Hertfordshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

Now, today we're in a county that was home to one of

the 20th century's most famous playwrights

who came up with a fairly novel idea

for allowing the sun to shine on his work all day long.

So who was he and where are we?

Well, join me in just a moment and I'll tell you.

Today's couple are newlyweds hoping to kick off their married life

together in the countryside.

One of our properties leaves them stumbling for words...

Look at your face.

-You're speechless.

-Yeah, speechless.

-Yeah.

..and another manages to amaze.

Wow, wow, wow.

-Wow, wow. Oh, my wow.

-"Oh, my wow."

JULES LAUGHS

Well, today we are in Hertfordshire and the building behind me is

known as Shaw's Corner, just outside Welwyn, and it was home to none

other than Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and his wife Charlotte.

Now, they lived here from 1906 up until his death in 1950

and you might have assumed that the old man would have done

most of his work at home.

But, no, not Shaw.

For the last 20 years of his life he preferred to work in the garden.

Or, more specifically, his garden shed.

This was Shaw's creative escape,

his writer's retreat.

And if I just open the door, you can see it's pretty simply furnished.

A bunk for an afternoon nap, a desk, a typewriter, of course,

it even had a telephone so he could call up the housekeeper

and order lunch.

Now, back in Shaw's day these trees hadn't grown up

and this tiny cabin enjoyed far-reaching views

but in order to ensure that the sunshine kept on him all day

long, he had the whole thing set on a turntable...

and it still works.

How about that for a creative idea?

Hertfordshire is one of England's Home Counties and is bordered

by Buckinghamshire to its west, Bedfordshire to the north

and Essex to the east.

A countryside of rolling chalk hills and river valleys,

much of Hertfordshire's terrain is given over to agriculture

with pretty villages dotting the landscape.

Places like Much Hadham served as a useful stopping point

for horse-drawn coaches on the route from London to Cambridge.

The county is home to many historic houses and was a popular

rural escape for London's nobility during the 19th century.

Grand estates, such as Brocket Hall near Welwyn, inspired Jane Austen

to set her classic novel, Pride And Prejudice, in the region.

Indeed the work's famous television adaptation starring Colin Firth

used the neoclassical stately home as a filming location.

Hertfordshire is home to a number of parklands of note.

Verulamium Park, set in 100 acres of beautiful green space

just outside St Albans,

is named after the Roman city buried underneath.

With the county's southern border only 20 miles

from the centre of the capital, Hertfordshire is a popular

choice for those seeking a rural haven within easy reach of the city.

Now, at the moment the cost of an average detached house

here in Hertfordshire is an eye-watering £538,000.

That's double the national average.

Now, that figure is inflated by some very expensive commuter hot spots

where you could end up paying three times the national figure.

So, as a general rule of thumb,

the further north you go away from London, the cheaper it gets.

So, let's now meet today's buyers, find out

where in Hertfordshire they want to be and why they want to be here.

Newlyweds Anthony and Marie, who's from Japan,

live in a two-bedroom apartment in the heart of London's trendy Hoxton.

They met six years ago on a language exchange and married

in Marie's country of birth.

It was like a proper Japanese-style wedding. Kimono...

And our families did a swap, so my dad wore traditional Japanese attire

-for the wedding ceremony and Marie's dad wore English.

-Yeah.

Anthony, who's a banker, and Marie, who works in clinical research,

have lived in the London flat for five years and during that time

they've made the most of city life but now, as they approach

their mid-30s, their priorities have changed.

Living here when we were first living together, it was great.

We were going out a bit more

but perhaps now we're getting a little older and now that we're

married, we kind of use what Hoxton has to offer less and less.

We spend more time at home, so... Yeah.

London is really such a busy city

and I'm ready to have more quiet life.

Marie grew up in rural Japan and has always loved the countryside

but London-born Anthony is a recent convert.

Having spent time with my wife's family, home in Japan, it's just

so peaceful and tranquil where she lives, which is, like,

pretty much on the doorsteps of mountains and we've been away

for weekends in the countryside in London - it's so peaceful and nice

to wake up to greenery

as opposed to your concrete jungles of Central London,

so I think it would be very healthy and a nice way to live.

They've chosen Hertfordshire due to its proximity to the capital

and their jobs but they see this move as a much larger life plan.

We think it may be good for kids to grow up in a quiet area.

With a garden to play and run around in - we don't have at the moment...

Plenty of space, you know, let them play in the garden.

And outside space is top of their wish list as gardening is one

of the couple's many hobbies.

I enjoy looking after my orchids and flowers.

At the moment, we have a balcony and communal garden downstairs.

That's the only space that I can use for now,

so, yeah, hopefully I can get a real garden in the countryside.

We both enjoy cooking together.

