West Sussex Escape to the Country

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

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

Jerusalem.

But where is this "green and pleasant land?"

Find out in just a minute.

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

impressive UK properties they've been missing out on.

Gosh. Incredible.

It is remarkable. My goodness, what a hallway.

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

but can I find them their dream home?

You like it or you love it?

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

-Very cagey.

-THEY LAUGH

-So diplomatic, is that

-what happens when you live...?

-I like it a great deal.

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

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

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

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

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

of Georgian London.

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

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

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

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

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

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

West Sussex is situated in the south of England and is bordered by East

Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, and to the south is the English Channel.

Stretching across the county from east to west is

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

These chalk hills are considered some of the most important

rural landscape in Southern England.

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

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

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

Situated on a headland above the River Arun,

today it overlooks the popular market town below.

The county is peppered with historic monuments such as Cowdray House.

Built in the 16th century, it was destroyed by fire in 1793

and has remained a romantic ruin ever since.

With its easy access to both the coast and capital,

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

a not-too-remote slice of rural England.

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

unsurprisingly, with excellent train links up to London,

fantastic coastline, beautiful historic cities like Chichester,

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

The average price for a detached house here is £382,000,

which is £100,000 above the national figure.

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

Let's meet them, and find out.

Our house-hunters today are Dave and Jan

who currently live in Wanstead, London.

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

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

-We go back a long way.

-We go back a very, very long way.

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

but then we went our separate ways at 11,

then we reconnected at 18,

we got together, we got engaged, and we got married

when we were 24. Yeah, it's a long way when you look back.

It was, I believe, meant to be.

They had a family and were settling into their 40s

when a life-changing opportunity appeared.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We thought about staying in Asia when we retired,

because we did enjoy the lifestyle,

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

And there are some other things about the UK that they have missed.

As a family, we absolutely love sport,

so whatever sport is on or around, we'll go and see.

We love live sport, in particular football, that is our passion.

We didn't get very much of that in Asia at all.

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

We're looking just for a change, a change of lifestyle.

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

as you say, peace. A little bit more...just the opportunity to get

out and walk. It's now time for another adventure, I guess.

I guess we see moving to the country as the next adventure for us.

We're excited to be back,

we just need to find somewhere to live now.

THEY LAUGH

Dave and Jan want a slice of traditional Southern rural scenery

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

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

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

-Welcome, to West Sussex.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

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

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

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

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

-Sussex.

-Yes.

-West Sussex particularly.

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

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

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

the focal point to any family.

We have two boys and...

They come home, they come with friends. So to have that

would be number one for me.

Also to have a good living room space, too,

mainly for the same reasons, to have the family and to entertain.

So lots of sprawly space downstairs.

-Yes.

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

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

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

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

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

to entertaining our friends and our family,

especially those that we have made overseas, that have

all promised that they'll come and visit us.

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

would be wonderful.

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

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

What is your budget again?

The budget for the move is £950,000.

And we chose West Sussex because we just love the county.

We know it's going to be a bit expensive,

but we're just looking forward to this great adventure for us.

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

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

We want to be involved in the community because having lived

overseas for so long, and moving to a new county, we don't know anyone,

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

And style, are you fussed about the style, or age,

or condition of the property?

No, I think we're quite open-minded as to the style and the age.

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

-Yes.

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

-Yes.

That's what I love to hear. Open-minded and open to inspiration.

-Exactly.

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

-Wonderful.

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

-Yes.

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

-Thank you.

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

are looking for a large house with a minimum of four

bedrooms to accommodate visiting friends and family.

Jan would like a generous, sociable kitchen, they need

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

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

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

after 16 years abroad, should at least give Jan

and Dave a taste of today's property market.

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

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

either way, so let's get on the road

and see what our house buyers make of it all.

What are you planning to do, other than just retire and relax?

A lot of that will depend upon the community that we're in,

but we do enjoy sport, we've always loved sport.

Our boys love sport, so we'd certainly look at tennis,

and to be honest, fairly simple pursuits.

-Just being out in the country.

-Yeah.

Literally doing some country walks, just being able to enjoy

the countryside, which we haven't had for 16 years.

And in truth, living in London,

-we'd didn't have much then either.

-No, of course.

We're kicking off our house hunt in the middle

of the South Downs National Park, close to Petworth.

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

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

for independent boutiques, art establishments and antique shops.

Just over an hour from London and only 30 minutes to the coast,

it's a much sought-after place to live.

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

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

Well, this is our first property.

