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Welcome to Escape To The Country. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:03 | |
Today, I'm in a county that has more prehistoric landmarks in it | 0:00:03 | 0:00:06 | |
than any other, including this one. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:08 | |
But what is it, and where is it? | 0:00:08 | 0:00:10 | |
Well, join me in just a moment and I'll tell you. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:13 | |
On today's show, a couple who long to escape city life | 0:00:29 | 0:00:32 | |
and bring up their two small children | 0:00:32 | 0:00:34 | |
in the quiet of the countryside. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:37 | |
But we hit a stumbling block with style... | 0:00:37 | 0:00:38 | |
We're a bit more traditional. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:40 | |
-We are, yeah. We're a bit more fuddy-duddies than you think. -THEY LAUGH | 0:00:40 | 0:00:44 | |
..although another of our properties really gets their imagination going. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:47 | |
I can imagine us cooking, the kids playing, | 0:00:47 | 0:00:49 | |
Jamie's doing all the hard work, | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
-I'm sitting at the table with a glass of wine... -SHE LAUGHS | 0:00:51 | 0:00:55 | |
Well, today we are in Wiltshire and this is the Neolithic chamber tomb | 0:00:57 | 0:01:02 | |
otherwise known as West Kennet Long Barrow. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:04 | |
It is, without doubt, | 0:01:04 | 0:01:05 | |
one of the finest examples of its type anywhere in Britain. | 0:01:05 | 0:01:09 | |
I first came here 25 years ago as a young archaeology student. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:14 | |
It was a mystery then and, to be honest, it's still a mystery now. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:17 | |
But we do believe it was built around about 3650 BC, | 0:01:17 | 0:01:22 | |
making it over 5,500 years old. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
It was in use for probably 1,000 years until, for some unknown reason, | 0:01:26 | 0:01:31 | |
the entrance to the tomb itself was blocked up with those huge sarsen boulders. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:35 | |
Now, why it fell into disuse is, of course, a mystery, | 0:01:35 | 0:01:39 | |
but it is just one of the wonders of this landscape that, for me, | 0:01:39 | 0:01:41 | |
make Wiltshire so fascinating. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:43 | |
Known as the gateway to the West Country, | 0:01:46 | 0:01:49 | |
landlocked Wiltshire is bordered by counties | 0:01:49 | 0:01:51 | |
including Somerset to the west and Berkshire and Hampshire to the east. | 0:01:51 | 0:01:55 | |
Agriculture, and a rich history dating back thousands of years, | 0:01:56 | 0:02:00 | |
has shaped and left an indelible mark on this county's landscape, | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
which is characterised by its rolling chalky hills | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
and fertile valleys. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:08 | |
Its unrivalled collection of prehistoric monuments | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
include the largest stone circle in the world at Avebury, | 0:02:11 | 0:02:14 | |
dating to around 5,000 years ago. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:16 | |
The county is also famous for its collection of white horses | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
carved out of the chalky hills. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:23 | |
The vast majority, including this one at Westbury, | 0:02:23 | 0:02:25 | |
aren't ancient creations, but date to the 18th century. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:28 | |
Wiltshire also has its fair share of attractive market towns, | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | |
including Marlborough, with its wide Georgian high street, | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
and pretty thatched villages such as Alton Barnes, | 0:02:37 | 0:02:40 | |
overlooked by the Pewsey Downs. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:42 | |
With such a wealth of awe-inspiring architecture | 0:02:43 | 0:02:46 | |
set in a timeless landscape, | 0:02:46 | 0:02:48 | |
it's easy to see why many want to make Wiltshire their new home. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:52 | |
Well, it probably comes as no great surprise to learn that there is | 0:02:58 | 0:03:01 | |
a premium for wanting to live in this, let's face it, glorious county. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:05 | |
Here, the average price of a detached property | 0:03:05 | 0:03:07 | |
is currently £323,000. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:11 | |
That's some £41,000 above the national figure, | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
but fear not, there are some bargains to be had, | 0:03:14 | 0:03:18 | |
particularly if you get away from the busy M4 corridor | 0:03:18 | 0:03:21 | |
and popular commuter towns like Malmesbury and Marlborough. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
If you head west over towards Westbury and Trowbridge, | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
here you could save yourself up to 45%, a saving well worth having. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:31 | |
So, let's meet today's buyers and find out why they think | 0:03:31 | 0:03:34 | |
Wiltshire is for them. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:36 | |
Jamie and Sabrina currently live in London's East Dulwich, | 0:03:38 | 0:03:41 | |
in a three-bedroom Victorian terrace with their two young sons, | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
three-year-old Reuben and one-year-old Theo. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
We met when we were in the Philippines, about... | 0:03:48 | 0:03:50 | |
five or six years ago. | 0:03:50 | 0:03:52 | |
We were doing a marine conservation course. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:54 | |
Jamie really liked the algae | 0:03:54 | 0:03:56 | |
-because you were allowed to touch that. -That's right. | 0:03:56 | 0:03:59 | |
I really liked the fact that | 0:03:59 | 0:04:00 | |
you were as excited to be there as I was, | 0:04:00 | 0:04:02 | |
and I liked that you had been... | 0:04:02 | 0:04:06 | |
-doing all these things... -These are all nice things you've never said to me before! | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
After that aquatic introduction came children, | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
and the couple were married just over a year ago. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:15 | |
But having lived in London for a number of years, | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
Jamie and Sabrina now feel the time is right to leave the capital. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
We both grew up in the countryside, | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
and so I think, essentially, the main reason we want to move is that | 0:04:23 | 0:04:26 | |
we're not really convinced we want to raise our kids in a big city. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
Jamie works long hours as a lawyer in Central London, | 0:04:29 | 0:04:33 | |
whilst Sabrina has put her writing career on hold | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
to look after the children. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:37 | |
For him, the move is a chance to reassess his work-life balance. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:41 | |
It's not just about the kids, | 0:04:41 | 0:04:43 | |
it's also about, kind of, our quality of life. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:45 | |
-For you to not spend lots of time commuting. -Yeah. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:48 | |
Spend more time at home and have more free time | 0:04:48 | 0:04:51 | |
to do some of the things that we would like to do. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
The couple have set their sights on Wiltshire, | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
as it offers them countryside living within easy reach of Bristol, | 0:04:56 | 0:05:00 | |
where Jamie hopes to find work. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:02 | |
We're looking for somewhere | 0:05:02 | 0:05:03 | |
where we can kind of have the best of both worlds, | 0:05:03 | 0:05:05 | |
where you get the rurality of having... | 0:05:05 | 0:05:08 | |
