Episode 4 Escape to the Country


Episode 4

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Transcript


LineFromTo

I'm standing on the very spot where it's said that William Blake

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200 years ago was inspired to write his most famous poem,

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Jerusalem.

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But where is this "green and pleasant land?"

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Find out in just a minute.

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Today, I'm showing a couple of returning expats what

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impressive UK properties they've been missing out on.

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Gosh. Incredible.

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It is remarkable. My goodness, what a hallway.

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At times, our courteous couple can be hard to read,

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but can I find them their dream home?

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You like it or you love it?

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-Yes. I'm liking it a great deal.

-Very cagey.

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-THEY LAUGH

-So diplomatic, is that

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-what happens when you live...?

-I like it a great deal.

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Today I'm in West Sussex. And behind me, the beautiful South Down hills.

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And it was here, in 1800, that one of our greatest poets,

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William Blake, came and spent three years of his life.

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In many ways, Blake was one of the original escapees to the country,

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because he spent the great majority of his life in the urban hubbub

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of Georgian London.

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But in that brief respite, here in the Sussex countryside, he did write

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one of his longest poems, Milton, and it's the first four standards

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of that epic that became known as Jerusalem, his most famous text.

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And it's nice to think that it was here,

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with this beautiful view just behind his favourite pub, that he was

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inspired to write some of the most iconic lines in English literature.

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West Sussex is situated in the south of England

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and is bordered by East Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire,

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and to the south is the English Channel.

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Stretching across the county from east to west is

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the South Downs National Park, which became a protected area in 2011.

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These chalk hills are considered some of the most important

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rural landscape in Southern England.

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At the foot of the downs, lies the imposing Arundel Castle. Originally

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built in 1067, but extended in the 18th and 19th centuries, it became

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one of the first English country houses to have electric lighting.

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Situated on a headland above the River Arun,

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today it overlooks the popular market town below.

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With its easy access to both the coast and capital,

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West Sussex is a much sought-after county for those after

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a not-too-remote slice of rural England.

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Let's think about property prices in West Sussex. Well,

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unsurprisingly, with excellent train links up to London,

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fantastic coastline, beautiful historic cities like Chichester,

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the county town, and lots of lovely property, it isn't cheap.

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The average price for a detached house here is

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£382,000, which is £100,000 above the national figure.

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So is that a premium that our buyers today are going to be happy to pay?

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Let's meet them, and find out.

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Our house-hunters today are Dave and Jan

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who currently live in Wanstead, London.

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They are a couple whose story together goes back a very long way.

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We actually met when we were at school, at the age of five, so um...

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-We go back a long way.

-We go back a very, very long way.

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We were good friends then, back at the primary school,

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but then we went our separate ways at 11,

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then we reconnected at 18,

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we got together, we got engaged, and we got married when we were 24.

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We literally never looked back.

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They had a family and were settling into their 40s

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when a life-changing opportunity appeared.

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I'd been working with the same firm, in London,

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since I'd left university, so since 1976, and absolutely

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out of the blue, I was approached to see if I would be interested

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in an overseas secondment. We thought, "Wow, Sydney, New York,"

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didn't really think Beijing, and we went for initially three years.

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We stayed for 16. It just... It was the best thing we ever did.

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But last year, Dave retired from his job and a new chapter began.

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We thought about staying in Asia when we retired,

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because we did enjoy the lifestyle,

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but to be honest, we wanted to come home, we have family here.

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The move back to the UK really marks the next episode in their lives.

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We're looking just for a change of lifestyle.

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I guess we're at that stage where we want a little bit more,

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just the opportunity to get out and walk.

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It's now time for the next adventure for us.

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Dave and Jan want a slice of traditional Southern rural scenery

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so we are looking at villages in the South Downs National Park as

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well as other Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty across the county.

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But before we begin, I need to find out a few more details.

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-Welcome, to West Sussex.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

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This must be quite a change from Beijing and Hong Kong.

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Very much so it is, isn't it, Dave?

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It is, yeah, and a welcome change, too, yeah.

