Surrey Escape to the Country

I'm at the highest point above sea level in the South East of England.

Higher even than the Shard. And if I look east,

the next highest point will be the Ural Mountains in Russia.

And this extraordinary elevation is due to the obsession of an

English country gentleman who wanted to turn his hill into a mountain.

Find out more in just a moment.

Today's couple searching for a new family home are American expats

looking for a true slice of British country living.

-It's cute!

-It oozes charm.

Just the kind of house we like.

And our house hunt leaves our home buyers lost for words.

I'm speechless. How is that possible?

I'm definitely in trouble now.

Today we're in the Surrey Hills and this is Leith Hill Tower.

Now, back in the Georgian period,

a mountain was defined as something over 1,000 feet.

Now, while Leith Hill is very high, it's only 965 feet,

so frustratingly short of the mark.

Now, back in 1765, the hill's owner, Richard Hull,

decided that was not good enough.

And so in order to bring it up to mountain category,

he built this impressive 65-foot tall tower.

It still is one of the best viewing points in the South East

and it's said on a clear day that you can see 13 counties

and the English Channel, but there's more to Surrey than just views.

One of the Home Counties surrounding London,

Surrey, to the capital's south, is bordered by Berkshire to the west,

Kent to the east and West Sussex to the south.

Despite its proximity to London,

84% of the county is classed as countryside,

offering a magnificent collage of fields and hills

in contrasting shades of brilliant green.

Traversing the region from east to west,

the Surrey Hills are home to over 150 miles of walking paths which are

a welcome attraction for visitors, who are greeted by

spectacular views at every turn.

Throughout Surrey, classic English villages

display the intricate architecture the area's famous for.

Tudor beams stand proud on whitewashed buildings,

tall chimneys peer out of steep, pitched roofs

and you can see beautiful examples of tile hanging,

where the decorative clay tiles are laid vertically.

So with its superb scenery

and excellent train links to the capital,

there's no denying this diverse county

makes for a very desirable address.

There's no getting away from it, Surrey is extremely expensive.

In fact, after London, there is

a no more expensive place to buy property in the UK.

The average price for a detached house here is, wait for it, £575,00,

which is more than twice the national average.

To put that into perspective,

if you crossed the border into neighbouring West Sussex

and bought exactly the same sort of house, you could save £200,000.

So I'm hoping that today's buyers have deep, deep pockets.

Let's meet them.

American childhood sweethearts

Matt and his wife Catherine have lived in the UK since 2004.

We met when we were both in high school.

We reconnected in New York about eight years later.

Yep.

And the rest is history.

And then moved to London shortly after that.

They've been in this two-bedroomed flat in North London for three years

with their two sons, Harry, aged five, and Hatcher, one.

But they've decided it's time to up sticks

and experience a more rural British life.

Peace and quiet is a big deal for us

and where our flat is now, it is right along a major road,

so we do hear the noise and the cars and the sirens.

So it would be nice to be away from all the traffic

in the countryside.

Matt and Catherine are expecting their third son in four months.

The full-time mum is already looking to a greener future

as their family grows.

I just think it's time. We've done the city.

We've enjoyed it, we've taken advantage of it

and now we're ready to be adults

and move on to the next stage of our lives.

But Matt isn't quite sure he's ready to let go of city life.

I could probably do a couple more years in London.

Um...but I do see the benefits of living in the country.

More space, more space for the kids.

Just a more manageable lifestyle.

But a move is on the cards and it's Surrey they've got their eye on.

It'll give them country living within arm's reach of the city,

as lawyer Matt wants to be less than an hour

from his job in central London.

Ideally, I would like my commute to be

between 40 and 50 minutes door-to-door.

We need the house to be somewhat close to rail links

because I don't drive.

I don't have my UK driver's licence.

I can drive, but not in the UK legally.

With their flat under offer and their new arrival imminent,

Matt and Catherine are ready to begin the search

for the quintessentially British country home.

What I love about British countryside are the rolling hills.

I love the idea of walking along the paths and just looking

at the greenery, and the sunsets and the whole idea of being outside.

We don't know too much about the area

but we have friends who have moved out there from London

and it seems like an interesting place to bring our family.

Our buyers are happy to consider anywhere in Surrey,

as long as there are good rail links nearby

to get Matt back to the city for work.

