Cambridgeshire Escape to the Country

For over 500 years, a host of angelic wooden carvings

have welcomed visitors and worshippers alike

to this medieval church behind me.

But, in which county does it stand?

Find out in just a couple of moments when I'll be taking a step inside.

Today, I'm helping to relocate a couple of music lovers

looking to ditch their urban lifestyles

to live in harmony in the countryside.

Maybe we could burst into song and...

-Well, maybe I could burst into song.

-Let me show you the kitchen!

And once they've found their voices, there's no holding back.

-I'd probably rip the whole thing out, if I'm honest.

-Yeah.

Today, I'm in Cambridgeshire, in the market town of March

and this is St Wendreda church, with its beautiful carved oak roof.

Featuring over 100 angels, it's thought the faces of each figure

represent the profiles of the craftsmen that carved them.

Now, during the time of the Protestant Reformation,

King Henry VIII sent his commissioners here,

intent on destroying this saintly imagery.

But, the quick-thinking locals

decided to ply the king's men with good food and wine,

who were so impressed by the hospitality they received here,

they decided to leave the roof here intact,

preserved beautifully, as we see it now today.

The county of Cambridgeshire is situated in East Anglia

and is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Suffolk to the east

and Essex and Hertfordshire to the south.

The county boasts a varied landscape,

from the gently undulating hills in the south

to the unique flat Fens of the north.

Once a large area of dense forest, the Fens would regularly flood,

killing off the trees and leaving a rich and fertile peat soil.

Nowadays, drainage schemes

have created over 200 miles of stunning waterways,

perfect for enjoying a leisurely boat trip.

In the heart of the fenland, lies Whittlesey,

an ancient market town

featuring architecture spanning several centuries.

The 17th century Butter Cross

is a throwback to its trading and agricultural past.

The county town is the city of Cambridge,

built by the Romans

and nowadays most widely known

as the home of its world-famous university, founded in 1209.

Its prominent and historic buildings

have long been appreciated by visitors,

who often take in the rich architecture

in a punt along the River Cam.

Sought-after villages, a vibrant, world-renowned university city

and good transport links back into London,

make Cambridgeshire a very popular place to set up home

which, of course, as you might imagine,

has a knock-on effect on property values.

In fact, the average price for a detached house here in Cambridgeshire

is some £17,000 above the national figure,

coming in at around £285,000.

So, if you want to get more for your money,

you're better off travelling towards the north of the county,

effectively further away from our capital.

Time to meet today's buyers to find out what's drawing them

to this beautiful part of the country.

Newlyweds Ian, a warehouse solutions manager,

and Nicki, a teacher,

met eight years ago through their love of a mutual hobby.

Barbershop singing.

It's basically singing without any musical instruments.

It's a complete performance, so we tend to emote.

And we met because I was training to be a judge

and I went along to his chorus.

I was the presentation coach for the chorus

and Nicki's judging is in presentation and it went from there.

It's taken us eight years to figure out

that we want to be together forever.

They recently took the plunge

and got married in their favourite city of York.

It was in a 14th century Tudor building

and we were surrounded by all of our best friends, close friends,

there were about 60 people.

-It was very musical, wasn't it?

-Very musical. Very barbershop.

Singing makes you feel good

and it also gives you the opportunity to show off,

if you happen to be that way inclined.

And both of us are.

Not ones to do things traditionally,

their current living set up is also somewhat unconventional.

Nicki lives with her children in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire,

and Ian six miles away in Dunmow, Essex.

Now, we're a little bit alternative, to tell the truth.

Yeah, it is frustrating.

Nicki's got a house to sell and I'm living in a flat.

You know, we've been together for eight years,

but we both had families to raise

and we made the conscious decision

that we wanted to put the children first.

It's perfect, because when we get fed up with each other...

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I don't have to go...

-You can go home.

-Yeah, I don't have to go to the spare room.

Between them, they have five children.

Ian's two visit regularly.

But, with two of Nicki's three now at university,

they've decided it's finally time to focus on themselves.

And they've chosen Cambridgeshire for their first marital home.

We have quite a few friends that live in Cambridgeshire,

particularly southern Cambridgeshire,

and I know there are some absolutely idyllic villages in that area.

We've always lived in cities or towns.

And also, I think it's that Cambridge itself,

-we just love going there, don't we?

-Oh, yeah.

We go punting with our friends, we go to the theatre,

we love the restaurants.

We just love the whole atmosphere of Cambridge.

They might be singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to location,

but Ian and Nicki are less in tune with each other

when it comes to property style.

I have lived in new houses most of my life

-and whilst they are very...

-Practical.

All the amenities are there, yes.