-Wow.

-Wow, OK, right.

-Amazing.

-That looks beautiful.

-It does look lovely.

-Yeah.

It's a beautiful location cos obviously

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

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

-Yeah, yes.

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

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

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

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

So the first impressions are good?

-Very good indeed.

-Yep, they are good, yep.

-Shall we have a peek inside?

-Yes, please.

-Please do.

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

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

the most of its incredible South Downs location.

And inside, the space is quite surprising.

-Come on in.

-Thank you.

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

-Oh, yes!

-..entrance hall.

-Yeah.

-It is.

-It is, it's high, yes.

It's higher than I was expecting.

Yeah, it's got a great feeling of space coming straight in, it

doesn't have that sort of...

-Sometimes cottages feel a bit tight.

-Yes.

-Well it's certainly not a cottage.

-No.

-No, absolutely not.

-THEY LAUGH

-Let's go look at the kitchen.

-Yes.

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

-Yes.

What do you think of the kitchen?

That is really lovely, it's beautiful.

-It's really nice, yeah.

-I love the big island in the middle.

-Mmm, it's huge.

-It's lovely.

-It's a lovely design.

Now, is there anything you're not so keen on?

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

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

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

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

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

-Right.

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

-Yes.

-OK.

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

-Yes.

-..kind of kitchen.

-That would work, yes.

OK, that's good, that's good.

-And as a kitchen, it works really well.

-It does, it's beautiful.

-Really well.

-I like it.

-Feels positive in the kitchen.

-Very positive, yes, very.

-That's important.

-Let's see if the living space matches.

-OK.

-OK.

Knocking the kitchen through into the enormous entrance hall

could offer them a good family space.

The living-cum-dining room is already a great

place for entertaining.

-Another big room.

-Oh, yes.

-Oh lovely.

It is absolutely lovely.

You've got double doors out on the terrace.

On both sides is see, which is great.

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

-I like it so far.

-You like it or you love it?

I'm liking it a great deal.

Very cagey. So diplomatic.

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

I like it a great deal.

Well this is a mostly mono-layered dwelling,

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

-OK.

-There is upstairs as well.

-All right.

How do you feel about that?

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

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

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

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

-Follow me.

-OK.

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

Wow, it's large, too.

It is, very large. My goodness!

It goes straight out on to the double doors on to the patio.

-Wow, that is beautiful.

-Yeah.

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

-with a very nice wet room.

-Uh-huh.

And a very big almost walk-in wardrobe

-behind these mirrored doors.

-That's lovely to have.

And also a floor-to-ceiling shoe cupboard,

-depending how many shoes you have.

-Really, that's there as well? Wow!

It's a space where you could do a lot with it,

in terms of furniture. It's just a nice big space.

-Are you mentally unpacking your containers?

-Yes.

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

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

'bedroom which shares a family bathroom.

'Upstairs, is the fourth and final double bedroom

'with its own en-suite.

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

You get a good view of the house from here,

and all the crazy pitched roofs.

-Yeah, that's right.

-Yes, incredible shape.

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

And again, that fantastic view behind.

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

sort of, this quite unusual triangular shape.

-Yes, probably good for us.

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

We're not looking for a big garden.

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

it can sometimes be useful storage space.

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

I think one of the great things about this property is

the potential to pull out the back,

because you've got this enormous patio space, you might not need

all of that, but you could easily, have a summer room, or an orange

room or something, coming out either one or both of the French doors.

-Yeah.

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

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

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

I'd be closer to 895.

This is on the market at 775.

-Oh. Gosh, wow.

-Oh, crickey!

That leaves a lot of money to play with.

That's what we were thinking,

-you'd have a good chunk of money there to extend if you want...

-Yes.

..to bring the house out and bring a bit more sort of space

-and square footage.

-Yes.

I mean, even sort of build a space for your gym.

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

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

-Yes, we could.

So why don't you go look inside and check out all the bedrooms,

see all the space and all the potential, thinking with that

-extra money what you might be able to do with it.

-Right.

I'll see you out the front

-and we can go to the next house.

-OK.

-OK, thank you.

This house might need some extending or remodelling to make it

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

there is plenty of scope for this.

It has an enormous master suite,

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

a large kitchen and spacious reception areas,

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

I think it's a beautiful family home. It's really lovely.

I like the kitchen very much indeed.

I would have liked to have had a table and chairs where we could sit

down and eat, but I think there's room to change that in some ways.

