Wiltshire Escape to the Country

It's recently been revealed that the small town behind me

is officially the UK's oldest continuous settlement.

It lies within a county

that's scattered with world-famous historic sites.

So, where exactly am I?

Join me in a few moments and I'll let you know.

Today's house-hunting couple are hoping to kick off retirement

in rural bliss.

Real country.

Certainly a room with a view.

Certainly is, isn't it?

And I'm hoping we can exceed expectations with our choices.

I'm wondering whether we need to go and see any more houses.

Oh, well, that's really good.

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

Today I'm in Wiltshire, and more specifically, Amesbury,

near Stonehenge, where experts have recently uncovered evidence

which proves this town has been continuously inhabited

since 8820 BC.

Now, it was previously thought that Thatcham, in Berkshire,

held this title but carbon dating has verified that Amesbury is,

in fact, at least 1,000 years older.

Findings also unearthed a variety of animal bones

and it turns out that ancient residents here

were eating frogs' legs long before they became a delicacy in France.

And here we are, more than 10,000 years later

and people continue to call this beautiful part of the country home.

Wiltshire is a landlocked county in the south west of England,

bordering six counties including Berkshire and Somerset.

Wiltshire's landscape is interwoven with its rich history,

from its epic standing stone circles in Stonehenge and Avebury,

to its Iron Age forts and hillside chalk carvings

such as this 19th-century white horse on Hackpen Hill.

Many of Wiltshire's busy market towns

also share in the county's historic past.

The beautiful Georgian town of Marlborough was largely rebuilt

after a brutal battle in 1642,

when the town supported parliament against King Charles I.

One of the buildings to survive was St Mary's Church

and it still bears the scars of battle today.

In the heart of the county is Salisbury Plain,

a 300 square mile area of chalk downlands

situated 12 miles north of Salisbury.

It's the largest remaining area of its kind in north-west Europe.

Owned and used by the MOD, this impressive stretch of wild grassland

also offers some incredible long-distance walks

where you might be lucky enough to see

the recently reintroduced county bird, the great bustard.

The deep-rooted history and culture of Wiltshire,

immersed in its rural beauty, makes it easy to understand

why so many want to make this county home.

At the moment, the average cost of a detached property here in Wiltshire

is almost £299,000,

a figure of nearly 30,000 above the national average.

And it's the attractive market towns in the east of the region

which are the most sought after,

as many lie within an hour and a half's commute of London.

But if you venture west, towards the Somerset border,

you'll find you get better value for money.

So where in this wonderful county

are today's buyers hoping to relocate to?

Well, let's meet them and find out.

Rose met Tim when he was in the Royal Navy.

They've been married for 40 years and have two grown-up daughters.

They currently live in the town of Sandhurst, Berkshire,

in a four-bedroom detached house.

We've only had two houses in our married life

and we walked into the garden here and saw the pond

and I remember just looking at each other and just going, "Yes."

And I just hope to get that same feeling with another house.

And it's not just a water feature

that Rose is looking for in a new home.

She's also keen on her plants.

When I look at the garden now, I love thinking,

"Well, that came from some friends in Anglesey,

"that came from Auntie Mary's house in Devon,

"that was a cutting from somebody else,"

and so the garden in itself does have some memories, too.

Since they moved here 27 years ago,

Sandhurst has undergone major development

and with plans in the pipeline for a further 1,500 new homes,

Tim and Rose would now like to move somewhere more peaceful.

We are definitely looking forward to escaping the traffic.

When we first moved here I would pop into town, now I think twice

about going because you just join the traffic and having

looked around Wiltshire there just isn't the same amount of traffic.

As you go west from Sandhurst,

traffic seems to die off tremendously.

Almost seems to be going back ten, 20 years in time

because there's so little traffic on the roads.

Rose has just retired after 41 years as a teacher and Tim,

a transport consultant, is now semi-retired

and no longer limited to a particular location.

They're both keen for a change

and would like to move to east Wiltshire.

Well, when we move, I am looking forward to having

some new places to go for some long walks with the dog.

We've been here now too long.

I have a friend who lives in Marlborough,

so we know some of the area for walking and it is beautiful.

They also hope that their new home in the countryside

will offer some much needed space for their new hobbies.

Tim has just completed a furniture restoration course

and would love his own workshop.

I'm looking forward to getting rid of my disreputable old shed

and getting a nice workshop in place.

