Northumberland Escape to the Country

This sheltered oasis is home to a warm and humid microclimate,

ideal for growing exotic plants that otherwise would not

prosper in this part of the world. Find out where I am

and how this incredible garden was made in just a moment.

On our house hunt today, gardens become a bit of an issue.

It's a lot smaller than we would like.

But there are other important considerations too.

Any down sides, any worries?

It's not quite close enough to the pub.

-It's a two minute walk instead of one.

-It's at least 50 paces.

Today we're in Northumberland and these are the amazing

Quarry Gardens of Belsay Hall, which was built back in the beginning

of the 19th century by Sir Charles Monk, who basically dug up the

stone for it from his own garden and had it excavated so it looked like

a romantic ravine with ornamental ponds and this amazing arch.

It was inspired by Monk's two-year grand tour of Europe.

Particularly by the ancient Quarry Gardens of Sicily

and as you can see, it still provides an ideal climate

for these exotic plants that don't usually flourish this far north.

Northumberland is the most northern English county, bordering

Scotland to the north, Cumbria to the west and Durham to the south.

The county's landscape is rich and appealing - offering large swathes

of farmland and forest, well-preserved villages

and a beautiful coastline with rocky shores,

wide sandy beaches and rolling dunes.

Heading south and inland lies the attractive market town of Morpeth.

Nestled in the Wansbeck Valley, it is the administrative centre

of the county and offers a history stretching back 1,000

years to the Norman conquest.

One of Morpeth's most famous landmarks is its beautiful

clock tower.

To the south of the county and towards the popular Tyne Valley

lies a constant reminder of its stormy past - Hadrian's Wall.

Built in the 2nd century AD on the orders of Emperor Hadrian,

it marked the northwest limit of the Roman Empire.

Heavily garrisoned, it was designed to control the movements of

people and goods across the border.

Today, it forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Northumberland is full of surprises and such beautiful landscapes,

it's hard not to see the attraction of this unspoilt region.

Northumberland's a great mix of rural countryside and history,

but it's also good value when it comes to property shopping.

The average price for a detached house here is £220,000,

which is £48,000 less than the national figure,

although there are regional differences.

If you want a well-connected market town with a good

catchment area for schools, then you might pay a third more

than in some of the small mining villages in the area.

So, what is it that's attracted our buyers here today?

Let's meet them and find out.

Today's buyers are Michelle and Steve.

Michelle is from the town of South Shields in the Northeast,

but yearns to live somewhere more rural.

She works as a lecturer in marine studies, while Steve is a

marine engineer.

They're keen to buy their first house together in the

Northumberland countryside and have just started renting locally.

But as they've both been overseas on business for the past month,

they haven't spent much time together so far.

Michelle and I met on a passenger ship some years ago.

I was working as an engineer in the engine room

and Michelle was a deck officer on the bridge

and we ended up on the same watch routine together.

-So that's how we met.

-Yeah. We became friends, didn't we, yeah?

-Yeah, we were friends first.

-Yeah.

It's exciting times for them as they are soon to tie the knot.

Me and Steve are getting married.

We've got a month to go now, so countdown's on.

Steve is originally from London and has recently made the move north.

The appeal of Northumberland for me

is you have the countryside on your doorstep.

The people are really friendly.

Just the way of life is very relaxed.

Although they've just moved in together, they are more used

to living apart.

It's going to be an interesting challenge for both of us at first.

-Yeah.

-I think I've lived on my own for a very long time, so to then

have to live with somebody it's going to be very different.

An imposter. Yeah.

No, we'll be all right.

As long as he helps with the housework it'll be fine.

-Yeah.

-HE LAUGHS

In their spare time Michelle and Steve have many interests,

but perhaps their biggest passion is astronomy.

The interest in stargazing came from Michelle actually because she,

being a deck officer, she knew a little bit about it to start with.

So, I bought Michelle a telescope one Christmas a few years ago

and we've been sort of learning more and more ever since then.

They both seem to know what they want from the new house.

What we're looking for in the new property is a minimum of three

bedrooms and a nice garden and also plenty of storage, I think.

Yeah, we've got quite a bit of, quite a bit of stuff, I think, yeah.

Getting married and moving into their own home is really

going to make a difference.

I think the move will change our lives for the better,

because we'll actually have a normal relationship.

Because for six years we've never properly lived together.

We've either been working on a ship and then when we've both come

to work ashore, I'm in the Northeast and Steve's been in London.

So we've had to travel every weekend.

So for us, just things like coming home from work

and cooking dinner together or even just watching TV together,

it's something that we haven't really been able to do properly.

So, just to try and get normal and settled.

A big improvement for both of us, I think.

Even if I pick up the Northeast accent.