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Well, it's a beautiful part of the country you've chosen...

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-Sussex.

-Yes.

-West Sussex particularly.

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What are you looking for, what should the house be like?

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Well, for me, my ideal home would have a wonderful kitchen.

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I do enjoy cooking, and I also find that a kitchen is

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the focal point to any family.

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Also to have a good living room space, too.

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So lots of sprawly space downstairs.

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-Yes.

-What about the garden, are you looking for lots of land?

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No. In China, we had no garden at all,

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no grass, so we're not used to big gardens.

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And guest accommodation? Cos it's just the two of you, isn't it?

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Yes, it is at the moment, but we're looking forward

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to entertaining our friends and our family.

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So to have four bedrooms, four decent-sized bedrooms,

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would be wonderful.

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Well you have, in your wisdom, chosen one of the most beautiful,

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but also one of the most expensive counties in the country.

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What is your budget again?

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The budget for the move is £950,000.

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And would you look to be in a village, or out in the middle

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of nowhere, or how are you thinking about it as a community?

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We'd like to be fairly close to the village if possible.

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And style, are you fussed about the style?

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It's really just finding something that captures our imagination...

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-Yes.

-..and says, you know, we can live here.

-Yes.

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That's what I love to hear!

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-Exactly.

-We have three lovely houses lined up, and er...

-Wonderful.

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-..I'd be very interested to see what you think.

-Yes.

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-So no time like the present. Let's go, follow me.

-Thank you.

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For a very healthy budget of £950,000, Jan and Dave

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are looking for a large house with a minimum of four bedrooms

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to accommodate visiting friends and family.

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Jan would like a generous, sociable kitchen, they need

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a manageable garden, and are after a location close to a village.

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But in a county that's a commuter hot-spot, it is in fact

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a tough call, but we have three great properties, which,

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after 16 years abroad, should at least give Jan

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and Dave a taste of today's property market.

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But I won't reveal the price tags until after each house-tour.

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And, as ever, the mystery house is a wild card which could go

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either way, so let's get on the road

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and see what our house buyers make of it all.

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We're kicking off our house hunt in the middle

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of the South Downs National Park, close to Petworth.

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Well-known as the location of stately home Petworth House,

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this market town has in recent years developed a reputation as a centre

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for independent boutiques, art establishments and antique shops.

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Less than ten minutes drive out of the town, down a quiet

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country lane and with a backdrop of the South Downs is our first house.

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Well, this is our first property.

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-Wow.

-Wow, OK, right.

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-Amazing.

-That looks beautiful.

-It does look lovely.

-Yeah.

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It's a beautiful location cos obviously

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this is the South Downs here, so South Downs hills.

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-Yeah, yeah. All we can hear is the birds. Fantastic.

-Yeah, yes.

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And the house is interesting itself. It was built around the shell

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of an old Victorian pump house, but it's pretty much a new build.

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Well, it certainly doesn't look like a new build,

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it looks like it's a character home. Yeah, so that sounds fantastic.

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-Shall we have a peek inside?

-Yes, please.

-Please do.

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This former pump house was converted in 2008 into a four-bedroom house.

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I think the appeal for Jan and Dave will be how it makes

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the most of its incredible South Downs location.

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And inside, the space is quite surprising.

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-Come on in.

-Thank you.

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-It's a lovely, big spacious...

-Oh, yes!

-..entrance hall.

-Yeah.

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-It is.

-It's a great feeling of space coming straight in, it doesn't...

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-Sometimes cottages can feel a bit tight.

-Yes.

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-Well it's certainly not a cottage.

-No.

-No, absolutely not.

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-THEY LAUGH

-Let's go look at the kitchen.

-Yes.

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-So this is a key room for you, so...

-Yes.

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What do you think of the kitchen?

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That is really lovely, it's beautiful.

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-It's really nice, yeah. It's lovely.

-It's a lovely design.

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Anything you're not so keen on?

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Often what we like to do is, Jan will be here cooking

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and I'll kind of be sitting nearby, just chatting.