They're very practical. They're cheap to run.

Yes. And there's lots of good reasons to having a new house.

Yes.

We're looking for something older, with character.

I like the beams, I like the thatched roof.

I'm looking for something that can inspire me.

But this melodic duo aren't worried about disagreeing.

In fact, they're used to it.

Sometimes we just agree on something immediately.

And then, other times, we equally get frustrated

when the other one can't see why

we want to go down, you know, this path.

I'm really not sure whether we're going to agree or not.

I said to her when we first met, I said,

"We're going to be really fiery together."

And it certainly is.

In fact, when we got engaged, we were on top of a volcano,

so that kind of started the whole process off.

-Very apt!

-It was very appropriate, yeah. Very appropriate.

Ian and Nicki are seeking a village lifestyle

that's within commuting distance of London for Nicki's work

and with good access to Cambridge.

So, we're concentrating our search on the market towns and villages

with road links to the M11 motorway

and within an hour-and-a-half of East London.

Before we begin, I need to know more about what they're looking for

in their dream property.

-So here we are in Cambridgeshire. Excited?

-Very excited.

-Extremely.

Whereabouts do you want this property to be situated?

Central village location? Edge of town?

What are we talking about here?

We feel, at this stage of our lives,

that we'd like to move to a village, have a village location.

So you want people nearby?

Yeah. And we want somewhere with a bit of character.

What does character mean to you, then, Nicki?

I've lived in new houses most of my life.

We recently got married

and so this is sort of a new start, so I want something different.

-You want old.

-I want old, yeah.

That's why she married me!

So, this house, how big is it?

Well, we have five children

but, although they don't all live with us at the same time...

-Yeah.

-There is going to be a time when everybody's there.

Like Christmas, for example, or certain school holidays or...

Have you seen the sofa beds that are popular these days?

-Futons. Futons.

-Yeah.

-We'll get futons, yeah.

-Come on, how many beds, minimum?

-It needs to have four, minimum.

-Four bedrooms. OK.

That'll probably come with a couple of reception rooms.

What are you going to do with all that space?

I need a study to work.

A lot of the time I work from home or I drive across the whole country.

Now, one thing that strikes me

is the fact that you're both very busy people

and while you're looking to make this wonderful escape to the country,

you still have your careers.

And that seems to be like an umbilical cord

still back towards London.

Definitely, because I need to bomb it down the M11 to get to Newham.

How far away from London are you prepared to move?

Well, at the moment, on a good run, it's about 45 minutes.

I think I'd be willing to probably double it

because, looking at my career prospects for the future,

I'll be looking to move out of London in the future.

So, let's talk budget. Can you confirm that?

500,000.

So, that's a really healthy budget.

How flexible is it? I know I might be pushing my luck here.

-Depends how right the place is.

-Yeah.

If it's really right, maybe 525, 520, something like that.

-OK. Is this the first property you're buying together?

-Yes.

I think we have got a little bit of battle going on

-with the new and the old.

-Yeah.

Well, that's up to me to try and find a happy medium.

All I ask from you guys is to speak up about what you do like

and what you're challenged by.

-Happy?

-Very.

-Very.

-Let's get going.

-Thank you.

Ian and Nicki have a budget of £500,000,

which they hope will secure them their first marital home

in a lovely Cambridgeshire village setting.

They're after a property with character

and a minimum of four bedrooms for when their children come to stay.

They'd like a study for Ian, who works from home,

and good motorway access, so Nicki can get to work in East London

in under an hour-and-a-half.

I've got three fantastic properties lined up for them,

from character cottages to quirky conversions.

But, I won't be telling them the price of each

until they've had a guess themselves.

For our final visit, I'll be turning things on their head

with our mystery house.

We're kicking off our Cambridgeshire search in the west of the county,

40 minutes from Cambridge in the village of Bythorn.

A small conservation village with character properties,

Bythorn offers a community centre and a church.

Nearby Titchmarsh, five miles west, provides further amenities,

including shops and a pub.

Our first property is next to the church grounds in Bythorn.

Righty-ho.

Now, someone here said they fancied looking around an old property.

Mm-hm.

-Old enough?

-Definitely.

It looks pretty old to me.

-How old is it?

-1640s, parts of it.

OK.

So, what do you think of how it looks?

-It's really pretty.

-Yeah, it's beautiful.

The setting is perfect. It's really beautiful.

-Is there a "but" in there?

-Yeah, there is a "but".

-Go on...

I don't know if you can hear it

but, the A14 is really quite close and we can hear the...

Yes. But, if you look on the sat nav,

from this house to Newham, on a clear day,

one hour 23 minutes, because you're on the A14.