You can do quite a good impression though.

Our buyers are flexible on the property's location, although they

do need to be within fairly easy reach of South Shields and Newcastle

respectively for work, and they would prefer a village location.

Before we begin our search, I'm meeting them to dig a little

bit deeper into what they're after.

-Welcome to Northumberland, you two.

-Hi, Alistair.

-Sort of a home from home for you?

-Just a bit, yeah.

But a new home for you,

because you've sort of just moved up here to work here.

Yeah, very recently. Yeah, moved up from London.

It's very different to London, of course, but I really enjoy it.

-This will be the first house you've bought together?

-Mmm.

Yeah, yeah. We're getting married and so actually it's going to be the

first time we've lived together properly,

-so it should be interesting.

-Yeah. Hmm.

THEY LAUGH

Good. And how much longer have you got in the rented accommodation?

Just a couple of months left now.

A couple of months, so the pressure's on yeah.

-So the clock's ticking?

-Yeah.

Oh, right, OK, we'd better get cracking.

What exactly are you looking for? Tell me about your dream home.

Dream home.

Well, we want something hopefully that is a property with character.

Maybe something slightly older,

-but doesn't necessarily need to be too old.

-OK.

We'd like a detached if possible, but semidetached, possibly yeah.

-That would work too?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, that's it.

And not so crowded, you know, to the neighbours.

It seems like everybody's on top of each other.

We want a bit of space and a nice garden as well.

-Yeah. A garage, of course.

-A garage.

We've got quite a long list. And a nice kitchen.

I'd love somewhere with a real fire or the potential for a log burner

or something like that. We'd like the house to have some storage.

Yeah, yeah. You know, we do need a bit of storage.

What sort of stuff are you storing?

Don't say shoes. THEY LAUGH

I've just got rid of loads of clothes and shoes,

so you can't say it's all for my stuff.

No, it's just we've got some hobbies that we want to start

-and get involved in and things, so we'll just...

-Stargazing?

Yeah, we love that, so we're hopefully somewhere where

-there's not too many street lights.

-And remind me again of your budget.

Budget - £300,000.

Well, I mean, your budget is really healthy.

There's lots of property out there.

We'd better get cracking then. The car's this way.

Michelle and Steve have £300,000 to spend.

They'd like a village house with a generous kitchen to satisfy

their interest in cooking.

They're after at least three bedrooms and would like a

good sized garden.

We have three impressive properties to show them, but I won't be

revealing the price tag until we've completed each tour.

The last will be the mystery house, which is chosen to challenge

what they think they want in a home.

So, do you feel kind of that you will be agreeing or can you

already see points of contention?

I think we're kind of along a similar line, aren't we?

Yeah, I think we're in agreement now.

I think we both know what we want and I think there might be

some things that I'm more bothered about than Steve.

So, what are you more bothered about then, Steve?

Mostly the storage actually, funnily enough, yeah.

-He's more for storage and stuff.

-So, you want a man cave?

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

I want a woman's cave as well.

-His and her caves.

-Yeah.

Our first house is in the hamlet of North Togston, which is just

outside the coastal town of Amble.

Amble is a busy town which lies at the mouth of the River Coquet.

Today it's a fishing centre and has many leisure boats and a boat club.

It's just over a mile away from our first property in North Togston,

which is built of stone and set in a beautiful location.

Here we are. House number one.

Oh, it looks good. Yeah, it looks lovely.

-It's cute, yeah.

-As you can see, it's not detached.

Part of a little community. But we thought you'd like it here

-because there is absolutely no light pollution whatsoever.

-Yeah.

-You can see the Milky Way from your garden.

-Yeah, wow.

Steve, if you just spin around a bit, over here...

-Yes.

-Yes.

And do you know how many of those belong to you?

-At least one.

-Two.

-Two.

-Excellent.

-His and her garages.

Initial first impression is nice. I like the little front garden.

It's quite low-maintenance as well, isn't it?

Yeah, just excited to see inside.

-Do you want to peek inside?

-Yeah, let's.

-Yes, please, yeah.

The house was built 14 years ago, but it has lots of character,

so I hope it will appeal to them.

Straight into the kitchen.

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, it's nice.

Is it nice?

-It's a little bit smaller than I would have liked.

-Yeah.

But I like the cooker. It's lovely.

I like the units. You could just move in, couldn't you?

And you've got quite a nice sort of utility room,

-boot room through there.

-Oh, yeah.

So, it doesn't feel so cramped though, does it?

No, it's nice. I like it, yeah.

So, good. So, marks out of ten for the kitchen?

-6.5.

-Yeah. I was going to say between six and seven.

Yeah, I'm the same.

-So not top, but OK.