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It feels like it's a kitchen where you cook,

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rather than where you'd actually spend a lot of family time, yeah.

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-That entrance hall is huge, and bright and lovely.

-Right.

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With some clever engineering, you could open this space up.

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-Yes.

-OK.

-So you'd have it as more of a sort of L-shaped...

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-Yes.

-..kind of kitchen.

-That would work, yes.

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OK, that's good, that's good. But as a kitchen, it works really well.

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-It does, it's beautiful.

-Really well.

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-Let's see if the living space matches.

-OK.

-OK.

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Knocking the kitchen through into the enormous entrance hall

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could offer them a good family space.

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The living-cum-dining room is already a great

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place for entertaining.

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-Another big room.

-Oh, yes.

-Oh lovely.

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It is absolutely lovely.

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You've got double doors out on the terrace.

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On both sides is see, which is great.

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Yes, lot of access out to the garden, plus the light, too.

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-I like it so far.

-You like it or you love it?

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I'm liking it a great deal.

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Very cagey. So diplomatic.

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Is that what happens when you live in...?

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I like it a great deal.

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Well this is a mostly mono-layered dwelling,

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-so most of the bedrooms are on the ground floor.

-OK.

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-There is upstairs as well.

-All right.

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How do you feel about that?

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Yeah, I quite like that, actually. So that's positive.

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One of the things we even said to ourselves as a "would like to have"

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rather than a "must have," would be actually a downstairs bedroom,

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if that was possible, and it sounds like we've got more than one.

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-Follow me.

-OK.

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Well, just as you ordered, this is a downstairs master bedroom suite.

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Wow, it's large, too.

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-It is, very large. My goodness! That is beautiful.

-Yeah.

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You've got a dressing area, en-suite,

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-with a very nice wet room.

-Um, it's just a nice big space.

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'As well as the sizeable master suite, there is another double

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'bedroom with patio access, and a further good-sized downstairs

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'bedroom which shares a family bathroom.

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'Upstairs, is the fourth and final double bedroom

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'with its own en-suite.

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'And out the back is where the house really makes sense.'

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You get a good view of the house from here,

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and all the crazy pitched roofs.

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-Yeah, that's right.

-Yes, incredible shape.

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There is, there's a lot going on there, yeah.

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And again, that fantastic view behind.

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So this orchard doesn't belong to you, the garden is this

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sort of, this quite unusual triangular shape.

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-Yes, probably good for us.

-That's probably plenty of space, thank you.

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We're not looking for a big garden.

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There isn't a garage as well, which isn't essential but, you know,

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it can sometimes be useful storage space.

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One thing Jan would like is somewhere to put some gym equipment.

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I think one of the great things about this property is

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the potential to pull out the back,

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because you've got this enormous patio space.

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

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God, that's an interesting question. I would think 850.

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850, yeah. I think I'd go a bit higher than that.

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I'd be closer to 895.

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-This is on the market at 775.

-Oh. Gosh, wow.

-Oh, crickey!

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Right, well with that amount of extra money in our budget,

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-we can do quite a lot to the house actually, but, yeah.

-Yes, we could.

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This house might need some extending or remodelling to make it

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perfect for Dave and Jan, but for well under their £950,000 budget,

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there is plenty of scope for this.

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It has an enormous master suite,

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three good-sized guest bedrooms for visiting family and friends,

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a large kitchen and spacious reception areas,

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and, most of all, it's located in a spectacular South Downs location.

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So it's a bit of a drive to the next property,

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but let's get in the car and head to house number two.

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-Sounds good, thank you.

-OK.

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Set amidst the rolling South Downs is Wakehurst Place,

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with its historic Elizabethan manor house and 465 acres of ornamental

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gardens and woodland. But this is no stuck-in-the-past country estate.

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The grounds are managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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And it's the site of an ambitious

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and ground-breaking conservation mission.

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I'm meeting the head of Wakehurst, Andy Jackson, to find out more.

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So, Andy, I actually live in Sussex but, to my shame, I've never

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been to Wakehurst, so what have I been missing?