Beautiful location, you can't not enjoy the scenery around it.

It ticks a lot of our boxes. It probably isn't ideal

perhaps in terms of the space indoors, and I think the thing

we're going to have to think about is, are we up for a project?

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

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

-Sounds good, thank you.

-OK.

Just up the road from our first property

is the grand stately home of Petworth House.

Administered by the National Trust, it houses an internationally

renowned art collection and is set in 700 acres of deer park,

created by the famous 18th century landscaper Capability Brown,

who designed sweeping, naturalistic grounds

for many of England's great houses.

It also enjoys a significant place in the country's tennis heritage

which might be just the ticket for sports enthusiasts Dave and Jan.

We're sending them to meet Peter Symonds from the National Trust

to find out about the house and its sporting connections.

This is a beautiful place. How did Petworth House come about?

Petworth House was actually built in the 1300s by the Percy family.

It didn't really come into its own until the 16th century,

when the Eighth Earl of Northumberland ended up incarcerated

at Petworth, on the orders of Elizabeth I, for conspiring

with Mary Queen of Scots to put her on the throne in Elizabeth's stead.

And what about its sporting associations?

Well, the Percy family had a long running interest in real tennis,

dating back to 1588. By 1795, there were six courts here at Petworth,

and the courts here were only exceeded by the

Royal Palace of Hampton Court, so it was pretty significant.

And are the tennis courts still used at Petworth?

Yes, the Petworth Real Tennis Club is still here. It's a private

members club, and I'll point you in the direction of one of the pros!

-Thank you very much, lovely.

-OK. Thank you.

Real tennis is the original racquet sport from which

lawn tennis descends.

It's an indoor game, played on a unique court,

of which there are only around 20 in the UK.

Tom Durack is the senior professional

at Petworth Real Tennis Club.

So, Tom, when did real tennis come about and where did it start?

Well, it originated in France.

-A lot of people think it was started in this country.

-Right.

But no, went back to around the 12th-13th century.

And then it was popularised in this country by Henry VIII.

What are the differences between real tennis and lawn tennis?

The scoring is the same, but real tennis is an indoor game.

You've got four walls,

you've got a lot of different surfaces you can play the ball off,

lots of angles, you can use the side wall, the back walls,

-so really, it's more similar to squash than lawn tennis.

-Yes, yes.

-You mention the scoring's the same as lawn tennis.

-Yeah.

And I've always wondered, why do we have a scoring

system of 15-love, 30-love, 40-love? I've never really understood that,

does that go back to the origins of the game?

Absolutely, yeah. It's thought that when the game was played,

they used a clock face to keep score, there was

nothing else probably to hand. So obviously, 15, 30...

It was 45 but it was abbreviated

because obviously 40 is a bit shorter,

you know, to call. And that's how it evolved.

We've loved hearing about the game of real tennis.

We'd love to have a go. Can you give us some tips?

Absolutely, I think we should get on the court.

Why don't you guys go and get changed

-and I'll meet you on the court.

-All right.

-Thank you.

'With its sloping surfaces and yard line markings,

'the court is highly elaborate.

'There are several ways points can be scored, including -

'landing a ball in the back net, known as a dedon,

'by hitting a target called a grill and a shot in what's known as

'the winning gallery, where a bell sounds on impact.'

-OK, so we always serve from this end of the court.

-All right.

To get the ball into play, what we have to do is put the ball up

onto this slanted roof, and then it has to bounce,

at least once, between the white line and the join in the

corner at the other end, and then drop into the white outlined box.

Lovely. There you go, fantastic. And a very good serve as well.

-SHE CHEERS

-Very impressive.

All right, pressure's on now.

The first codification of the rules was published in 1599.

They are so extensive and complex it takes at least ten hours

of play for a beginner to understand them all.

So for first-timers Jan and Dave, having a bit of fun is what counts.

Oh, that's a winning shot! Very nice!

The Real Tennis World Championships are held every two years, but it

might take a while for Jan and Dave to reach competition standard.

Oh, that's in, that's a winning shot. Great play!

OK, well played, guys.

That was tremendous. I'm exhausted, Tom. Thank you so much.

-It was a pleasure. No problem at all.

-That was really good fun.

Thank you very much.

For our second property, we're travelling east,

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

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

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

There are shops, pubs and plenty of local amenities. And for

visiting friends abroad, it's just 15 minutes from Gatwick Airport.

And right in the heart of this desirable village

is our next property.

-Oh, this is amazing. Very different.

