Wiltshire Escape to the Country

Welcome to Escape to the Country.

This beautiful backdrop was the fictional home

for a group of rabbits whose adventures have become

a classic of modern British literature.

They also made their author a household name.

But who conjured this tale of country life and where was it set?

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

On today's show, a well-travelled couple

are buying their first home in the UK.

And at the top of their wish list, a dose of classic British character.

Oh, this is lovely. Look at the wood panelling.

That's very nice, on the walls.

And they also try to define their feelings on other striking features.

Now, I don't think I've ever seen a countertop quite like that one.

Does it appeal to the artist?

In an abstract, expressionist kind of a way.

Well, today we are in the North Wessex Downs,

and that is Watership Down.

It was this landscape that inspired local author Richard Adams

to pen his debut novel of the same name

about a group of rabbits in search of a new home.

Now, if you've read the book or indeed seen the film,

you may recall that the rabbits, led by Hazel,

discover that their existing warren is in grave danger.

So they undertake a perilous journey to find a new place to live,

which they do on those hills behind me.

And let's be honest, on a day like today, with a view like that,

who could blame them?

The North Wessex Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

in the south of England

and spans four counties including Wiltshire, Berkshire and Hampshire.

Roughly the size of Greater London,

the landscape is characterised by

rolling, open downlands and ancient woodland.

In 1972, it was designated a protected area

due to a rich abundance of flora and fauna

and an array of historic settlements.

The region's bedrock is chalk.

The white, earthy limestone has been used locally

as both a building material,

evident in the architecture found throughout its villages,

and in numerous hill figures,

including the White Horse at Uffington,

which dates to the Bronze Age.

Its elegant lines were first carved some 3,000 years ago.

Meandering its way through the region is the River Kennet,

a tributary of the Thames, it's popular with anglers and birdlife

and flows through the market town of Hungerford

on its journey to meet the Thames at Reading.

Further west lies the historic market town of Marlborough,

with its wide high street flanked by some fine Georgian architecture

and older 17th-century buildings.

With its breathtaking countryside and sense of rural isolation,

the North Wessex Downs is a place in which to get away from it all.

Now, when you consider that the North Wessex Downs is made up of

some of the most expensive counties in England,

it probably comes as no great surprise to learn

that buying a property here can be a pricey business,

not least because of its great road and rail links

not only to the rest of the country but also into London.

Broadly speaking, the further east you go, particularly into Berkshire,

the more expensive it gets.

So if you want a bit more bang for your buck,

head west over towards Wiltshire, particularly around Devizes.

You may be surprised at just what you can afford.

But what about today's buyers?

What's attracted them to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty?

Well, let's meet them and find out.

Anthony and Morag currently live in Brussels, Belgium

and have been married for 24 years.

But they're now temporarily back in the UK to begin their house hunt.

A well-travelled couple, Morag, who grew up in Scotland,

first met Australian Anthony at university in Sydney,

where they were both studying creative arts.

I saw Morag on a bus.

It was a sort of love-at-first-sight thing, really.

I had sunglasses on. I was looking at him

but I was pretending to look out the window.

I noticed that he was staring at me.

But then I got to know him and I thought he was very sweet.

After living together in Australia for ten years,

Morag then secured a job working for the United Nations

which took her all around the world

before the couple finally settled in Brussels.

But with Anthony landing a new job teaching art in London,

change is on the horizon.

Each job was a little bit different,

but it was always to do with governance or peace building.

I worked a couple of times in Iraq,

we went to Geneva for a couple of years.

Anthony got this new job with the International School in London.

I decided I will leave my job,

there was an early retirement offer on the table as well,

so I thought I will take that and move back to the UK.

Having left Scotland when she was just ten,

Morag is keen to return to her UK roots

and reconnect with long-lost family.

We kept moving westwards towards the UK.

Our goal was to go to the UK eventually,

and I've come back a few times and met my cousins again,

which was really nice,

and found new family members I didn't meet before.

Their current home is an Art Nouveau-style townhouse

in central Brussels,

and although they love the Belgian capital,

they're now looking for more room

than their inner-city living allows for.

It's a city with a lot of hidden secrets.

It's quite a beautiful place.

And it can be quite gritty and a little bit noisy, etc,

so what I've been looking forward to in relation to the move

is being somewhere with a little bit more solitude and a lot more space.

With their youngest of three grown-up daughters

currently at university in Reading,

the choice of the North Wessex area is partly for practical reasons.

We were attracted to the North Wessex Downs area

firstly for its beauty and the big skies

and also for Anthony to being able to commute, you know,

in a reasonable distance and time to London for his work.

And for Australian Anthony,

the English countryside offers a special kind of character.

I think that the institution of the English pub, for example,

is something that is unique

and you won't find anywhere else in the world.

That type of setting with, you know, the village, the pub,

some of the beautiful waterways in England.

I think England would be a unique and beautiful place to live.

With their Brussels townhouse already sold

and Anthony's job starting imminently,

the pressure is on to find a permanent home soon,

and they're looking forward to the next chapter.

For me, my children are all grown up, we're empty nesters now,

-and I guess it's about following our dream.

-Absolutely.

Anthony would like to be within

a one-and-a-half-hour commute of London,

so our house search will factor in good rail links into the capital

such as those from Swindon.

I'm meeting up with our couple at their hotel

in the North Wessex Downs

to get the details of their property wish list.

Ah! Good morning, guys. How are you?

Good morning. We're very well, thank you.

What an eclectic life you've led.

-From Australia, from Scotland.

-Yes.

-The United Nations.

You've worked in Iraq, you're living in Brussels at the moment.