-Well, there is that.

-I think it depends what it's like inside.

-Yeah. Follow me.

-Thank you.

Our buyers are attracted to this county

for its market towns and villages.

But, they also want motorway access for commuting,

so there's got to be a trade-off in terms of proximity to main roads.

Mind your step...

I hope they give this cottage a chance,

because I think it could work well for them.

It's the old property Nicki wants

but, having been updated in the 1980s,

it comes without the maintenance issues that concern Ian.

This is the first reception room.

I like the fireplace.

-Good. I do.

-This feels newer.

Well spotted, my friend.

What I like is they've managed to find

some reclaimed timbers and use those.

You still get that semblance of character,

-which is all-important to you.

-Yes.

You might have noticed, as you walked through,

-there's a study just by that door.

-Yes.

So, you've got your dedicated office area.

But, you'll be pleased to hear, this isn't the only reception room.

You've got a few to choose from.

Can you see yourselves using this room?

And what about when you're practising singing.

Do you prefer a small room or a big room?

You have to think about the height of the ceiling

because that's going to affect the sound.

-This is as high as it gets.

-OK.

Maybe we could burst into song and...

Well, maybe I could burst into song.

Let's show you the kitchen!

Downstairs also provides a utility room,

a snug with stone fireplace

and a substantial dining room,

leading to the kitchen and breakfast room at the back of the house.

Well, you can see where you do your dining, just off this...

Wow!

..rather nice kitchen. What do you think?

I like the way it goes up into that space up there, actually.

-Yeah, it's good.

-That's really nice.

-I like this preparation area.

-Yeah.

It'll stop us fighting over the work surfaces.

But this kitchen, as you can see, it looks quite modern.

This was fitted, again, two, two-and-half years ago.

So, if you like it, that's one massive job you don't have to do.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Yes, that's true.

I like the idea of being able to work in the kitchen but still be able to socialise as well.

What do you think, though? I mean, are you getting a...

-Good vibes.

-Yeah.

-..good vibe from the place?

It's some very good vibes. It's got a warmth to it.

Feels like a home.

-Yes.

-Doesn't it, so far?

So, let's go up to the bedrooms, OK?

OK.

I was confident this house would go down well with Nicki,

but I'm really pleased to get such a positive response from Ian as well.

Upstairs, the property has four double bedrooms.

Now, the owners have done the sensible thing here

and put the master in the modern extension.

So, they get all the modern facilities

and the proportions you'd expect.

-It's a good-sized room.

-It is, isn't it?

And really lovely with the windows. It makes it look...

-Very bright, isn't it?

-..really light.

-Yeah.

It's not a poky en-suite, it's a really good size.

-Double vanity units.

-Oh! Like that.

-His and hers sinks.

-Yes!

Now, you've also got three double bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Right.

-Which gives you your minimum requirement, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Let's go outside and look at the garden. Come with me...

Outside, terraces lead off both the breakfast room and the sitting room,

with steps up to a lawned garden overlooking the churchyard.

Well, on a glorious day like today, this garden is ideal, surely?

-Yeah.

-It is a good size.

I love that there's a willow tree there that is just spectacular.

Love that.

-Now, what about the house? Do you like what you see?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

The very beginning, when we first started talking,

we said the word "character".

-It's got lots of character.

-Yeah.

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

I'm thinking maybe £490,000.

OK.

I think maybe a little less. I'm going to go for 480.

Well, Ian's spot on. It's on the market for offers around £490,000.

Well done. Have a good look around it on your own.

Start to have the conversation with yourselves about

"Could we live here?"

-You've never done that before as a couple.

-No, that's true.

All right? I will meet you.

I'll probably be sitting outside in the sun somewhere, I don't know.

-Anyway, I'll see you later on. Fill your boots.

-OK, thank you.

Well, very good reactions

from a couple who haven't seen a property together before.

We're a long way to go, but I think this...

Well, it feels like a contender, doesn't it?

Under budget by £10,000,

this grade-two listed cottage, dating back to the 17th century,

offers our buyers the character they both asked for,

giving a sense of the past that Nicki wanted but with no work to worry Ian.

It has four bedrooms, a study

and with a travel time to London of under an hour-and-a-half,

they could have a classic village lifestyle

within commuting distance for Nicki.

It looked quite small.

But, when I actually got in and I looked at the extension at the back,

the whole thing just took on a much more open aspect.

There's lots of little rooms, interesting little rooms,

and I love that interesting look about the whole place.

I liked the kitchen. I liked the quirkiness of the split level.

The views are fantastic.

The bedrooms are a good size.

But then, when I thought about our larger family,

then I began to have a few little niggles and doubts,

particularly the main bathroom is really small.