We both enjoy cooking, both play tennis.

Marie is deceptively good at tennis. MARIE GIGGLES

Yeah, er, socialising with friends. Just, I guess, the standard.

Nothing out of the ordinary but, yeah, a good quality of life.

A nice life is important.

With the London property market booming and the option to

either rent or sell the Hoxton flat to finance the move,

Anthony and Marie are looking forward to starting

their married life together in the Hertfordshire countryside.

When we met, I already had this flat, so my wife moved in...

Well, at the time we got married, moved in with me.

This will be the first property that we're buying together

and, you know, hopefully the home that we'll have a family in,

so it's very exciting to be doing the next step in our lives together.

Yeah, very exciting.

In terms of location, Anthony would like to be within an hour's commute

from his office in Liverpool Street and Marie

an hour and a half from her job in West London.

But Hertfordshire has good transport links into the capital, so that

allows us to spread our property net across much of the county.

I'm meeting up with our buyers in the stately surroundings of

Ashridge House, near Berkhamsted, to go over their property wish list.

Well, Anthony and Marie, welcome to Hertfordshire

and we are spoiling you at the start of your escape to the country

with this place, Ashridge House. What do you think of that?

-Beautiful.

-Absolutely stunning.

Really the sort of thing I suppose you'd like to buy.

THEY LAUGH

We may talk about what we might achieve with your budget

a little later on.

So what are you looking for in your country life?

We look for... To have a nice, quiet life

and possibly to have a garden

and enjoy some green.

To enjoy some green and have a garden.

Well, this sort of thing would

-definitely do, Anthony.

-Yup, very much so.

We're looking for a nice period-style house.

We currently live in a new-build property, so kind of go flipping

to another style, to a period property

with enough rooms, hopefully, for

some of Marie's family if they want to come and visit us from Japan...

To be able to stay with us and, yeah, to give us a nice, rural lifestyle.

Now, give us an idea of how much money you're prepared to

spend on this new move?

In an ideal world,

if we can get... Our wish list would be... Around the £700,000 mark

would be the ideal that we'd like to get to and to get everything.

700,000 but could that go up a bit?

If push comes to shove, probably.

So potentially three quarters of a million?

A huge number but potentially.

Now, you've talked about having something with

a bit of character about it,

something with a bit of history,

do you have an image in your mind, Marie, of what your new house

should have?

Ideally three bedrooms and comes with garden and big kitchen.

And, Anthony, what about you? What's in your mind?

Two reception rooms ideally and, if possible, with a nice area

for Marie to look after her orchids - she's a keen grower.

Now, I was going to get onto the orchids

-cos I gather you've got over 100 of them...

-Yeah.

..in your flat, in the middle of the city, at the moment.

How many more orchids are you planning on getting

-in your new house?

-Probably too many.

Yeah, we'll have to worry about the budget for the orchids after

the budget for the house but we'll definitely have more

room for a few more orchids, I think, after the move, yes.

OK, all right. Well, we've got three, I think,

very interesting properties to show you, including the mystery house.

-OK.

-So we've got to get on with it.

-Let's go and house hunt. Come on.

-Sounds good.

For a very generous top budget of £750,000, our buyers would

like a period property with enough space to accommodate Marie's

visiting family and her growing collection of orchids.

The house should have at least three bedrooms

and a large country-style kitchen, as well as two reception rooms.

And they're keen to have a good-sized garden so Marie can begin

growing her own produce.

We've lined up a hearty selection of wonderful Hertfordshire homes

for Anthony and Marie to feast upon but they won't know the price

of each until the end of our visit.

And, with our mystery house, we'll see just how period

they're willing to go.

-So, can you teach me some Japanese this week?

-Yeah.

OK. Does my name have an equivalent in Japanese?

-Jules.

-Yeah.

Er...no.

It's just Jules, is it?

And what about the word for beautiful?

Beautiful is utsukushii.

-Utsukushii?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Utsukushii.

-Utsukushii, yeah.

-Good pronunciation.

-Very good!

-Now, that's a word I hope we're

going to hear more of as we go

round our houses.

-Ah, OK.

-Ut-gushii.

-Utsukushii.

I'm going to look out for that one.

Our first property choice is in the village of Long Marston,

three and a half miles from Tring

and its 40-minute rail connection to London's Euston station.

Tring is a small market town which, in the late 19th century,

was home to the famous banker Lord Rothschild.

The town flourished after the construction of the nearby

Grand Junction Canal and later, the London and Birmingham Railway

and today, it's a popular commuter town.

Our first house is in the village of Long Marston on the outskirts

of Tring on a quiet country lane surrounded by farmland.

-OK, guys. Well, this is it, property number one.

-Wow.

