Suffolk Escape to the Country

It took nearly three months to carve this enormous wooden structure

that stands in the grounds of a stately family home

that's been a 35-year labour of love. So, where am I?

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

Today's house hunters can't wait to switch city living

for a new life in the countryside.

Our properties seem to meet their seal of approval.

I really love the beams here.

That adds a certain amount of character to it.

But the pressure's on to find the perfect country setting.

-It's not what I had in my head when I thought rural.

-No.

Welcome to Escape To The Country.

And today, we're in Suffolk,

in the grounds of the beautiful

red-brick Tudor manor house Kentwell Hall.

Now, originally built 500 years ago,

Kentwell had fallen into serious disrepair

when it was bought by Patrick Phillips in the 1970s,

who set about undertaking a complete restoration of the house and gardens

that continues to this day.

Now, as well as authentic repairs,

the grounds also feature a few whims and follies,

including the 60-foot sculptured yew tree

and a two-dimensional maze made up of 30,000 bricks.

Now, later in the show, I'll be back to uncover more

about this beautiful and historic Suffolk home.

The East Anglian county of Suffolk

is bordered by Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

Boasting beautiful landscapes and windswept beaches,

the heart of Suffolk's heritage is apparent

through its clusters of historic wool towns and villages

which date back to the 15th century,

when the textile trade was big business here.

Filled with its timber-framed buildings lining the streets,

Lavenham is regarded as England's best-preserved medieval village.

The seaside town of Felixstowe lies to the south of the county,

which is believed to be the last place in English history

where an invasion force of some 2,000 Dutchmen

came to shore in 1667.

Running along the coastline, Suffolk's National Nature Reserve

is home to a variety of birds, otters and deer.

Indeed, as a county so full of natural wonders,

it's easy to see why it holds such a wide appeal

for those in search of a country retreat.

With beautiful countryside and a wealth of historic properties,

you'd expect Suffolk to have house prices to match.

Yet the average price of a detached home at the moment

is around £270,000.

Now, that's about £11,500 below the national average.

So I think it offers good value for money.

However, with a train commute time to London of just one hour twenty

from Sudbury and Stowmarket,

properties in the south of the county

tend to be a little bit more expensive than those in the north.

So, what is it about Suffolk that excites today's buyers?

Well, let's meet them and we'll find out.

Laura and Chris first met in 2004 in Japan

when both of them were at university studying Japanese.

Chris had travelled over from his university in Alaska

and I'd come over from my university in London to do a year abroad.

And since then, we've been together ever since, pretty much, yeah.

Three years later and sales advisor Chris

moved to be with HR consultant Laura, living in London.

I think Chris is a great kind of anchor for everything

that I want to do and we work really well as a team together.

She really wants to look after everybody, it's amazing.

So that really draws me to her.

Based in Surbiton, a busy South West London suburb,

and having endured the daily commute for just under a decade,

Laura and Chris are keen to leave the rat race behind.

Now we're older, we've had time to think about what we want from life,

we'd like to move out and really kind of spend some time together

in a bit more quieter environment and being a bit more relaxed.

We'd get more out of living in the countryside

than we would, say, in a town or a city.

As ambitious Laura has already secured a new job

in Suffolk, near to her family,

now is the right time to move back to her roots.

Due to the pressures of work and having our lives down here,

we don't get to see them as much as maybe I would like

and probably definitely as much as they would like.

So I see this move as a really good opportunity to see them more.

And there's a lot of history out there, as well.

There's old country homes you can go and walk around in,

and the coast, as well.

And just a really nice sort of place to be, it seems like.

Having rented flats for many years, Laura and Chris

are longing to find their own property and settle down.

Especially Chris, who grew up in a military family,

moving every couple of years.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany. We were in Arizona.

About a year after that, we ended up in Tehran in Iran.

Lived in several places in Germany, lived in Italy,

lived in four or five states in the States.

In his youth, Chris lived with his sister on Kodiak Island

off the coast of Alaska,

where the wilderness lent itself to fishing and hunting.

So he's relishing the thought of returning to the countryside.

There'll be less people and fewer shops.

And just going and seeing what's out there

and maybe going into finding a nice little river somewhere,

trying to go fishing again, that kind of thing.

In a bid to get on the property ladder,

Laura and Chris have saved hard.

So now it's all systems go to find their ideal new house in Suffolk.

This will be the first property either one of us has bought.

I see it as being a big change, but a really exciting one.

With Laura's new job starting in the near future,

the move can't come soon enough for them.

They're fairly open to living anywhere in the county,

as long as it's a commutable distance

to her work in Glemsford, near Sudbury.