-Yeah.

Let's move through to the sitting room. Straight across.

This is where all the room is.

-Yeah.

-Oh, that's lovely. Nice and bright, isn't it, yeah.

It's got a nice fireplace there as well. What kind of fire?

Yes, it's a multi-fuel burner, so you can put coal or wood.

I could imagine being quite cosy when it's on.

It's a good size.

They've divided it with a sort of dining room at this end,

cos it's nearer the kitchen,

and then you've got the French doors going out into the gardens.

You could just move in. It's immaculate.

Yeah, it's lovely.

You've got a downstairs bathroom and an upstairs bathroom as well

and you've got three bedrooms, but two are upstairs and one downstairs.

-OK.

-So we can explore those.

The third bedroom is along the hallway.

It's a good size and being used as a second sitting room.

This is what they use as the master.

-Oh, lovely.

-It's the biggest by far.

-Oh, wow.

The first thing I noticed was just the view. Wow, yeah.

-It's a light house.

-It's a lovely sized one, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's the sort of size we're looking for.

-Yeah.

-I mean, for a bedroom, yeah.

-There's more inside than I thought.

Just obviously from outside it looked relatively

small from the outside.

But actually, the rooms are a lovely size when we've came in.

Yeah, yeah. So, is it creeping up from 6.5?

It is, yeah. Yeah, overall, good vibes.

Excellent. Let's look outside, because the garden's not huge,

but it's very pretty.

So, it's a little jewel of a garden.

It's very pretty.

But it's not huge.

It's a lot smaller than I would, than I think we would like.

Is that a deal-breaker do you think?

I think it would probably be a deal-breaker for me personally,

I think. I don't know about you.

Yeah, I'd have to agree. Yeah, it is very small.

So, what do you think it's on the market for?

I'm going to say I think £280,000.

-Steve.

-I'd go a bit higher, I think. About £285,000.

Well, that's a very accurate guess.

Steve, in fact, you are completely correct.

It is on at £285,000.

So it's a little slice of Northumberland,

-but maybe too little.

-Yeah, unfortunately yes, a bit too small.

Head back in there and I'll meet you at the front.

OK, thank you.

The first house is on the market

for £15,000 less than their budget

and would offer them

a pretty stone cottage.

The small kitchen is compensated for

by a huge lounge/dining room.

There are three bedrooms,

two bathrooms

and a small paved back garden.

It's fairly well placed

for their commute,

being 30 miles from South Shields

and 26 from Newcastle.

Oh, it's fantastic. I mean, you could get all of your stuff in.

Up the top, you could put your...

-Yeah, there's plenty of room for the bikes.

-Yeah.

What I particularly liked about the property was, let's say,

the look of the house from the outside.

It's a very pretty, quaint-looking property.

I also like the views, the surrounding area.

It's very quiet, but it looks very beautiful as well.

The property itself, it's immaculate inside.

You could just move in. I liked all of that.

In particular, I liked the double garage that comes with

the house and also the living room.

There's plenty of space for what we would need.

Lots of storage, of course, and I think we could make it our own.

At first I could see myself living in the house.

When you come inside it's lovely and bright, lovely and airy.

Unfortunately, the outside is a bit of a deal-breaker for me personally.

-OK, guys, first house done.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Don't despair.

Up the coast in the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

lies the attractive fishing port of Seahouses.

The large village is credited with being the birthplace of

modern-day kippers or smoked herrings.

Our buyers enjoy cooking together, so we've arranged for them to

get a flavour of Northumberland by meeting ex-fisherman

Patrick Wilkin, whose business uses time-honoured techniques to smoke

this local delicacy.

So, how important would you say the kipper is to Northumberland?

They say the kipper was invented in Seahouses in 1843 by a man

called John Woodger. It was all done by accident.

He had some sheds with his herring in and they went on fire one night.

While trying to salvage the fish out,

they liked to smoky taste, so it was all really done by accident really.

Like, trial and error.

So, whereabouts do you actually smoke the fish?

One of our smokehouses is just at the top of the hill there,

which is just a five-minute walk.

The stocks of local herring are now a fraction of what they used

to be years ago, so Patrick has to get his fish from Norway and

Iceland, where supply is plentiful.

Patrick and his wife's business operates out of the original

smokehouses which have existed on this site since the 1800s

and which remain faithful to the traditional methods of that time.

This is one of our biggest smokehouses.

They say they've been smoking here since about 1843.

So, why do they actually smoke the fish?

Well, I've heard of salting fish before to preserve it.

Yeah, it was all to do with preserving, the curing

and a different taste really was in the smoking.

When they first started doing the kippers,

the fisher lasses used to gut and prepare the fish on the street.

Now we've got machines that split the herring.