We are concentrating our search in the south of the county

which will give Catherine the more rural setting she is after.

So, before we start looking for a typically British pad

for our American buyers,

I want to find out a little bit more about their plans.

-Welcome to Surrey, guys!

-Thanks.

-We are all very excited about the third addition.

-Thank you.

Would you like to be in the new place before we get...?

-Ideally, if it's possible. That would be perfect.

-So, the pressure's on?

-The pressure is on, yes.

-Tell us again how much you have to spend?

Ideally, no more than £1 million.

I like to think we could stretch it if we had to.

I would like to think we could go lower if we had to!

£1 million? We like having £1 million to spend,

although Surrey is one of the most expensive counties in the UK.

That's what we've heard.

Tell me about the house and what you're actually looking for.

For the country, I think we're looking at a period property.

Some nice features inside.

Outside space, proximity to schools, just a few things.

I think the outside is more important to me

than the inside, so if the outside matches the original character

of the time period, then the inside could be updated.

Are you looking for something different?

You could say I am hesitantly enthusiastic

about moving to the country.

I like the country, I like visiting the country,

but we live in central London.

My commute is very simple right now.

All our friends are in London and we have the conveniences

of living in the city, so I'm a bit more torn than Catherine,

who is ready to get on her riding pants and move out to the country.

I think we're looking for a minimum of four bedrooms.

I would like to keep my commute to around 45 or 50 minutes

door-to-door.

That might be quite a squeeze,

so are you willing to be a little flexible on that?

-I'm always a little flexible.

-Very good.

We've got three lovely houses, one of which is the mystery house,

so let's go and have a look.

Sounds good, thank you.

There's no denying Matt and Catherine

have a very healthy budget.

They are looking for a character property with ample space

to accommodate their soon-to-be family of five.

And a big garden for their energetic boys to run around in.

Matt is the chef of the family

so he is hoping for a good-sized kitchen,

and with his job based in London,

he is willing to consider a commute into work of up to 90 minutes.

We've chosen some really stunning properties

which all have the centuries-old facade they love,

but each exterior hides a variety of characteristics inside

and they'll only discover the price tag once they've toured the house.

The final trip will be to the mystery house, which might not be

quite what they have asked for but will offer them

qualities above and beyond their wish list.

-What do you think of Surrey so far?

-I love it.

I love the open fields and the houses along the road, they are very pretty.

I'm very impressed.

Matt, it feels like I'm going to have to work on you,

on your country skills and your country enthusiasm?

Maybe a bit, we'll see. I'm trying to keep an open mind.

We're kicking off our house hunt towards the south of Surrey

in the village of Cranleigh, 20 minutes' drive

from the county town of Guildford.

Cranleigh is the self-proclaimed largest village in England.

Its name is said to be derived from the crane breeding grounds

which were historically found in the area.

The elegant bird is celebrated around the village.

The locality offers residents a good selection of shops

and eateries, as well as an attractive cricket green.

Just a mile south of the village,

our first property is an interesting mix of eras

with a colourful story to tell.

Come on in.

-Yes, that's gorgeous. I love it.

-This is your country house.

This could be it, Alistair! I'm excited. I love the view.

This is a very interesting, historic property you wanted.

This is as period as they come.

You can see it's in two halves.

-This half with the black and white dates back to around 1670.

-Wow!

This part is a bit later in the 19th century.

-It was, until quite recently, the '90s, a pub.

-Oh!

Called The Boy and Donkey. Actually, lots of locals remember coming here.

So where exactly are we right now?

We're quite south into Surrey, so to get this countryside,

you need to head to the south of the county.

It's a 45-minute train journey from Farnham back into London.

OK, and how far is the house from the train station?

We're 13 miles from Farnham.

Realistically, it's not going to be 45 minutes door-to-door.

This magnificent property couldn't be further removed from city life

and although the commute is longer than Matt would like ideally,

at one hour, 20 minutes from door to door,

it is less than the maximum journey time

of 90 minutes he is willing to travel.

We're heading straight for the kitchen,

the most important room in the house for keen cook, Matt.

-Step in these lovely concertina doors.

-Gorgeous!

Exposed beams over there are very nice.

It is more modern than I would have thought from the outside.

But modern is good, some nice appliances,

-I could do some pretty good work in here.

-It's a good size, too.