-That's not a word. -You can have rural life | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
with woodlands and outdoors and things like that, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
-but also have... -Yeah. -..access and availability to... | 0:05:14 | 0:05:17 | |
-BOTH: -..a bit of culture. -Exactly. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:19 | |
As well as spending quality time with the children, | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
this creative couple are hoping to develop their repertoire of hobbies, | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
including knitting and woodwork. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:27 | |
I'd really like to get back to doing a bit more, kind of, | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
carpentry and artistic carpentry and things like that. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:34 | |
Whereas Sabrina is doing a course in garden design | 0:05:34 | 0:05:37 | |
and hopes her new Wiltshire home | 0:05:37 | 0:05:39 | |
will give her an inspiring blank canvas to work on. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
Certainly, where we are in London, the gardens are quite small | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
and everyone just wants a bit of grass for the kids to play on, | 0:05:44 | 0:05:47 | |
so it'd be really nice for us to have a bigger garden | 0:05:47 | 0:05:49 | |
that I could experiment with as well, | 0:05:49 | 0:05:51 | |
and maybe set aside certain areas for different things. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
And, as well as their hobbies, | 0:05:54 | 0:05:55 | |
they also have aspirations to live the good life. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:59 | |
-We're dying to have alpacas, and you want goats. -Goats. | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
Both of us are quite keen on being a bit more self-sufficient. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:05 | |
I like growing food and Jamie would quite like to look after some animals, that sort of thing. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:10 | |
With eldest son Reuben soon to start primary school, | 0:06:10 | 0:06:13 | |
the race is on to find Jamie and Sabrina a home and community they can settle down in. | 0:06:13 | 0:06:18 | |
This is more of a life adventure because this is | 0:06:18 | 0:06:20 | |
taking the next step and... | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
erm, it's... | 0:06:23 | 0:06:24 | |
it's about our future rather than about our present. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:27 | |
Our buyers would like to be within close proximity to the M4 motorway, | 0:06:34 | 0:06:38 | |
for easy access into Bristol and London, | 0:06:38 | 0:06:41 | |
so we're concentrating our property search in the north of the county. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
I'm meeting up with them in Wiltshire, | 0:06:44 | 0:06:46 | |
to go over their wish list. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:47 | |
-Well, good morning. Hi, Sabrina, very nice see you. -Hi. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
-Hi, Jamie. -Hi. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:53 | |
Welcome to Wiltshire on a beautiful day - | 0:06:53 | 0:06:56 | |
you've certainly brought the weather with you from London. | 0:06:56 | 0:06:59 | |
-Why here? -Well, we're both really fond of the South West. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:02 | |
I was at uni in Bristol for four years, | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
and Jamie's got family who live in Somerset, | 0:07:04 | 0:07:06 | |
so this is a great location that we know and we're fond of. | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
Now, this move is littered with some really interesting lifestyle ideas and ambitions. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:16 | |
Just run through the list, Jamie. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:19 | |
So, one of the things we'd really like to be able to do is use the land to make a bit of money, | 0:07:19 | 0:07:24 | |
so we're thinking of having some kind of holiday let, | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
whether that's a cottage or yurts on the land or something like that. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:31 | |
But, at the same time, I would maintain working, | 0:07:31 | 0:07:34 | |
which is why we want to be accessible to Bristol. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:36 | |
We want to have a bit of land for us to have some animals to keep on, | 0:07:36 | 0:07:39 | |
give our kids the opportunity to grow up in the country, | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
experience a bit of country life. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:44 | |
Let's talk about the alpacas. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:46 | |
We'd like to have them as pets, | 0:07:46 | 0:07:47 | |
but, also, I think there's loads of exciting other things we could do | 0:07:47 | 0:07:51 | |
in terms of using their wool or maybe breeding them, | 0:07:51 | 0:07:54 | |
and our kids really love them as well. | 0:07:54 | 0:07:56 | |
In terms of property specifics, | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
you've had some time to envisage what your new house may look like. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
Jamie, what's in your mind? | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
So, I like, kind of, a country cottage or farmhouse-style building, | 0:08:04 | 0:08:09 | |
whereas I think Sabrina's more after something on the Georgian-manor style, | 0:08:09 | 0:08:13 | |
with high ceilings, big windows, that sort of stuff. | 0:08:13 | 0:08:16 | |
A lady to the manor, is that it? | 0:08:16 | 0:08:17 | |
Something a bit more regal? | 0:08:17 | 0:08:19 | |
Not regal, necessarily, | 0:08:19 | 0:08:20 | |
but I'm quite a fan of, you know, big windows and high ceilings. | 0:08:20 | 0:08:23 | |
And, in terms of... | 0:08:23 | 0:08:24 | |
..specifics, I mean, you know, bedrooms and all the rest of it, I mean, where are we on that? | 0:08:25 | 0:08:30 | |
I think we'd like four bedrooms as a minimum, | 0:08:30 | 0:08:32 | |
because it would be really great to be able to have family to come and stay, erm... | 0:08:32 | 0:08:37 | |
nephews and nieces to be able to come and spend some time with us, | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
and then I'd really like a nice, kind of, safe garden that the kids can just play in. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:43 | |
I know you are very keen on gardening and you are undertaking | 0:08:43 | 0:08:46 | |
-a course in garden design at the moment. -I am, yeah. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:48 | |
But, also, outside space, I mean, the alpacas are going to need some acres. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:52 | |
Have you thought about, you know, numbers there? | 0:08:52 | 0:08:54 | |
I think we'd like to have, sort of, five to ten acres. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
So, I think I know what you want, but where do you want it? | 0:08:58 | 0:09:02 | |
I mean, location is all-important. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:04 | |
The most important thing is access to a good primary school, | 0:09:04 | 0:09:06 | |
but ideally, we'd love to be, say, on the edge of a village | 0:09:06 | 0:09:09 | |
or walkable to a village with a nice pub, a shop. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:12 | |
Wow, it's quite a list, isn't it? | 0:09:12 | 0:09:13 | |
It is quite a list. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:15 | |
But, let's see if the budget can match those aspirations. | 0:09:15 | 0:09:19 | |
How much are you going to spend? | 0:09:19 | 0:09:20 | |
Our budget is 900, up to a maximum of 950 for the perfect property. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:25 | |
Weather's good. We've got three, I think, | 0:09:25 | 0:09:27 | |
really interesting properties to show you, | 0:09:27 | 0:09:29 | |
including, of course, our Mystery House. | 0:09:29 | 0:09:31 | |
-So, ready to go? -Great, yep. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:32 | |
Come on, then, follow me. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
With a top budget of £950,000, | 0:09:37 | 0:09:41 | |
Jamie and Sabrina differ slightly on architectural style, | 0:09:41 | 0:09:44 | |
but they'd like a character house with four bedrooms, | 0:09:44 | 0:09:46 | |