The opposite of what we have currently

and exactly the kind of setting that we're looking for.

-It's not Central London, is it?

-Definitely not.

And you can probably smell it in the air as well.

-That is true as well.

-Somebody's muckspreading somewhere.

Beautiful, peaceful, perfect.

Now, what we've got for you here is a chunk of this

old converted-farm complex.

And you get that bit, the middle.

How does this compare to what we might find in Japan?

It's really different. Yeah. I look forward to have a look.

Well, let's see what you think of our barn then.

In its previous life, the house was an old cart-and-hay barn

and today, the carts have been replaced by car ports at either end.

Dating back to 1890, the Victorian barn has been renovated by

the current owners who have created a modern and versatile family home.

Let's start in here. There we are,

your first taste of a converted barn.

-Wow, very nicely done.

-Yeah?

-What's Marie thinking?

-Yeah, nice.

Opens up, of course, into the diner there

and the kitchen that's next to it,

-we'll have a look at that in a moment.

-OK.

But in terms of living rooms I suppose, really, you'd use

these two rooms together.

Yeah, very much so. It feels very lovely and warm.

Homely. It's very well done.

Yeah, nice ceiling as well.

Yeah.

As well as this main entertaining space, at the other end of

the barn there's a snug and a further room that's currently used

as a gym-cum-study but we're taking a closer peek at the dining room.

There we go.

This is really clever,

they've put this huge range of bifold doors in, which I think kind

of double the size or the feeling of space that you get in here.

I think the light you get in from the outside just makes

the room really great.

I think, in our heart of hearts, we were hoping for kind of like

a bigger kind of kitchen/dining area

all in one but, as a room, this is definitely a lovely room.

They've done a very nice renovation.

Well, here's the thing - because the kitchen is just next door

but this wall that separates it is just a stud wall,

-it's not load-bearing.

-Ah.

So you could remove that

and open this right up to have an enormous kitchen-diner.

Well, that's a completely different proposition.

I mean, it's very nice as it is.

As you can see, you've got the granite tops, you've got the cooker

and all the rest of it... Loads of storage.

There's also a very generous utility room just down the corridor,

so all the washing machines and all that stuff is out the way anyway.

So far, Marie, how are we doing?

What would you give house number one out of ten, say?

Out of ten, probably eight.

-Eight?

-Yeah.

-That's pretty good. Anthony?

Yeah, I think an eight, as well, with the potential of that to come down.

I think maybe, ideally, the lounge we would have liked a bit bigger

but with this space opening up and with that wall down, it could

-really just be something that could be workable.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Both Anthony and Marie seem keen on doing a bit of work to open up

the ground floor of this property, which will give them

the space they're after.

Upstairs, in the eaves of the barn, there are five double bedrooms -

plenty of room for a future family.

Two of the bedrooms are separated by a dressing room

and run off each other,

creating a guest suite of rooms for when Marie's family come to stay.

At the other end of the house, another bedroom -

currently a study - is accessed by an independent staircase

from the dining room below.

And then there's the master.

And then this is your bit.

-Wow, that's lovely.

-Yeah? Very private.

-You've still got the light.

-Yeah.

-There's no view as such

but you've also got the en-suite through there, which is great.

Bath and shower as well.

How does this compare sizewise

to what you've got in London at the moment?

-More than...

-THEY ALL LAUGH

Incomparable.

OK, good. Well, at least we've ringed that change

from the city to the countryside.

How about the garden? You said you wanted green space,

somewhere for all those plant plans.

-A few more orchids maybe?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

The garden to the rear of the barn is mainly lawn bordered by

shrubs and fruit trees and benefits from a summerhouse.

The quarter-of-an-acre plot backs directly onto a paddock with

views over open countryside.

You're the gardener, I think. Is this big enough?

Yes. Yes, definitely.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

I mean, we'd all love, you know, tens of acres, wouldn't we?

But the truth is if you're at work all week long you need

something that is going to be manageable and that you can keep.

Yeah, that's the key thing.

Something this size would be... I can do lawnmower duties

and then Marie can make it look beautiful.

There you go. Well, let's think about the price, then.

What do you think it's worth? Who's going to go first?

-Ladies first on this one, I think.

-Well, madam?

-Er, 730.

-£730,000 says your wife, sir?

I will try to be optimistic and go with... 715.

715, well... You're both right instinctively to go over seven

because this was on the market...

at £775,000.

However, that was a few months ago.

-It is now on the market for offers in excess of 700.

-OK.

Now, it could be £1 over, it could be £10,000 over

but you're certainly in a position to entertain this

if it's what you want and it's where you want it.

-It's certainly food for thought.

-Mm.