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Well, this can be the start of your love affair of one

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of the world's most incredible collections of trees, but also the

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world's most important conservation facility in the Millennium Seed Bank.

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I know you do extraordinary work with seeds - how did that start?

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It started really as a response to the current extinction spasm,

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as it's called, the loss of plants.

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And in the early 1970s, there was the first ever Earth Summit.

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And my colleague here at the time decided that we needed to do

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something really serious,

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so we set about collecting seeds from all around the world.

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-Can we go and visit?

-It would be my pleasure.

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'The Millennium Seed Bank Project is the largest plant conservation

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'programme of its kind in the world.

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'The focus is on global plant life faced with

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'the threat of extinction in their native habitat.

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'This is something which affects as many as 100,000 species -

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'a quarter of the world's plants.

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'And it all happens in a

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'purpose-built, 21st-century facility.'

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This is a marked change from the Elizabethan mansion,

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what goes on here?

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50 or so countries are right now collecting seeds

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-to go into this seed bank.

-So this is international seed HQ?

-It is.

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-So can we go in?

-Yeah.

-Lead the way.

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The plan is to have amassed 25% of the entire world's

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wild plant species by 2020, and at the helm of the operation is

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seed processing manager Janet Terry.

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Ah, so this is the actual vault, Janet.

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Yes, this is our long-term seed store. We are now underground.

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What happens to them when they arrive here?

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A van will turn up with boxes of seeds,

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which will go upstairs into our processing labs and be unpacked,

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checked off, then they'll go into a dry room,

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where the moisture in the seed will be reduced quite slowly,

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at about 15 degrees centigrade and 15% relative humidity.

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And under those conditions,

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we kind of put them into suspended animation,

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so they're not going to germinate but they're not going to die either.

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After that, we'll take a little X-ray sample. And after that,

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they'll come down into this room and be prepared for storage.

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-And this is where they end up.

-Yes.

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And it's effectively a freezer.

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It is, these are run at minus 20,

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so these are long-term cold stores for seed storage.

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I feel a bit like James Bond. Can I go into the vault?

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Of course you can, but you'll have to put a coat on, I'm afraid.

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That sounds like a very good idea if they're minus 20.

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'At the latest seed count, there were over 34,000 wild plant species

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'held in the bunker, which is almost two billion seeds.'

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Ooof! Gee, it's freezing!

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Wow, it's amazing. It's like a sweet shop!

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-SHE LAUGHS

-A very cold sweet shop.

-Yes.

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This is the end point of the process.

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This is what you'll end up with,

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with your seed collections in hermetically sealed jars.

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These looks like these are the things you make jam out of,

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-the preserving jars.

-They are, they are preserving jars.

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And the reason these give a good seal is because not only have

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you got a rubber seal but you're clamping it as well, and hopefully

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they'll live tens, hundreds, possibly even a thousand years.

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This is like in a library, right?

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Yeah, library archive shelving to make the most use of the space.

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Amazing. Well it's a real...

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Actually, it's a really fascinating thing.

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You wouldn't have thought that seeds could be so fascinating.

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Well they are, and so important as well.

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Well, yeah, it's important.

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-And very cold.

-And very cold.

-So, let's go back into the warm.

0:16:190:16:22

-Thank you so much.

-Let's go back out. You're very welcome.

0:16:220:16:25

Securely held in case of future emergencies around the globe,

0:16:250:16:29

it's amazing to think all this is stored in the chilled

0:16:290:16:32

depths of the West Sussex countryside.

0:16:320:16:35

For our second property, we're travelling east,

0:16:410:16:43

out of the South Downs National Park to the village of Balcombe.

0:16:430:16:47

Once a rural farming community, today, due to its great train

0:16:470:16:50

links with London, it's become a popular commuter village.

0:16:500:16:53

And right in the heart of this desirable village

0:16:530:16:56

is our next property.

0:16:560:16:58

-Oh, this is amazing. Very different.

-This is different, yeah.