So, after they've been split, the herring go in a brine,

which is like salt and water, for curing purposes.

Then they get drip dried then put straight in the smokehouse.

There are two types of smoking.

Hot smoking cooks the food and cold smoking just flavours it.

So it has to be cooked separately.

Patrick cold smokes his herrings.

They lay piles of oak-wood shavings, which burn and provide heat,

and they top this with oak sawdust, which smoulders to flavour the fish.

Two or three fires are needed to finish the process.

The herring are hung on hooks about seven feet above.

We use oak sawdust because it's the way that they've done it

right from the very start and it's a nice flavour.

The kippers are in for about 12-15 hours before they start coming out.

Oh, wow.

Once the herring is cold smoked,

it becomes a kipper and needs to be cooked.

Patrick's wife Karen likes to cook kippers by immersing them in

boiling water, the old-fashioned way, which is known as jugging.

Basically, the kipper was originally jugged

and it's a very simple method. It cooks it. It preserves the oils.

Everything is really juicy and lovely about it.

Right, so if you want to pick a kipper, pop it in a jug, a vase,

anything that you think will not crack if you put boiling water in.

-Like that?

-Yeah.

And then just pour the water in up to the bottom of the tail.

Just pour it in there.

-Absolutely perfect.

-OK.

Any old plate that's lying around, just pop it on the top

and literally that is jugging a kipper.

Leave it for four to six minutes.

That's basically the old-fashioned way of cooking a kipper.

So, are there any other ways you can cook the fish?

Jugging is the traditional method, but you can grill it,

barbecue it, put it in the oven, microwave it.

Literally, it's a versatile fish.

So yeah, don't be frightened to try it any other way.

-Right, OK, this looks ready to eat.

-Oh, yes.

If you bring it out slowly, you can see how it's curled around,

how the skin's nearly off, it's come away from the bone,

and then you just use your fingers to eat it.

So, literally tuck in.

-Here goes, thank you.

-Thanks.

Enjoy.

-Oh, wow.

-It tastes good?

-Oh, it's lovely.

It's really a deep smoky flavour. That's amazing.

I've only had them grilled before, but that's got much more texture.

-Moisture as well.

-It's lovely.

-Good.

-It's really sweet.

Thank you very much for showing us around.

-It's been a great experience.

-Thanks. We really enjoyed it.

Thank you very much.

House number two is in the village of Hedley-on-the-Hill,

which is three miles from Stocksfield.

Stocksfield is a commuter village, with a station offering a

half hour journey to Newcastle and then on to South Shields by metro.

There are several shops here, which are useful to those living in

Hedley-on-the-Hill.

The house we're showing them is brick built and in a good

location near a pub and with stunning views.

-House number two.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Love that, yeah.

-Wow. Yeah.

-Love it.

That's just what I've been looking for, from the outside.

-Really?

-Yeah, I love it.

-Well, that's a result.

-Yeah, definitely. Really, really nice.

-What about you, Steve?

-Yeah, very positive feelings.

-Yeah. Uh-huh.

-This is a wonderful property. It's detached.

-Yeah.

-It's all yours. It's beautifully built.

How old do you think this property is?

-Less than 100 years old.

-Oh, I was going to say 50.

-That is such a, you know...

-I've got no idea. 50.

It was built 19 years ago.

OK. 19?

I would have thought it was older than that, yeah.

Any down sides, any worries?

It's not quite close enough to the pub.

-It's a two-minute walk instead of a one.

-It's at least 50 paces, yeah.

You've got this lovely little front garden and it's got, I think,

lots and lots that will recommend it to you.

-OK. I'm excited, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I can't wait to get in and have a look.

-Let's get in then.

Excellent.

This house is bigger than the first property and offers plenty of

storage, which I know Steve is after.

This is the killer thing.

-Oh, wow, it looks lovely.

-Maybe you'll like it.

-Yeah. Look at that.

-Wow.

That is some view, isn't it?

You didn't ask for a view, but we've given you one.

It's an amazing view and you've got a lovely

-kind of conservatory to take the best of it.

-Yeah.

But also a very nice sitting room. You've got a dining area there.

-It's lovely, isn't it, yeah?

-Yeah.

It's nice and bright. It's a lovely nice sized room.

And it's a nice room as well, yeah.

I like the fire and you can imagine it being nice

-and cosy in the wintertime.

-Yeah.

So, what are your thoughts now you're inside?

First impression, I still really like it, yeah.

Yeah, this is a really nice feeling.

It's a really comfortable room actually, this is.

So, this is the living area. Let's have a look at the kitchen.

I'll just lead on.

It's an important room for you.

OK.

Does it pass the test?

-Yes. It's a nice size, isn't it, yeah?