I was snoozing off then. All done inside?

-Yep.

-Yep.

-How did you get on? Do you like it?

-Love it.

Rooms are a bit small. But, again, there's a lot of them.

So, it's good.

Yeah, it's a really good start.

Oh, "really good start"? That sounds like "room for improvement".

Let's see if I can do you just that. Come with me...

Sitting in an unassuming village

in the heart of Cambridgeshire's scenic countryside

is a little-known historic gem.

Hemingford Grey is home to one of the oldest

continuously-inhabited houses in Britain.

Built in the 1130s,

the Manor House still retains many of its original features

and has been home to the Boston family since 1939.

We arranged for Ian and Nicki to meet current owner, Diana Boston,

to visit this remarkable property

that might just pique both their historical and musical interests.

-Oh, hello!

-Hello.

Well done. You landed up at the original front of the house.

So, you're standing in front of a house that's nearly 900 years old.

Wow...

And what's your connection with the house?

Oh, well, my mother-in-law, Lucy Boston,

she first saw it in 1915

and thought it looked rather unloved, but very tranquil,

and often thought of it off and on for the next 25 years.

She got possession of it on May the 31st 1939.

So how long did Lucy live here?

She died in 1990, so 51 years.

Wow.

And then the house was passed to you?

Well, inheriting this house

is like finding a very difficult baby on your doorstep,

you've just got to keep looking after it.

Once owned by Oliver Cromwell's great grandfather,

the Manor House has seen many interesting characters

throughout its 900-year history.

But Lucy Boston is perhaps one of its most fascinating custodians.

Aged 47, she took on the restoration

of the ancient four-bedroom house on her own

and used it as the inspiration for her award-winning

Green Knowe children's books.

First published in 1954,

the books take place in the fictional house of Green Knowe,

based on the Manor House.

But there's also a musical side to Lucy's story,

which might interest Ian and Nicki.

And it was in this room

that Lucy gave gramophone record recitals during the war.

So, every Tuesday and Friday night,

all through the war,

she played from her collection of records,

of which there are a huge number to choose from,

on the old EMG gramophone.

When working as a nurse in France during the First World War,

Lucy held recitals for recovering soldiers in the military hospital.

They were so well-received that,

when back in the UK at the start of the Second World War,

she decided to revive them here at the Manor House.

Diana, who was it that came to the recitals?

It was the RAF.

Lucy wrote to them suggesting that, maybe once a week,

they'd like to come.

And they said, "Yes, please. We'll send a bus full of airmen."

And that's why this room is furnished in such a strange way,

because she only had the sofa for them to sit in.

The most I've counted in the visitors' book

is 36 airmen here in one evening.

In this little room?

But, of course, they were youngsters,

they could sit on the floor and they just loved it.

Is this a list of the kind of music that would be...

That's what they listened to.

Beethoven, Chopin.

Yes.

Tuesday March the 30th 1943.

I know.

The people.

-Takes you back a bit.

-Yeah.

Lucy's recitals lasted for around two hours.

They were so popular, they ran beyond the end of the Second World War.

Nowadays, the Manor House receives up to 3,500 visitors a year.

Whether they're brought here by her books, the architecture

or the stunning landscaped gardens,

they must be struck by the character and the sense of history here

in the music room.

Hopefully, our buyers won't have to wait 25 years, like Lucy did,

for their dream character property.

Next, we're travelling an hour east,

14 miles north-west of Cambridge to Ely.

Granted city status in 1974,

its famous cathedral lies next to Cambridgeshire's only palace.

Dating back to the 15th century,

the Bishop's Palace was occupied by successive bishops until 1941.

Ely was also home to Oliver Cromwell for ten years.

His former residence is now open to the public

and provides a recreation of life in the 17th century.

Our second property offering is situated four miles from Ely,

in the village of Coveney.

Now then, Nicki, you must be getting rather excited at this moment.

I am indeed. That's my thatched-cottage dream, isn't it?

But, I'm worried that it could be Ian's thatched-cottage nightmare.

It really depends how much work is involved in it.

This thatch should last around 60 years.

-Wow.

-OK?

And this was done back in 1999.

Although, the ridge always needs to be replaced more regularly,

and that can last 15 to 20 years.

-So the ridge'll need to be done over the next few years.

-Right.

-But it's a much smaller job.

-OK.

OK?

It already looks quirky from the outside,

because you've got this main bit,

probably with a false front door, I imagine.

Yes, it's the old front door.

But, as you might expect, we'll go in through the side.

-Let's do just that.

-OK.

Laid out in an L-shape,

the reception rooms run along the front side of the house,

but we're beginning our tour in the kitchen at the rear.