0:16:580:17:02

A very different offering, very different location,

0:17:020:17:05

-you were right down the end of a country lane...

-Yes.

0:17:050:17:07

-Now you're right in the middle of a village.

-We are.

0:17:070:17:10

-Very much so, which it's what we wanted.

-Yes, yeah.

0:17:100:17:12

Within walking distance of the village, yeah.

0:17:120:17:14

What do you think of the actual building? It's all of this...

0:17:140:17:17

It's imposing.

0:17:170:17:18

-I mean, you've got those enormous barn-style doors there.

-Yes.

0:17:180:17:21

It was built around 1790.

0:17:210:17:23

-The conversion into a dwelling was around 1999.

-OK.

0:17:230:17:26

-So shall we have a look inside?

-Yeah, love to.

-Yes, yes, thank you.

0:17:260:17:30

'Those were good reactions to the exterior.

0:17:300:17:33

'And as Dave and Jan are keen for their home to be a great

0:17:330:17:36

'entertaining space, I think inside could be a pleasant surprise.'

0:17:360:17:40

-DAVE LAUGHS Gosh! Incredible!

-It is remarkable.

0:17:400:17:44

-Amazing amount of space.

-Yes.

0:17:440:17:46

-And height and... My goodness, what a hallway!

-It's beautiful.

0:17:460:17:49

I love the openness of it, I really do.

0:17:490:17:51

Let's go upstairs and you can get a better idea.

0:17:510:17:53

The reception areas on the ground floor

0:17:540:17:56

and mezzanine levels offer over 100 square metres of living space,

0:17:560:18:00

which is flexible and could be adjusted to our buyers' needs.

0:18:000:18:04

They have this as their sitting room.

0:18:040:18:06

Because three sides are closed in, it actually has a cosy feel to it.

0:18:060:18:09

You can see on the other side, this is sort of the mirror image,

0:18:090:18:12

-the same sort of floor space on the other side.

-Yes.

-Right.

0:18:120:18:14

I suppose, with the openness

0:18:140:18:16

also comes maybe that lack of your own private space, perhaps.

0:18:160:18:20

Well, there may be other spaces that sort of contradict that,

0:18:200:18:23

as we continue our tour, but let's take at the kitchen

0:18:230:18:25

-because I know that's important for you.

-OK.

-OK, thank you.

0:18:250:18:28

'Back down the oak staircase and located underneath the space

0:18:280:18:31

'currently used as the study, is a country-style kitchen.'

0:18:310:18:35

-This is a more enclosed space.

-Mm-hm.

0:18:350:18:37

There is a table and chairs, so that works as well.

0:18:370:18:41

I feel a slight dip in enthusiasm.

0:18:410:18:44

I guess, because of the size of the hallway, and the rooms upstairs,

0:18:440:18:48

I think I was expecting it to be bigger. That's all.

0:18:480:18:51

Now you might be wondering where you sleep.

0:18:510:18:53

-Well there is another wing.

-OK, lovely.

0:18:530:18:55

On the opposite side to the main living space is

0:18:560:18:59

the first of two guest bedrooms.

0:18:590:19:01

The other bedrooms are in a wing of converted barn buildings

0:19:010:19:05

to the front and left of the main house.

0:19:050:19:07

Here there is a large double bedroom, a family bathroom,

0:19:070:19:10

which all leads down to the impressive main bedroom.

0:19:100:19:13

Here is the master suite.

0:19:130:19:15

-That's a great size, nice and light.

-That's beautiful.

-Huge, isn't it?

0:19:150:19:19

-It is.

-It is.

-And a very nice en-suite.

0:19:190:19:21

-Wonderful.

-There you go.

0:19:210:19:23

The challenge with this property is there are only three bedrooms,

0:19:230:19:26

as it stands, so you'd have to either look at maybe

0:19:260:19:28

converting the garages, which are huge, or maybe making

0:19:280:19:31

a sort of guest bedroom in one of those upstairs spaces.

0:19:310:19:33

In the galleried areas. OK.