I'm meeting up with them to pinpoint exactly what they're after

from their first home together.

So, Laura and Chris, welcome to gorgeous Suffolk.

But tell me, why have you decided

that you both want to move to this part of the world?

Well, we've come out here really because Laura's getting a job

-and has to relocate for it.

-Yeah.

And, Laura, you actually know this area quite well, don't you?

Yeah. So I was lucky enough to have the chance to live up here

when my parents moved up here when I was much younger.

They live on the Essex/Suffolk border now.

Also, we've always wanted to move a bit further out of London.

We've always lived in Central London because our work's been there.

This was a really good opportunity to move out to the country

and change our lifestyle a bit.

Chris, at the moment, you work in Central London.

Are you looking for new opportunities here work-wise?

Ideally, I would, yeah. I'd love to come out and retrain

rather than continue down, sort of the...

-The commuting path.

-Yeah, that sort of thing, you know.

Always a huge move, a huge commitment

moving to a different part of the country.

What are you looking for when it comes to, say, the community?

For me, I wouldn't mind not living in a community.

I could be completely rural, for me.

It would be nice for me to still have that sense of community,

still have things going on that we can take part in.

This is going to be the first time you'll buy a property together.

-It is.

-That's right.

-What does the property itself look like?

Preferably detached, um...with a reasonably large kitchen.

We like to cook.

Two bedrooms and a sort of manageable-sized garden.

Ideally, within commuting distance, within an hour of Glemsford,

where I'll be working. And space, ideally, for two cars.

How much is in the pot? Remind me.

Top budget is £275,000.

With some scope if we needed to do some work on top of that, but...

Yes. Well, I think we should get started.

We've got some splendid properties lined up.

First-time buyers, shall we get started?

-Sounds brilliant.

-Yes, sounds great.

-Come on, let's go.

So, having a budget of up to £275,000,

Chris and Laura are looking for a detached property with two bedrooms.

Ideally, they'd like a large kitchen, a manageable garden

and to be within an hour's drive

from Laura's new job in Glemsford.

We've got a great line-up of properties to show them

that really showcases the best Suffolk has to offer.

At the end of the house tours,

I'll be asking them to guess the price of each.

Our final offering is the Mystery House,

which will challenge them to reconsider

some of the elements on their wish list.

We're beginning our search in the north of the county, in Stanton.

On the edge of the village,

Upthorpe Windmill has been a local landmark since 1751.

Surrounded by open countryside,

the community benefits from a local shop, two bakeries and a pub.

With cinema evenings and regular events serving the residents here,

this location could ease Laura and Chris's transition

to country living from the buzz of the capital.

Right in the heart of the village is our first house.

It's the start of our house hunt for your very first property together.

Believe it or not, the whole property is one.

-Oh, right.

-Oh, OK.

It's really attractive. It looks really interesting.

It's a bit of red brick, yellow render.

It's not a bad-looking property from the outside.

Looks great in the sunshine.

Wondering where the car parking might be...

You have a driveway just through those gates.

So they share this driveway.

But you do often get that, shared ownership in the country.

-So it's something you'll just have to bear in mind.

-OK.

-Fair enough.

-Shall we step inside?

-Yes.

-Sounds great.

-Love to.

'This property comprises a Grade II listed cottage

'that dates back to the 1700s,

'as well as a former Victorian bicycle-repair shop,

'which is where we're heading first.

'Modernised internally throughout,

'our couple might be pleasantly surprised by the interior.'

-So as you walk in, you've got a wonderful glass porch.

-Yeah.

Quite a generous-sized study here.

-And then you've got a large open sitting room.

-Oh, wow!

-Quite a good-sized room, it really is.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

I really love the beams here in the middle.

That adds a certain amount of character to it.

This originally was a barn.

-OK.

-OK.

-About 20-30 years ago.

But the current owners looked at it and thought,

"Actually, this is a great living space for the family".

It's been done sympathetically.

-Bit of character, but it's nice and high.

-Definitely.

-It's a nice room.

-It gets quite a lot of sunlight.

-And then it's nice it looks on to the garden, as well.

-Yes. Good.

We're only through room one, aren't we?

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

-All right.

-Cool.

So here we are in the main body of the house.

Oh, wow!

Originally, this was probably a separate room

and they've opened it out, but they've kept the structure.

-That is your front door.

-(Right.)

But we're in the country, no-one ever uses their front door.

My attention when I came in was just immediately drawn to the beams here

-that divide the rooms, almost.

-Yes.

But this is a really good kitchen space, actually. All relatively new.

You do have the Victorian quarter, shall we call it?

Ideas of grandeur with your first home.