So, let's start off with the kitchen.

Let's see what you think of it.

Hm... Not great.

It looks tired. Looks a bit tired.

The cooker looks fantastic.

Yeah. We like the cooker.

And it isn't a bad size, is it? And the way it's designed as well.

This whole house, it dates back, parts of it, some 300 years.

And it was done up some 14 years ago, all right?

So, this is not an old kitchen, it's just solid oak.

Some of this work surface, you'd probably replace with slate

or some kind of marble, maybe.

-So, it's not putting you off?

-No.

No? Good. Let's walk past the small office into the reception rooms.

Follow me...

On the other side of the house is a good-sized family room,

which could offer Ian a larger office space,

as well as a dining room and a separate sitting room.

So, very cosy, cottagey proportions in here.

Come right in, get to have a good look at that inglenook.

-Yeah, that's nice, isn't it?

-Oh, wow.

-Again, another sort of cosy sitting room.

-Yeah.

Which we like, don't we?

Yeah, we like the cosy cottage feel to it, yeah.

Your style, then. This is what you're after?

-Yes.

-Effectively, yeah.

So, now you've got this room, the dining room next door,

maybe an office here,

how does that figure for your ground floor?

That's what we liked about the last house as well.

-We liked all those different rooms.

-Yes.

With such a large family, you know, with lots of different uses.

Escape.

Yeah, escape from them, they escape from you.

But also, the house, the home, needs to be versatile, doesn't it?

Mm, definitely.

-So, the more rooms, the better, by the sounds of it.

-Yeah.

-Let's go upstairs.

-OK.

A common feature of properties of this age and style

is that they do tend to have a number of smaller rooms.

Upstairs, the property offers four bedrooms,

including two good-sized doubles, served by a family bathroom,

and a small, but very attractive single,

served by its own staircase.

Right above the kitchen, we find our master bedroom.

Uh-huh.

Little en-suite shower room and loo.

It's good to have the cupboard space.

It's not as big as the master in the last room.

Nowhere near as big, no.

-But it has got that sense of character.

-It has indeed.

-Feels a little bit small, if I'm honest.

-It does, yes.

-Yeah.

With a house like this, you'd want to spend more time

in the rest of the house

and I'm thinking, maybe even the garden.

He seems more positive than you. What's going on?

No, it's not that I'm being negative.

I'm just saying it is a smaller room.

And, as I said, you've got to put everything in perspective

and weigh it all up.

The whole package.

Exactly.

Well, I tell you what, it's got some amazing gardens.

-Let me squeeze through and I'll show you.

-OK.

Not quite the reaction I was hoping for or expecting from Nicki,

but there are still a couple of surprises to come outside,

which might just swing it.

Well, a slightly bigger garden than the first house.

Slightly, yeah!

It's amazing. It's really beautiful.

You can see you've got that wonderful patio

that you'd spill out of the kitchen on to.

But then, you've got a double garage.

And then, upstairs, you've got a self-contained office suite

or maybe even an apartment, if you wanted to go that far.

I do like that idea because, when you work from home,

it's always great to be able to go out and back in somewhere,

because it feels like you're going to work.

-The commute to work would be six paces.

-Yeah.

-Do you like it?

-Yes.

-Do you like it?

-Yes.

-So how much would you pay for a house like this?

-Oh...!

There's the question.

I think that that garage with the room over

and the size of the garden is going to put it up a bit.

I'm thinking maybe 515,000-ish.

OK.

I think possibly more.

525.

You two are good!

This place is on the market for offers around £520,000.

-Bang in the middle.

-Yay!

-Well done.

Now, there's a lot of property to look at here.

Go and have a look around this house

and I will meet you whenever you're finished, all right?

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

This cottage scores high

on Ian and Nicki's number-one requirement of character.

It has four bedrooms, a number of study options for Ian

and, although it's slightly over budget by £20,000,

they did say they'd be willing to stretch for the right property.

The only compromise will be a slightly longer commute time

to London for Nicki.

Oh, wow...

Now, this would make a good office.

I could live in here.

Or an older child returning home...

Yeah.

..could have it as their living space. Independence.

I still like my office.

Think the house is a contender.

It has so many things that I would look for in a house.

That building with the garage in it, with the extra room above,

that could really make the difference.

And the garden... That's tremendous.

Bit scary for someone that doesn't do a lot of gardening,

but I'm sure I could get used to it, along with a team of kids, anyway.

I'm not quite sure about the village.

I'd want to investigate that further.

And then I'm just worried it's a bit too far out for us

in terms of its location.

-Now then, all done?

-Yep.

-You enjoyed looking round this house, didn't you?