0:19:330:19:35

You'd need to think about that in the context of your gym equipment.

0:19:350:19:38

-Yes.

-That might've been what we would've used a fourth bedroom for,

0:19:380:19:41

so, again, maybe the garage might be an option there.

0:19:410:19:43

-Let's just take a peek, there's a nice feature outside.

-OK.

0:19:430:19:46

To the back of the barn are two garden areas,

0:19:490:19:52

a low-maintenance formal garden with gravel and topiary trees

0:19:520:19:56

and a raised deck area.

0:19:560:19:58

This is a rather nice addition, I think.

0:20:010:20:04

-This is lovely.

-It's like a sun terrace.

0:20:040:20:07

So let's talk about price.

0:20:070:20:09

How much do you think it's on the market for?

0:20:090:20:12

I would say 895.

0:20:120:20:15

I would go a little lower, and I'd say 875.

0:20:150:20:18

875. In this instance, you should listen to your wife,

0:20:180:20:21

because she's spot on, 895 is completely right.

0:20:210:20:24

-I always listen to my wife!

-THEY LAUGH

0:20:240:20:26

Really?

0:20:260:20:28

For £55,000 under budget,

0:20:300:20:31

this 18th-century barn conversion

0:20:310:20:34

offers incredibly spacious

0:20:340:20:36

and quirky reception rooms,

0:20:360:20:38

a family kitchen-diner,

0:20:380:20:39

just three of the four bedrooms Dave

0:20:390:20:42

and Jan are after, but a huge garage space ripe for conversion

0:20:420:20:45

with the leftover budget, and it's all located

0:20:450:20:48

in the centre of a sought-after commuter village.

0:20:480:20:51

That's all the houses for today, so we can go and rest

0:20:510:20:53

-and get ready for tomorrow.

-Thank you.

-OK, thank you.

0:20:530:20:56

Day two of our property search here in West Sussex.

0:21:000:21:03

Slightly damper morning,

0:21:030:21:04

but it hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of Jan and Dave.

0:21:040:21:06

I've just seen them for breakfast and they're

0:21:060:21:09

still very keen to find their dream house here, back in the UK.

0:21:090:21:12

It's interesting,

0:21:120:21:13

looking at their response to the two houses yesterday.

0:21:130:21:16

It was almost like they were being incredibly polite, perhaps a sort

0:21:160:21:19

of Beijing-style diplomacy about the houses because afterwards, it seemed

0:21:190:21:22

that they weren't quite as keen as they seemed as we walked round.

0:21:220:21:25

So, for the mystery house, we're going to show them something that is

0:21:250:21:28

very distinctly English, and very old. Let's see what they think.

0:21:280:21:32

For our mystery house, we're travelling to the southern-most

0:21:320:21:35

part of the county, to the village of Donnington,

0:21:350:21:38

which is just outside the city of Chichester.

0:21:380:21:41

Chichester centres on its Norman cathedral and is today a hub for

0:21:410:21:45

shops, boutiques and is a generally an interesting and well-kept city.

0:21:450:21:49

Come in to the secret garden of the mystery house.

0:21:490:21:53

-Amazing.

-I'm very excited to show you this, because it's quite

0:21:530:21:57

-a different offering, cos it's an old property.

-Right.

0:21:570:22:00

First impression is very different from what we've been looking at,

0:22:000:22:04

-but that's...that's OK.

-Yeah, I mean, clearly old.

0:22:040:22:07

Looks like a good size.

0:22:070:22:08

The inside is going to be intriguing as well.

0:22:080:22:11

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Pleased to, yeah.

-Yes.

0:22:110:22:13

'The oldest of all three properties,

0:22:130:22:15

'this is a 17th and, in parts, 16th century Grade II listed property.

0:22:150:22:20

'It's effectively two cottages knocked into one to make

0:22:200:22:23

'a six bedroom house, but it's big and it's quirky, and after life

0:22:230:22:28

'in modern Asian cities, will they love or loathe its eccentricity?'

0:22:280:22:33

-Come on in.

-Thank you.