Well, there are a few other bits that you haven't fully explored yet,

so why don't you take a bit of time, have a good look around

and I will catch up with you a little bit later.

-Sounds good. Thank you.

-Off you go.

£50,000 below their maximum budget, our first property,

a characterful barn conversion, gives Anthony and Marie two more

bedrooms than they asked for,

the potential for a large kitchen-diner

and a manageable garden.

In terms of the commute, the village is an hour to

the City of London and an hour and 25 minutes to West London.

The size of the garden is good.

Also I like the kitchen as well.

And if we could take that centre wall off,

then we can have a bigger kitchen, so it's going to be good.

The things I like about property number one would be the nice

presence from the front of the house,

the nice garden at the back,

the lounge as you come into the property and the kitchen

and the diner.

Nothing that is a real no-no but I think, in our heads, or in my

head, still trying to run through how the layout of the upstairs

rooms - where the three bedrooms on the left-hand side of

the property seem to run into each other -

could be a little awkward for use

but... Not a no-no but it's something that needs to be thought over.

Well, one down, one more this afternoon

and then our mystery house tomorrow but we have got to get better

-than an eight out of ten, Marie, haven't we?

-Yes.

Like much of the UK, the health of Hertfordshire's countryside

can be determined by the number of butterflies fluttering around

its gardens and meadows but the British butterfly is in trouble.

The UK population is in decline, with numbers down some 25%.

Hertfordshire itself has been particularly hard hit, with 17

species lost in the last century.

To find out why but also how we can help the population,

I've come to Butterfly World -

a pioneering conservation project based near St Albans.

Since it started in 2008,

it has helped stem the decline in the county's butterfly numbers.

I'm meeting the project's lepidopterist, Louise Hawkins.

Well, Louise, it's not every day that I get to meet a lepidopterist.

-You have made the study of butterflies your life.

-Mh-hmm.

What got you into it in the first place?

To be honest, probably boredom on holiday at my grandparents'

in Cornwall.

Nothing else to do other than going out into fields

and wandering around in the woodland looking for butterflies.

How important are butterflies to our environment, to the ecosystem?

They're hugely important. They're a vital part of the food chain.

There's lots of birds and bats

that are very dependent on butterflies and moths.

We're not doing a great job of looking after them, are we?

We're not, unfortunately, not at the moment.

I think cos of huge demands on our land, changes in how we use our land,

the habitat's become very fragmented.

It's been changed into development, carved up by motorways

and populations have become isolated.

Now, those of us lucky enough to have a garden

can all do our bit to help, and I gather you've got some top tips

-as to how we can all get involved...

-We have.

..in helping to create the perfect environment...

-Yes.

-..for butterflies.

Yes, we have. I can show you some perfect examples.

Brilliant. After you.

'To help reverse the decline, the conservation project

'has created the ideal habitat in which the butterflies can thrive -

'a unique wild flower meadow, which provides a plentiful supply

'of nectar for both butterflies and insects.'

This is lovely, it's full of colour, isn't it?

Yes, there's lots of flowers here that butterflies really like.

We've got scabious, we've got knapweed,

we've got marjoram, and, of course, we've got the butterfly bush as well.

That, I suppose, is one of the most prolific plants

-that we see across the UK...

-Yeah.

..but a lot of people will cut that down as a weed.

They do indeed, yeah.

It's very important to leave some of these - what we consider -

weed plants in your garden

so that there's lots of nectar for butterflies.

But as you can see, a wild garden can still be just as beautiful.

'While adult butterflies depend on nectar to survive,

'caterpillars on the other hand need food plants

'such as nettles and grasses,

'so it's good to leave at least a portion of the garden untended.'

Now, for all the colour and all the beauty of it,

one thing seems to me to be missing.

Where are the butterflies?

Well, it is rather cold and damp today,

so they will be in there roosting somewhere nice and warm.

We've got a lovely, warm, tropical butterfly house,

so we can go and see some lovely, spectacular butterflies.

-And it won't be raining?

-No.

-Great. Right.

-HE LAUGHS

'It's not just native species

'that the project has taken under its wing.

'The Tropical Butterfly House

'is home to hundreds of foreign butterflies

'as well as a number of quail, who act as a pest deterrent -

'a kind of butterfly bodyguard.'

What's that?!

That is an owl butterfly.

That's one of the largest ones you'll find in the Butterfly House

and they're called owl butterflies

because they've got eye spots on each wing

that when they open them up, they look like an owl's face.

That is without a doubt the biggest butterfly I have ever seen.

I mean, I love the noise of the quail in here.

They control the number of spiders, and spiders are the number one enemy

of a butterfly when they get caught up in the cobwebs.

Ah, of course. Yeah.

And how many butterflies then are living in here at the moment?

There's probably between 400 and 500 in here at the moment.

