to improve.

-Oh, yeah!

-This one offers you lots to think about.

-It sure does.

-Yes.

Under their maximum budget by £75,000,

this characterful, semidetached Edwardian property gives our buyers

one more bedroom than they've asked for,

a garage workshop for David

and a garden for Jackie to put her stamp on

and it's situated in the heart of a thriving

and popular Wiltshire village.

Right. Out you come.

-Allow me, madam. There we are.

-Thank you.

Well, I think that was rather exciting.

-It really was.

-It was very interesting.

-You've really taken to this house and the village.

-Yes.

-The village is beautiful.

-Hm.

Of the many prehistoric monuments in Wiltshire,

there are none as numerous as the various burial mounds,

which scatter the chalky hills.

One of the best preserved is the West Kennet Long Barrow,

built around 1,000 years before Stonehenge

and which, at one time, contained the remains of up to 50 people.

Mass burial may have fallen out of favour for a while,

but now one Wiltshire farmer is building the first new long barrow

for thousands of years.

I've come to the farm on the Marlborough Downs

to meet owner Tim Daw to find out more about his tomb with a view.

What gave you the idea to create a long barrow

4,000 years after the last one was probably built?

One of those pub conversations.

"Wouldn't it be lovely if we could rebuild something Neolithic

"and somewhere where we could put our remains?"

And what is it about Wiltshire, Tim,

that's left us with this fantastic legacy of prehistoric archaeology?

A lot of the land has not been touched.

A lot of the original downland hasn't been ploughed up

and it's been protected for various reasons.

Well, I can hear the masons in there working away.

-Can we go inside and see where they're up to?

-Absolutely. Let's go.

Once finished, the barrow will contain several circular chambers

lined with niches for the storing of pots of ashes.

The chambers are being constructed

using traditional dry stonewalling techniques.

Geraint Davies is the head stonemason.

-Geraint, nice to see you.

-Hello there.

How's life in the Neolithic, then?

Quite exciting, yes. Yes, quite exciting.

This is extraordinary. So, this is one of the chambers.

How many are you making here?

We're going to have seven chambers off the central passageway.

This is three down this side, three down that side

and one at the far end, where that little post is over there.

But what have been the real challenges with this?

Erm, well, just to make it work in

naturally bedded stone.

Maybe, it's not exactly the same as what they'd have done,

but it's just nodding to their...

what they had to work with and everything else, really.

And how many people have signed up already

to have their remains interred here?

A couple dozen people have actually bought niches

and are all very, very interested in it.

And where's yours going to be?

I've bagged the one in the far chamber,

which is at the end of the corridor.

So, hopefully, the sun will shine on my niche.

Well, I wish you all the very best of luck.

If it keeps shining like it is now, it'll be a fantastic day

when you're first midwinter occurs here

and the whole thing is finished in, we hope, what, six months or so?

It's thought that most Neolithic barrows were traditionally reserved

for royalty and the social elite.

But Tim's long barrow is open to anyone

and, when full, will house the remains of up to 2,000 people

in this peaceful setting in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside.

For our second property, we're travelling around 30 miles south

to the village of Winterslow in the southern half of the county.

About nine miles from Salisbury,

Winterslow is a substantial village with a population of around 2,000

that benefits from a range of different housing styles.

House number two is situated on a country lane

on the boundary of the village.

-Oh, wow!

-That's property number two.

-That's amazing.

Every American's dream.

THEY LAUGH Oh, wow!

This bit is about late 1600s, early 1700s.

That's a newer extension.

I say extension loosely

because really it's doubled the size of the thing.

And that was done in the '70s, but as you can see,

-very sympathetically with another thatched roof.

-Beautiful.

I...I don't like yellow houses.

This is...this is gorgeous.

-Paint works, David.

-I know. This is gorgeous.

It's only paint.

I have to see inside, yes.

-All right, then.

-Oh, good.

Our second property is an altogether different proposition

for David and Jackie as this 300-year-old thatched cottage

is the finished article, having been completely remodelled inside.

Step down into here. We'll start with the dining room.

It's beautiful. Look at that fireplace!

-And you get the idea about the finishing here.

-Yeah.

And of course, we are not far from Salisbury,

so, you know, you've got a great, great city on your doorstep.

Oh, yes. I need to see more.

Well, the kitchen is right through here,

-and it sort of pops out through that little bar area.

-Oh, OK.

There you are.

-Oh, this is good.

-Oh, this is nice.

Ah! There's another fireplace.

-With a fridge in it.

-With a fridge. Well, that's OK.

That's OK. Yeah, it's good.

But it's got a nice butler sink.

Good cupboards. They look good.

-It doesn't look like it needs any work at the moment.

-No. Not really.

-No.

-This is the late 1600s, early 1700s chunk,

but the rest of it is all through there, in the modern extension.