0:22:330:22:35

I'm excited to see what you think about this, this is...

0:22:350:22:38

-Yes, I am too.

-..a very lovely historical property.

0:22:380:22:41

And here's the sitting room.

0:22:410:22:43

This is the real heart of the home,

0:22:430:22:45

there's a great big fireplace with those lovely alcoves on either side.

0:22:450:22:48

-How cosy is that, yeah.

-It is, isn't it, the warmth of the room.

0:22:480:22:51

It really is a lovely cosy feel.

0:22:510:22:52

-It's actually a large space.

-Right, yeah.

-Yes, it is.

0:22:520:22:54

-There's another sitting room through there.

-That's lovely to have.

0:22:540:22:58

So I suppose it was a bit of a gamble bringing you here, because,

0:22:580:23:01

you know, you didn't say that you wanted an old, character property.

0:23:010:23:04

Yeah, it's very different to what we would have thought

0:23:040:23:07

we were looking for.

0:23:070:23:08

Yeah, and sometimes you can see something that you think you

0:23:080:23:11

really didn't want, and then it captures your imagination.

0:23:110:23:14

-And the possibilities...

-Now, I have to ask, is that happening?

0:23:140:23:17

LAUGHING: I like what I've seen so far, so...

0:23:170:23:20

-We need to see some more.

-We do, we do need to see more.

0:23:200:23:22

-Let's look at the kitchen.

-OK.

0:23:220:23:24

The second sitting room, along with a utility-cum-boot room

0:23:260:23:29

and a downstairs bathroom are all in, what was,

0:23:290:23:32

the smaller cottage on the left.

0:23:320:23:34

Coming back through the main sitting room takes you to the

0:23:340:23:37

other side of the house, and the kitchen-diner.

0:23:370:23:40

Here's your kitchen.

0:23:430:23:44

Oh, my, er...

0:23:440:23:47

It's different from anything I've seen before, very unusual.

0:23:470:23:51

I can't quite read what you're thinking,

0:23:510:23:53

whether you're being polite and diplomatic, or whether you're...

0:23:530:23:56

Er, I'm just, er, I suppose it's surprised me, really.

0:23:560:24:00

I think there's lots to love.

0:24:000:24:02

Is it really what we want? I just don't know at this stage, yeah.

0:24:020:24:05

Cos you were a bit disappointed we only had three

0:24:050:24:07

bedrooms in the last house, we have six bedrooms in this one.

0:24:070:24:10

-Oh, my!

-OK, we're not short of space upstairs, clearly.

0:24:100:24:13

There are two upstairs floors in this property,

0:24:140:24:17

and on the first level are four of the six bedrooms.

0:24:170:24:20

Two are reasonable doubles in what was the additional cottage,

0:24:200:24:24

one is a large double with a dressing room,

0:24:240:24:26

and then there's the master suite.

0:24:260:24:28

So this is anything but a modern en-suite.

0:24:310:24:33

You see, these great big floorboards.

0:24:330:24:35

And this here, I mean, this is used as the master bedroom, but you

0:24:350:24:37

have the pick of all six bedrooms which one you'd have as yours.

0:24:370:24:41

-Yes, lovely bathroom.

-It does.

0:24:410:24:43

-I love the bathroom, I really do.

-I love the wooden features.

0:24:430:24:46

Nice and bright.

0:24:460:24:47

'As well as all this sleeping accommodation, there are

0:24:470:24:50

'two further bedrooms up a staircase into the eaves.'

0:24:500:24:53

You come up into the top of the house,

0:24:540:24:56

-but still got very high ceilings for an old property.

-Oh, yes.

0:24:560:24:59

-This is a big room, too.

-This is a lovely room.

-Yeah.

0:24:590:25:02

With the brickwork. Bowled over, actually, by the amount of space.

0:25:020:25:05

A lot of space inside and actually quite a lot of space outside,

0:25:050:25:08

so let's go and look at your grounds.

0:25:080:25:10

-OK, lovely. Thank you.

-Thank you.