So that I shall then be able to attend to whatever challenges

come my way with the new house.

In fact, I can see that we'll actually start furnishing our house

with bits of furniture that I've restored.

For Rose, it's a chance to explore new places with her dog,

Bertie, that most excites her.

I'm looking forward to having new places to walk our dog, Bertie.

I'm just ready for something new.

And there's a final reason why outside space is important.

At the moment the caravan is slotted into a very small space at the side

of the house, as you can't possibly tow it in or out of the driveway.

When we want to go away on holiday with the caravan,

it actually takes an hour or so to get everything sorted out

and it would be nice just to hitch up the caravan and go.

Once they've escaped to their dream house

they just have to get used to living in it together.

I'm sure it will have a big change for two reasons.

One is that we'll have to be far more outward-going.

The other is, because we're both retiring,

we're going to be spending more time in each other's company,

so that'll be the, er, breaking... No, not the breaking point!

-Thank you!

-I think I'd better start again.

-The challenge.

That will be the challenge!

'Tim and Rose have already sold their house and have set

'their sights on a new life in the Wiltshire countryside.

'But they don't want to lose touch with their old friends.

'They've asked us to find somewhere to the east of the county

'that will allow them to get back to Berkshire

'in under and hour and a half.

'But before we start our search for their rural idyll,

'I want to dig into the nitty-gritty of their property wants.'

-Well, Tim and Rose, welcome to Wiltshire.

-Thank you.

But you haven't had too far to travel, have you, from your home?

No, we haven't, which is really quite nice.

One of the reasons we want to move here is because it's not too far away

from all the friends and family in Berkshire.

But what is it about Wiltshire you think can deliver everything

that you're after?

Wiltshire has got rather more space to live in.

Little villages, towns,

without the huge rush of traffic that we get in Berkshire.

Remind me, how many years in your current home?

-27 years.

-Oh!

But ready to leave?

Yes. I think it's now or never.

I have just recently retired,

I can't imagine being in the house another 20 years, much as we love it.

We just want something new.

What are we looking for with this new pad?

We want an individual house

because all our married life we've lived on estates.

So our house has been much the same as the house next door.

Bit of character. What else are you looking for?

Bit more space.

We've got very restricted parking where we are at the moment.

We've got a caravan, a trailer, couple of cars.

We just need to be able to get in without shuffling them all around.

-What about land?

-Yes, we'd like a larger garden, as well.

Anything, perhaps, between half an acre, an acre.

And Rose loves her gardening, as well.

-But what about the actual property?

-Really we'd like three bedrooms.

I'd love a conservatory.

A nicely proportioned lounge but we were prepared

to look at anything that we feel that we can then do to make it our own.

So, we bring you to look at these properties

and you've injured your leg, haven't you, Tim?

HE CHUCKLES

-Are you going to be all right walking round these houses?

-I am.

And remind me of your budget again.

600,000 is really the maximum we want to go to.

We've got three very interesting properties

to show you here in Wiltshire.

I'm not going to go too fast,

cos I'm a little concerned about your leg.

We'll take it easy but shall we get started?

-Love to.

-Great.

-Come on, then.

With a healthy budget of £600,000,

Tim and Rose are looking for a light and airy property

in Wiltshire with some character

and a minimum of three bedrooms.

Outside they're hoping for a south-facing garden

and Tim would love a garage or workshop.

They need plenty of space for parking

but are hoping to avoid being close to traffic.

Finally, location is key.

They want to be within an hour and a half's drive away

from friends and family in Berkshire.

We've got a tasty trio of houses to tempt our buyers

but I won't be revealing the prices until the end of each house tour.

The final offering will be the mystery house.

It's further away

but its unique character could more than make up for the extra miles.

The first house we've found for Tim and Rose is in the hamlet

of Winterbourne Monkton, lying on the edge of the Marlborough Downs.

It's less than two miles away from the village of Avebury.

Standing in the centre of a prehistoric complex,

Avebury is home to one of the most impressive henges in Britain

and the biggest standing stone circles in the world.

It also has a number of shops, a museum

and a popular pub that's a welcome place to take a break

once you've explored the famous stones

and the miles of inviting countryside that surround them.

A five-minute drive from here takes us to our first property

in Winterbourne Monkton.

So, here is our first property.

It looks good. It's nicely spread out.

How do you feel about being semidetached?

-I don't mind.

-We haven't got a problem.

-No.