a large kitchen/diner and a separate sitting room. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
Outside, they want between five to ten acres of land to fulfil their | 0:09:50 | 0:09:54 | |
smallholding ambitions, and to allow for a holiday enterprise | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
at some point in the future. | 0:09:57 | 0:09:59 | |
And the property should be situated on the edge of a village, | 0:09:59 | 0:10:01 | |
close to schools for their two boys. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:03 | |
We've lined up an assortment of wonderful Wiltshire houses for them to consider, | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
but I won't be revealing the price tags until the end of each tour. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:13 | |
Finally, our Mystery House will tempt them with the outside space, | 0:10:13 | 0:10:17 | |
but they may want to put their stamp on the inside. | 0:10:17 | 0:10:19 | |
We're kicking off our property search in the village of Little Somerford, | 0:10:24 | 0:10:28 | |
around six miles from the town of Malmesbury, in the north of the county. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:31 | |
Situated on the southern fringes of the Cotswolds, | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
the village's architecture features the golden-coloured limestone | 0:10:35 | 0:10:38 | |
the region is known for, | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
and amenities include a popular public house and convenience store | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
in nearby Great Somerford. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:46 | |
There's also a Church of England primary school for their sons | 0:10:46 | 0:10:49 | |
with an Ofsted rating of "good". | 0:10:49 | 0:10:50 | |
Back in Little Somerford, | 0:10:52 | 0:10:53 | |
our first house is located right next door to the 14th-century church | 0:10:53 | 0:10:57 | |
on the edge of the village. | 0:10:57 | 0:10:58 | |
Feast your eyes on this! | 0:11:01 | 0:11:02 | |
Our first property of the week - there we go. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:05 | |
What do you reckon to that, then? | 0:11:05 | 0:11:06 | |
That's beautiful. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:08 | |
Now, from what you were saying earlier, Jamie, I think this really is one for you. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
Sabrina, it's not a great big Georgian pile, | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
but do you think this is the sort of property you could agree on? | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
Yeah, definitely. I think it looks really beautiful. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
-Living the dream? -Yeah. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:21 | |
-Let's have a look inside, come on. -Thank you. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
Set in a secluded spot, surrounded by a pretty garden, | 0:11:24 | 0:11:28 | |
our first house is believed to date back to the 1750s, | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
and is an attractive, timber-framed property, built from red brick. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:35 | |
The thatched roof, made from reed, has recently been re-ridged. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:39 | |
The interior has also been refurbished | 0:11:39 | 0:11:41 | |
and the original house extended to the back and side, | 0:11:41 | 0:11:44 | |
opening up the accommodation. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:46 | |
There we go, starting with the kitchen is always a good bet | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
cos it's a real scene-setter, I think. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
It's lovely. Two windows and the garden doors is just perfect. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:57 | |
I can imagine us cooking, you know, the kids playing... | 0:11:57 | 0:12:00 | |
Lovely to have a separate bit of space that they can play in, | 0:12:00 | 0:12:03 | |
-or the doors open to the garden and they're kicking a football around outside. -Yeah. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:07 | |
Jamie's doing all the hard work, | 0:12:07 | 0:12:08 | |
I'm sitting at the table with a glass of wine... | 0:12:08 | 0:12:12 | |
-It'd be perfect. -It's lovely. | 0:12:12 | 0:12:14 | |
Yeah, I can see it as being a really nice sort of space just to have | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
a little informal dinner and things, as well. It's beautiful. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
Look at your face! | 0:12:21 | 0:12:22 | |
This is exactly what you were thinking about, isn't it? | 0:12:22 | 0:12:25 | |
Come on. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:26 | |
This is the dining room and this links the kitchen | 0:12:26 | 0:12:29 | |
to the reception rooms throughout the rest of the house. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:32 | |
-Wow! -It's really atmospheric, actually. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:34 | |
-It's quite intimate. -Yeah? | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
-But reception rooms are this way. -Lovely. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:38 | |
One of the two remaining reception rooms is a cosy snug | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
with exposed beams and a wood-burning stove, | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
part of the newer extension at the back. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:48 | |
But we're heading for the larger sitting room. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:50 | |
There we go. You have got two reception rooms here, | 0:12:52 | 0:12:54 | |
but this is the biggest, I would say. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:56 | |
-Lovely. Doors on to the garden again... -Yeah. -..which is so nice, | 0:12:56 | 0:13:00 | |
but the, kind of, low beams and the low ceilings... | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
Yeah, it's not so much my style as Jamie's, | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
but it's a really, really beautiful house. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:07 | |
Good. Right, then, shall we go upstairs? | 0:13:07 | 0:13:09 | |
Let's see what you make of the bedrooms. | 0:13:09 | 0:13:11 | |
We've got some positive responses | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
to the ground-floor layout of our first house. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
Upstairs, Jamie and Sabrina get the four bedrooms they've asked for. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
They're all good-sized doubles, | 0:13:21 | 0:13:23 | |
offering plenty of options for the children, | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
and there are two family bathrooms to choose from - | 0:13:25 | 0:13:28 | |
one of which has a large corner bath. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:31 | |
And that just leaves the master. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:32 | |
So, this is the one we've got earmarked for you two. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:38 | |
That's beautiful. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:39 | |
-The window? -The window, yeah. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:40 | |
-Really lovely. -This room, in particular, is so light. It feels very, very welcoming. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:46 | |
It feels very restful. | 0:13:46 | 0:13:47 | |
In terms of the accommodation up here, | 0:13:47 | 0:13:49 | |
what about the boys and guests? | 0:13:49 | 0:13:51 | |
You wanted four bedrooms - it's got four. | 0:13:51 | 0:13:53 | |
The other room about the same size as this would this work for Reuben, | 0:13:53 | 0:13:56 | |
or, potentially, Reuben and Theo together. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:58 | |
We could have the smaller room, could be just a bit of | 0:13:58 | 0:14:00 | |
an upstairs playroom for them, with some toys in. | 0:14:00 | 0:14:02 | |
And then the guest room overlooking that beautiful view out the back would be perfect, wouldn't it? | 0:14:02 | 0:14:07 | |
Yeah, absolutely. | 0:14:07 | 0:14:08 | |
So, the house gets a general thumbs-up, | 0:14:10 | 0:14:12 | |
even though the cosy character isn't entirely to Sabrina's taste. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:16 | |
Outside, though, she gets the garden she wanted, | 0:14:16 | 0:14:19 | |
with its pretty lawn and paved terrace. | 0:14:19 | 0:14:22 | |