-And how many different species?

-Around 30 or 40 different species.

But this is a wonderful environment

to introduce people to the butterfly.

Are we looking at a brighter future?

I think so, yes.

If we continue to educate our children

about the importance of butterflies

and if we concentrate our conservation efforts

in getting a balance between development and habitat,

then I don't see why not.

It seems we can all do our bit to try and help the British butterfly

by creating conditions for them to thrive in our own back gardens.

But, for now, we need to find a rural haven for Anthony and Marie,

so it's back to the house hunt.

For our second offering, we're heading northeast.

We're actually crossing over the border into Bedfordshire

to the hamlet of How End,

just outside the small market town of Ampthill.

With an hour's journey

to London's Moorgate,

which is close to Anthony's office,

and just under an hour and a half for Marie,

Ampthill is a well-connected, vibrant Georgian market town.

Our second house is a few miles north of it,

but situated in a quiet rural setting

surrounded by fields and hedgerows.

OK, Marie, what do you think of that one?

-Wow. Nice. Big.

-SHE CHUCKLES

It is big, actually.

The bit we're looking at here is a modern extension...

ANTHONY AND MARIE: Mm.

..to an original house, which was built in 1888,

so it's late Victorian...

Similar age, really, to property number one,

but this one has been doubled in size over the last few years.

Anthony, what are your first thoughts?

Yeah, very cute and quaint and doesn't look modern at all.

So, yeah, very promising from the outside.

-I'm very conscious of this character that you're looking for.

-Yeah.

All right? But with this one, we've certainly gone for size.

To be honest with you,

it's very difficult to judge this from the outside.

The only way to really understand it, I think, is to get inside.

-Mm.

-Yeah?

-OK. Sounds good.

Come on.

'Well, that's a more upbeat reaction to our second house.

'It's an interesting fusion between old and new,

'retaining fine original features throughout.'

We'll start in here.

Wow.

"Wow"! That's good! Look at your face!

ALL LAUGH Wow.

Do you remember when we were speaking in the car earlier

and I asked you what the Japanese for beautiful was?

-Ah, "utsukushii".

-Utsukushii?

-Yeah.

-Utsukushii.

-OK, so, maybe it's that.

-Mmm.

-Very much so. Wow, that is stunning.

-Yeah?

-Speechless.

-Yeah.

-You're speechless? This is the biggest smile...

-Yeah.

-..we've seen.

-Mmm.

The flooring is nice, I like that beam. Just everything.

-Yeah.

-It's really, really lovely.

-Well, the beam is interesting.

I said to you earlier that the house was extended.

That beam represents the old external wall of the property,

so that was as far as it came

and everything we're standing in now is the new addition.

The most recent addition is that fabulous garden room there,

which projects out into the garden.

-Ten out of ten for a first impression.

-Mm, mm.

Great. I mean, you've got a fantastic family

and entertaining area here too.

Across the corridor, there is a living room

with a huge open, working fireplace in it.

Oh, wow.

-Behind me, here, you've also got a wood burner.

-Oh.

Which will keep you nice and warm.

So you've got lots of entertaining space and this wonderful kitchen,

and beyond it...is the dining room.

-Mm!

-Wow.

-Come and have a look.

'As well as our top-scoring entertaining space,

'the ground floor also features

'a huge walk-in larder and a utility room,

'both of which are just off the dining room.'

-Wow.

-Wow, lovely space as well.

-Lovely, yeah.

-Wow.

The thing I like about this house is that it has different zones -

the garden room, the kitchen and the dining room,

-but it all flows together, it's all linked...

-Mm.

..which, again, just has this nice sort of feel to it.

Our last house, you said it was eight out of ten.

-Is this one a bit higher?

-Yeah.

-ALL LAUGH

-Anthony?

-Unquestionably. Yeah, for me, it's a ten as we stand now.

-It's ten out of ten.

-Brilliant. OK. Well, let's hope that continues.

'And I'm confident it will

'as upstairs there are four good-size bedrooms,

'but with all the rooms arranged off a central landing,

'it's a more conventional layout than our first property.

'Two of the bedrooms are en suite, including a lovely guest suite

'for visiting family.

'There's also a fantastic family bathroom with roll-top bath,

'which just leaves Anthony and Marie's bedroom.'

-Wow. Amazing.

-Yeah, another beautiful room.

-I mean, it is beautifully...

-Nonstop surprises.

..furnished, to be fair.

-That is a super king-size bed, so...

-Yeah.

But it is beautifully done, has a fantastic en suite as well,

and in terms of accommodation up here,

do you think there's enough space for people to come and stay here?

-Mm.

-Yeah, I think without question.

-Ideally we wanted a minimum of three, and four would be plenty.