This is a later addition but you can see here, this would have been

the outside wall of the original 17th-century building.

This house is a veritable warren of rooms, both big and small,

and on the other side of the beamed wall is an imposing dining room.

-So here we are into the more historic part of the house.

-Oh!

The masterpiece of the room seems to be this inglenook fireplace.

It's also got very high ceilings,

which is unusual for these period properties,

-which I love.

-And double windows.

Through another old doorway, the sitting room is revealed

and with it, another handsome focal point.

-I think this inglenook might be better.

-I love it!

That is incredible.

This was the 19th-century part, so this was the pub.

We're in the snug bit, there would be a public sitting room next door.

And a proper inglenook.

A proper inglenook.

Do you know the definition of a proper inglenook?

It has the benches.

-Indeed.

-And it's a working fireplace as well?

-Yes, this is an open hearth so you can burn wood here.

-That's lovely.

On the ground floor, there's also a large master bedroom

in what would have been the main room of the former pub.

There is also a utility-room-cum-shower-room,

as well as a family room and study. You seem to be very positive?

I think this is the style that we like.

Certainly the exterior and interior,

this is what we are looking for as far as a period property.

So far, so good.

So, a pleasing start.

Moving upstairs are the rest of the bedrooms and the family bathroom.

We're starting off in the middle sized room, overlooking fields

opposite the house.

A beautiful view from this room.

Oh, yeah, this is gorgeous.

There are four rooms up here.

A smaller room over there and then there's a room

connected to another small room that has a back staircase.

Again, higgledy-piggledy.

There's a bathroom upstairs and the new bathroom downstairs.

Great, it's plenty of space.

Plenty of room for the kids and guests as well,

so that ticks the box there.

So, the inside of this property,

which has grown over the centuries, gives Matt and Catherine

and their growing brood more than the four bedrooms they've asked for.

I think they will be just as happy when we step outside.

You have an outbuilding there and a shed.

Some space for chickens.

The house itself is incredible.

I think you have nailed our style exactly, what we are looking for.

-Views are amazing.

-And it's safe.

I think the kids could safely play out here

and not worry about the road.

So there's a quirk in the freehold that I need to tell you about

that actually this line of trees here is actually your boundary.

Historically, this area is rented off a farmer for a peppercorn rent.

-OK.

-It's a weird thing that sometimes happens in the countryside.

So basically, you pay £1 a year to the farmer

to rent this space, but it's not uncommon.

OK. That's good to know.

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

That a good question. I'm not very good at this,

-I'll let Catherine go first.

-I knew you would say that!

I'm going to say 925.

I was going to say a little bit higher than that,

so I will go with 955.

The house has been on the market for five months

and it hasn't dropped from its original price,

which was, brace yourselves...

£980,000.

So there's lots more to explore inside and also in the outhouse

and I will see you around the front.

Perfect.

At £20,000 below their generous £1 million budget,

this converted pub goes all out

to give Matt and Catherine everything they're looking for

in their new abode.

It's bursting with centuries-old charm and period features

and has more than enough rooms for their two sons

and soon-to-be new addition,

as well as visiting family and friends.

With a journey time into work for Matt of one hour, 20 minutes,

it would make commuting from this charming home

with its stunning views a real possibility.

I love the character.

I love the beam work on the outside.

I love the old and new, even though the new is 19th-century.

My two main concerns about the house

is the proximity to the train station and the overall commute.

I think the second bit is the road right here in the garden.

It does tend to be a bit noisy and that is very noticeable.

-Wow!

-Nice little extra space.

-Yeah.

A playroom for the kids or for me!

Overall, top marks for the house, top marks for the views

and the outdoor space.

It's really just those two issues that give me a bit of concern.

This spring weather is really selling this property to me,

-is it selling it to you?

-Yes.

-Good.

Don't get sold too soon because we have another one lined up.

-Are you ready?

-Let's go.

In the far west of Surrey lies the market town of Farnham,

known for its fine examples of Georgian architecture.

The area is also historically recognised

for its pottery production, due to its rich supply of clay,

a fine grain soil and the raw ingredients of ceramics.

When Catherine was a student, she studied pottery

and it's something she's planning to take up again

in her new country life.

So, she and Matt have come to meet Guy Haynes at Farnham Pottery,

a local landmark he took over three years ago to learn

a little about the art form being produced here in Surrey.