And then as you walk into the main house, as I like to call it,

you've got a huge family bathroom.

In addition to that, you've actually got another sitting room.

-Wow! That is a lot of space, yeah.

-Quite a lot of space left to see.

Well, I'll let you explore the ground floor on your own

because I'm keen to take you upstairs, show you the bedrooms.

-OK.

-All right.

And those bedrooms are up on the first floor,

and give Laura and Chris three good-sized doubles.

One more than they asked for.

I wonder if they'll mind not having a bathroom upstairs?

This is the master. Fair to say this is the largest.

-It's big, isn't it?

-Yeah. That's another good-sized room.

If it bothers you that the bathroom's downstairs,

you could always convert one of the bedrooms into a bathroom.

It would be a shame to lose the third bedroom, almost.

There's plenty of space downstairs already, in some ways.

You could easily get a shower room in here and make it an en-suite.

-Yeah.

-Mm. It would have been nice to have a bathroom up here.

Keep you from having to traipse up and down.

-Let's go outside. You have to guess the price for this property.

-OK.

'So far this property has received

'some pretty positive reactions from our couple.

'They seem genuinely impressed with the amount of space inside,

'so hopefully they'll be equally pleased with what outside offers.'

Now, one of the requirements was, I seem to remember, a garden,

not too big a garden - we don't want maintenance.

I think this is great - I love the size of it.

I love the fact that it's not overlooked

and I love the fact as well that the house

you can look at over the garden.

And, Chris, how do you feel? You know, the access point

is unusual for the cars, you share that access.

To be honest, it... That's the biggest downside.

But you feel pretty good about the actual property itself?

Yeah, the property itself has been really good so far, yeah.

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

Oh, definitely 275, maybe up to 280.

-OK. Chris?

-I don't think it's going to be quite as much as that,

I think I'd go 265.

Not a bad guess.

It has come down, actually, recently, in price -

it's on the market for £268,000.

-Oh, right.

-All right. That's a... It's a good price for what you get.

Why don't you have another look around? There's still plenty to explore.

-Brilliant.

-And I'll catch up with you when you're ready.

-Brilliant, thank you.

-Thank you.

'At £7,000 under budget, this sympathetically modernised

'and extended character cottage with three bedrooms also has

'a manageable garden, is located within a semi-rural village

'and is a 45-minute drive to Glemsford for Laura's new job.'

Cool.

It's another decent-sized bedroom, isn't it?

Yeah, so it's good storage space as well.

Another door in the wall there.

Yeah.

-Is that to the other room, do you think?

-Um?

-We'll have to find out.

OK, so this is the third bedroom,

so that definitely was an adjoining door.

Yeah, at some point, yeah.

-But again it's not a bad size.

-Good size.

Could be a bathroom maybe.

Yeah, potentially. HE LAUGHS

It's good.

I love the character and I love the fact that even with

the character the rooms are still a regular size, there's still a lot

of good space and there's nothing that really needs doing, it's great.

I thought that kitchen into the dining room thing was

pretty spectacular, the massive fireplace and everything

and I think that's really nice.

It really is a contender, didn't expect that on the first house

that we saw, but really impressed.

The house is not in a rural setting.

Ideal would be detached house away from everyone else,

just, you know, plenty of space, plenty of quiet,

that sort of thing.

But it is an awful lot of house for the money.

Here you are, have you seen enough?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's really...

-Really good.

-Really good place.

-It's a good start, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Fantastic.

-Right, let's keep going.

-All right.

Travelling around Suffolk,

you're almost certain to see a Mill Road or Mill Street,

and although many of the mills that once peppered the county are no more,

nestled into the countryside in the village of Pakenham remains not one,

but two of the county's hidden gems, a historic windmill and watermill.

Now the last working watermill in Suffolk,

and one of the oldest in operation in England,

the watermill uses the simple technology of water power

to produce stone-ground wholemeal flour from locally grown wheat.

Mindful of our buyers' desire to learn more about the heritage

of the county, we've arranged for

Laura and Chris to meet the mill's curator, David Eddersham.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you.

-My name's Chris.

-Chris.

Have you ever been in a watermill before?

Yeah, we've visited a small one down near Winchester.

-A small one?

-But not on the same scale as this, I don't think.

-No.

It probably wasn't as old as this either.

This building has been here about 200 years

but there's been a mill on this site for 1,000 years.

Wow. So who runs the mill nowadays?

Well, today it's owned by the Suffolk Building Preservation Trust

and it's run by a team of volunteers.

I'm one of the volunteers, we have about 50 altogether

who help to look after this whole site and mill flour.

So I'll take you round, show you how the mill works.