-Yes.

-Of course, the range.

-Yeah.

That's what I want, yeah.

This is obviously a bit bigger,

because you've got a space for a four-chair table there.

Good. We've got a small table at home, so it'll be nice just to

-sit in the kitchen with it and have a cup of tea.

-Yeah.

-It's really a good size. There's plenty of room.

-Yeah. Uh-huh.

Through there you've got a utility room, a downstairs loo

-and the door out to the garage.

-So you've got your utility as well.

Yeah, that'll be good.

The garage is single, but it's a good size, with plenty of

space for bikes and bits and bobs.

On the first floor, at the top of the stairs, is the family

bathroom, which is surrounded by four bedrooms.

All of them are light and well-proportioned rooms.

And those to the rear of the property enjoy far-reaching

views across the open countryside. One of which is the master bedroom.

It's a nice size.

They've got quite a big wardrobe in here as well.

-Yeah, plenty of room.

-So, all the bedrooms are this sort of size?

These two on this side are slightly bigger

and the ones on that side are sort of small.

But all four are doubles.

I could get my nice dressing table there I've already got.

-Oh, she's moving in.

-I'm claiming that, yeah.

-It's a good sign.

-Yeah. It's lovely.

Who wouldn't want to see that every morning?

-So, there you go.

-Yeah.

-It's passed the test?

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-All you've got to do is see the garden.

The garden at the back of the house is lawned with a patio area

and has amazing views over the Cheviot Hills.

Ah, that is a glorious view.

-Wow.

-That could be yours every morning.

Yeah, it's fantastic.

So, you've got all of that and then the garden.

-Is it big enough?

-It's bigger than the last garden, yeah.

It's bigger than the last garden, which is not difficult.

Yeah, I think you know, we've got to think maintenance-wise.

We're both quite busy, so I think it's a nice size.

But I think the conservatory as well, you know, you can

just sit out there. That'll just be lovely.

I mean, I can't say this for definite, but the owners have

said that this field behind, there's the chance that you could buy

-a portion of it and extend back to where that hedge is.

-OK.

Like I say, this is a good size.

This would fit in with our lives, wouldn't it?

Because it wouldn't take too long to look after.

But it's a very pretty garden as well.

Well, the big question is can you afford it?

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

Straightaway, I'm going to say top end of budget, if not slightly over.

I'm going to say £300,000.

I'm going to say our budget, because it's four bedrooms.

You've got that.

You've got a nice location as well, I think.

Are you going to say top, full budget?

Yeah, all things considered.

Four bedrooms, conservatory and that view.

£315,000 I think.

Well, you're both wrong,

because the house is actually on the market for £1 less than your budget.

OK, I was quite close.

You were both very close. It is £299,999.

OK.

And I should tell you this.

There is another person interested in this house who made an offer.

-Yeah.

-But because they're not in a position to proceed,

the owners have kept it on the market.

So, I'm just letting that sit with you,

-because you are in a position to proceed.

-Yeah.

So, it's something to kind of add to the mix.

Definitely, yeah. It's a beautiful house.

I really, really like the house.

I can see you two here.

Yeah, I could see myself. Well, I can see Steve there as well.

-You can, yeah.

-Can you see yourself there?

I can, actually, even with the garden. It's less to mow.

SHE LAUGHS

He's thinking less work. That's his motive.

More time in the pub, OK.

Well, have a little sniff inside and, you know, have a

nose round in the garage and stuff. And I'll see you out the front.

-OK.

-Thank you.

In through the lovely conservatory.

Oh, yes. That's more like it.

It is fantastic.

That's the sort of response we want.

Particularly for a house like this

which is absolutely beautiful and perfect for those two.

They should put in an offer.

£1 under their top budget,

this detached stone house offers

beautiful views.

There's a kitchen/breakfast room,

conservatory and four bedrooms,

as well as small gardens

back and front.

The house is around 33 miles from

South Shields and 19 from Newcastle.

But there is the added bonus

of a station nearby.

This is another good sized room, isn't it?

Yeah, it's really good.

It's deceiving from the outside, isn't it?

Yeah, I wasn't expecting this.

-All the rooms have double beds and you've got loads of space.

-Yeah.

The emotion I felt when I first saw the house was one of excitement,

very warm feelings.

You know, wow, you know, look at this place.

And those feelings just got more positive as we walked

around the house.

I'm really impressed with the house. I really like it.

It's a really, really nice house

and it's one that I could see as a family home as well.

Initially, when I first saw the size of the garden

I did think it was a little small.

But actually, the view just overtakes that, to be honest,

and I think it's a sensible sized garden.

Also, the amount of storage that's available

is very much on my wish list.