-This is different, yeah.

A very different offering, very different location,

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

-Yes.

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

-We are.

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

-Yes, yeah.

Within walking distance of the village, yeah.

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

It's imposing.

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

-Yes.

It looks very impressive.

-It is one of the big barns of the village.

-Right.

-It was built around 1790, so it's a listed property.

-OK.

-But the conversion into a dwelling was around 1999.

-OK.

So shall we have a look inside?

-Yeah, love to.

-Yes, yes, thank you.

'Those were good reactions to the exterior.

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

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

-DAVE LAUGHS Gosh! Incredible!

-It is remarkable.

-Amazing amount of space.

-Yes.

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

It's beautiful.

It's quite unusual to see them all the way to the ceiling,

and both ends, in one view.

I love the openness of it, I really do.

Could you imagine living here?

On entering it, yes. At the moment. Like to see more. Yes.

Like to see more. Yeah, I think that's right, it's...

First impressions of walking in, absolutely.

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

The reception areas on the ground floor

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

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

They have this as their sitting room.

-Oh, right.

-OK.

-You ducked when you really don't need to duck.

-Don't need to.

THEY ALL LAUGH

I realised that when I walked through.

-Just the instinct.

-You're at least a foot clear.

-It is instinct.

-Yeah.

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

You do have the one light here,

so you get the morning sun coming from this side,

so you get a little bit of light here.

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

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

-Yes.

-Right.

They've got windows on both sides,

-so you get light from both sides there.

-Right.

When you want to be quiet, and on your own,

I don't know whether a space needs to be away,

because even if you're over there, you could still kind of feel

you're open and accessible. So, I suppose, with the openness

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

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

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

-because I know that's important for you.

-OK.

-OK, thank you.

'Back down the oak staircase and located underneath the space

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

This is a more enclosed space.

Mmm-hmmm. There's space for an island.

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

I feel a slight dip in enthusiasm.

I guess because of the size of the hallway,

and the rooms upstairs, I think I was expecting it to be bigger.

That's all. It is still a beautiful kitchen, it really is.

-Now you might be wondering where you sleep.

-BOTH: Yes.

-Well there is another wing.

-OK, lovely.

On the opposite side to the main living space is

the first of two guest bedrooms.

The other bedrooms are in a wing of converted barn buildings

to the front and left of the main house.

Here there is a large double bedroom,

a family bathroom, which all leads down to the impressive main bedroom.

Here is the master suite.

Oh, this is lovely!

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

-That's beautiful.

-It's huge, isn't it? Massive.

-It is, it really is.

And a very nice en-suite.

-Wonderful.

-There you go.

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

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

converting the garages, which are huge, or maybe making

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

In the galleried areas. OK.

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

-Yes.

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

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

The garage would be amazing. I think there is a possibility that

-you could convert it, and make it actually a very lovely space.

-Right.

So that's pretty much the whole of the downstairs

-and the various upstairs volumes.

-Right.

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

-OK.

To the back of the barn are two garden areas,

a low-maintenance formal garden with gravel and topiary trees

and a raised deck area.

This is a rather nice addition, I think.

-This is lovely.

-It's like a sun terrace.

-Oh and it has a hot tub over there.

-Nice!

Very nice, very secluded, too.

So let's talk about price.

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

I would say 895.

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

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

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

-I always listen to my wife!

-THEY LAUGH

Really?

I'd like you to look at this building, this is the garage.

-Think about maybe the gym.

-Mm-hmm.

Or maybe even taking the doors off and putting windows in

-and making it in to some sort of guest room.

-OK.

-OK.

-Let's do that.

-I'll see you out front.

-OK, thank you.

For £55,000 under budget, this 18th-century barn conversion

offers incredibly spacious and quirky reception rooms,

a family kitchen-diner, just three of the four bedrooms Dave

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

with the leftover budget, and it's all located

in the centre of a sought-after commuter village.

Wow, that's an incredible size!

Oh, this is huge, yeah.

You could easily put your gym equipment in here.

It's a great space. It lends itself to do a lot with it.

It's in great condition.

It's really impressive when you first walk up.

I loved the scale of it. It's very high, it's very imposing.

I love the openness of the property, the high ceilings,

the beams, the colour of the wood, the light is just incredible.

I would have originally like four bedrooms,

but the three bedrooms are a very good size.

The garage is a great space. I think one of the things we need to

think about is, could we put a fourth bedroom in there?

Certainly, it would be great for Jan to put her gym equipment in there.