Let me tell you a little bit about the pottery.

It's from the late 19th century

and it was what is called a country pottery.

Five generations were based here, just one family, the Harris family.

-Why is the pottery in this location?

-Just the clay.

If you dig down here, it is like cutting chocolate,

it is literally very wet clay and it is superb for making pots.

At their peak, the potteries would have employed up to 30 people,

each producing around 1000 items a week.

Up until 14 years ago,

these old red brick buildings were in a state of disrepair.

Slowly, Guy is renovating them

to be used as a centre for crafts for the local community.

It's been a labour of love

to restore the pottery to its former glory

and in just three months, the work will be complete.

We are now in the glaze room where they applied glazes

to the more decorative pieces that they made.

Do these represent the spectrum of colours that they would use?

Yes, I think if you were coming here

and wanting to tile maybe some of your kitchen area,

you would literally be able to walk up to this wall

and this represented the samples

of the colours they could produce for you.

That was then but today professional ceramicist Ashley Howard

rents the studio from Guy and he's going to show Matt and Catherine

the ancient art of printing on clay tiles.

The tiles are made from red terracotta and the slips,

the coloured paints they'll be using,

are made from stained liquid clay.

They don't always reflect the colour that you are working with.

For example, this actually turns blue when it comes out of the kiln.

The designs are painted onto strips of cloth and are applied in layers,

allowing each colour to dry slightly before the next pattern is added.

I love how, when you put it in the kiln,

you don't know what's coming out.

I haven't done it in a very long time, this is a big treat for me.

How are you getting on down there, Matt?

I think I have a masterpiece here!

The finished designs are left to dry for 10 to 15 minutes

before Ashley applies white slip, which will become

the background colour when they are transferred to the tiles.

This, we shall lay in position and apply a little bit of pressure.

Then, as we peel the cloth back, all will be revealed.

There is your finished tile. Now, Matt, the masterpiece!

Fantastic!

The tiles will take a week to dry before being fired in the kiln

to set and then again to glaze.

It's not an instant process, but it has beautiful results.

It will be worth it because when your work is fired and finished,

it will last for ever.

Thank you so much.

It has been an absolute pleasure, good luck with your house hunt.

Thank you, Ashley, so nice to meet you.

For our second property, we are heading to the east of the county,

to the village of Okewood Hill,

10 miles south of the market town of Dorking.

Just two miles away from Okewood Hill is the larger village of Ockley

offering Matt all the conveniences he likes at his fingertips,

but in a beautiful English countryside setting.

There are welcoming pubs,

a farm shop selling freshly picked local produce,

and that all-important train link straight back into the city.

A five-minute drive takes us back to Okewood Hill for a bite to eat.

-There you go, your first Surrey pub lunch. Is it good?

-Delicious.

Is this the sort of community feeling you're looking for,

-in terms of the area?

-A nice pub nearby is definitely important.

-Would you like to live near this pub?

-Where are you going with this?

-Would you like to live next door?

-That would be very convenient!

-Then, let's go and look at it.

-What! Wow!

Our second property is a five bedroom, double fronted period house

dating back to the late 18th century.

-What do you think?

-It oozes charm.

-This is great, just the kind of house we like.

-Is it?

-It is.

You said that about the last one, is this any different?

-I think it is very similar.

-Nice character, period house.

Interestingly, this was two cottages and it's now joined together as one.

-OK.

-It's a very typical Surrey style with these two gables

and the lovely wooden turned work above the porch.

Actually, the owner here works in the city and it takes him

exactly 90 minutes door-to-door to his desk.

Can you imagine this being your home?

-Certainly, the house from the outside, yes.

-Let's go in.

If they lived in this delightful character property,

Matt would have a slightly longer commute than he would like

to his office of one hour, 40 minutes,

but their dream setting is found in the south of the county,

which is further from the city.

Nevertheless, things have started well and long may that continue.

Come on in! Straight into the sitting room.

You can see this is where the two houses were knocked together.

That side used to be the kitchen of one house

and this has been knocked together as one big, long sitting room.

It's a nice space, very big.

I like it, it feels newer than the other house.

They have completely renovated it.

There was something more charming about the other one.

So there is a nice, sunny study at the end of the room, there.

-But it's the next room that I think you might like.