-Very much so.

-Absolutely.

Good. Well, that's all we're going to do today. So, let me take you back.

It's the second day of our search with newlyweds Ian and Nicki,

who are looking for a countryside character property

on a budget of £500,000.

They're leaving their urban lives in Hertfordshire and Essex

and coming together in Cambridgeshire to buy their first marital home.

Coming up, my mystery property whets Ian's appetite...

-Maltings. Beer?

-Beer.

Excellent!

-None left, I'm afraid.

-Oh...

Long since gone.

..and I pay a visit to one of the biggest Bronze Age sites in Britain.

Oh, wow! This isn't someone's first attempt at making something.

These people knew what they were doing.

Well, out of the two houses we looked around yesterday,

I was a bit concerned that property two

could split the camp, being thatched.

But Ian got on board pretty much straight away,

which has emboldened me, really, to show them both the mystery house.

Now, it's got lots of aspects I think Nicki and Ian will like -

central village location, which has a pub,

it's the closest of all three properties to London

and the house itself has bags of character and history.

But it also has something to it that could turn this search upside down.

So, what do you think we might be going to have a look at today?

I'm thinking maybe, in this part of the world, it might be an old mill,

a converted mill or maybe a converted barn.

How fixed are you in terms of layouts of a house?

Not at all. I like quirky.

So, I mean, if there's a long way between the rooms

or the rooms are in different shapes or different levels...

-I think that's better.

-That'd be better, yeah.

For our mystery house, we're heading west again

to the village of Alconbury, six miles from Huntingdon.

Situated along the Alconbury Brook, this attractive, leafy village

has an active community, with a pub and a number of sports clubs.

Its close proximity to the junction of the A1 and A14

means it's less than an hour and 20 minutes to London,

the best commute yet for Nicki.

On a quiet road in a converted old barn, we find our mystery property.

So, the mystery property is a conversion.

It's a converted maltings.

-Oooh...

-Ah! Maltings.

-Beer?

-Beer.

-Excellent.

None left, I'm afraid.

-Oh.

-Long since gone.

What do you think of the property?

Looks quite big.

It's not the whole maltings. Do you see that black downpipe?

-Yes.

-Yup.

-It's up to there.

-Oh...

OK. Those windows are very small.

The mystery property is always a gamble. Let's go inside.

Conversions of character properties do often present compromise,

due to what needs to be retained from the original building.

But they also offer features you wouldn't get in a new house.

That's just one of the reasons this is our mystery house.

Now, you know you said you wanted quirky?

You're probably noticing now that this house seems to be upside down.

So, what do you think of having the bedrooms downstairs, then?

-I haven't got a problem with that.

-No. Doesn't bother us.

All right. So what's going through your minds, then?

It's a big enough room. I like the orientation of it.

So, you've got storage space here and there.

You've got an en-suite just there.

So, this is the master suite and then you've got...

..I would say two to three bedrooms that are spare.

This is marketed as a three- to four-bedroom house.

One of the rooms doesn't have any natural light.

So, I think that becomes a storeroom.

So, you're not getting your key four bedrooms here.

What do you think of that?

Is that a massive compromise for you?

Yes. And also it's semidetached.

OK. What is your aversion to being semidetached?

What are your fears?

Because we make a lot of noise as a family

and we know other people do as well.

And also with our singing,

we might have a quartet or we're coaching

or we're singing in a quartet ourselves

and we don't want to disturb the neighbours.

-Sure. If you wanted something quirky, this is it.

-This is it.

-All right? Let me just squeeze through here.

-Go on.

-Thank you.

Although the bedroom space

doesn't seem to have hit the right note with these two,

they don't seem phased by the upside-down layout.

Off the ground floor corridor are the other two main bedrooms

and a family bathroom.

At the back of the property, by the entrance hall,

is the study or fourth bedroom, as well as a cloakroom and utility area.

The staircase leads to three good-sized living spaces upstairs.

So, on the first floor, we have your kitchen.

Wow.

Wow? That doesn't sound like a good "wow" to me.

Well, I've never seen that many utensils hanging up before.

OK, they're not going to be here, I know...

The beams, I love the beams across.

-They're staying. That's good.

-Exactly.

-That's good.

-Yeah.

And it is a decent size, but I would think to change things.

-Yeah.

-Like what?

-I'd probably rip the whole thing out, if I'm honest.

-Yes.

Well, you weren't singing and dancing in the bedroom,

you're certainly not doing that in the kitchen.

I'm sinking!

Come with me...

With no upstairs hallway,

the kitchen leads straight through the dining area

into a large living room with exposed original timberwork

and a ceiling height of over four metres.