-Sounds great.

-Right.

-All right.

-Let's start with the waterwheel.

It's the natural flowing water from Pakenham Fen

that collects in the millpond,

and drives the five-metre-high iron waterwheel

which was built locally in Bury St Edmunds in 1898.

There's the water coming in.

-Oh, wow.

-And the buckets fill and off we go.

THEY LAUGH

This is called a breastshot wheel.

-OK.

-The water is coming in at about this height,

more than halfway up one side of the wheel...

Oh, wow.

..filling the buckets and the clever thing about it

is that it's the weight of water,

not the force of the water, that's driving it.

So you don't need a current or anything, it's just...

We don't need a strong current,

and in Suffolk, which is a very low-lying, flat county,

you don't get a lot of fast-flowing streams

so this system works perfectly in Suffolk.

-Great.

-That's amazing.

The power of the waterwheel is also harnessed to hoist up grain

to the fourth floor of the mill.

Then it's placed into chutes that funnel it down

to where millstones grind the wheat grain into flour.

It takes around an hour to fill four 20kg sacks.

So the flour comes down this chute straight into the sacks,

and as it comes down, the miller is testing it all the time

to make sure it's the right consistency.

Just feel that, how soft it is.

-Wow, it's like sand, it's really fine.

-That is wholemeal flour.

-It's got everything in it.

-That's really smooth.

We mill it very fine and so you get a much lighter wholemeal loaf.

Now we're going to go into the miller's house,

into the old kitchen, where we've got the oven going

and we're going to bake something with this flour.

-Great.

-Sounds great.

-OK? So come this way.

Laura and Chris are making Suffolk rusks,

a scone-like snack historically eaten by farm workers.

A mixture of flour, lard, egg, milk and sugar,

they're baked for 20 minutes

before being halved and baked again to crisp up.

-Here we are, then.

-Wow.

They smell really, almost savoury, even though there's...

-Yes, yes.

-..sugar in there.

-Yeah, it's kind of almost like a popcorny, like....

-It is.

That kind of smell, almost.

Mmm. That's surprisingly good, actually,

kind of biscuity, bready flavour.

They're all right

-but they don't really taste much of anything, really.

-No!

No, but if you'd been working all day in the fields

you'd be glad of this by tea-time.

-I can see how it could be quite satisfying, actually.

-Yes.

-They've come out really well.

-They did.

-Well, you made them.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much!

We're staying close to Pakenham

as our house hunt continues

in the nearby village of Ixworth.

Here, the River Blackbourne meanders around its outskirts,

providing opportunities to fish with the local angling club,

which could be great for Chris.

With two pubs, a post office and a local butchers,

there are useful amenities within range for Laura and Chris.

Just over a five-minute drive away,

our second property is set amongst working farmland

and open countryside.

As you can tell, we're in the country.

You've got animal noises, you've got a tractor!

-Chris, I'm thinking rural just for you, what do you reckon?

-All right,

yeah, yeah, this will fit the bill.

Because this here is our next property.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, wow.

It's nice, obviously semidetached.

-Yes. You've probably noticed we have...

-Oh, OK.

-..the garage,

you've got parking here for at least three cars.

Yeah, it's quite remote here.

The property itself, lovely.

-We're right on the edge of the village, actually.

-Oh, OK.

So I wonder if this is the rural idyll that Chris is after.

Could be, yeah, could very well be.

-OK, well, follow me.

-Cool.

'Dating back to the 17th century, this cottage has undergone

'extensive renovation by the current owners to not only modernise

'but also enhance the original features of the property.'

-Come on in, step inside.

-Wow.

-A lot more character than the first.

-Yeah, all the beams and the...

-what we assume would be a partition wall.

-Yes.

It's the first time I've actually ever seen this...

This is called clunch, which is sand, lime water,

there'd be straw... It's a bit like wattle and daub.

-Yeah.

-But that was originally a wall

and the owner's thought, "Why not open it up, make it a feature?"

And it leads beautifully into a dining room.

It really opens the room up.

Yeah, and it's nice that you can see out to the back

and you've got the light coming in from the garden as well.

-That's really nice. Yeah.

-Really good.

-Keen to see a little bit more, Chris?

-Yeah, very.

-Definitely.

-OK.

The all-important kitchen, you've got a very small hallway...

and then this kitchen has been newly fitted, well, relatively recently.

I mean, this granite is beautiful.

It's lovely, very modern.

It's a lovely space, yeah, I like that it's got lots of light.

I'm pleasantly surprised.

I thought I was going to get a slight, "It's a bit small, Nikki."

Chris?

It probably is just a tiny bit small

but it looks like it's been well thought out.