I mean, that is space we would want to be able to take advantage of.

Hello, guys. All done?

-Yes, we are.

-Yes, indeed.

-Enough barn for one afternoon?

-I think so.

-Oh, yes.

Well that's all the houses for today,

so we can go and rest and get ready for tomorrow.

-Thank you.

-OK, thank you.

Today's house hunt is in West Sussex, as our expat house hunters

return from Asia to look for their forever home with a very

healthy budget of £950,000.

Coming up, will the unusual choice of mystery house pay off?

It was a bit of a gamble bringing you here.

-It's very different to what we'd thought we were looking for.

-Yes.

And I explore an underground operation that could be

straight out of a sci-fi movie.

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

Of course you can.

Ooh, it's freezing!

Day two of our property search here in West Sussex.

Slightly damper morning,

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

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

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

It's interesting,

looking at their response to the two houses yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

part of the county, to the village of Donnington,

which is just outside the city of Chichester.

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

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

A canal links it to the village of Donnington in the south,

which it passes through, travelling on to Chichester Marina.

Donnington has some amenities, including a pub. And just back from

the main road, through a protective hedge, is our mystery house.

Come in to the secret garden of the mystery house.

-Amazing.

-I'm very excited to show you this

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

Right.

We're not entirely sure how old it is, cos this is an extra add on.

We think the original house is definitely pre-1670 because

it's got blocked up windows,

and 1670 was when the window tax came in.

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

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

-Yeah, I mean, clearly old.

Looks like a good size.

The inside is going to be intriguing as well.

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Pleased to, yeah.

-Yes.

'The oldest of all three properties,

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

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

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

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

-Come on in.

-Thank you.

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

-Yes, I am too.

-..a very lovely historical property.

And here's the sitting room.

-Oh, the smell of the real fire.

-That's right.

This is the real heart of the home,

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

-How cosy is that, yeah.

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

It really is a lovely cosy feel.

-It's actually a large space.

-Right, yeah.

Yes, it is. You can see that. This table is quite large.

And they use this as the dining room?

I think it is. The thing is, you've got lots of options

because through here, that's the kind of second

cottage, if you were, knocked through into one space.

-There's another sitting room through there.

-That's lovely to have.

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

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

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

we were looking for.

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

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

-And the possibilities...

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

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

-We need to see some more.

-We do, we do need to see more.

-Let's have a look at the kitchen.

-OK.

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

and a downstairs bathroom are all in, what was,

the smaller cottage on the left.

Coming back through the main sitting room takes you to the

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

Here's your kitchen.

Oh, my, it's a real cottage-style kitchen.

Yeah, pretty much.

-Farmhouse-style.

-Yes.

So this is more your domain, Jan, what are your thoughts?

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

They do have the lovely table and chairs in the middle,

-which is quite important.

-Yes.

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

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

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

I think there's lots to love.

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

Cos you were a bit disappointed we only had three

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

-Oh my!

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

There are two upstairs floors in this property,

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

Two are reasonable doubles in what was the additional cottage,

one is a large double with a dressing room,

and then there's the master suite.

So this is anything but a modern en-suite.

You see, these great big floorboards.

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

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

-Yes, lovely bathroom.

-It does.

-I love the bathroom, I really do.

-I love the wooden features.

Nice and bright.

I think probably what you want is that this bedroom is

served by this en-suite, and then the next bedroom on the other

-side has a sort of walk-in wardrobe, dressing room.

-OK.

-Oh, right.

So you'd probably want to have this whole floor as yours.

-Yes, that would work nicely.

-Right. Yep, that sounds appealing.

-Mmm.

'As well as all this sleeping accommodation, there are

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

You come up into the top of the house,

-still got very high ceilings for an old property.

-Oh, yes.

-This is a big room, too.

-This is a lovely room.

-Yeah.

With the brickwork, and the features there.

And then there's a second room round the other side

which has a little shower, sort of bathroom.

Bowled over actually by the amount of space.

I mean, there is just so much house.

Yeah, there's nothing conventional about the house.

You're kind of going round corners and you're finding things.

It really does make you think, it absolutely does.

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

so let's go and look at your grounds.

-OK, lovely. Thank you.

-Thank you.

The house is set in around half an acre of land

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

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

It's very beautiful from the back.

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

-Yes.

It's a lovely, traditional, English garden.

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

just a few miles from Chichester, costs?

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

I wouldn't have gone quite as high as 940, I'd be closer to 910.