So long as there is somewhere in the garden that still feels private.

So, it's an impressive approach

and you've probably noticed a rather large driveway.

-I know, great!

-Straight away, yes.

Cos we have lots of vehicles, don't we, that we need to take care of.

So plenty of scope there.

So, a very positive start, shall we take a look inside?

-Love to.

-Love to.

The house was originally built as a farm workers' cottage in 1890

but in 2000 the current owners built a large extension,

painstakingly matching the brickwork to the original.

They turned their three-bedroom semi into a four-bed,

added a reception room and this impressively large kitchen.

So, mind the step cos we're going to start off with, I think,

a very delightful kitchen.

This looks really nice.

It's light and there's a view.

ROSE CHUCKLES

-There's a view of the garden.

-Yes.

And I like the units, I think they're a really nice colour.

They are nice.

Nicely fitted. It's a bespoke kitchen.

But behind me you've actually got a utility room.

-Right.

-That's good.

With an additional sink and access to the garden, as well.

-Good.

-That's where the dog goes when he comes in muddy after a walk.

Right, OK. Well, let's continue through.

Thank you.

'To the back of the house is a sitting room with a view.'

Another little step, which leads us into...

In a way, this is the third sitting room.

-We've got two small ones either side...

-Third sitting room?!

This is the third sitting room.

And this has got the view of the garden.

-It looks fantastic.

-But this is why they built this room

because the sun comes round, open the patio doors onto the terrace

-and then you have the view of your garden.

-Fantastic.

-Looks lovely.

So, what sort of impression is this house making on you?

-I truly do love it.

-Do you?

-Yeah, I do.

-Yeah, it's quite quirky.

-I really do.

Right, well, we've still got more to show you,

so let's take a look upstairs.

'I think the downstairs has dazzled them.

'Let's hope what's upstairs keeps them smiling, too.'

-So, pretty spacious upstairs.

-Mm-mm!

Bedrooms aren't of a huge size

but luckily this one, the master, is.

And it's a good size.

-It's also got an en-suite, which has been beautifully done.

-Wow.

-Great.

-Family bathroom's behind us

-and you've got three more bedrooms upstairs.

-That's good.

Now, they're not huge, they are generous singles.

-Mm-hm.

-But the large landing means it feels a spacious house.

It does.

How about this room? Cos you are the important couple.

Yeah, there's enough space here, yes, definitely.

More to the point,

-there's room for a dressing room for somebody next door, as well.

-Yes!

Always something I would've liked!

Any man that suggests a dressing room,

that's the way to my heart, you're absolutely right.

THEY LAUGH

There's one more thing I just want to point out

to the two of you as we head into the all-important garden.

'The interior is a hit and I'm hoping that what they're about

'to see outside is going to be the icing on the cake.

'A large garden that's nearly three-quarters of an acre.'

So, if you stand here you can really appreciate, you know,

your side of the property but also how secluded you are from next door.

Very secluded.

-Yeah, not overlooked at all.

-It's so pretty.

-It really has got character, hasn't it?

-Yes.

It's an individual place.

Well, in a way, this garden is divided up into three

because you've got a little paddock to the side

which continues down and they've left it all the way down

to the bottom of the garden where there's a stream.

-They've, sort of, left it quite wild, which is lovely.

-Ah, really?

And then it, sort of, wraps its way round,

and then you have this more formal garden here.

So, you've got another pond, which is the wild pond,

and then you've got another little pond here.

A two-pond house.

A two-pond house.

But it's so beautifully looked after,

you can see it's really loved and cared for, isn't it?

'And, as if the garden wasn't enough,

'there's even a little something that I've held back.

'An annexe with a large, en suite bedroom and a garage.

'It could be just the place for Tim to develop

'his furniture restoration skills.'

It looks like a huge garage,

in actual fact it's a self-contained flat.

-Oh, really?

-No!

-Just the other side of the shrubs, yeah.

-Fantastic!

Downstairs you've got the kitchen,

you've got a downstairs bathroom and then upstairs,

although it's eaved, you've got a massive bedroom.

That's fantastic.

That's just perfect for our friends from Germany,

who want to come and spend time with us each year.

It's an awful lot to take on board and that, I think,

is the hidden extra which I know you didn't ask for but, hey, wonderful.

And it doesn't encroach on the house at all.

No. It's fantastic.

So, we've got to try and put a price on all of this, haven't we?