-OK, let's go.

-I say modern, you know? It's all relative.

This is your living room.

I wasn't expecting this.

-Oh, this is very pretty.

-This is really nice.

-Yeah.

Even though it's new, we've got beams here.

Yeah, exactly, I mean, it's well spotted that,

because back in the '70s, not everybody was into using old stuff,

but they've brought that in from somewhere, reclaimed.

And it's really just helped give it a sense of pedigree,

to join the whole property together.

And beautiful view outside both ways, because you're looking at a garden.

We'll get to the garden a bit later, but first,

I want Jackie and David to see the upstairs,

which benefits from that modern extension,

where there are three decent sized bedrooms.

One of the doubles would make a nice guest room

and another is being used as a study.

There's also a large family bathroom.

And the master is back in the older wing of the house.

And then this is yours, we think.

-Oh, this is very nice.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

-It's really nice.

Well, we've step back into the late 1600s, early 1700s

at this end of the house. This is the old bit.

So far, there's not much I would really want to change about this one.

So...it's ready-made for us.

-Come on let's finish off in the garden.

-See the rest of it, OK.

The only thing that might be a challenge in this property

is the outside space.

Well, Jackie, this is the bit that I've been sort of dreading

because the garden is not as big as we had in property one.

The whole plot probably isn't far off it,

but a lot of it is laid to patio over there.

And of course, you've got the wood store and the workshop.

Right. Yeah.

But what we have identified are the village allotments,

-which are just a couple hundred yards that way.

-OK.

-Oh!

-And a very vibrant village horticultural society.

-Oh!

And we are assured that an allotment would be available shortly.

Oh, that's good.

-So, that's the compromise.

-Yeah.

-I guess.

So, what do you think property number two is on the market for?

I think it's going to be upper end.

I think it's going to be closer to four.

-David?

-Everything is really well done in there.

-I think 425.

-425?

-Yes.

Wow!

He's right.

THEY LAUGH

That doesn't happen very often.

He is absolutely on the money.

425,000, but they're aware of your budget and they want to sell.

Over budget by £25,000,

the owners of this beautiful thatched cottage are open to offers

and it's the finished article.

The house offers David and Jackie the character they wanted,

three bedrooms and the village location.

And although the garden doesn't have a vegetable plot,

there is a nearby allotment.

So, how are we all feeling then

about our first day of house-hunting?

-Confused.

-Really?

-Yes.

-I don't think it's fair.

-Why?

Because you've shown us two beautiful houses in one day.

That's what you've let yourself in for on Escape To The Country.

Good, well, a bit of confusion is all right.

And we've got one more to come tomorrow, the mystery house.

Ah...I know! I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight.

-Glass of wine will see that right. Come on.

-OK.

Yesterday left David and Jackie in a bit of a quandary.

They loved the potential of house number one

and they certainly responded to the fact

that house number two was kind of all done,

but of course, it didn't have that all-important garden.

But one thing, I think, is becoming clear,

they are prepared to pay a bit less for a property

provided they can do some work on it

and make it exactly what they want it to be.

So, that's what we're going with our mystery house.

But when it comes to garden projects,

well, this one really is at the top of the list.

For our final offering,

we're travelling to the village of Teffont in the south of the county.

Four-times winner of the Best Kept Village In Wiltshire Award,

Teffont has a strong sense of community.

There's a gardening club for Jackie as well as an annual village show.

And gardening is the theme of our mystery house.

Jackie wanted to get her hands dirty,

but I'm keen to discover just how far she's willing to go.

Here we are. Our mystery house in the lovely village of Teffont.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Oh, that's beautiful! Interesting.

-It's very interesting.

-It's really interesting.

-Yes.

-I think we've all spotted the windows.

-Yes.

And probably some of the work that might need to be done here.

Now, you can probably just also make out above that window,

a little inscription that says 1773, I think.

-So, this is one that does need some work. All right?

-OK.

-OK, we're not afraid.

-Not least in the garden.

So, I think we're going to break the tradition and start there.

-Brilliant!

-Yeah?

-I can see a lot of green, so...

-Let's go.

-OK.

This 18th century period cottage built of local weathered stone

has been extended by the current owner.

The sloping garden is to the rear

and offers an excellent view of the surrounding village.

Just sort of how much of a garden project were you after?

-This is good.

-Yeah?

-This is good, yeah.

-It goes up really to where those trees are up there.

-Really?

-And overlooks the churchyard next-door.

-Which is fine by me.

-Yeah.

-I like those kind of neighbours.

A lot to do, but I think you'd make it your own.

Me and my fork.

No, we could do it, yeah.

-Let's have a look inside.

-OK.

Jackie can't wait to roll up her sleeves,

but first we need to see inside, which is packed with history.