I'm going to take it that you like it and not ask you again.

I think so, yeah!

But I'm also going to sell you the utility room next door.

-Oh, right.

-With access outside.

One more room to mention -

you do have a really good-size study just along the hallway.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah, we'd have to have a good look at it and make sure.

Good. Well, I guess it's time to go upstairs. Let's take a look.

'On the first floor there are two double bedrooms

'and a bathroom, which was recently relocated from downstairs.'

That probably is one of the smallest

and steepest staircases you've ever been in,

quite bijou but the good news is,

when you get upstairs, you've got a good-size master bedroom.

-Yeah.

-Storage cupboards?

Storage, yes, hanging in that one, you've got shelves in that one,

and as you can see, we've got a visitor, the wonderful cat.

Sadly, he doesn't come with the house.

Yeah, it doesn't look like it's going anywhere.

-Doesn't look like it wants to leave.

-It doesn't look it.

-And views across the fields.

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

-That's nice.

-Which is important because...

Tell me, take yourself back to Surbiton, just outside of London,

what can you see from your windows?

Into other people's flats, mostly!

There we are. Do you like it?

-Yeah.

-I like it, actually, yeah.

-Surprised, again, the size of this room is quite nice.

-Right, well,

Chris, if you don't mind leading the way, we're going to head outside.

Mind your head and be careful of that staircase.

'The character features inside this property

'seem to have worked their magic. All that remains is to find out

'whether the various features of the garden will also be a hit.'

So I really like the way, actually, this garden has been laid out.

-Yeah.

-Not too big.

Ever wanted chickens?

-It's one of the things we thought about, yeah.

-Yeah.

You've got the chicken coop there already done,

safe from foxes etc, as much as it ever can be,

you've got your fruit trees there, you've got a vegetable patch,

greenhouse, and then behind us,

you probably saw as we came up, the little pathway, you've got

more of a sort of formal garden.

A bit more maintenance required of this garden, I guess.

I quite like the size of it but it does feel a bit more overlooked

because you're very close to the neighbours.

And from a location point of view, Chris,

is this more you, do you think?

-It's not what I had in my head when I thought rural.

-No.

Maybe that's a... Coming from Alaska, maybe,

there's a little bit more "house with nothing around it", really.

-Yeah.

-So we should really discuss the finances now.

What price are we going to put on this property?

I think, given its location

and the size of the garden and things like that,

it's going to be a bit closer to the top of our budget.

I think I'm going to say £270,000.

-OK.

-I think maybe 260?

OK, well, to put you out of your misery,

the asking price is £267,000.

-Right, OK.

-OK!

OK, so, very close to the first house.

-Yeah, so why don't you take another look around?

-Great.

-Take your time. Off you go.

-All right, then.

-Great.

-Thank you.

£8,000 below budget,

this semidetached cottage with two bedrooms is chock-full of character.

Set at the edge of a village

with rural views

and surrounded by farmland,

it's just a 40-minute commute to work.

That's not a bad-sized room.

Yeah, it's not bad.

Plenty of space in here for your parents to come and stay.

Yeah, good for that or having friends over.

I really like the view of it from the front,

I really like the love and attention that's gone into it.

It had a pretty sensible layout, despite being quite an old property

and I do like the bricks and the beams

even though you had to duck a little bit here and there.

-Wow.

-Bathtub AND a shower.

Coming to this property has made me reassess how much character

I probably want in a property.

When we went up the really small staircase, tilted rooms,

really low clearance on some of the doorways, that's more

of a burden day-to-day than I think we'd really be looking for.

I suppose you have all the ruralness, so you are properly

in the country, but you're still attached to your neighbour.

Ah, all finished?

-Yeah.

-Seen enough?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I think so.

Good. Well, it's the end of the day, that's it.

-It's been quite good, I think, we've done well.

-Yeah.

-I think we have.

-It has been good.

-Got you thinking, that's for sure.

-Definitely.

Laura and Chris from London have a budget of £275,000 to leave

the city behind and build a new life for themselves in the country.

Coming up, our mystery house will give them a different perspective.

I really like the light that's coming in from the front

and the view over the fields.

And I meet a homeowner who has undergone a lifelong project

to bring Kentwell Hall back to its former glory.

It's taken 43 years and it's cost a...bit.

THEY LAUGH

Well, it's the second day of our house hunt here in sunny Suffolk.

Laura and Chris are keen to purchase their first ever home together

but I think are still unclear exactly what it is they're after.

Yesterday I thought we'd got off to a pretty good start. We showed them

two relatively small but beautiful characterful period properties.

We still have one more card up our sleeve - it is the mystery house.