This house is a serious contender.

I could see myself living here.

-So that was a good end to the day?

-It certainly was, yes.

Ah, there you are. Two down, we've got one to do tomorrow.

Let's sleep on this one.

It's the second day of our property search in Northumberland with

Michelle from South Shields and Steve from London.

They're about to get married and are house hunting on a budget of

£300,000.

Coming up, our mystery house offers some inspiration.

-It is a beautiful spot.

-You could imagine just sitting out here

-on a morning or an evening, yeah.

-Oh, yeah, this is perfect.

And I discover how a house in rural Northumberland was at the

forefront of technological progress in the 19th century.

He used to sit on a glass-legged stool in there,

because the 110V DC was a little volatile

and there would have been a fair chance of electrocution.

It's going to be hard to improve on the house that we showed Steve

and Michelle yesterday,

because that, I think, would be their perfect marital home.

But the mystery house has to be shown

so we thought we'd give them something different.

Well, it does give them a much bigger garden,

but also a very different layout.

Let's hope they like it.

Our mystery house is in the village of Warkworth, a mile from the

coast and the town of Amble.

Warkworth is a big village with a well-preserved medieval castle.

Situated on the River Coquet, it's popular with visitors because

of its history and location.

The house is an impressive converted country hall, which has been

sympathetically divided into individual homes.

-The mystery house.

-OK.

-Well, this is actually the oldest property we've shown you.

-Right.

This dates back to 1855. It's had a chequered history.

It was burnt to the ground and rebuilt.

It's been an old people's home, it's been a caravan park

-and now it is six separate dwellings, all freehold.

-OK.

And yours is this central one, with the most historic arch.

OK. That's a very nice story, isn't it?

It's definitely a fantastic entrance.

-It's very different, its character.

-Yeah, it's very impressive.

-Uh-huh.

But we were thinking this would be a very good spot for the...

-Yeah. Telescope, yeah.

-Yeah, I was thinking that too.

-Stargazing Central here.

-Very promising.

-Yeah.

Because you've got no lights whatsoever.

-Yeah, I imagine it's very dark here.

-Nice and dark, yeah.

-And I'm not going to show you inside straight away...

-OK.

Because one of the things that has been

-floating around is your desire for a garden.

-OK.

So let's look at the garden first.

It's a big, expansive garden. By far the biggest we've shown you.

The three houses here have all three strips.

-It's a beautiful garden though. No, it's lovely.

-It's nice, yeah.

But me personally, I'm not too sure how I feel with a shared garden.

I'm not really one for like a communal garden.

I don't how comfortable I would feel coming and sitting out here.

I feel quite exposed. There's people... I don't know.

It's just me personally. I don't feel very private.

It's you personally buying the house. That's quite important.

Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. It feels just really open

and I don't feel that I could really relax.

-I feel quite exposed sitting here.

-I feel similar.

Yeah, I'd probably feel more comfortable with a clearer boundary.

-Yeah.

-So a sort of a question mark over the garden.

-Well, let's see if the house will sway you.

-OK.

Well, that didn't go down well.

But I think this house could work for them.

It was converted only 15 years ago and is in beautiful condition.

Come in.

So come into the back and then you can see the full

extent of this much more open-plan offering.

But it's sort of all done up in a very modern way.

Yeah, the kitchen's very modern as well, isn't it?

It looks pretty new.

I didn't expect an open-plan living room/kitchen actually.

And dining room as well, yeah.

I think, for me, there's a lot going on in one space.

I'm not really... Me personally, I'm not really a big fan of open-plan.

I don't mind your lounge and dining together,

but to have the kitchen as well, unfortunately it's not for me.

If I'm sitting trying to relax, I don't want to, you know, and

-someone's cooking...Steve's cooking away in the kitchen...

-Someone?

-Making smoked kippers.

-Yeah, if Steve's cooking away or something

like that, I would like a separate relaxing space or dining space.

Well, so the garden's a bit of a no, no.

The kitchen is a bit of a no, no.

Maybe the upstairs bedrooms will blow you away.

-We'll have a look, yeah.

-Yeah, that's right.

We can always hope.

Upstairs there are three double bedrooms.

A real plus for visiting guests.

There's also a family bathroom with a corner bath.

This is the master. It's very nice and bright upstairs.

All the bedrooms have big high skylights.

Lets in lots of light.

And, of course, this one has these amazing windows and an en-suite.

Yeah, it's a lovely room. Really nice.

But, you see, that's fantastic out there. A lovely view.

But it does have this. Come and look at this.

Oh, this is brilliant, yeah.

-This really is a great addition to any house, I think.

-Oh, wow, yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-A bit of a breakfast balcony.

-Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's lovely. What a view.