-So, at last we get the genuinely...

-Wow!

..big reception room, don't we?

-It's a decent-sized room.

-Isn't it just?

Yeah. Love the height.

I mean, it's a fantastic room for our size of family.

-Yeah.

-And good to have the light coming from above.

But, I still feel that the whole house has a suppressive feel.

-Is it lack of natural light, do you think?

-Yes.

I don't feel this house is for you.

But let's go out to the garden, it's a good-sized garden,

and start thinking about price,

-because this, I think, will be tricky to value, won't it?

-Yes.

Sitting in a plot of approximately half an acre,

outside, the gardens include a large section of lawn

as well as a paved patio area and a useful outbuilding.

I thought you'd like this garden

-because there's different bits to it, again.

-Yeah.

It goes right round the side.

You've got some mature trees there, you've got another space there.

All in all, the plot size

is just only a bit smaller than the second property.

OK.

Clearly, the gamble hasn't paid off, but we're here.

And I want to put you through some of the suffering I've been put through.

So, you've got to guess the price now.

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

I think 450.

OK, go on.

I'm going to say 495.

Well, you win. This place is on the market for offers around £500,000.

Oh!

Has this house made you think any differently

about what you're after or has it confirmed what you're after, maybe?

It's definitely confirmed what we like.

Coming in bang on budget, our upside-down mystery house

was always going to be a gamble.

But, for a couple who were set on a character property,

it would certainly give them that.

They could have up to four bedrooms

and extensive living space for their large family.

The property is in a great village location

which, along with a commute of just an hour and 15 minutes for Nicki,

means they really could have the best of both worlds.

Wow. This is a much lighter room.

-Still got the small window but that feature, there...

-Yeah, that is...

-That's spectacular, isn't it?

-Yeah, that really makes the house.

-Yeah, it does.

-And this is fantastic for all our family.

Because the house is turned upside down,

you've got this whole walking into what effectively is a living area.

It felt odd.

You'd probably get used to it, but I'm not sure I would want to.

Although I love the space of some of these rooms in the upstairs,

the downstairs is more of a concern for me.

It just doesn't work for us.

-She's still smiling. You don't hate me?

-No, I don't hate you.

Good. So, finished up here?

I think so.

Well, it's decision time coming up,

so let's find you a place to have a bit of a chinwag, shall we?

Let's go...

For centuries, the vast and flat landscape of the Fens

has been quarried to extract Lower Oxford Clay

to make high-quality bricks.

But one quarry at Must Farm in the town of Whittlesey

has unearthed artefacts buried deep beneath the wet Fens

that tell us something about Britain's lost pre-history,

in particular, about our early Bronze-Age ancestors.

I'm visiting the archaeology park at Flag Fen

to meet the archaeologist Mark Knight

and find out about their recently-discovered treasures

that have been preserved in the Cambridgeshire Fens

for thousands of years.

Mark, thanks very much for seeing me today.

Now, driving round the Fens

you see it's very much an agricultural environment.

But thousands of years ago, this would have looked very different, wouldn't it?

Yes. And a lot wetter.

Essentially, it's been drained for agriculture.

That's when they started unearthing artefacts, I suppose, isn't it?

Yeah. Essentially, as the peat started to blow away and denude,

the archaeology came back to the surface.

How old was it? What was being found, then?

OK. So, first of all, it was sort of Roman archaeology

and then it became pre-historic.

And then, most famously, within this particular site

it was the Bronze Age.

-So, we're talking 4,000 or 3,000 years ago.

-Goodness me.

So, this was a bog and people built elevated structures, piles, causeways

and started living in this space in the Bronze Age.

Here at Flag Fen, excavations started in the 1980s

and it's now one of the largest and most important

Bronze-Age sites in Britain.

The causeway, discovered in 1982,

was believed to have been built between 1300 and 900 BC.

The waterlogged nature of the Fens

has meant is has been remarkably well-preserved.

The main area of excavation

can be viewed in the aptly-named preservation hall.

So, Mark, I mean, here we're looking at a very big, dark, damp hole.

What are we looking at, really?

Well, here are the preserved timbers of the Flag Fen causeway.

So, a series of rows of uprights of oak and alder posts,

creating a causeway across the marsh.

And then the laterals,

the sort of planks you can see lying in the flat there,

are the former remnants of the structure itself,

so the bridge, the causeway itself.

So, Bronze-Age man and woman would've pile-driven these timbers in

and then lain timbers across?

Yeah. And, you know, the people that excavated this site

have found real elaborate carpentry and things,

-so mortise and tenon joints and things like that.

-Really?

So, with the bog as it is, being wonderful at preserving,

I imagine lots of things have been found since.