-Mm.

-Good. Still ten out of ten?

-Yeah.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Good. Right. Shall we go to the garden?

-Sounds good.

-Talk about the price?

-JULES CHUCKLES

Extending to the side of the property,

the gardens are enclosed and private

thanks to the mature borders and trees surrounding the lawn.

There's also a large decked area suitable for entertaining.

Come over here because this really is where you get a sense

of the old and the new.

There's the 1888 bit...

And there's the modern part...

with that extension.

In terms of garden... the green bit, this is it.

There is a little courtyard garden

that separates the house from the double garage,

but in terms of your gardening ambitions,

would this area be big enough?

-Mm, yeah.

-MARIE LAUGHS

-You sure?

-Yeah, yeah.

If I could give you the keys, would you like me to do that?

If we could have the keys, yeah, without question.

ALL LAUGH

Well, how much would the keys to this place cost you?

-You went first last time...

-Mm-hm.

..Marie, so, Anthony?

-I'm going to go for an optimistic 740.

-740.

Um... 750.

-750.

-Mm-hm.

Now, if it were 740 or indeed 750,

-it would absolutely push your budget to the limit, wouldn't it?

-Mm.

-It's on the market at 665.

-Wow.

JULES AND MARIE LAUGH

Wow, that was a properly speechless open-mouthed "wow"!

-Yeah, now I'm speechless.

-Wow.

Really?

-Yeah.

-Ah...

That is very pleasantly surprising. JULES LAUGHS

Well, given that you love it so much,

I think it's the icing on the cake, isn't it?

-Yeah! I think speechless again, yeah. Stunning.

-Wow.

Well, look, although you have seen most of it,

I think we should give you a bit more time to indulge it,

to soak up the atmosphere of property number two

and maybe start planning.

-Maybe a move is afoot. Who knows?

-MARIE LAUGHS

-Right then, off you go. I will catch you later on.

-Thank you.

Well under their maximum budget by nearly £100,000,

our second house is original Victorian,

but has been recently extended and modernised.

It gives our buyers the large kitchen and reception space

they were after,

one more bedroom than they asked for and a manageable garden.

Well, I can't find anything I don't like...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..so that's a good sign!

I could imagine to live in this house

and I hope Anthony is thinking the same.

Wow, what not to like?

Stunning lounge area, kitchen area, dining area, sunroom,

four big bedrooms...

I mean, just perfect, absolutely perfect.

Yeah, I think unquestionably, this is a place that I could see

myself living with my wife and if one day we have a family,

it'd be a lovely place to have a family

and plenty of room for Marie's family to come and visit,

or friends to come over and spend the night

if they were to come for a day, whatever.

So, yeah, absolutely, it's a place we could see as our home.

You know, house-hunting can be quite a tiring business

despite what you might think...

-Whay! How are we doing?

-Very good, thank you.

Good to be outside potentially what'd be our new front door.

Well, is it going to be your new front door, I wonder?

We have got one more to see tomorrow, our mystery house,

so don't jump the gun just yet, but I think it's looking good.

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

Come on, then, let's have a celebratory evening drink.

Sounds good.

It's the start of our second day of property shopping

here in Hertfordshire,

and with a very healthy budget of £750,000,

we're helping newlywed professionals -

Anthony and Marie from London -

find a family house in the Home Counties.

Still to come - our mystery option raises the game.

-Never been in a room as beautiful as this.

-Mm!

Just stunning. MARIE CHUCKLES

'But the price comes as a shock.'

-Mmm!

-Wow. Wow, wow, wow.

Well, unfortunately, it does look as if our second day of house-hunting

could be somewhat wetter than the first,

but there is no better feeling than ending day one on a high,

which we certainly managed to do.

But I always get very excited when I'm about to show our buyers

a mystery house that could thrill them even more

and if they like what they've seen so far,

just you wait till they see this one.

Our mystery house is back

over the border in Hertfordshire

and we're on the way to the village of Brent Pelham.

The closest station for trains to London is Bishop's Stortford -

a half hour drive away -

and then it's an average 45-minute train ride into Liverpool Street,

so we're pushing our buyers on the commuting time.

The village itself is made up of a scattering of pretty thatched

and characterful houses

and Brent Pelham is a quiet, sought-after location.

But it wasn't always so peaceful.

Just outside the local church are the medieval stocks,

which could accommodate up to three people at once.

Despite adding around 20 minutes to their journey into London,

our final property certainly delivers on age and history.

Now, look at this!

Wow, wow, wow. JULES CHUCKLES

Come over here.

-What?!

-Wow. MARIE LAUGHS

-Oh!

-That is as traditional as traditional gets.

-That is fantastic.

-Lovely.

-What's the magic word?