To the rear of the garden are two separate outbuildings. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:25 | |
The first includes a bright and sunny garden room, | 0:14:25 | 0:14:28 | |
a huge games room with a small en-suite shower | 0:14:28 | 0:14:31 | |
and then, at the back, a double garage. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
The building could be converted into a holiday let in the future, | 0:14:34 | 0:14:36 | |
subject to planning permission. | 0:14:36 | 0:14:39 | |
A second, smaller outbuilding is currently being used as a gym. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:42 | |
Now, whilst the land, which amounts to 2/3 of an acre, | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
might not be suitable for a smallholding, | 0:14:46 | 0:14:48 | |
there are other options for keeping animals nearby. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:51 | |
So, there we go - that's it. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:54 | |
That's the package. Our tour is pretty much done. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:57 | |
One of the key elements you were looking for was this idea of land and space. | 0:14:57 | 0:15:00 | |
We haven't got acres. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:02 | |
However, the farmer who owns all the land around here, some 400 acres, | 0:15:02 | 0:15:06 | |
is very keen to rent land out, | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
at roughly about £100 an acre per year. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:13 | |
Well, let's get down to the tricky bit - the money. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:16 | |
You've got 900 to 950, Sabrina. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:19 | |
Where do you think property number one comes, when set against that? | 0:15:19 | 0:15:23 | |
I'd say maybe something like 830,000. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
830? | 0:15:26 | 0:15:28 | |
-I'll give you a clue - that's a very optimistic 830. -OK. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:31 | |
Jamie, come on. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:33 | |
Maybe we're looking at more like 850? | 0:15:33 | 0:15:35 | |
-This is on the market for £875,000. -OK. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:41 | |
However, I don't think 850 is probably out of range, really. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:45 | |
So, happy? | 0:15:45 | 0:15:46 | |
-Very happy. -We'll give you a little bit more time. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:48 | |
Go and explore the house at your leisure, | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
and I will catch up with you a little bit later. Off you go. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
Lovely, thank you. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:54 | |
So, priced at £75,000 below our top budget, our first house | 0:15:58 | 0:16:04 | |
is a handsome, 18th-century brick-and-thatch character property, | 0:16:04 | 0:16:07 | |
which was extended and remodelled around 12 years ago. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:11 | |
Part of the extension includes an open-plan kitchen, | 0:16:11 | 0:16:14 | |
and the four bedrooms provide plenty of space for the children. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:18 | |
Outside, there's an outbuilding which is ripe for development | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
and, in addition to the pretty garden, | 0:16:21 | 0:16:22 | |
there are options nearby to rent land for animals. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:25 | |
I think it was a really, really great start. | 0:16:27 | 0:16:29 | |
I love the location, the gardens, | 0:16:29 | 0:16:31 | |
the outbuildings and the potential for you could do with that. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:33 | |
The inside was definitely lighter than I was expecting | 0:16:33 | 0:16:36 | |
but, in some of the rooms, like the sitting-room and the dining room, | 0:16:36 | 0:16:39 | |
They're very beautiful old beams, | 0:16:39 | 0:16:40 | |
but they can feel a little bit oppressive hanging over your head. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:43 | |
People always talk about having this gut reaction to, | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
"Yeah, this is the house for me." | 0:16:46 | 0:16:48 | |
I'm not sure I got that. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:50 | |
The kitchen I absolutely loved, | 0:16:50 | 0:16:51 | |
but, actually, as we continued through the house, | 0:16:51 | 0:16:54 | |
I think that feeling probably lessened slightly. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:57 | |
How are we doing, then? | 0:16:57 | 0:16:59 | |
-Good. -That was perfect timing. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:00 | |
-Seen enough? -Yeah, yeah. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:02 | |
So, one down, two more to come tomorrow, | 0:17:02 | 0:17:05 | |
including our Mystery House. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:07 | |
Maybe we've kept the best till last. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
Who knows? Come on, let's go. | 0:17:09 | 0:17:10 | |
As the day draws to a close, | 0:17:14 | 0:17:15 | |
it's a chance for our buyers | 0:17:15 | 0:17:17 | |
to reflect on their property journey so far. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
It's the second day of our property search | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
with Sabrina and Jamie from south London. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:29 | |
With their generous £950,000 budget, | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
we're looking for a Wiltshire country home | 0:17:32 | 0:17:35 | |
with land for them and their two young children. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:37 | |
Coming up, two more houses... | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
I think if we brought the boys to all of the houses, | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
-this would be the one they'd choose. -Oh, absolutely! | 0:17:41 | 0:17:43 | |
..and I get to grips with some handy regal attire. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:48 | |
-So, give us a date on that one. -This is about 1559. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
That's astonishing. | 0:17:51 | 0:17:52 | |
Our first offering this morning, house number two, | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
I think, could really work. | 0:17:57 | 0:17:59 | |
And then, of course, we finish up with our Mystery House. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:01 | |
Now, that will be interesting to see what they make of that one. | 0:18:01 | 0:18:04 | |
With a bit of TLC, who knows? | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
It may just give them a little bit too much. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:08 | |
But, before that, our second offering, | 0:18:12 | 0:18:14 | |
and we're heading towards the market town of Malmesbury. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:18 | |
This historic hilltop settlement | 0:18:18 | 0:18:20 | |
is said to be the oldest continually inhabited town in England, | 0:18:20 | 0:18:23 | |
and notable landmarks include Malmesbury Abbey, | 0:18:23 | 0:18:26 | |
founded in the 7th century, | 0:18:26 | 0:18:27 | |
and the 15th-century market cross, | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
one of the best-preserved in the country. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:33 | |
The attractive high street is lined with an array of independent shops, | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
and there are a number of primary schools in the area to choose from. | 0:18:36 | 0:18:40 | |
House number two is situated just outside the popular town, | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
with views over open countryside towards the abbey. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:47 | |
Well, what about this lot? | 0:18:51 | 0:18:52 | |
Wow! The whole thing?! | 0:18:53 | 0:18:55 | |
The whole thing. JAMIE AND SABRINA LAUGH | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
Now, you wanted edge of village. | 0:18:57 | 0:18:59 | |
-Yeah. -We've got you edge of Malmesbury. | 0:18:59 | 0:19:01 | |
-Oh, wow! -ALL LAUGH | 0:19:02 | 0:19:06 | |
-Wow! -Look at that! | 0:19:06 | 0:19:07 | |
-That's incredible! -That is amazing! | 0:19:07 | 0:19:09 | |
And then, of course, there's the house itself. | 0:19:09 | 0:19:11 | |