-OK.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-This is huge.

We thought this was a bit more what you had in mind

in terms of the big kitchen, dining space.

Absolutely, and it's much bigger. It's very nice.

I like the wood countertops and the old-school feel.

I like the butler sink, that is where I spend a lot of my time!

OK, very good.

This is, I think, a really lovely space, a big family breakfast room,

and it is heated, which is quite nice for a conservatory.

-That is nice.

-I'm getting a slightly dampened vibe.

I don't know if it's too narrow.

I don't know if it is because the rooms are very rectangular,

that that feeling is turning me off.

But I think this room is very appealing.

I like the way it connects to the old house.

-I've always wanted a conservatory.

-It's quite a property.

It continues, because we have another house to explore

in the dining room here.

This was the second half of the house. This is the dining room.

It's a very elegant room.

Through there is what they call the snug,

which was the sitting room of the original house.

The layout is perhaps more logical than the last house,

which was topsy-turvy.

We don't need logical, though, we're not very logical ourselves.

The kitchen may be a playground for cook Matt,

but Catherine has admitted there is something missing from this house,

but she's keeping an open mind.

Moving upstairs, there are two bathrooms, a single bedroom

and four bright doubles of roughly the same size.

We've come to one at the front of the house.

It's a little small, I don't really feel like a master bedroom,

but it's very quaint and very charming

and it does have high ceilings.

-It is a bit small, that's for sure.

-Is the upstairs growing on you?

I like the upstairs better.

I think it's maybe the square feel to the rooms

that I like and the higher ceilings.

It's definitely nice

but I think it lacks a bit of the quirkiness of the first property.

I can see why you would have chosen it for us, certainly,

-but it doesn't pull me in.

-It's not twanging on your heartstrings?

-It's not. It's not there.

-I don't think so.

It's clear Matt and Catherine are looking for something unique

in their country home

and although they were excited by this house's exterior,

the inside doesn't seem to match up for them.

Outside once again, I am hoping the garden

and the views might make them change their mind.

It's equally pretty from the back as it is from the front.

The garden, they haven't done much and you could do all sorts here.

There's another little plot here which used to be the veggie patch

but right in the corner, you get a fantastic view and you can see

Leith Tower which is, as I know, the highest point in the South East.

-You are a wealth of information, Alistair.

-I am.

I also know how much this house is on the market for,

so, what do you think the figure is?

-I'm going to go with 990.

-OK.

I'm going to stick with 955.

-So the same as last time?

-Same as last time.

-Actually, this is on the market at 995.

-Five!

So I think that's one each.

-But there's still more for you to explore. You know the drill.

-We do.

-Look around, I'll see you around the front.

-OK.

'Coming in at just £5,000 under budget,

'this period property gives Matt and Catherine all the space

'they need for their expanding family.

'The house is conveniently located just ten minutes' drive from

'a direct train link to London,

'but the trade-in for the beautiful rural location would be

'Matt's door-to-door commute of an hour and 40 minutes.'

I think it's a very pretty house.

I think it has a lot of charm and character, but I think for me,

when I go inside, it just feels a little, erm, maybe too modernised.

It was surprising to see the inside after seeing the outside.

I'm not sure it's the type of house on the inside

that would get me out to the country.

It's been a while since I've been in Surrey

and it's incredibly rich in birds.

The birdsong is amazing. Have you heard the lovely...

BIRDS SING

-It's hard not to.

-..birdsong?

-Yeah.

-Very nice.

-So we're all done for today, no more houses.

-OK.

-OK.

Time to rest up, but I do hear there's a good pub next door.

Oh, let's go.

'It's the second day of our property search in Surrey with US expats

'Matt and Catherine from London,

'who have a very healthy budget of £1 million

'and are ready to trade in the buzz of city life for a real taste

'of this green and pleasant land they now call home.

'They've still got the surprise of the mystery house to come...'

This is too much! We, this is too much, we can't afford this.

This is incredible.

'..and I'll be buckling up with Surrey's splendid motoring history.'

Ya-hey!

'On our Surrey house hunt, we've already seen two period properties

'full of the charm Matt and Catherine want

'in their English country home.

'But in our third property, the mystery house,

'we're offering them something really quite spectacular,

'but asking them to move further south.