-So we're nearly at the mystery house, not too far.

-OK.

Any ideas what we're taking you to see?

I'm curious if it'll be more of a, like, a fixer-upper, maybe,

because the properties we have seen have been in very good condition.

Because we were fairly vague on our requirements,

I don't really have any idea, to be honest.

What are you dreading, Chris?

Um, a flat, I think.

OK. Good answer!

I never, ever give anything away but I promise you it's not a flat.

For our mystery house,

we're heading to Barnham,

which lies on the Norfolk-Suffolk border.

This beautifully preserved village has a strong sense of community

which I know Laura will love.

Close by is the market town of Thetford,

home to many scenes from the classic TV series Dad's Army.

With its art gallery and museum

as well as a pub, butchers and local stores,

the amenities here, combined with the surrounding countryside,

might just suit Chris's ideals too.

Three miles away and a stone's throw from the centre of the village

is our mystery property.

I thought I'd bring you to this area

because, well, the people of Suffolk are very proud of it.

It's called the Brecks.

All around here you have acres and acres of forestry.

-I'm looking at you, Chris. This appeals, I'm sure.

-It does, yeah,

just looking out there and seeing all the wide open space.

-Yeah.

-Really nice.

-Good. Well,

our mystery house isn't actually that far from where we're standing

cos if you just want to look up this road,

-there she is, right at the end.

-Wow. OK.

-Shall we go a little bit closer

-and you can tell me what you think?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

'For the mystery property, we've chosen a much more modern affair,

'and though it lacks the age-old character,

'we've really upped the ante when it comes to space.'

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-It is.

Detached is great, you know, it's nice and quiet,

we've seen all the space round here and everything.

-Any idea, Laura, why we've picked this as the mystery?

-Um...

I think it's a bit more modern, so obviously less character in some ways

but from what we can see at the moment, looks really interesting.

-Let's see how we get on inside, shall we?

-Sounds good.

'Built in 1973, this modern property hasn't been lived in for a while

'so it's ripe and ready for new owners to make their mark,

'which could be ideal for our couple.'

Slightly different from the previous properties,

a mere 40 or so years old this time.

Yeah, big difference.

No beams!

THEY LAUGH

Yeah, a little bit more modern in terms of the space.

I quite like the L shape, actually,

but I really like the light that's coming in from the front

-and the view over the fields. That's lovely.

-That's really good.

It's ready to have a little bit of love, bit of care taken to it,

but you could move in quite happily,

-live here and then make those changes when you're ready.

-Yeah.

It's clean, tidy, beautifully presented.

Yeah, looks lovely, just a bit of paint and you're away, really.

I'm just going to point out that wall to you cos I'll come back to it

but that's a wall I might consider knocking down,

-for good reason.

-OK.

-For good reason.

-Follow me and you'll see why.

-Cool.

On the ground floor and to the rear,

through the kitchen, is a large family room and garden room,

so there's plenty of scope

for Laura and Chris to reconfigure the living areas to suit them.

Here is our kitchen.

Lovely.

Which leads us into even more space.

-Wow.

-Yeah, a fantastic room.

It's lovely. It looks out over the garden,

loads of natural light, really is nice and bright and airy.

-So this originally was the outside wall.

-Yeah.

And they decided to extend out,

so at the moment you still have that very compact kitchen

-but remember the wall?

-Yeah.

Knock it through, so you could either knock it through there

and have a wonderful kitchen-diner/living space, or

-you come out here with the kitchen.

-Bring it further back.

-Then you've got a conservatory as well.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

-Wow.

Is this more you?

It's definitely more me,

yeah, the practicality of the thing really appeals to me.

I like the space and I like the possibility of, you know,

-having a bigger kitchen as well.

-Yes.

Good. We're on the ground floor -

as we came in, there was a really good size study.

Now, that on paper is the third bedroom

-because next door to it is the downstairs cloakroom.

-Yeah.

Well, talking of the bedrooms, let's take a look. After you.

-All righty.

-Lead the way.

'On the first floor there are two double bedrooms and a bathroom.'

So, spacious downstairs -

pleased to say it continues with the master bedroom.

-Lovely, isn't it? Wow.

-Yeah, very nice.

-Yeah, I like it.

I was expecting the eaves to impact on the room more

-but they really don't.

-No, it's a really nice space.

I love, again, the framing

through those windows of the scenery and the kind of countryside

but it's lovely to have light coming in from both sides.

-Yes. We have another bedroom, which is of a similar size.

-Oh, OK.

Well, we're going to head back outside, and also talk to you

about how much the mystery house is on the market for.