Clearly, it had some agricultural origins, | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
but it's been much embellished over the years. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:16 | |
The most recent addition is that wing, there. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:18 | |
This, I think, is more for you, this one. It's... | 0:19:18 | 0:19:22 | |
really contemporary, very funky inside, | 0:19:22 | 0:19:25 | |
-has lots of character, but of a more modern sort. -OK. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:28 | |
A different proposition to number one. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:30 | |
-Jamie, what do you reckon? -I think it's beautiful. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:32 | |
I absolutely love it. The, kind of, the farmhouse style is lovely. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:35 | |
Let's see what you think, come on. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:37 | |
The original part of our second house dates to the 19th century | 0:19:38 | 0:19:42 | |
and was believed to be a barn. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:44 | |
During its conversion five years ago, | 0:19:44 | 0:19:46 | |
it was made energy-efficient with solar panels, | 0:19:46 | 0:19:49 | |
and renovated with modern living in mind. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
The focal point of this house is an open-plan kitchen/diner, | 0:19:52 | 0:19:55 | |
which I'm hoping will be right up Sabrina's street. | 0:19:55 | 0:20:00 | |
Now, how funky is this, Sabrina? SABRINA LAUGHS | 0:20:00 | 0:20:04 | |
This is the place to start, I think. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:06 | |
-BOTH: -Wow! -The style's not quite our style. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:09 | |
It's a little bit more contemporary. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:10 | |
I thought that you'd go for this kind of fresh, contemporary look, actually. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:14 | |
-I think we're a bit more traditional. -We are, yeah. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:16 | |
-We're a bit more fuddy-duddies than you think. -THEY LAUGH | 0:20:16 | 0:20:20 | |
Fuddy-duddy's OK. That's probably me, too. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
But what I like about it, the way they've furnished it, | 0:20:23 | 0:20:25 | |
you've got a nice mixture of the really contemporary units | 0:20:25 | 0:20:28 | |
and then some nice, you know, characterful pieces of furniture. | 0:20:28 | 0:20:30 | |
Absolutely. I think the space would work. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
-Yeah. -It would work really well. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:34 | |
You know, I could be cooking the boys' lunch, | 0:20:34 | 0:20:36 | |
they could be just playing in the same room. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:38 | |
-It's exactly what we're looking for, isn't it? -Yeah, absolutely. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:41 | |
I'd never have thought this kitchen would be too modern, | 0:20:42 | 0:20:45 | |
but at least they're imagining how family life could play out | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
in this vast living space. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:50 | |
Just off the entrance hallway | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
is a spacious utility room and a downstairs washroom, | 0:20:54 | 0:20:57 | |
with the sitting room located in a recent extension. | 0:20:57 | 0:21:01 | |
Now, this, to me, is where the whole thing gets a lot cosier - | 0:21:01 | 0:21:04 | |
these lovely beams, you know, engineered oak floor. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:08 | |
Beautiful. Another absolutely amazing view, as well. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
-Yeah. -There's one thing we'd always said, | 0:21:11 | 0:21:13 | |
that it would be amazing to have a brook running alongside the prop... | 0:21:13 | 0:21:16 | |
-you know, a house, wasn't it? -Yeah. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:18 | |
-It's probably only thing that wasn't on your huge wish list. -Absolutely. | 0:21:18 | 0:21:21 | |
I know. Well, we didn't mention it but, yeah, that was a secret dream. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
Yeah, so that's really amazing. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:27 | |
Of the four bedrooms here, two are on the ground floor, | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
at either end of the lounge, | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
and both feature a continuation of the large-window design | 0:21:32 | 0:21:35 | |
overlooking the brook. | 0:21:35 | 0:21:37 | |
Each has its own dedicated en-suite bathroom, | 0:21:37 | 0:21:39 | |
so either would make an excellent guest room. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
Beyond the kitchen/diner is an additional room | 0:21:43 | 0:21:45 | |
currently being used as a children's play area. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
But the remaining two bedrooms | 0:21:50 | 0:21:52 | |
are upstairs, in the original part of the house, | 0:21:52 | 0:21:54 | |
and include a single bedroom, | 0:21:54 | 0:21:56 | |
which is served by a stylish family bathroom, as well as the master. | 0:21:56 | 0:21:59 | |
Now, this is the oldest part of the building. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:03 | |
This would have been the old agricultural bit. | 0:22:03 | 0:22:05 | |
-So, you can see these lovely beams coming through, which is rather nice. -Beautiful. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:08 | |
Bit more, sort of, history and character here. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
-This is the master. -Mm-hm. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:13 | |
It's not en suite like the others are, | 0:22:13 | 0:22:15 | |
but it has this fantastic bathroom next door | 0:22:15 | 0:22:17 | |
with a kind of freestanding bath in it, | 0:22:17 | 0:22:19 | |
really nice double shower, | 0:22:19 | 0:22:21 | |
and, at the other end of the corridor, the smallest room, | 0:22:21 | 0:22:24 | |
which may be for the children at the moment. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:26 | |
So they'd be next to you. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:27 | |
Yeah, I mean, I think that would work really well, certainly now, while the kids are little. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
Erm, we could be a bit tucked away up here, closer to them, | 0:22:31 | 0:22:33 | |
-and then, perhaps, as they got bigger we might want to move downstairs, I think. -Yeah. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:37 | |
So, outside space - | 0:22:37 | 0:22:39 | |
let's see what you think of this. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:40 | |
I think Jamie and Sabrina are really warming to our second offering | 0:22:43 | 0:22:47 | |
and the options it gives them. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
Outside, at the front of the house, there's a further outbuilding. | 0:22:49 | 0:22:52 | |
As well as providing garage space, | 0:22:52 | 0:22:54 | |
on the first floor there's an annexe which is open-plan, | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
with a separate kitchen and shower room that could make a potential holiday let. | 0:22:57 | 0:23:01 | |
At the rear of the house, | 0:23:01 | 0:23:02 | |
the land fans out from a terraced patio area and includes | 0:23:02 | 0:23:06 | |
a well-maintained lawn, a vegetable patch with raised beds, | 0:23:06 | 0:23:10 | |
a greenhouse and an area of garden for the children. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:13 | |
Beyond the fence bordering the lawn is a decent paddock for alpacas. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:17 | |
All in all, there's one and three-quarter acres of land with this place. | 0:23:17 | 0:23:21 | |
There we go. I love this view of the property, I have to say. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:29 | |
-Yeah. -It's fantastic, isn't it? | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
So, have I either of you got an idea as to what this may cost you? | 0:23:32 | 0:23:36 | |
You've got 900 to 950. Go on, then. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
I think I would say 950. | 0:23:39 | 0:23:41 | |
Jamie? | 0:23:41 | 0:23:42 | |
Maybe I can be optimistic and go for 935. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:44 | |
Another bit of optimism, from you this time. OK. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:49 | |