I wonder who wants to go first.

I can't believe that all this can be in our budget,

so I'm going to go for 600.

Yeah, I think it's going to be in the region of 580, 585.

Asking price...

..£575,000.

-No!

-Really?

-That's incredible.

And it's giving us virtually everything we've been looking for.

-Great.

-Please explore on your own.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It is a fabulous first property.

Under their budget, with the added benefit of an annexe,

plus land, gardens, literally everything that they asked us for.

Under their maximum budget

by £25,000, this characterful

semidetached Victorian property

offers a lot for their money.

Under an hour and a half from

Berkshire, it's a good location.

It has light rooms,

large gardens for Rose,

a whole annexe for guests

and Tim's workshop

and a huge drive where they could

park their cars and beloved caravan.

I love the character, the individuality,

the fact that it's got an annexe, the ponds and, of course,

the gardens, particularly the way there's a formal garden

and an informal, wild garden.

Perfect.

This house is amazing.

It's fulfilled so many of our requirements.

We just don't know how you're going to be able to top it

for the next two houses.

That seemed to be a cracking start.

-Certainly was. I couldn't believe the price.

-Good.

And it's given us everything, and more, that we've asked for.

I'm wondering whether we need to go and see any more houses

Oh, well, that's really good.

But we'll keep our options open

because we have got something else up our sleeve.

Let's go and take a look.

Deep in the north-east corner of the county,

on the edge of the Savernake Forest,

is a fiery business which is one of Britain's oldest crafts.

It is thought that blacksmiths emerged during the British Iron Age

of 800 BC and although many of the factories and furnaces

may have disappeared there is still an influx

of contemporary artistic blacksmiths keeping the flame alight.

Keen to create something ornamental for their new home,

we're taking our buyers to meet artist and master blacksmith

Melissa Cole at her forge just outside Marlborough.

I understand you do art blacksmithing.

What's the difference between that and making shoes for horses

and that sort of thing?

People who shoe horses and make shoes for horses

are called farriers these days, it's a very specialist field.

I tend to work more as an artistic blacksmith,

so I make decorative items, either for people's homes,

or for their gardens, or for public spaces around the country.

So I'm very much trained traditionally as a blacksmith

but do more contemporary, designed work.

Artist blacksmiths combine spiffing craftsmanship with art designs.

Melissa manipulates metal through heat, using hammering

to create structural, ornamental and decorative ironwork.

Before setting up on her own, she learnt her blacksmithing skills

from her father.

After I finished my art degree I came and shared a workshop

with my father, who is a traditional blacksmith,

and he trained me in all my traditional techniques.

Then I decided to take those techniques

and put a contemporary twist on them.

Well, I'm really looking forward to it today because, years ago,

when I was a little lad, my uncle was a blacksmith, and then when

I went to college in the Royal Navy I actually did some smithing there.

Oh, fantastic. I'm sure it'll come flooding back the moment

you get in front of the anvil and get a hammer in your hand,

-it'll be brilliant.

-Yes!

Melissa is teaching Rose and Tim to use her coal-fired forge

and transform their steel bars into something beautiful.

We're aiming to get our metal yellow-hot, OK, so think sunshine.

They must repeatedly heat their bars up to a sizzling 1,300 degrees

before quickly wielding them into shape with hammer and tongs

on their steel anvils.

OK, I want you to do one, two, three, four, five,

and then turn the metal.

This is great.

As a blacksmith, your dead time is when you're stood here

with your metal in the fire.

Which is where those old expressions,

-"Too many irons in the fire," come from.

-Oh, yeah!

When you've got two pieces of metal in

cos you're heating one up while you're hammering the other.

Slide it out, have a look at the colour.

-It's fine.

-Beautiful job, yeah. Perfect.

Tim's going to be hammering at home now, after this.

Yeah, he's going to have a forge when he looks for a house now,

he'll say, "I want one with a forge, please."

SHE LAUGHS

The next stage is one of the trickiest, as they must hammer

the metal at various angles to turn it into a particular shape.

OK, so it's braced against the surface of the anvil

but you're applying pressure as you move it.

It's a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy.

Finally, they use a scrolling fork to forge shapes into their bars

and to create their desired design.

Let's have a look at your finished pieces.

Wow, fantastic.

I think it's a walking stick, actually, for my bad leg.

Your bad leg, yes.

That's the first bit of metalwork I have ever done.