-Utsukushii.

Utsukushii, yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?

Now, on this one, we are stepping back in time.

-Our first two properties were Victorian.

-Mm-hm.

-This one was built around about 1500 or so.

-Mm...

-Wow.

-MARIE LAUGHS

-So, it's 400 to 500 years old

and packed full of history and character

in a very genuine way.

-Mm.

-I know when we started out you were really hoping for that.

We certainly got there, I think, with our second property,

albeit in a modern way,

but this absolutely is the real thing, Anthony.

-Mm.

-Wow, it's stunning. Absolutely magical.

Yeah? Let's see what you think of the inside. Come on.

'So our mystery house is a 16th-century thatched property -

'originally three workers' cottages that have been knocked into one

'to create a beautiful family home.'

Right, you two, let's start in here then.

-Oh, wow.

-Mmm.

-That is very cute.

-Cute, yes.

-Yeah?

-That is splendid.

-Yeah.

There's a pantry through there

and also the main family bathroom is down there.

-OK.

-So it's got a slightly unconventional layout in that sense,

-but bath and shower - beautifully done.

-Mm.

But, yeah, your classic cottage kitchen.

Oil-fired range over there.

This isn't the only dining area,

but in terms of the kitchen - would it be big enough for you?

-Yeah, yeah. I think so.

-Yeah, I think definitely workable.

I mean, yeah, just a lovely room...

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-..steeped in history.

-Mm.

-Just fantastic.

Well, if you like old style, this place is full of it.

Have a look at the dining end.

This is the dining room itself.

-Wow! Oh, my... Wow!

-Wow!

-MARIE LAUGHS

-Oh!

-"Oh, my wow"!

-JULES LAUGHS

-Wow.

-That is just absolutely stunning.

-Wow.

-This room is full of character. Just unbelievable.

-Mm, yeah.

-The beams, the ceilings, the fireplace...

-Wow.

-But this is lovely too.

Can you see on this piece of wood, these little marks?

-These are the carpenter's marks...

-Mm.

..from when it was built.

So they would assemble the frame of the building on the ground,

get all the joints to fit and then they had to label them

to know which one went where.

So X-X goes there.

Just beautiful. JULES LAUGHS

Beautiful, yeah.

I've never been in a room as beautiful as this in a home.

-Mm.

-This is just stunning.

Well, let's see what you think of the living room

cos that's through here.

We step down these...two steps.

-Look how wide that wall is next to the chimneybreast.

-Wow.

And then you get into here.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh!

-Just so cosy, just so homely, just so...

-Mm.

..just fantastic.

Another wood burner for you. Uh, again, more beams, more history.

It's so tastefully done and so beautifully done.

It's everywhere, so although there's lots of dark wood,

-it just doesn't feel dark at all, it's just lovely.

-Mm.

-I think you would be happy here.

-Mm, definitely, yeah.

Right then, let's go upstairs. Follow me.

'Our buyers are clearly captivated by the charms

'of this characterful cottage.

'Upstairs there are three bedrooms with exposed timbers throughout.

'One, currently set up as a twin, would make a cosy guest room.

'Another of the bedrooms has been converted into a study

'and is accessed by its own staircase from the kitchen below,

'which just leaves the largest room for Anthony and Marie to inspect.'

And then this is the master. Come on in.

Wow. Again, wow. MARIE AND JULES LAUGH

-I love that dormer window.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Actually, the way it projects out with all the beams.

-Mm.

-I mean, I know you asked for three bedrooms...

-Yeah.

Our first two properties had more than three, this one has just three.

The other thing is that it doesn't have

the family bathroom on this floor.

It's downstairs next to the kitchen.

But you do have a loo next door.

-Yeah, that's perfectly fine.

-That's fine.

Just through there. That's the only compromise.

It's the only fault, if it is a fault, that I can find with this.

I mean, I'll call it a quirk rather than a fault.

Excellent. I like quirks. Quirks are easier to deal with.

They're much more forgivable than faults.

I think the thing to do now is to go back out

-into that gorgeous garden...

-Mm.

..and I would suggest that you start thinking about how much this one is.

ANTHONY AND MARIE LAUGH

-Yes!

-We can try. JULES LAUGHS

Come with me.

'The secluded landscaped garden provides several different areas,

'including the main lawn - which features a summerhouse -

'lots of mature hedging, and a separate paved area,

'which could make an excellent spot for summer socialising.'

So, that's it. That's what our mystery house has to offer.

MARIE LAUGHS

You know what's coming now, don't you? Yeah!

-How much, Marie...

-Mmm...

..do you think our mystery house... is on the market for?

I think...

-..680?

-680, yeah?

No idea.