Well, I'm not going to labour it or keep you in suspense, | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
it is £950,000. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
It's an incredible house. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:56 | |
-It is. -Incredible. -Have a quick whizz around, | 0:23:56 | 0:23:58 | |
and I'll catch up with you shortly. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
-Go that way. -Thank you. -See you later. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:03 | |
At the very top end of their budget, | 0:24:06 | 0:24:08 | |
our second house, | 0:24:08 | 0:24:09 | |
a former 19th-century barn, | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
has been stylishly remodelled | 0:24:11 | 0:24:12 | |
in recent years, | 0:24:12 | 0:24:13 | |
providing contemporary | 0:24:13 | 0:24:14 | |
living spaces inside. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:16 | |
As well as a large kitchen/diner, | 0:24:16 | 0:24:18 | |
the property comes | 0:24:18 | 0:24:19 | |
with four bedrooms, | 0:24:19 | 0:24:20 | |
two of those on the ground floor, | 0:24:20 | 0:24:22 | |
overlooking a brook. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
The 1.75 acre plot | 0:24:24 | 0:24:25 | |
includes a paddock for animals, | 0:24:25 | 0:24:27 | |
but the real bonus is that | 0:24:27 | 0:24:28 | |
the property lies within | 0:24:28 | 0:24:30 | |
walking distance of Malmesbury, | 0:24:30 | 0:24:31 | |
which has schooling options | 0:24:31 | 0:24:32 | |
for the children. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
The house definitely has the whole package | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
for everything we were looking for. The land is amazing. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:39 | |
We were talking...we might do a bit of glamping with a yurt or something, | 0:24:39 | 0:24:42 | |
and it's such a beautiful spot, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:43 | |
I think people would love to stay here. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:45 | |
House number two is a beautiful house. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:47 | |
Inside, the modern look of it isn't, necessarily, mine or Sabrina's taste | 0:24:47 | 0:24:51 | |
but you could look past that, see the potential in the rooms... | 0:24:51 | 0:24:55 | |
It was very interesting, sort of, the layout, | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
how the rooms flowed off each other. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:00 | |
It was great. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:01 | |
Ah! How are we doing, chaps? | 0:25:03 | 0:25:06 | |
-Good. -Good. -What do you think of that, then? | 0:25:06 | 0:25:08 | |
Yeah, it's a great space, loads of potential. Really beautiful. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:11 | |
Good. One on the list, I think, for you to really think about. | 0:25:11 | 0:25:14 | |
And look at that view, come on. | 0:25:14 | 0:25:16 | |
So, one more property to come. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:17 | |
-Where to next, then? -The Mystery. | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
Yes, come on! | 0:25:19 | 0:25:20 | |
Well, guys, are you happy with what we've been able to show you so far | 0:25:24 | 0:25:28 | |
with only one property left to see? | 0:25:28 | 0:25:30 | |
The houses we've seen so far were really beautiful, | 0:25:30 | 0:25:32 | |
but they were both very much finished, | 0:25:32 | 0:25:34 | |
so it would be quite exciting to see something | 0:25:34 | 0:25:36 | |
where we could make our mark a little bit more. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
Well, our Mystery House certainly allows you to do that | 0:25:38 | 0:25:42 | |
and, I think, it doesn't lose sight | 0:25:42 | 0:25:44 | |
of your ambitions to become smallholders. | 0:25:44 | 0:25:47 | |
Yeah, that sounds great. Can't wait to see it. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:50 | |
But will it be too much of an undertaking? | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
It's the closest of our houses to Bath, | 0:25:53 | 0:25:56 | |
and is located in the village of Colerne. | 0:25:56 | 0:25:58 | |
Affectionately known as "the village on the hill", | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
due to its elevated position at 545 feet above sea level, | 0:26:01 | 0:26:05 | |
Colerne is within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, | 0:26:05 | 0:26:09 | |
and enjoys stunning panoramic views over Wiltshire's Box Valley. | 0:26:09 | 0:26:14 | |
Today, it is well served with local amenities, | 0:26:14 | 0:26:16 | |
including a grocery store, | 0:26:16 | 0:26:17 | |
public house, and a primary school with a good rating from Ofsted. | 0:26:17 | 0:26:22 | |
Our Mystery House is located on the fringes of the village, | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
at the end of a long driveway, | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
and offers our couple the land they wanted | 0:26:27 | 0:26:29 | |
and the chance to put their personal stamp on their new home. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:32 | |
So, at last, we can reveal the Mystery House. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:38 | |
There you go. What do you think of that, then? | 0:26:38 | 0:26:40 | |
-Wow, it's huge! -SABRINA LAUGHS | 0:26:40 | 0:26:43 | |
Impressive. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:44 | |
The reason it's the Mystery House | 0:26:44 | 0:26:46 | |
is because I'm hoping it will combine | 0:26:46 | 0:26:49 | |
the best of what we now think you both want. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:52 | |
So, it's got a slightly cottagey aspect, | 0:26:52 | 0:26:54 | |
with these lovely borders and the setting, | 0:26:54 | 0:26:56 | |
but it also has something of the grand about it. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:59 | |
The way it's been converted and furnished, | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
it has this sort of manorial feel. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:03 | |
The other thing to point out about what we're looking at here | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
is that this, actually, is the back. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:08 | |
-OK. -The front's even prettier. | 0:27:08 | 0:27:10 | |
Come and have a look at this. | 0:27:10 | 0:27:12 | |
Around 150 years old, | 0:27:13 | 0:27:15 | |
the stone-built barn was converted into a home in the early 1990s, | 0:27:15 | 0:27:19 | |
and is nestled between two sections of pretty garden. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:22 | |
The rear is particularly well thought out - | 0:27:22 | 0:27:24 | |
a garden designer's dream. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:26 | |
There we are. Come over here. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:31 | |
If you get back from it a bit, | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
you get an even better view. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:36 | |
SABRINA LAUGHS | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
Still those big proportions. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:39 | |
-That's true, isn't it? Yeah. -Amazing. -Yeah. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:42 | |
I love the fact that it's kind of nestled down in this valley. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:45 | |
Feels very sheltered and secluded. | 0:27:45 | 0:27:47 | |
-Absolutely. -I can't wait to see the inside. -Absolutely. | 0:27:47 | 0:27:50 | |
Come on, then. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:51 | |
Whilst the Mystery House certainly delivers on land, | 0:27:53 | 0:27:55 | |
Jamie and Sabrina may have to think laterally | 0:27:55 | 0:27:58 | |
about its internal arrangements. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:00 | |
So, through the hallway... | 0:28:01 | 0:28:03 | |
..into here. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:05 | |
I thought we'd start with the, kind of, manorial living room | 0:28:05 | 0:28:09 | |
-with this slightly, sort of, Georgian twist, perhaps. -Yeah. | 0:28:09 | 0:28:12 | |
With those very imposing beams, | 0:28:12 | 0:28:14 | |
but, still, it's got the really high ceilings. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:17 | |
-I do love a bit of ceiling height. -Yeah, you do. -Yeah, I do. | 0:28:17 | 0:28:20 | |
You just get such a feeling of space, and I think, for us, | 0:28:20 | 0:28:22 | |