'Crossing borders into West Sussex,

'not only will their pounds stretch further, but Matt would have

'a travel time into work of only an hour and five minutes.

'Our final visit is to the tiny hamlet of Old Holbrook,

'four miles from the market town of Horsham.

'Horsham is a handsome town with smart stone buildings steeped

'in history, and it'll give Matt and Catherine all the facilities

'they're used to, including plenty of shops and restaurants.

'A ten-minute drive takes us to our last house,

'and I'm convinced the property's attractive features

'will more than make up for its southerly location.'

-Look at that.

-It's exciting.

-Very exciting.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the mystery house.

Wow!

-This is a lovely cottage.

-Very impressive.

-Cottage?

-House. House.

But it has the charm, it has the charm is what I meant.

So we've moved you even further south,

across the border into West Sussex.

Further away from London, but...

-The commute.

-It's shorter.

-Wow.

-Is it?

Because Littlehaven is a village, it's a three-minute drive,

and the trains go every half-hour straight into London Bridge.

So actually this is the best commute.

-Alistair, you're a genius!

-Thanks, Alistair.

And that's just the commute, we haven't even started on the house,

which is I think a bit of a masterpiece.

It was a small farmhouse cottage,

and the present owner has completely transformed it.

I'm in trouble, I can feel it, I'm in trouble.

-I'm excited to go inside.

-Let's have a look.

-OK.

'Catherine admitted to me that exterior character is a must,

'but doesn't have to follow through inside.

'So I'm sure she'll be impressed by this four-bedroom extended cottage,

'which has been modernised throughout

'to an immaculate standard,

'making it a perfect blend of old meets new.'

Actually, rather unusually,

-I'm going to ask you to stop in the hall.

-OK.

Because this is quite an architectural feature.

-Yeah, this is a surprising contrast to the outside of the house.

-Yeah.

But you can see this is a taste of what's to come

-because the owner has...

-It's grand.

..yeah, exactly, made something grand from what was quite a modest

farmhouse by going right up to the very top of the attic in one space.

But it's open and airy and well done.

It looks very high quality.

'It seems Catherine's falling for the striking detail

'in this 20th-century house.

'But I think Matt is still quietly struggling with

'the thought of leaving the big smoke behind him.

'Maybe the kitchen will help him say goodbye to city life.'

This is nice. It's got the sitting area we were looking for,

plenty of counter space, plenty of storage space,

and, er, a really nice finish.

Very nice finish,

-and the sliding doors that open right out into the garden.

-Yeah.

-Amazing, amazing.

-I'm definitely in trouble on this one.

-It's gorgeous.

-Why do you keep on saying you're in trouble?

-It's gorgeous.

-It's...

He's scared of himself. He doesn't want to like it.

Scared of your own desire. Let it go, release the desire!

'Off the kitchen is a utility room leading to a car port and a garage.

'Moving into the middle of the house is a sizeable sitting room.'

-Oh, wow.

-Yeah, this is a wild room too.

This is a wild room.

That's a very interesting wood burner.

Beautiful oak floors throughout, real oak.

Yeah, that's a good sized room.

-And it flows very nicely into the kitchen...

-Mm-hm.

-..very comfortably.

Can you imagine yourself, after a hard day in the city, coming back?

Yeah, it would certainly be a nice place to come back to.

Are you getting the vibe, too?

Oh, my gosh. Right away.

There's no doubt. This is... This is it.

'The house seems to be selling itself.

'Catherine's hooked and, although he may not be admitting it,

'I don't think Matt's far behind

'as we move to the dining room at the front of the house.'

This is a lovely room, too. Mm!

-Wow.

-Yeah, this is nice. A great dining area.

What a lovely formal place if you had some friends round.

It's perfect.

'As we move upstairs, there's

'a clever use of space with a mezzanine study above the landing.

'There's a family bathroom, three double bedrooms, one with

'an en-suite and one with its own mezzanine level in the eaves,

'and the master, with views over the garden and surrounding fields.'

-Beautiful. With a balcony off of it!

-With a balcony, yeah.

-And the doors.

-I can woo you from the garden.

-You can serenade me, yes.

But, again, you can concertina those doors open so you could sit

-here in the evenings, because you get the evening sun.

-Yes.

It's beautiful. Gosh, I mean, this whole house is so immaculate.

-It is just incredible.

-Is this what you were thinking about as a master?