'Laura and Chris don't seem to have a bad word to say about this property.

'I wonder if the garden is to their liking too.'

Well, I'm hoping that the garden doesn't disappoint either.

No, it's lovely.

It's a really lovely space, much bigger than I expected, actually.

You can see your neighbours back this far in the garden,

but as you get closer to the house,

there's a little bit of a, almost like patio space,

-where you are completely blocked away from them, you know.

-Yeah.

Getting quite a good vibe from the two of you

so I wonder how we think about the price.

Yeah, I mean, I really like it.

I can't help but think there must be a premium on this kind of setting

to have that balance of community,

to have such a lovely environment around you,

so I think it's top end of our price range, maybe,

so I'm going to say 275-280, I think.

I agree, I think its location and what you're getting...

I'm going to stick to the top of the budget and say 275.

Well, in actual fact, the asking price is £280,000.

-Right, yeah.

-However, we have taken the liberty of speaking to them

and making them aware of your budget, that it's £275,000,

so they're happy to negotiate between the 270, 280 mark.

-Right.

-OK.

-Really good to hear, thank you.

-Really good to hear that.

I guess you two want to have another look this time on your own,

-don't you?

-Yeah.

-Please do.

-Thank you.

Although the mystery house nudges a fraction over their budget

at £280,000,

it could be within reach, as

the owners are open to negotiation.

It's a more modern property than

Laura and Chris were looking for,

but if they are happy to take on a refurbishment project,

it would give them everything

they've asked for, including space.

-Nice and big.

-Yeah.

Quite a lot of storage, actually.

I like the alcove around the window again.

-It's exactly what we were looking for, two doubles.

-Absolutely.

From the first moment we saw the mystery house,

really liked the setting.

It's a lot larger than you think it is from the front,

loads of space inside

and that space inside gives us scope to really put our mark on it.

So this is the study, third bedroom, possible.

Yeah, it'd be quite a good guest room,

again, really nice light at the front of the house.

Small double or a large single, I guess.

I think both Chris and I have been really impressed with it.

Maybe a modern property is the right choice for us.

This is the only one where I walked in and thought,

"Yeah, I really could be here."

Happy? Seen enough?

-Very happy.

-Yeah, very happy.

I know we've bombarded you with a lot but we like to get you thinking.

You two should have some time on your own and collect your thoughts

-and then tell me what the outcome is.

-Sounds great.

-Sounds good.

-Shall we hit the road?

-All right.

-Yeah. Thank you.

In the heart of the Suffolk countryside lie many charming

towns and villages awash with attractive half-timbered buildings.

These were built for prosperous wool merchants in the 16th century,

when the county was the centre of the English wool trade.

One historic hallmark from this time is Kentwell Hall,

built by the wool trader John Clopton during the 1500s.

Over the centuries, the property has changed hands many times,

yet the house has remained essentially the same for 500 years.

The Phillips family now live here.

They bought the house in the 1970s,

and have spent decades restoring and maintaining this Tudor landmark.

I'm meeting up with owner Patrick

to find out why he's so passionate about his piece of history.

Welcome to Kentwell, Nikki.

Lovely to see you, Patrick. Thank you for the kind invitation.

It really is a magnificent home

and that's what it is for you, isn't it? It's your family home.

It is. It's been that for nearly 45 years.

We've brought up four children here.

So what was it, though, about this property that you decided

that you wanted to take it on? It's such a huge project.

I think it is just one of the most beautiful, romantic,

come-and-get-me buildings you'll ever see, you know,

with the moat and the gardens and everything about it, it is

just warm and embracing, you know, you feel really happy being here.

Did you realise when you bought it how long it was going to take

to restore something of this size and magnitude?

No. It had holes in every roof.

The general plasterwork that you can see here, we've redone.

It looked very tired and ancient and neglected.

It's taken, so far, 43 years.

That must have cost a pretty penny.

And it's cost a...bit.

THEY LAUGH

We ended up by having to open the house or give it up.

Kentwell underwent some structural restoration

in the early 19th century, when Victorian architect Thomas Hopper,

a favourite of King George V,

was employed to make changes following a fire.

Today, the Phillips have a small, skilled team of craftsmen

who are responsible for the Great Hall's authentic renovations.

We're now in the Great Hall, which is my favourite room in the house

because, in the wintertime, we use this as our sitting room.

So you change it for your visitors?

We roll up the carpet, we move all the furniture out

and it becomes a much simpler Tudor Great Hall.

We had to repair the whole of the floor that we're standing on,

we had to take it all up

and the timbers underneath had all rotted away,

so we had to re-timber it.

And your much-loved tapestries, I mean, how old are those?