-Morning coffee.

-Yeah, beautiful.

-It is a beautiful spot.

Yeah, a lovely view of the gardens as well.

You can imagine just sitting out here on either a morning or an evening.

Oh, yeah. This is perfect.

I imagine it could be great sort of star spotting from here?

Oh, yeah, you could leave the telescope as well here.

-Oh, yeah.

-Set that up.

Because it seems like this is the only feature of the house

-that you've really liked.

-Yeah. Yeah, I do like this. Yeah, I do.

I do like it, yeah. It's good to see something different,

because it does make you think a little bit.

But I think it ticks more of the no boxes than it does the yes,

-I'm afraid.

-Un-ticks boxes.

Un-ticks boxes, yeah. That's what I was trying to say.

But let's just go and talk about price.

Oh, dear. I've never un-ticked boxes before.

Right, let's talk about price tag.

What do you think the price is on this one?

It's an older house, it's got obviously nice character to it.

Lovely sized bedrooms, but I'm going to say £290,000.

Steve. I think it's slight more. 291.

But actually you're closer,

because this is actually right at the top of your budget.

-It's on at £299,000.

-OK.

But, you know, it's perfect for somebody

but maybe not perfect for you.

-Yeah, it's a beautiful home but it's not for us, I'm afraid.

-OK.

The mystery house comes in £1,000 under their budget

and would offer them an old character property.

It has a large open-plan living area, three bedrooms, a

master with an en-suite and balcony with a beautiful view.

The house is 33 miles from South Shields and 29 miles from Newcastle.

-This is a nice room, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's really bright.

Isn't it? Yeah, really bright. A nice big skylight there.

A big skylight. There's plenty of space here. It's nice.

Yeah, it's a lovely size. Yeah, really nice.

When we pulled up, you know, a very nice traditional character entrance.

So it really looked nice from the outside.

The views around surrounding the houses and the gardens,

the fields, we were really impressed when we first arrived at the house.

What I particularly did like about the house was

the balcony on the master bedroom.

The views from there were stunning

and I thought it would be a really good spot for coffee in the morning.

We could definitely put the telescope out there

and enjoy the night sky from there.

It would be lovely and dark and, you know, you've got a great view.

Some of the things about the house that weren't quite to my taste were

the open-plan style of the living room, dining room and the kitchen.

It's not really something I would consider buying.

The garden was a bit of an issue for me.

It was absolutely beautiful, a lovely size.

You know, I can't really fault it in that sense.

It's just away from the house and it wasn't as private as I would like.

Look at me waiting for them outside a church door.

Look, guys, this is going to be you in three weeks.

-Don't say that.

-I feel like I should have confetti.

He'll probably run off. THEY LAUGH

Oh, having a flash forward.

We've seen all three houses.

Time to sort of regroup, have a cup of tea and talk them over.

-That sounds good.

-Come with me.

Northumberland might be known for its majestic countryside, but

it also has a technological claim to fame, as it's where

hydroelectricity was first established in the late-1800s.

It was developed by the engineer William Armstrong at Cragside -

his country estate near Rothbury.

Armstrong was a maverick inventor and where better to test his

gadgets than in his own home.

He came up with the idea of generating electricity using

the power of water by building lakes in the grounds.

This was hydroelectric power as we know it today.

The house is now in the hands of the National Trust and I have

come to meet steward Catherine Foggen to find out more

about William Armstrong's achievements.

This was the first house in the world lit by hydroelectricity.

Is that true? So, it was a super hi-tech house.

It was. It was 'the palace of the modern magician',

as it was called in those days.

And is there still evidence of that inside?

-There is, yes.

-Great, can I look?

You can, yes.

The house was given to the Trust in 1977 and opened to the public

two years later, to show the genius of Armstrong's inventions.

Uh-huh. Then there was light.

These are the original lamps that were lit

by the hydroelectricity with Joseph Swan's incandescent light bulb.

The lights are cloisonne lamps.

They were originally oil lights,

but they were converted for the hydroelectricity.

So, how they worked was, they sat...

-there was a pool of mercury at the bottom...

-Mercury?

And the wire came up the centre

and the metal outside acted as a conductor outside.

-So, you couldn't touch the vase?

-You couldn't touch them.

Would the whole house have been lit by electricity

or just this one room?

Just several rooms.

You could only have one room at a time lit,

so he'd ring down to the powerhouse.

-"We're moving through to the dining room."

-Yeah, exactly.

"Oh, we'd like the lights on in the drawing room.

"We're going to move up there." So that's how the system worked.

And this was...

what date are we talking about the first electric light bulbs?

The 1870s in this room, yeah.

Did it catch on quickly?

I mean, did it have people come and wonder at the miracle?