Yes. This is exactly what I pictured the master to be.

'But Catherine ain't seen nothing yet.'

-I have to say, I've seen some en suites...

-There's more?

This is an en-suite.

-A bit of a walk-in wardrobe, dressing room.

-Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.

-And welcome to the en-suite.

-You are kidding me.

-I'm definitely in trouble now.

-This is too much. This is too much.

We can't afford this. This is incredible.

This is just... This is a beautiful living space.

-You could live here.

-I mean, I could. I could, Matt. I could.

-OK, well, we can talk about that.

-OK. It's, like, my dream.

No pressure here, right? No pressure.

Matt's face is like, "Oh, God."

You can have the balcony off the master

and I can have the walk-in closet.

Isn't there a highway around here or something? Something to help me out?

-So we are getting the thumbs-up even from you?

-Yeah, thumbs up.

-Let's go into the garden...

-OK.

-..and talk money.

Money, money, money.

'The house sits in a third of an acre of land

'and, leading out from the kitchen, a stone patio overlooks

'a manicured lawn and endless country views.'

This is the garden.

You can see the boundary there with the hedge. So it's not...

not "massive" massive.

It's very maintainable, which is all that I care about.

Let's get a full view of the house.

-It's quite a property.

-It is.

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

-Why don't you go first?

I'll go first. I am going to say...

I'm going to say 1,035,000.

OK, that's a bit of over-budget.

Let's go with 1,050,000.

I'm afraid Catherine wins. 2-1.

-This is actually the cheapest property we're showing you.

-Oh.

-What?

-It's on the market for £965,000.

-That's very surprising.

-Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.

-I'm definitely in trouble now.

-I'm speechless. How is that possible?

-Well, because we left Surrey.

-We left Surrey.

-That's amazing.

-The only thing is that he has an offer on the table.

-Oh.

-So there's pressure.

-OK, well,

we have to discuss.

I think this is going to be a one-sided discussion.

-So, get inside, explore...

-OK.

-..and I'll see you out the front.

Great.

'This beautifully renovated home gives Matt and Catherine everything

'they've asked for and comes in a surprising £35,000 under budget.

'We've crossed counties to get here but,

'with an hour-and-five-minute commute for Matt,

'it's an easy journey into the city.

'But, with an offer already on the table, they need to act quickly

'if they want to get the keys to this impressive house.'

I think it is a very well put together home and I put

emphasis on "home" because I think it's very liveable, very comfortable.

And the only thing I'm imagining is my three boys destroying it.

It will never look this good.

It's great, you know. Outside it's, again, what we're looking for.

On the inside, not necessarily what we were expecting.

It's a bit of a modern twist but it still has the character

and the quirkiness we're looking for.

I could not have asked to see anything better.

So it's exciting.

What a pleasing house. Everything about it is pleasing.

Even the porch. Even the wood stack is pleasing.

Did you find anything you didn't like about it?

Not a thing for me.

-Not yet. Nothing.

-Nothing.

-I looked hard, too. I looked very hard.

You did. You were looking hard.

OK, let's go and get away from the magic house and see

if we can get some clarity.

Perfect.

Surrey isn't just home to rolling hills and winding paths.

At the turn of last century, 360 acres of farm

and woodland in Weybridge, a town to the north of the county,

became Brooklands, the birthplace of British motor sport.

I've come to meet Allan Winn,

director of the Brooklands Museum on the very site it all started.

I have to 'fess up that I'm not a big petrol head, Allan,

but actually the smell of oil in here is very evocative.

This is where it really happened

and you can still get the real spirit of what Brooklands was like.

Brooklands stands in the estate that, in the early 1900s,

belonged to local landowner Hugh Locke King.

He had a passion for motor racing,

something that was all the rage in Europe.

But, with our strict rules of the road,

it was struggling to make its mark in Britain.

Motoring was still really at its infancy in this country.

We'd really moved forward from a 4mph speed limit

to a 20mph speed limit.

-20mph?

-I know.

And no opportunity to go racing on public roads in this country.

That was really the impetus behind Hugh Locke King

building this amazing track.

'It was on a visit to a motor racing event in Italy in 1906

'that Hugh Locke King was shocked to discover

'there were no British competitors.'

There was nowhere in this country where you could legally drive

and, therefore, develop a fast racing car.