this would, literally, just be a question of redecorating, | 0:28:22 | 0:28:25 | |
which should be quite an easy job, really. | 0:28:25 | 0:28:27 | |
And the whole thing flows. You've got the hallway there. Front door, obviously. | 0:28:27 | 0:28:30 | |
You come through those double doors into the living room, | 0:28:30 | 0:28:33 | |
and then, through here, you've got the dining room, there. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:35 | |
Again, with lovely doors out to the garden where we started. | 0:28:35 | 0:28:38 | |
Yeah, it's lovely. | 0:28:38 | 0:28:39 | |
All that light coming in through those doors is fantastic. | 0:28:39 | 0:28:42 | |
But this is handy, because it leads right onto the kitchen. | 0:28:42 | 0:28:45 | |
Now, the kitchen itself is curious, cos you sort of step up...into it. | 0:28:45 | 0:28:49 | |
It's a great space. | 0:28:49 | 0:28:51 | |
Yeah, it's nice. I can kind of see, maybe with a bit of modernisation, | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
maybe a little bit of reconfiguration, | 0:28:54 | 0:28:56 | |
I think this could, actually, be a really nice kitchen. | 0:28:56 | 0:28:59 | |
-You're not convinced. -I'm not... | 0:28:59 | 0:29:01 | |
I'm not quite as convinced as Jamie, | 0:29:01 | 0:29:02 | |
I think just because I do more of the day-to-day cooking | 0:29:02 | 0:29:05 | |
when the kids are around, lunches and things. | 0:29:05 | 0:29:07 | |
So, having these steps here, you know, that's a bit of a hazard | 0:29:07 | 0:29:09 | |
and if they're going to be playing in the... | 0:29:09 | 0:29:11 | |
you know, in the main reception room, | 0:29:11 | 0:29:13 | |
that's on the other side of the house from here. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:15 | |
In terms of how we'd practically use it, it doesn't work as well. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:19 | |
So, Sabrina has concerns about the ground-floor configuration, | 0:29:19 | 0:29:22 | |
which also includes a utility room just off the kitchen. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:26 | |
Upstairs, it provides our buyers with four bedrooms | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
arranged off a central landing. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:31 | |
These include a good-sized double, | 0:29:31 | 0:29:33 | |
a single with built-in cupboards and a twin, | 0:29:33 | 0:29:35 | |
so lots of options for their sons. | 0:29:35 | 0:29:38 | |
There's also a separate study and a large family bath and shower room. | 0:29:38 | 0:29:43 | |
Which leaves the final piece of the puzzle up here for them. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:45 | |
There we go. This is your bit, | 0:29:47 | 0:29:48 | |
and that's because you get the dressing room, here... SABRINA LAUGHS | 0:29:48 | 0:29:53 | |
You can share it. | 0:29:53 | 0:29:54 | |
And also the en-suite bath and shower room, over there. | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
That's a really good size. | 0:29:57 | 0:29:58 | |
Of all the master bedrooms we've seen in the three houses, | 0:29:58 | 0:30:01 | |
this is definitely the biggest and feels the most masterful. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:04 | |
Could you see yourselves in this one, | 0:30:04 | 0:30:06 | |
in this particular building, do you think? | 0:30:06 | 0:30:08 | |
I like the building, but I think, maybe... | 0:30:08 | 0:30:11 | |
the layout - we'd have to work that out. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:14 | |
So, better reactions to the upstairs | 0:30:14 | 0:30:15 | |
and, while Jamie and Sabrina | 0:30:15 | 0:30:17 | |
may have to work out the ground-floor layout, | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
I think the land here may sugar the pill, | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
as, outside, there are seven acres to play with. | 0:30:22 | 0:30:26 | |
In addition to the two sections of garden we've already seen, | 0:30:26 | 0:30:29 | |
there's a large gravel driveway and a separate garage block, | 0:30:29 | 0:30:33 | |
and just uphill from that | 0:30:33 | 0:30:34 | |
is a huge sloping paddock, making up most of the land, | 0:30:34 | 0:30:38 | |
providing shelter and space for possible alpacas. | 0:30:38 | 0:30:41 | |
Now, believe me, it's worth the climb... | 0:30:43 | 0:30:46 | |
cos the view of the house and your land is just wonderful. | 0:30:46 | 0:30:50 | |
The house itself is set down a bit, | 0:30:50 | 0:30:52 | |
but there's a real feeling of open space, here, I think. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
Yeah, absolutely. This is kind of the best view of the house. | 0:30:55 | 0:30:58 | |
You can really see what it's about when you get up here. | 0:30:58 | 0:31:01 | |
So, for the final time of asking this week, | 0:31:01 | 0:31:05 | |
you've got £900,000 - £950,000 - what do you think | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
our Mystery House is on the market for, Jamie? | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
I'm going to go with 895. | 0:31:11 | 0:31:12 | |
895, yeah. Sabrina? | 0:31:12 | 0:31:14 | |
I was thinking maybe something like 900, as well. | 0:31:14 | 0:31:17 | |
£900,000. | 0:31:17 | 0:31:19 | |
You're both, I'm afraid, being | 0:31:19 | 0:31:21 | |
a little bit too optimistic, once again. This is on the market... | 0:31:21 | 0:31:25 | |
-for £950,000... -OK. | 0:31:25 | 0:31:29 | |
..but, having spoken to the agent, I think... | 0:31:29 | 0:31:32 | |
you know, they're not going to give it away, | 0:31:32 | 0:31:33 | |
but there is a conversation to be had. | 0:31:33 | 0:31:35 | |
I think provided it starts with a nine, | 0:31:35 | 0:31:37 | |
you might be in with a fighting chance. | 0:31:37 | 0:31:39 | |
OK. Yeah, interesting. | 0:31:39 | 0:31:41 | |
Well, look, take some time. | 0:31:41 | 0:31:42 | |
Go and have another look at the property | 0:31:42 | 0:31:44 | |
and I will come and catch up with you a little bit later. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:47 | |
-Off you go. -Brilliant, thanks very much. | 0:31:47 | 0:31:49 | |
At the top end of their budget, | 0:31:53 | 0:31:55 | |
the Mystery House is a converted barn, built around 150 years ago | 0:31:55 | 0:31:59 | |
and refurbished in the '90s, with four good-sized bedrooms. | 0:31:59 | 0:32:03 | |
With a high ceiling in the living room, | 0:32:03 | 0:32:05 | |
but a cosy cottagey feel throughout, | 0:32:05 | 0:32:07 | |
it appeals to Jamie and Sabrina's different preferences on style. | 0:32:07 | 0:32:12 | |
And although they may want to put their own stamp on the place, | 0:32:12 | 0:32:15 | |
seven acres of land gives them lots of outside options. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:19 | |
The house has got so much potential. It needs... | 0:32:19 | 0:32:21 | |
I think we'd probably want to do quite a lot of work to it. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:23 | |
I could imagine really stripping it back, | 0:32:23 | 0:32:25 | |
but it's quite exciting, actually, | 0:32:25 | 0:32:27 | |
thinking about everything you could do here. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:29 | |
In terms of the land that we were thinking of, | 0:32:29 | 0:32:31 | |
I think this house definitely gives us | 0:32:31 | 0:32:32 | |
the closest to what we were imagining. | 0:32:32 | 0:32:34 | |
You could do so many different things - have the alpacas, | 0:32:34 | 0:32:36 | |
some yurts and caravans, all sorts of things we could do out here. | 0:32:36 | 0:32:39 | |
I don't think it's quite there yet, | 0:32:39 | 0:32:42 | |
but it's absolutely got the potential | 0:32:42 | 0:32:44 | |
to be something that could work so well for our family. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
With a bit more imagination, I think this could be an amazing house. | 0:32:46 | 0:32:49 | |
We've given you some cracking properties this week. | 0:32:53 | 0:32:56 | |
-Time to think about them, I guess. -Yeah, absolutely. | 0:32:56 | 0:32:58 | |
Then get your chequebook. Come on. | 0:32:58 | 0:33:00 | |
In the Wiltshire town of Warminster | 0:33:05 | 0:33:07 | |
is the headquarters of one of the UK's leading glove manufacturers. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:12 | |
Established in the late 18th century, | 0:33:12 | 0:33:14 | |
Dents have been making gloves for the rich, the famous and royalty | 0:33:14 | 0:33:18 | |
for over 230 years. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:20 | |
It's just one of a handful of companies | 0:33:20 | 0:33:22 | |
still manufacturing leather gloves using time-honoured techniques. | 0:33:22 | 0:33:26 | |
I've come to the firm's museum to find out more | 0:33:26 | 0:33:28 | |