Yes. And contemporary with this site,

a site that we've been doing just down the road,

we've found log boats also made from tress

and probably from the same trees as the causeway itself.

-And can we look at those now?

-Yes, they're on this site.

-Let's have a look.

-Let's go.

Since 2011, a total of eight log boats

have been discovered at Must Farm,

the earliest dating back to 1600 BC.

All within a 200-metre stretch of channel.

It's a huge find.

Now undergoing a two-year preservation programme,

a cold store has been built to protect the vessels

at a temperature of around three degrees Celsius,

to prevent bacteria damaging the ancient timber.

This looks like a big fridge. Is it?

Yes, it is a big fridge.

Basically, we're trying to keep these things wet and cool

as part of their conservation.

You read, sometimes, about archaeological finds.

-You've not got one boat, you've got loads.

-Yes.

Is this just a very lucky find

and that maybe they just dumped all the boats here

or was this just a massively-populated area?

Our impression is that these are the sort of white vans

of the Bronze Age, effectively,

and that we're going up and down these channels.

But, maybe we're making our way to the Wash

or to the sea to cross the Channel to go to the Continent.

So, you're learning, again, so much about the Bronze-Age man.

I mean, well, they're intelligent people,

who travelled an awful lot,

-bearing in mind their very primitive transport mode.

-Yes.

-You just don't feel that we're talking about cavemen any more.

-No.

We're actually talking about a cultured society,

living within a wetland landscape.

So, one boat on its own could almost be like a chance find,

but you're getting to see a river in use.

You haven't just found something,

you've found communities-worth of history.

-I imagine you must've found other things along the way.

-Yes.

By the boats, there were fish weirs and fish traps.

But also personal adornments.

We started seeing daggers and swords and spears.

-Tell me you've got some of those.

-Yes, we have.

-Let's have look.

-OK.

These, Mark, look remarkably well-preserved, don't they?

So, we have a rapier from the middle Bronze Age.

We have a leaf-shaped sword from the later Bronze Age.

And then we have this big, flat sword from the late Iron Age.

Oh, wow! This isn't someone's first attempt at making something.

-This looks like these people knew what they were doing.

-Oh, absolutely.

I'm now, you know, carrying this weapon.

I'm glad I'm not meeting these people, certainly.

Now...this looks like a much more modern weapon.

Yes. And look what happens.

We leave bronze and we enter iron,

we're into the Iron Age.

It is stunning, in the sense that, you know,

even the brass fittings and so on, the hilt and the pommel and things.

And some of that's decorated.

It's unbelievable. So, how much have you discovered?

Is there much more to go?

I think there's a sense that... How deep do you want to go, basically?

-So, there's even more to come, if you keep digging?

-I think so. I think so.

-Thank you very much.

-No worries.

-Fascinating.

Well, from my perspective,

I saw the best reactions from Ian and Nicki in the second property,

the thatched house.

Time to find out from them if it's a real contender.

Look at this. Lovely spot.

Got me a cup of tea as well.

It's like we're old friends now, isn't it?

Now, after a bit of time to think things through,

I think we can cast aside the mystery house,

but what do you think of the first two properties I showed you?

-They were both really lovely, actually.

-Yeah.

But the second one...

Yeah, the second one had the edge

-and I surprise myself when I say that.

-Why, though?

Because it's thatched, isn't it?

And that costs a lot of money and, you know, and...

But inside the building, it was really...

It was all the quirky things that I love about cottages.

Mm. It was beautiful.

It seemed...ideal?

The house itself was ideal, but the location...

..was just perhaps that bit too far for us at this stage in our lives,

-which is such a shame. I know.

-I know.

You said, initially, that you could go up to an hour-and-a-half away.

It's just too far away from London, then?

I think we need to have a serious discussion about, you know,

balancing short-term pain with long-term gain.

Are we prepared to do that

or do we need to look at our budget

and think maybe we need to afford, you know,

work out a way to afford a bit more, to be able to come nearer.

Is your plan, then, to reassess your budget

and then maybe look closer to London, then?

I think that's the first thing we'll investigate.

You've got, clearly in your mind's eye,

what you know you want, haven't you?

So, good luck in your continued search.

-Let us know how you get on.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Jonnie.

Thank you very much.

There's often quite a bit of pressure on a couple

when they're looking to buy their first home together.

So, Nicki and Ian should be fairly relieved to discover

they like exactly the same things in a house.

It's just a shame that their favourite seemed to be

just outside their comfort zone geographically.

But, the good news for them moving forward is,

they know exactly what they want and, most importantly, where it should be.

And I think the property probably needs to be

just that little bit closer to London.

See you next time.

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