These are 1600.

Having those colours there is very, very rare

and so we're anxious that we shouldn't lose those colours at all,

so it means we live sort of in the dark here

with electricity always, cos we have all the blinds down.

So just looking through that splendid hallway

and the open door, what's through there?

That used to be service rooms - the pantry, the buttery

and the corridor through to the freestanding kitchen,

that now is almost a perfect cube of a dining room.

Patrick, is there ever a day that you and Judith, you have time to

take a step back and reflect on what you've achieved, what you've done?

We're sharing what we do with everybody

and if they really get great pleasure out of being here

and can see what we see, we are thrilled by that.

As well as the house itself,

there are 900 acres of grounds at Kentwell.

Patrick and his wife Judith reintroduced livestock

and rebuilt the farm in the 1970s.

This is a working farm run on a non-intensive sustainable ethos.

Meat from their sheep, pigs and cattle is used alongside produce

from the garden to make the estate as self-sufficient as possible.

Now, Judith, I am passionate about my animals,

and you've got a really interesting project

going on here at your farm, haven't you, concerning rare breeds?

We found Norfolk horned sheep.

There were just six ewes left.

-Is that all?

-Only six.

-In the whole country?

In the whole country, and there are now over 3,000,

so the programme to bring the Norfolk horned sheep

back from extinction has worked.

And this is the breed that you would have seen here grazing

when the house was built?

It was the wool from these sheep

that produced the wealth in this area, and so

it was the wealth in this area that built houses such as Kentwell.

Now, I particularly like donkeys

but this is a breed that I've never seen before.

Are they girls or boys?

These are girls, this is mother and daughter.

They're called Poitou from the Poitiers region of France

where it's very cold in the winter,

can be very stormy, and very hot in the summer,

so they have this dreadlock coat,

they're often referred to as the dreadlock donkey.

Yes, I've never seen anything like it.

-Well, the weather runs off them.

-And are they very rare?

-They are.

What other animals do you have here on the farm?

We've got Suffolk punch horses, the heavy horse of this area.

We've got Tamworth pigs. The Tamworth is the nearest pig

to that which would have been around in the 16th century.

More recently we've crossed the Tamworth with other pigs

and produced a spotty pig, which are also a very old type of pig.

We are here to show people the rare breeds that would have been here

on this estate way back in time.

If it wasn't for the dedication of the Phillips family,

this beautiful manor wouldn't be

the splendid example of Tudor architecture

that stills stands today.

So we've shown Chris and Laura all our properties here in Suffolk,

and what a great week we've had.

Started off well in that beautiful village with our first home,

both seemed to like that one.

When it came to the second, I think they were struggling.

Personally, I thought it was a splendid property

but perhaps not quite for them.

Lastly, we showed them our mystery house.

Now, this is the house that they seemed to be united on,

but were they prepared to take it to the next step?

Well, let's go and ask them and find out.

So, Laura and Chris,

forget Alaska, forget Surbiton, just outside London,

it's all about Suffolk, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's right.

-Yeah, absolutely.

And I've brought you to this spot

because it is rather beautiful, it's quite remote,

I thought this might focus your minds, especially yours, Chris,

cos you love the countryside! How have we got on with our houses?

Has one caught your eye, or perhaps even two?

I think for us overall the mystery house...

-Yeah.

-..is definitely the one that appealed to both of us...

-Did it?

-..the most.

-Good.

So I think we're definitely looking to go forward

-and put an offer in on that house.

-Oh, my word!

Sorry, is that a bit skipping ahead?

That's tremendous news, taken my breath away.

What is it about that house that works?

Cos I knew you liked it. I could see that warm glow on your faces

-when you first saw the mystery house.

-You're in a village

but quite rural as well, as there's loads of space round it.

The property itself has quite a lot of space inside,

loads of garden space.

Yeah, I think one of the things we didn't realise is...

we talked a lot about our specific requirements

for inside the property itself

but the setting's actually really important to us,

I think that's what's come out in terms of the properties we've seen

and so the mystery house actually was the best balance of

good property itself but also nice setting that met all of our needs.

A little bit of work planned straightaway or do you think

-you're just going to move in?

-I think it'd be nice to get a feel

for it before we make any significant changes.

Well, I hope everything goes according to plan,

and most importantly, all the best with your new life here in Suffolk.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Well, I couldn't be happier than that end result.

I did have a sneaking suspicion

that the mystery house was by far the favourite for Laura and Chris,

which was great news,

but I had no idea they were going to put an offer in quite so soon.

To me, that's a job done.

I've had a fantastic time here in Suffolk

and I'll see you again on Escape To The Country very soon.

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