Oh, well, I think you've both done a brilliant job

in a very short space of time, so congratulations.

Thank you very much. That was great fun, brilliant.

Good.

For our second property, we're just ten miles east

of house number one, in the village of Ogbourne Maizey, less than

a five minute drive away from the historic town of Marlborough.

Crucially, it's also just an hour's drive away from friends

and family in Sandhurst, Berkshire.

Ogbourne Maizey sits in the valley of the River Og.

It has a close-knit community, a thriving local pub

and it even hosts an open-air theatre every year.

Rose and Tim would find plenty to explore with their dog.

A ten-minute walk down the road is the village Ogbourne St Andrew,

whose centrepiece is a magnificent 12th-century church,

which shows evidence of Saxon and Medieval burials.

Located in Ogbourne Maizey,

our second property also has its own history.

It dates back to 1662 and still has some original features,

including its own 20ft well that in the 1920s was one of the main

freshwater sources for the village.

-Absolutely an English thatched cottage, isn't it?

-It is.

-Really sweet.

-It's certainly thatched. Is it listed?

-It is.

It's Grade II listed

and we're also in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

as well, so everything that is done on the cottage has to be done

within those confines.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Let's see what you make of this one.

-OK.

-OK.

I'm so glad the thatched roof doesn't trouble them.

Let's see what they make of the interior.

There's a dining room, a snug, and this impressive room.

So, off the hallway,

you have this very high ceiling vaulted sitting room.

-I didn't expect to see that in here.

-No.

I wondered how dark it was going to be,

so this is a really nice surprise, with three aspects.

-Patio doors out onto the garden.

-Sun streaming in today.

-Which is lovely.

And if that's the case, we're not going to need the huge fire, are we?

-Oh, that's lovely.

-You've got a multi-fuel burner there as well.

-Do you like this room so far?

-Like this room very much.

-This is a lovely room.

-Let's see what you make of the rest.

So, through into the kitchen, which, granted, is not

the largest of kitchens, but you do have a utility next-door as well.

That helps, doesn't it?

I'm just looking around, thinking, after having seen the one you

showed us this morning, which was fantastic, it's slightly darker.

They've actually put on an additional building.

Now, they use that...

It's sort of like a sunroom, but they use it for their plants,

but also on this ground floor,

we've seen that wonderful sitting room, but you've got

-an additional dining room and quite a good size office as well.

-OK.

So, I can't give you large open-plan,

what I can give you is smaller rooms, smaller dimensions,

-but there is that quirkiness, there is that character.

-Mm-hm.

Yes, it's certainly got plenty of character, this place.

Which continues, I have to say, upstairs.

I know they're after character,

but I fear this may be just a little too quirky.

But let's see if the upstairs will sway them.

There are three good-size bedrooms, as well as a family bathroom

and a WC.

-Now, this is the master bedroom.

-Mm-hm.

Funnily enough, I can't offer you an en-suite,

but I can offer you an additional bedroom, just through that door.

It's lovely and bright, very white, isn't it? And pretty colours here.

With this cottage, we are

showing you a property that has the three bedrooms that you asked for.

I think we'll have to think very carefully about the floor

layout of this one and how it will actually work in practice.

Is this cottage big enough? That's the question.

That's a very good question. I'm not sure at the moment.

There's one last feature that I'm really hoping could appeal to

craftsman Tim, a workshop garage with an office on top.

So, in total, you've actually got more garden than it appears

because you've got this formal garden here with these

wonderful mature trees, but in actual fact,

the paddock at the back belongs to this house.

-Oh, really?

-Makes it a very good size.

-Yeah. It's about 0.6 of an acre.

-Right.

Additionally, if you look back at the house,

just to the right of there, you've actually got a garage.

It's been split up into two,

so they've got the workshop in there at the moment, there's a storage

room, but above that, it's been converted into a wonderful study.

Beautifully done, which could work really well for you, for your

workshop, or if ever you fancied it, you could make it into an annexe.

A smaller project, I think, a little bit of work which

might need to be done, but we've got to put a price on it.

It's Grade II-listed, it's thatched.

I think it's going to be just over 600,000. Perhaps 610,000.

I think it could even be as much as 620.

OK. It's on the market for 595,000.

-Pleasantly surprised!

-Yeah, under your budget.

But that does still give us a little bit of money to perhaps change

-the top of the garage into a bedroom and en suite.

-Yeah.