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

-it's a guide price of 950.

-OK.

-It's um...

-You're right again.

-THEY LAUGH

-Three-nil.

-Well aware of that.

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

-I guess.

-Yes.

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

property offers a large, quirky home with stacks of character throughout.

There are two generous reception rooms as well as the much

requested kitchen-diner.

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

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

I was very surprised as we walked through the gates to see

the property, probably because of the age.

I wasn't expecting to see such an old property.

You know, it's one of those houses that I think if someone

asked me to describe the house now, I wouldn't get it right, cos there

are so many different features, there are so many different rooms,

so many different aspects to it, it's a remarkable house.

I absolutely loved the gardens, thought it was absolutely beautiful.

The inside of the property... I think, it's a lot of house.

Something quite as big as this, for just the two of us,

I think there would be a lot of space we wouldn't use,

and therefore, I'd wonder if that would make sense.

Really is a beautiful property.

I wonder if it is the property for them, that's the question.

-Hello.

-Hello there.

-Hey.

-All done with the mystery house?

-Yes, we are.

-Tick.

-Yes.

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

-OK.

-OK, great.

Set amidst the rolling South Downs is Wakehurst Place,

with its historic Elizabethan manor house and 465 acres of ornamental

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

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

And it's the site of an ambitious

and ground-breaking conservation mission.

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

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

been to Wakehurst, so what have I been missing?

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

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

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

But what are the highlights of Wakehurst

in terms of plants and trees?

It was most famous for two things, rhododendrons and camellias,

but we've been all around the world collecting new plants.

We probably have the best collection of trees now assembled

anywhere in the world, from all over the world.

I know that you do extraordinary work with seeds here,

how did that start?

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

as it's called, the loss of plants.

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

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

something really serious,

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

So by the time the early 1990s had arrived,

we'd got 2% of the world's flora.

Can we go and visit?

It would be my pleasure.

'The Millennium Seed Bank Project is the largest plant conservation

'programme of its kind in the world.

'The focus is on global plant life faced with

'the threat of extinction in their native habitat.

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

'a quarter of the world's plants.

'And it all happens in a

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

This is a marked change from the Elizabethan mansion,

what goes on here?

This is really like the centre of a bicycle wheel.

This is the hub, and all the spokes going out

are our partners all around the world, 50 or

so countries right now collecting seeds to go into this seed bank.

-So this is international seed HQ?

-It is.

So, in the long term, it's going to benefit us.

Right now it is.

-So can we go in?

-Yeah.

-Lead the way.

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

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

seed processing manager Janet Terry.

Ah, so this is the actual vault, Janet.

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

What happens to them when they arrive here?

A van will turn up with boxes of seeds,

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

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

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

at about 15 degrees centigrade and 15% relative humidity.

And under those conditions,

we kind of put them into suspended animation,

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

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

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

-And this is where they end up.

-Yes.

And it's effectively a freezer.

It is, these are run at minus 20,

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ooof! Gee, it's freezing!

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

-SHE LAUGHS

-A very cold sweet shop.

-Yes.

This is the end point of the process.

This is what you'll end up with,

with your seed collections in hermetically sealed jars.

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

-the preserving jars.

-They are, they are preserving jars.

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

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

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

This is like in a library, right?

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

It is like some kind of extraordinary kind of spice rack.

This room is just about filled now,

so we'll be moving on to the next room.

Amazing. Well it's a real...

Actually, it's a really fascinating thing.

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

Well they are, and so important as well.

Well, yeah, it's important.

-And very cold.

-And very cold.

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

-Thank you so much.

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

Securely held in case of future emergencies around the globe,

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

depths of the West Sussex countryside.

Sussex is at its most springy and beautiful, but have

we found the house that going to bring Jan and Dave to live here?

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

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

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

wondering, did you actually like any of the three houses?

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

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

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

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

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

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

What happens next, what is the next step?

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

The search continues with renewed energy, frankly.

I mean, as you say, all our stuff's in storage,

we still need to find a house and we're keen to do that soon.

This has given us extra momentum

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

Well, I really hope you do.

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

but fingers crossed that you find it!

Oh, it's been an absolutely brilliant week.

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

-and it has been so helpful to us.

-It really has.

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much. It's been terrific

-Been a pleasure.

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

all the way from Hong Kong and Beijing to this,

the green and very pleasant land of West Sussex.

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

of the house prices in this part of the world.

But they do have a very substantial budget

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

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

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

So join us next time for more of the same.

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