I mean, absolutely stunning, but just by virtue of the fact

that it's a bit of a journey from the station,

I'm going to keep it under 700 as well and go for 690.

-But I've absolutely no idea.

-690.

-It has kind of flummoxed you a bit, hasn't it, this one?

-Yeah.

It's on the market for £595,000.

-Wow!

-Really?

-JULES LAUGHS

Wow, wow, wow.

Yeah? That's quite a saving from your projected £700,000 spend.

-That's really good, yeah.

-Yeah.

Right then, come on, let's go. You're in charge of the brolly.

-Thank you.

-After you.

Well under their top budget by £155,000,

our mystery house goes to show you don't need to blow all your money

to get what you want.

It's a 16th-century thatched cottage

with oodles of character and history.

It comes with three bedrooms and a country-style kitchen.

The only downside is the lack of an upstairs bathroom

and it's a 20 minute longer commute into London

than they originally wanted.

For us, this is kind of the real country deal

that we were looking for.

It's just the absolute dream picturesque home.

We were looking for the complete country lifestyle

and I can't imagine a place

that would give us that opportunity more than a place like this.

It's just fantastic.

Well, I wasn't expecting to see this nice character old house,

and I think I really like this.

I can see myself living in this place and enjoying gardening

and maybe having fun with Anthony if we're cooking.

Have a look at this - a chair grown from box.

I just absolutely love it. Look at this. Have you spotted it yet?

Oh, gosh. Wow!

I haven't tried sitting on it, but I think it's so quirky

-and so imaginative.

-Mm.

So, that's it. House tours are over.

-You've got lots to think about, I think.

-Indeed, indeed.

-Yeah.

-But it's been a good week.

-It's been a fantastic week.

-Yeah, yeah.

Have we found you a home yet, I wonder?

-Don't tell me yet!

-ALL LAUGH

-Off you go, Anthony.

-Thank you.

Let's get in the car.

'So, after leaving Anthony and Marie a while to mull over their options,

'it's time to catch up with them

'to find out whether any of the properties we've shown our couple

'have inspired them enough to make the next move.'

Well, guys, here we are at the end of your escape to the country.

It does race by, doesn't it?

-It really, really does.

-Have we managed to do it, Anthony?

Yeah, I think we're pretty close.

I think we know which one is definitely our favourite.

Now, let me take a guess, Marie.

Is your favourite by any chance...

the mystery house?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-ALL LAUGH

Now, it's interesting that

because at the end of yesterday, property two was top of your list.

A much more modern renovation.

What did you like about property two?

-As we walked through the door...

-Mm.

..and that lounge area to the kitchen area to a dining area

is nothing short of magical and we are completely smitten by that.

And then we got to the mystery house and the setting is surreal,

it's idyllic, it's picture postcard.

-Mm.

-From the outside, the inside, the kitchen, the two lounges,

-the bedrooms, it's just the dream that we were looking for...

-Yeah.

..for a country retreat.

What happens next? Because you're ready to move, more or less,

aren't you?

Yeah, we think we're pretty much ready to move,

so now we just need to research the specific area that the house is in a bit more.

Definitely come back for a second and possible further viewings,

and as we see things today,

it's something that we could definitely see as a home

-that we could live in ourselves and raise a family.

-Mm.

So, for the city boy from London,

this is going to be quite a big change for you.

Yeah, I mean, it's such a wonderful place to live a life outside of work,

in the evenings and on the weekends,

and although maybe a bit of a journey to a station,

it's a quick train ride in,

so within the kind of target we had of an hour or so to Liverpool Street.

So, yeah, not daunted by that by any means.

And for the country girl who grew up in the mountains of Japan,

now you're potentially moving

to the English countryside in Hertfordshire,

how do you feel about that prospect?

I'm feeling so excited to start a new life,

and, yeah, hopefully it will go OK.

And it's been a busy few weeks for you both.

You've gotten married. You've come on Escape To The Country

and now hopefully you've got a new home to look forward to.

You probably need to go home and catch your breath.

-Yeah.

-Definitely. ALL LAUGH

But it's been a lot of fun.

A real pleasure to meet you both, and go back,

have another look at our mystery house,

and as ever, do let us know how you get on.

Best of luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Well, hopefully now Anthony and Marie are well on their way

to realising their dream of a rural life here in Hertfordshire,

a county which not everybody would automatically associate

with being classic Escape To The Country territory,

but let's face it -

if Jane Austen was prepared to set Pride And Prejudice here,

and it was good enough for the likes of Mr Darcy and the Bennets,

well then, quite frankly, it's good enough for me.

I'll see you next time.

Anthony and Marie returned

for a second viewing of the mystery property,

and although they loved the house,

they concluded that the drive to the station was too far.

Their Hertfordshire property search continues.

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