Why don't you go and have a look at that first on your own?

Have a chat between you, see what you think and then go back

and take a second look at the cottage.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

It's interesting because showing them this property,

I wasn't entirely sure how they felt about it.

The layout of the rooms, they're much smaller than the first.

The reaction I got from them was more muted,

but by the sounds of things, they actually like it, rather a lot.

Just £5,000 under budget, this Grade II listed country retreat has

plenty of character and the three bedrooms they're looking for.

With a large garden and a paddock,

Rose's green fingers would certainly have plenty to keep them busy

and Tim could use the garage as his furniture workshop.

Ideal for my workshop.

I don't think there's quite room for your gardening stuff in here though.

There must be somewhere for my gardening things.

I think maybe an old shed at the top of the garden!

Very different from house number one.

We loved house number one so much, I almost had to try

and forget it to really concentrate on house number two.

I liked the downstairs,

I'm a little bit worried about upstairs bedrooms being too small.

It's something to think about.

I found that the rooms didn't flow particularly well,

but also, the space outside, although there is quite a lot

of space, I don't think there's room for the cars or the caravan.

How was that second tour on your own this time?

-Well, it's certainly a quirky property.

-It is, isn't it?

-It is.

-Very different.

-Food for thought, quite definitely!

-Yeah.

Two extremely different properties today. Well, that's it.

Go back and relax now.

It's the second day of our property hunt in Wiltshire

and with a top budget of £600,000, we're helping Tim

and Rose from Sandhurst, Berkshire, find a country home to

give them a new lease of life, as they begin retirement.

Coming up, the mystery house lives up to its name,

with quite a few surprises.

It's quite unusual for me to bring you to a garden and say,

"If you fancy a game of golf, you can here."

And I'll be having a ball in a very special British factory.

-Is it secret?

-Of course!

Having shown Tim and Rose our two properties yesterday,

there was one clear winner - the Victorian semi, which,

in their own words, gave them everything they were after,

plus that much coveted annexe.

Today, we think it's worth going deeper into Wiltshire

for our mystery house.

Now, we might be taking them away from their ideal catchment area,

but in our opinion, it's a journey worth making.

On our way now for our mystery house.

Have you given it much thought?

Tim's got a hunch as to where he thinks it's going to be.

And he's sure that because of his leg, it's got to be a bungalow.

-SHE LAUGHS

-You're hoping it's going to be a bungalow because of your leg,

-are you?

-Yes, that's right.

-Where's your hunch?

Where do you think it's going to be?

I think it's... I think it could be a bit further west.

-Why do you think we're heading west?

-Actually, I don't know that at all!

-LAUGHTER

-Shall I let you...?

I've just realised we've gone round in a circle

-because the road was closed!

-LAUGHTER

For our mystery house,

we're travelling 30 miles west to the village of Bratton.

Surrounded by open farmland and with the plains

and downs on its doorstep, Bratton village is the perfect

starting point for keen walkers like Rose.

At the heart of the village is the 18th century Duke pub and with

more than 900 residents, there is a lively atmosphere,

with social clubs and annual fetes.

To the south side of Bratton is the largely 13th century

St James' Church, complete with medieval burials.

And on the downs, Bratton even has the oldest white horse in Wiltshire.

Our mystery house may be further west than Tim

and Rose would like, but I'm hoping that the charm of the village

and the character of its build will make it worth it.

-Here's our mystery house.

-It's a mystery!

-It looks incredible. It really is...

-Interesting.

It is in fact an 18th-century property.

I think it's got quite a Gothic look to it. It's very striking, isn't it?

It is.

So, the reason we picked this is it is west of the area that

you've been looking, but we think it's worth coming this far over,

just to see this unusual house.

It's certainly worth coming to see it

because it's not the sort of place that we expected to see at all.

You might have noticed that there isn't a driveway.

-Well, I did wonder where our caravan was going to go.

-Yeah.

And there's quite a few steps to come up to this property,

but we do have some solutions for the caravan.

Because it is the mystery. Come on.

Formerly part of the Longleat Estate,

it's believed a mill owner lived here.

At just over an hour-and-a-half drive to Sandhurst, Berkshire,

is it too far west for Time and Rose to consider?

Let's see if the interior makes it worth the distance.

So, as you walk into this property, there's two sitting rooms,

one either side of the hallway.

I picked this one cos it's got all the sunlight coming through.

-Nice high ceiling.