0:25:100:25:13

The house is set in around half an acre of land

0:25:130:25:16

with a lawned area to the rear, with mature shrubs and fruit trees.

0:25:160:25:20

If you step back here, you can see the house much more clearly.

0:25:200:25:24

It's very beautiful from the back.

0:25:240:25:25

-You can see all the original brick and flint work.

-Yes.

0:25:250:25:28

It's a lovely, traditional, English garden.

0:25:280:25:31

OK, let's talk money. How much do you think this property,

0:25:310:25:34

just a few miles from Chichester, costs?

0:25:340:25:36

I would put it near the higher end of our budget, at 940.

0:25:360:25:40

I'd be closer to 910.

0:25:400:25:42

Hmm, well this is right at the top of your budget,

0:25:420:25:45

-it's a guide price of 950.

-OK.

-It's um...

0:25:450:25:48

-You're right again.

-THEY LAUGH

0:25:480:25:50

-Three-nil.

-Well aware of that.

0:25:500:25:53

Yeah, it's a big historic property in a very desirable area.

0:25:530:25:56

-I guess.

-Yeah.

0:25:560:25:58

For bang on their maximum budget, this historic Grade II listed

0:25:590:26:03

property offers a large, quirky home

0:26:030:26:05

with stacks of character throughout.

0:26:050:26:08

There are two generous reception rooms as well as the

0:26:080:26:11

much-requested kitchen-diner.

0:26:110:26:13

With six bedrooms, there's plenty of room for visiting guests

0:26:130:26:16

and gym equipment, all set in a manageable half acre of land.

0:26:160:26:20

-Right, let's find a place to gather our thoughts.

-OK.

-OK, great.

0:26:210:26:24

It's been lovely showing you around. I have to say, you're both

0:26:290:26:32

so polite and so kind of... You've been living in China, you're

0:26:320:26:34

very good at sort of being kind of being civil. But I was wondering,

0:26:340:26:37

did you actually like any of the three houses?

0:26:370:26:39

I think there's something we liked about all the houses, Alistair.

0:26:390:26:43

I think the variety of houses we were shown was invaluable.

0:26:430:26:48

Well yes, can you say that anything has come into focus?

0:26:480:26:51

What I believe has come into focus is the fact that we know for sure

0:26:510:26:55

that West Sussex is the county that we want to be in. We thought

0:26:550:26:59

that from the beginning, but this has just reinforced that for us.

0:26:590:27:03

What happens next, what is the next step?

0:27:030:27:04

Because you've got lots of stuff in containers needing to find a home.

0:27:040:27:08

This has given us extra momentum

0:27:080:27:10

and I know that we'll find our dream home here.

0:27:100:27:13

Well, I really hope you do.

0:27:130:27:14

Sorry we didn't get it for you this week,

0:27:140:27:16

but fingers crossed that you find it!

0:27:160:27:18

Oh, it's been an absolutely brilliant week.

0:27:180:27:20

We've so enjoyed it, we've enjoyed the experience,

0:27:200:27:22

-and it's been so helpful to us.

-It really has.

0:27:220:27:25

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much. It's been terrific

-Been a pleasure.

0:27:250:27:28

You've got to admit that Dave and Jan's is a great moving-house story,

0:27:310:27:35

all the way from Hong Kong and Beijing to this,

0:27:350:27:38

the green and very pleasant land of West Sussex.

0:27:380:27:41

And also imagine the shock, after 16 years in China,

0:27:410:27:43

of the house prices in this part of the world.

0:27:430:27:46

But they do have a very substantial budget

0:27:460:27:49

and I'm sure they will find what they want.

0:27:490:27:51

Sometimes, unfortunately, we on the show don't quite get it right,

0:27:510:27:54

but that's what makes Escape To The Country so charming.

0:27:540:27:57

So join us next time for more of the same.

0:27:570:28:00

'If you'd like to escape to the country'

0:28:000:28:02

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0:28:020:28:04

or maybe even further afield to the Continent -

0:28:040:28:07

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0:28:070:28:10

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