Yeah, people came.

The word was out of the 'palace of the modern magician.'

The house also had central heating, hot and cold running water.

Cragside was a trailblazer.

No other house at that time contained this kind of technology.

The equipment that Armstrong developed for the electricity

is still intact today.

I'm meeting Robin Wright at the powerhouse, to find out more

about how the system operated.

Oh, Robin, this is another one of these amazing

bits of Victorian genius.

Yes, indeed it is.

What exactly is going on here?

We have a turbine and a generator and those are the two main

-ingredients for producing electricity for the house.

-Wow.

So the water comes down the hill.

Yeah, water comes down through the pipe in the corner there.

The blue one there?

Yeah. Into that turbine with basically a waterwheel inside.

The turbine is turned by the moving water and the shaft from the

turbine goes into a generator which produces the electricity.

Power lines connected to the generator carried the

electricity to the house, but it was not as straightforward as that.

We had a chap down here called John Maven.

-And was he responsible for turning the lights on in the house?

-Yes.

The butler would ring down and say they wanted more power

and he would provide the electricity.

And he used to sit on a glass-legged stool in there,

because the 110V DC was a little volatile

and there would have been a fair chance of electrocution.

He had a phenomenal brain, Armstrong.

This was basically his playhouse at Cragside.

Although today Armstrong's system has been decommissioned, the

tradition of renewable energy here at Cragside continues with a

new type of water power that has recently been installed in

the grounds.

An Archimedes' screw generates 12 kilowatts of electricity per year,

which is sent to the house.

Basically what we're doing here is pouring

water into the top of the screw. The screw starts to turn

and then we have a generator sitting on the top of the screw

which provides enough power to light the lights in the house.

Well done.

-That celebrates this area's very clever engineering minds.

-Yeah.

We're trying to get visitors and certainly young children onto

the estate because we're that short of engineers around the UK and

it would be nice to think that we stimulate engineers of the future.

It's brilliant. Here's to water power.

Thank you very much.

It's time for me to find out how Michelle and Steve are feeling

about the last few days.

It's been quite a busy week, hasn't it?

We've been driving up and down Northumberland looking at houses.

-How are you feeling now it's all over?

-Yeah, good, isn't it?

Yeah, I think...well, for me, it's been a great experience.

We've learned a few interesting things, haven't we, yeah?

It's kind of, I need to open my mind up a little bit more.

I think with some things I'm being a bit too particular about.

Yeah, I've learnt to be a bit more open-minded

in a property search, I think.

Also, I was adamant about having a large garden pretty much

and I think, you know, over the last few days I've learnt that

that's not really so essential.

We've kind of analysed our wish list in a bit more detail

and we can now see what's more important to us.

I would agree with the garden, I think

now it's being a bit more realistic.

Well, the clock is ticking. You get married in three weeks.

Sorry to bring it up, but it's true and you have to move in two months.

-Yeah.

-So, what are you going to do next?

I mean, are any of them contenders?

Are you going to follow up on any of them?

I think house number two is still a contender.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Brilliant.

We really liked that style of house

and we like the area that it was in as well.

So we're going to look into that a bit more.

Just research the area a bit, I think, as well.

Maybe do a test drive for the commute.

Even though it's the time, it's just obviously the roads

and we have the winter to think about as well, because it's

lovely in the summer but it's going to be a bit more impractical.

So we need to find out a bit more about that as well.

But, yeah, we both really liked house number two,

-so we'd like to find out more and take it from there.

-Yay.

Yeah, it had a lovely feel to it and the area.

There was quite a lot of positives with that house, yeah.

-I'm happy.

-Brilliant. I mean, I'm so pleased.

It's been really lovely showing you around

and it's obviously great that you're actually in a position to move

-and it's got to happen soon adds a little...

-Excitement, yeah.

-All the best. Good luck with your wedding.

-Thank you very much.

-Enjoy you honeymoon.

-Thanks.

-Hopefully we'll see you in

-Northumberland as home-owners very soon.

-I hope so, yeah.

Thank you very much for your help, yeah.

-Thanks. It's been a really good week.

-Good.

What a lovely county and what a lovely couple.

Of course, the romantic in me is a little bit frustrated that we

didn't get them to exchange on house number two, so that they came

back from their honeymoon with the keys in their hands.

But, you know, property is not always so romantic

and definitely not always fairytale.

But I think we did do a fair job on convincing them on a few things.

Not least, the benefits of a smaller garden.

So I'm hoping that when they are married they'll have many

more hours together and less mowing the lawn.

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

Michelle and Steve got married a few weeks later.

They went back to explore the area around house number two and

fell in love with the cottage opposite, which they are now

buying and hope to move into soon.

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