about the county's rich history of glove-making. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:31 | |
I'm meeting CEO Deborah Moore. | 0:33:31 | 0:33:33 | |
-You've been making gloves for a very long time, haven't you? -1777. | 0:33:33 | 0:33:37 | |
The company started in Worcester. | 0:33:37 | 0:33:39 | |
John Dent, who eventually brought his sons, William and John, into the business. | 0:33:39 | 0:33:43 | |
And why did the factory move from Worcestershire to Wiltshire in the West Country? | 0:33:43 | 0:33:47 | |
I think we followed the tanneries. | 0:33:47 | 0:33:49 | |
The tanneries came down to Yeovil | 0:33:49 | 0:33:51 | |
and many of the glove companies actually followed. | 0:33:51 | 0:33:53 | |
Now, you've got your own museum here, | 0:33:53 | 0:33:55 | |
which contains many items, many gloves. | 0:33:55 | 0:33:58 | |
My eye has been caught by | 0:33:58 | 0:33:59 | |
the gold that is glittering off the table next to us, here. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
What have you got out for us today? | 0:34:02 | 0:34:04 | |
We've got two gloves here. | 0:34:04 | 0:34:05 | |
First of all, we've got Queen Elizabeth I's glove. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
That's astonishing. So, give us a date on that one. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:10 | |
This is about 1559. | 0:34:10 | 0:34:12 | |
-1559! -This is her coronation glove. | 0:34:12 | 0:34:14 | |
Look how slender the fingers are. | 0:34:14 | 0:34:16 | |
And you would see very long fingers, | 0:34:16 | 0:34:18 | |
but they would have stuffed the ends of the fingers, here. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:21 | |
Her fingers would not actually have been that shape? | 0:34:21 | 0:34:23 | |
No, they wouldn't. | 0:34:23 | 0:34:24 | |
These gloves were, of course, acquired for the museum's collection, | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
but, in 1953, the company was asked to produce a similar set of gloves | 0:34:27 | 0:34:32 | |
for the coronation of our present Queen. | 0:34:32 | 0:34:34 | |
Part of the coronation ceremony is that the monarch is given a glove, | 0:34:34 | 0:34:38 | |
and it's the right-handed glove in this case, and she touches it... | 0:34:38 | 0:34:42 | |
-Can I pick it up? -You can, yes - obviously with gloves. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
Obviously with other gloves on. | 0:34:45 | 0:34:46 | |
I suppose, never really worn. | 0:34:46 | 0:34:48 | |
No, they haven't been. | 0:34:48 | 0:34:49 | |
But these look like they have been through the wars, as it were. | 0:34:49 | 0:34:52 | |
Two left-handed gloves. | 0:34:52 | 0:34:53 | |
These were Lord Nelson's gloves. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:56 | |
No! He famously lost his right arm, didn't he? | 0:34:56 | 0:34:59 | |
So, two left-hand gloves. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:01 | |
Today, gloves here are still made | 0:35:04 | 0:35:06 | |
just as they were over 100 years ago. | 0:35:06 | 0:35:09 | |
Each pair in their Heritage Collection is handmade from leather, | 0:35:09 | 0:35:13 | |
and there around 70 people working to produce 50,000 pairs each year. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:18 | |
Now, you're busy stitching together these 24 components. | 0:35:18 | 0:35:21 | |
I am, yeah. I've already put the thumb in... | 0:35:21 | 0:35:23 | |
..and now I'm measuring up the fourchettes. | 0:35:24 | 0:35:26 | |
The fourchettes are the bits that go in between the finger, | 0:35:26 | 0:35:29 | |
that actually make it fit your finger, | 0:35:29 | 0:35:30 | |
and if you look at the top, where we bend it back, | 0:35:30 | 0:35:33 | |
you get a very small little V. | 0:35:33 | 0:35:35 | |
And if you don't get the V, then you haven't done it right. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:39 | |
It requires years of practice, | 0:35:39 | 0:35:41 | |
but Sally is very kindly allowing me to have a go | 0:35:41 | 0:35:44 | |
on the 80-year-old sewing machine. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:46 | |
Just put your fingers there, and just hold there... | 0:35:46 | 0:35:49 | |
-Hold that straight. -You can see where the needle is going to go. | 0:35:49 | 0:35:51 | |
-Yeah. -Go up on the edge, and you'll be fine. | 0:35:51 | 0:35:54 | |
Now, Sally can put it all together in half an hour, but me, | 0:35:54 | 0:35:58 | |
I'm taking a little longer. | 0:35:58 | 0:36:00 | |
-We'll have to have you here to do a few. -HE LAUGHS | 0:36:00 | 0:36:03 | |
Somehow I think it would take me a little bit longer than half an hour! | 0:36:03 | 0:36:08 | |
Having been given an inside look into the production process, | 0:36:08 | 0:36:11 | |
it's been interesting to see how these historic gloves | 0:36:11 | 0:36:14 | |
are still being made in such a time-honoured way, | 0:36:14 | 0:36:17 | |
keeping those handcrafted skills alive. | 0:36:17 | 0:36:19 | |
Well, this week, we have shown Jamie and Sabrina | 0:36:23 | 0:36:26 | |
three fabulous properties, | 0:36:26 | 0:36:27 | |
with a combined asking price | 0:36:27 | 0:36:29 | |
of £2,775,000. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:33 | |
And despite their fabulous budget, | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
they can, of course, afford to buy only one of them. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
But which one? | 0:36:38 | 0:36:39 | |
Well, let's go and ask them, | 0:36:39 | 0:36:41 | |
and have some tea and scones while we're about it. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:43 | |
Well, look at you in this lovely, rather regal setting. | 0:36:46 | 0:36:52 | |
It's the moment we've all been waiting for. It's decision time. | 0:36:52 | 0:36:55 | |
Have you had a chance to think about it all? | 0:36:55 | 0:36:57 | |
-Yeah, we have. -Had a bit of a chat, bit of a mull. | 0:36:57 | 0:37:01 | |
A bit of a mull. | 0:37:01 | 0:37:02 | |
We did give you three, I think, really interesting options. | 0:37:02 | 0:37:05 | |
So, which one, if any of them, have you alighted upon? | 0:37:05 | 0:37:09 | |
I think we'd probably like to have another look at two of them. | 0:37:09 | 0:37:12 | |
Firstly, house number two. | 0:37:12 | 0:37:14 | |
That setting with that walk over the fields into Malmesbury | 0:37:14 | 0:37:17 | |
was just spectacular, and the beautiful land behind, | 0:37:17 | 0:37:20 | |
so we'd definitely like to go back and take a second look there. | 0:37:20 | 0:37:22 | |
But you also liked property number three, our Mystery House, of course. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:26 | |
We did. I think we'd like to come back and have a think about that | 0:37:26 | 0:37:28 | |
with costings and how that would work financially. | 0:37:28 | 0:37:30 | |
Looking at particularly the Mystery House | 0:37:30 | 0:37:33 | |
and seeing what that offers in terms of scale of land - | 0:37:33 | 0:37:36 | |
that really has confirmed to me | 0:37:36 | 0:37:38 | |
that having a bit more land is an exciting prospect. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:41 | |
So, potentially, two more revisits, as it were. | 0:37:41 | 0:37:45 | |
When's it going to happen? | 0:37:45 | 0:37:47 | |
Well, I think we'll probably try and come back in the next weekend or so. | 0:37:47 | 0:37:50 | |
Maybe stay in Malmesbury, have a chance | 0:37:50 | 0:37:52 | |
to properly look around there and get to know that area. | 0:37:52 | 0:37:54 | |
Best of luck. Let us know how you get on. | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
Oh, thank you very much, and thank you so much | 0:37:56 | 0:37:58 | |
for showing us, you know, three such unique properties. | 0:37:58 | 0:38:01 | |
It's given us a lot to think about, as well. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:03 | |
Well, it's been a week of wonderful properties, | 0:38:05 | 0:38:07 | |
high numbers and even loftier ambitions. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:10 | |
And now, with any luck, Jamie and Sabrina | 0:38:10 | 0:38:12 | |
are that little bit closer to realising some, | 0:38:12 | 0:38:15 | |
if not all, of theirs. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:17 | |
I'll see you next time. | 0:38:17 | 0:38:18 | |
Jamie and Sabrina revisited our second house | 0:38:21 | 0:38:24 | |
and are still considering their options. | 0:38:24 | 0:38:26 | |
If you'd like to Escape To The Country, | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
in either England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, | 0:38:28 | 0:38:31 | |
and would like our help, | 0:38:31 | 0:38:32 | |
then please apply online at... | 0:38:32 | 0:38:37 |