-You've got two good-size sitting rooms.

-Yeah.

It's very nice, isn't it? One for him and one for me!

So far, so good.

This could even rival house number one and that's just the beginning.

-Now, the end of the hallway is...

-Gosh!

-Oh, what a lovely size room.

-It's a large kitchen, isn't it?

-Yes.

I don't think I've ever been in a house like this.

It's unusual, isn't it?

We always like the mystery to surprise people.

You've got actually quite a large utility room, just off the side.

-It's in a galley style.

-Mm-hm.

-And then it's open-plan.

You've got your dining area here with a downstairs cloakroom.

-You also have a basement, which is very large.

-Oh, right.

They sort of use it as an office come storage room.

It's not something I'd ever consider, or ever thought of,

a house like this. But it's great.

-I'm glad you're enjoying the tour.

-Very, very much, yes.

-Good!

And there are more possibilities to reveal in the mystery house.

Upstairs, there's a lovely family bathroom,

three double bedrooms, and at the very top of the house,

not only a study, but also this - the master bedroom.

-I just love it.

-It's great.

-I love how unusual it is.

-And just look over your shoulder.

-Real country.

Certainly a room with a view.

It certainly is, isn't it? You like your friends to come and stay.

Do you think they'd enjoy coming round here

-and seeing your future home?

-Definitely.

I think everyone, friends and family, would like coming here

because it's so different from what we've had before.

Tim seems to have really embraced this characterful house and

I hope that the tiered garden with ponds and plants will seduce Rose.

And who knows what they'll make of this sporting feature?

So, it's quite unusual for me to bring you to a garden and say,

"If you fancy a game of golf, you can here,"

but in all seriousness, it does make the best place to see these views.

-What a view!

-And the garden...

Well, as you can see, it's been terraced quite cleverly

because we are on a slope, so right at the top, if you're a sun

worshipper, you've got the perfect place to sit and relax.

You've also got a sun house and then, as you go down, there's two ponds.

As garden lovers, both of you, especially you, Rose,

it's quite a project.

It certainly is, but it has been very cleverly done already.

We haven't mentioned the C word, the caravan.

The much-loved caravan.

With the mystery house, it doesn't have a driveway

and it doesn't have a garage. However, all is not lost.

We found a neighbour who would be happy to lease out their

garage for their cars and a few miles away, there's a caravan park.

-You never get everything on your wish list, do you?

-No.

-You're right. That could be the compromise, the caravan.

-Yeah.

So...might be quite difficult on this one.

Can we put a price, for the final time, on the mystery?

It's a difficult one, this one.

I think it's under budget.

I would say 560.

I'm going to put it at 535.

The asking price is 599,950.

-Oh!

-Really?

-Yes.

There's definitely room for negotiation and a discussion

-and they're happy for us to say that to you.

-That's good.

-So perhaps, in a way, put that amount to one side.

-Yeah.

Take a second look. Don't let it colour your judgment.

That's what I'm trying to say.

I think it's always good to explore on your own.

You've still got the bedrooms and a lot more to see.

Take your time. It is our mystery house.

You tell me when you're ready to go.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Our mystery house is nearly bang on budget.

With four bedrooms, two spacious living rooms

and a huge kitchen, it has an abundance of space,

which is matched by its 18th-century character.

The mystery house has certainly lived up to the expectations.

There are parts of it that I really do like.

I think, though, that for the two of us,

we would end up living in just the back room.

It was so spacious and absolutely superb.

And I think it is more a family house.

It's an amazing place, both inside and outside.

It's a house that is a bit of a challenge,

but could be a really good home.

We've always been used to having a caravan right next to the house,

so it's very easy to load and unload.

So I'm not altogether sure that it would work.

So that's it. You've seen all of our properties.

The even better news is,

you're not going to have to deal with any more steps.

-Thank goodness for that!

-You've done so well.

-So let's go and have a sit down and have a proper chat.

-Lovely.

During the summer months, Wimbledon fever catches on

and Wiltshire's many tennis courts are packed with wannabe Murrays.

The game of tennis is widely thought to have originated

from a court game played in 12th-century France,

but the game of real tennis

is considered to be a classic British sport

that was even enjoyed by Henry VIII.

The manufacture of tennis products has largely moved overseas,

where better profit margins make it more viable.

However, there is one longstanding British company

still going strong based in Wiltshire.

'It's the only remaining ball factory in the UK.