'The very same year it took 2,000 men nine months to build

'Locke King's vision,

'the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit.'

-This is the track?

-This is the track.

It was two-and-three-quarter miles round,

100-foot wide concrete all the way.

This was the biggest concrete structure in the world at the time it was built

and it was laid out

very much on the lines of a horse racing circuit.

'Between 1907 and 1939, over 1,200 races were held at Brooklands,

'including the first British Grand Prix, staged here in 1926.'

When did it close down as a track?

It closed with the outbreak of war in 1939,

so the last race was on the 6th August 1939.

I can see all the cars, are you going to give me a tour of them?

Yeah, yeah, by all means.

'The track never reopened and the aircraft industry,

'which was already on site during the war, took over the land.

'All was not lost and a remaining 32 acres now form the museum,

'which preserves the memory of Brooklands

'and its stretch of surviving track.

'Today around 40 magnificent motor specimens

'are proudly displayed in the museum.

'The majority from the heady days when Brooklands was alive

'with the sound of revving engines.'

This is the fastest car, ever, around the Brooklands track,

the Napier-Railton Special, built in 1933.

Eventually lapped here at an average of 143.4mph.

An average? What was its top speed?

The fastest it would have gone on the track here,

down the main straight, about 160/165.

Can we see the track? Can we see what's left of the track?

Yeah, we should take you up there and let you see it.

This is Edwardian concrete.

The bulk of this concrete is the stuff that was laid in 1906/1907.

-Is this your car?

-Yeah, this is my car, a 1929 Bentley,

absolutely ideal for driving on the Brooklands track.

Why don't you step aboard and come for a ride?

It's amazing how ambitious they were,

because they could have just done a flat circuit.

And it would have been a lot slower and it wouldn't have had

the enormous, iconic impact on the world of motor racing.

We'll just nip up here a bit so you can get a feel for what it's like.

My God! We're going really high!

So, in period, they'd be racing along here at

120-odd mile an hour at this bend.

I could do that all day, what a very pleasant experience.

Thank you so much, it's been a real joy.

'Driving around this track I can just imagine how exhilarating

'racing here must have been 100 years ago.

'In the coming months, Allan has plans to clear and restore

'even more of the surviving track,

'freeing up another quarter of a mile

'to hold motoring events, bringing life back here

'to the Brooklands circuit.'

By the end of all the property viewings, I think it was pretty clear to all of us

which of the three houses that Catherine and Matt liked the most.

What we have to do now is pin them down to their plan of action

and find out what happens next.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the first two houses

are really being blown out of the water by the last.

-Is that correct?

-That is correct.

I would agree.

What's going to happen next?

-I mean, they're keen to move, you're keen to move.

-Yeah.

That's a good question, we love the house

but we'd like to understand a bit more about where we are

and amenities and schools.

And, Catherine, are you feeling equally excited?

Yes, I am very enthusiastic.

I just, yeah...

Just like Matt, want to take a drive around the area,

figure out what the amenities are

-and then, hopefully, we will put an offer in.

-Oh...

-Wouldn't that be exciting?

-It would be very exciting for us.

Matt, you had doubts about this move. Are you convinced?

I think we could be there. I don't want to say anything definitely,

-but...

-You don't want to jinx it.

-Yeah, exactly.

It was a good property.

Finally, we did go out of your search area.

We are actually in West Sussex now.

I think it's positive that the commute is shorter

than the other two commutes.

That, for me, was my main concern, the commute

and, erm, if it's shorter in West Sussex,

that's even better.

-And cheaper.

-And cheaper.

I genuinely hope that you two do buy that house and move here

-because I do think you looked very happy there.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Well, best of luck, I hope it goes well. Thanks for taking part.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I know I should be level-headed and impartial,

but I really, really want Catherine and Matt to buy that house.

It wasn't in Surrey, it was in West Sussex

but I think it will be a lovely place for the three brothers to grow up.

I really hope that you join us next time for more Escape To The Country.

'Matt and Catherine were ready to make their offer on our final house

'but, after researching the area, they decided

'that a proposed nearby development was something

'they didn't want to live close to.

'And, after continuing their house search around Horsham,

'they found nothing that matched up to the mystery house

'and, with their baby on the way,

'they've decided to put an offer on a house in London

'and will enjoy city life for a few more years.'

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