-Come in, come in.

-OK.

This is a great point to really assess the layout of it.

And I love this one because I think it really flows

off of this central dining hall, as it were.

The kitchen is up there. Up those steps.

It's got a nice feel to it...when you walk in.

It's a lot better inside than out, yes.

-Do you remember yesterday we talked about the beam in that...?

-Yes.

Because this one came from Salisbury Cathedral.

-Really?

-Yeah. How about that?

-That's incredible, isn't it?

Can we see some more, please?

Yeah, let's have a look in here. This is the living room,

-with a whopping great inglenook fireplace.

-Oh! I didn't expect that.

-And another beam.

-Yes.

-That's not from the cathedral.

-Oh, dear!

I'm starting to notice a pattern.

I think so. Yeah. Yeah, on the roof.

This is offering more opportunity for us

because it has a lot more character.

I'm glad David and Jackie can see the potential of this property.

The possibilities continue in the kitchen at the back of the house,

as there's planning permission already in place

to extend this upwards and outwards into the garden.

On the first floor, there's a family bathroom and three bedrooms.

One of the doubles has a lovely stripped wooden floor.

And there's a smaller single as well as the master.

-Oh, this is a nice room.

-Isn't it?

It's a good size. It really is.

-It's great. It's really light.

-Yeah!

-A surprisingly high ceiling, actually.

-It's beautiful.

-I love the big windows, the ledges, the sills.

-Yeah.

So, this is the biggest project of the lot.

But now you've seen the inside, how are you feeling about it?

I really like this place.

-Let's go downstairs and talk about the price, shall we?

-Price... Oh!

-OK.

-This is going to be really interesting, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It is.

-Follow me.

Well, our mystery house has worked its magic again,

but it will require some cash to make those alterations.

So, will there be enough left in the kitty?

So, here we are, then, back where we started. We've explored the garden.

We've shown you what this property has to offer,

but is it one that you would want to take on?

What price is it worth to you two, I wonder?

It has work, but it has potential. And I'm going to guess 310.

-310, yeah, David?

-I think I'm going to have to go a little higher.

I think we're looking at around 325 for this.

Well, I think you're in the right territory

because this is on the market for offers around £330,000.

Now, saying that, it's been reduced to that figure,

they're keen to sell and this isn't going to be for everybody.

So, I think, you know, you're in the right area.

-It's a definite, I think.

-We are going to look at the maths.

-Do the maths and get creative.

-Yes.

Under their top budget by £70,000

and with the owner also open to offers,

this detached period cottage gives David and Jackie

a character property in the heart of a popular village.

A spacious hallway-cum-dining room, three bedrooms,

a challenging garden project and the chance to put their stamp on a home.

I think this has perhaps put the cat among the pigeons, has it?

It has.

-Lots of food for thought.

-Lots of redesigning going on.

-Lots of work.

I think it's really exciting, then. That's the key thing.

So, we've given you three options.

Time to make your considerations and your deliberations.

-I'm ready.

-Come on then.

Here we are at the end of the process. How are you feeling?

-Tired.

-Happy, though.

-Good. Well, let's go with the happy.

-OK.

What have you really taken away from it?

We've seen three very, very good houses.

-The last one we think was pretty exciting.

-The mystery house?

-The mystery house.

-OK.

-Yes.

Lots of potential there

and we've spent a lot of time talking about it.

When we got to the mystery house, I was really excited about it.

Now, in many instances, that would have been a very, very hard sell.

-Yes.

-You absolutely picked up the ball and ran with it straightaway.

I did because it's a blank canvas to me.

If we do get this house, I plan on making terraces

and doing something with the borders and something with the stone.

Wow! Wow! Really ambitious plans.

Yeah, we could see the potential there.

It sounds like you've bought it.

THEY LAUGH

-But not yet.

-No, we have to do our homework on it.

So, are we going to hopefully hear that you might have put an offer in?

-That's quite possible.

-Yes.

Erm, because we're probably going to go in

and do some talking to people today.

-Really?

-Yes. Yeah.

-Well, we better not keep you here any longer.

-No.

No, we have work to do.

-And a deal to be struck.

-Yeah.

-Well, this is very exciting.

Well, it's been a real pleasure, both of you,

having you on Escape To The Country.

We wish you all the very best of luck.

Thank you, Jules, it's been a real pleasure for us, too. It really has.

-It's been fantastic. Thanks a lot.

-Here's to you. Best of luck.

Well, throughout this house search,

I don't think David or Jackie have really shied away

from the challenges that they've given us.

Yes, we had a very generous £400,000,

but we were pitching it into a not inexpensive

and very popular local housing market.

But I think they found that in taking the long view

and deciding to renovate by spending that little bit less,

they will ultimately get an awful lot more -

a home they can really make their own.

I'll see you next time.

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