'Coincidentally, the company started producing tennis balls in 1936,

'the same year that Britain

'had its first winner at Wimbledon, Fred Perry.

'Founded by Joseph Price, it's now run by his son, Derek,

'who, in turn, hopes to pass this bouncing business

'on to his daughter.

'I'm visiting their factory in the village of Box

'to see how this proudly-British company still operates.'

-Hi, Derek, good to meet you.

-Hi.

Now, I understand you're in the business of balls,

manufacturing mainly tennis balls.

We are indeed, yes.

My father came here in 1936

and we came in 1937.

It started off with tennis, a few tennis balls, and retreading tyres.

So, it was all about rubber in those days, was it?

Yes, in rubber conversion, yeah.

'Surprisingly, the manufacturing process has changed

'very little since 1936.

'Derek still uses the original machinery

'and processes to produce the balls.'

Mind your head. This is where we make the halves of the balls.

'Derek makes balls of all sizes for children and adults,

'all from his own specially-mixed rubber.'

Every product has its own compound, or mix, as we call it.

Obviously, this is my own mix for this particular product.

-Is it secret?

-Of course.

'The rubber pellets are placed into trays

'to form the two halves of the ball.

'The trays are placed under the original 200-tonne press

'and heated to 145 degrees Celsius for two and a half minutes.'

Then you open the press and then you...this is what you've got.

This is the start of the ball?

That's the start, that's half of the ball. Half of the rubber core.

'After the halves are sealed together, they are hand-covered.

'Derek's daughter, Louise, who has recently joined the business,

'shows us how it's done.'

This is a regular tennis ball,

but the cloth's applied in the same way.

You have two halves.

They start...the figure eight looks like this.

-It's applied onto the ball in two sections.

-I see.

And then the edges are neatly joined together.

'Ultimately, Derek hopes to pass on the business

'to continue the family legacy.'

Came back to learn from the master how to make tennis balls

and many other things, and fallen in love with the place.

And you must be very proud that your daughter's joined you.

More than proud, yes.

So I know this ball isn't quite finished,

so it might be a little unfair, but, well,

the proof is in the bounce, isn't it?

-Yes, indeed, yes.

-Shall I give it one go?

-Yep.

-Come on, then.

-There we are.

-Not bad at all!

Well, we've shown Tim and Rose

our three properties here in Wiltshire,

but have we found them their future home? Let's find out.

So, Tim and Rose, you've sold your house.

You spent quite a while looking yourselves.

Question is, have we been successful finding you your next home?

Well, the short answer is, yes, you have.

-Ah!

-Yes.

-I'm sitting up already. Come on.

-It's very exciting.

-I expect you can guess which one.

-I'm taking it house number one?

-Correct, yes.

-Well done, that's the one.

-Yes.

It's got everything we want.

It's got plenty of grounds around it,

a nice layout of rooms within the house,

and the house has got lots of character in it.

It was a Victorian cottage.

And although it's been extended, it's been done very well.

-Beautiful gardens.

-Absolutely beautiful garden.

-Potential for workshops.

-Yes.

And enough work that's what I would call man's work

in the garden for Tim to do. NICKI LAUGHS

Well, that's brilliant news!

Because when we were looking around the house,

you both seemed to be very taken with it practically straightaway.

-And the annexe seemed to be the icing on the cake.

-That's right.

-You're in a great position because you've sold your house.

-We are.

So if the green light goes on,

will you be putting an offer in soon, do you think?

-Oh, definitely.

-Almost certain.

-As certain as you can be that we'll put an offer on.

-Oh, I'm so happy!

Now, you can be honest now. We're relaxed, we've got the tea,

we've found out that you love our house.

Did you think at the beginning that we might get close to finding

you the perfect home, honestly?

-No.

-THEY LAUGH

-I love you, Tim!

-We hoped so.

I have to say, you're a delightful couple to go house-hunting

here in Wiltshire with, so thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Yes, thank you very much for all the hard work.

It seems there's one clear winner

on our house-hunt with Tim and Rose,

and that's the Victorian cottage.

So much so that they're soon off for a second viewing.

Let's hope their long search is finally over

and they're able to call Wiltshire their new home.

I'll see you again.

'Tim and Rose didn't waste any time and, after a second viewing,

'they put in an offer on the first house that was accepted.

'They've already moved in and have started their new life

'in the Wiltshire countryside.'

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