Now, give us an idea of what your new home might ideally have.

It should have character. The windows, the eyes of the house

that kind of give it that kind of unusual feel.

I don't like anything too bland.

That's interesting - "The eyes of the house."

I hear houses described in many ways, but I really like that.

We might develop that a little further.

Space is probably the most important thing for me.

Because I'm an oil painter,

ideally, some sort of outbuilding would be ideal.

In terms of space and accommodation,

I mean, how many bedrooms and that sort of thing?

Two is a minimum. Ideally three. But two would suffice.

At least it's another bedroom for our daughter when she visits,

or any of our daughters.

We have two other daughters in Australia. Or friends.

Downstairs, we really just want a large eat-in kitchen

and a large living room.

I have a few sofas to fit in.

And gardening, Morag, I know that's of interest to you.

I like gardening, but that's what I'm willing to sacrifice on.

A small garden just to grow a few vegetables and have a few plants

and not a huge amount of space.

How much are you planning to spend on this?

We'd like to spend £500,000.

How much work would you put into a property to make it your own

if it needed a new kitchen, a new bathroom or something like that?

We don't mind, you know, taking my paintbrush up

or putting in some extra storage. I don't mind that so much.

Well, we've got three, I think, very interesting properties to show you

within this rather unique area of the North Wessex Downs,

-including, of course, our Mystery House.

-Mm-hm.

-Let's go.

-OK.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Cash buyers Anthony and Morag have a maximum of £500,000 to spend

on their new country pad

which would ideally have lots of character

as well as a large living room and spacious kitchen-diner.

They need three bedrooms for when their daughters come to stay

as well as a manageable garden.

And outside, they're also looking

for a separate outbuilding

for artist Anthony to paint in.

We've an assortment of charming Wessex properties

to tempt our buyers with,

but I won't be revealing the price tag of each

until the end of our tours.

And our final property, the Mystery House,

will definitely teach them a lesson or two about character.

Presumably, the quiet life really is something

-you're going to relish now?

-Definitely. I will relish it,

but at the same time, I like to keep busy.

So I'm looking forward to following pursuits that I'm interested in.

I really want to get out there within the community

and do my gardening, join groups,

maybe I'll grow some prize carrots

-or something, or beetroots.

-JULES CHUCKLES

I just want to kind of really immerse myself in the country life

and that includes the activities that comes with it.

Well, we've got a lot to show you and not a lot of time to do it in,

so we're going to have to get a move on.

But property number one is not that far away.

Great.

We're kicking off our house hunt in the small village of Horton,

just outside the town of Devizes in Wiltshire.

Although, for Anthony, the closest railway station

for London is Pewsey, a 15-minute drive away.

Devizes is a vibrant market town

with an extensive range of shops and eateries

lining its handsome Georgian-fronted high street

and owes its rich range of historic architecture

to the textile industry which peaked here in the 18th century.

One of the town's oldest surviving buildings

is the timber-framed Great Porch House

built for a prosperous wool merchant in the mid-15th century.

A mile outside the town, back in Horton,

our first house sits on the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The village benefits from a traditional canal-side pub,

something Anthony wanted to take advantage of.

Fortunately, the property is just a ten-minute walk away.

Right. Here we are.

All the way from Brussels to Wiltshire.

-What do you think of this one?

-I like the entrance way

with the climbing foliage.

It's rather nice.

It looks fresh on the outside, and

there's still space here to create a bit more of a garden.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what else is inside the house.

The outside is a little bit plainer, I suppose.

I think this is very much a property that we will appreciate

-more on the inside than probably on the outside here.

-OK.

-Well, let's see what you think.

-OK.

-OK.

The house dates back to the 1970s,

but was derelict when the current owner moved in seven years ago.

She set about completely renovating the property.

The entrance hall opens into

a light and spacious dining-cum-living room.

-So, starting in here, a bit of a dining space, as it were.

-Yes.

They've made it all open plan, and it sort of revolves around

-this scarlet-coloured chimney breast.

-OK.

Giving you that rather funky, quite crisp wood burner in there.

-Multi-fuel.

-I like the space. I like the flow.

-The flow is nice. I would create a library round there.

-Ah!

This is more the TV side of the living.

-More sort of zoned.

-Yes.

-But certainly a lot of room to fit your sofas and...or our sofas.

-Yes.

And I think it's a good, sizable space.

This is quite cool. Look at this.

This is a great space.

I might even use this as a dining room, actually.

I'm impressed by the space, there's lots of light.

Certainly the view of that field is spectacular.

I mean, I love the idea of a gate to a field beyond.

-Well, that gate also gets you to the pub off-road.

-The short cut.

Exactly, that's the short cut.

-Let's go and have a look at the kitchen.

-OK.

Cos this is quite quirky, actually. I like what they've done with it.

As well as the sizable sunroom to the rear,

there's an additional room to the side of the house

currently used as a children's playroom.

Round at the front, just off the entrance hall,

there's a small study space and a fully-tiled shower room.

But we're weaving our way back across the open-plan living room

to reveal a rather vibrant feature in the kitchen.

Now, I don't think I've ever seen a countertop

quite like that one. THEY CHUCKLE

-But it's certainly memorable.

-Yes. I'm speechless.

-It's granite.

The current owner's very upfront about it, she loved it.

She said, "You'll either love it or hate it."

You've got the double gas hob there.

-That's nice.

-The whole thing is gas, mains gas.

-Fantastic.

Could be a little bit of getting used to,

that leopard print benchtop.

Does it appeal to the artist?

Er, in an abstract, expressionist kind of a way.

THEY LAUGH

But, no, I think in here you could tweak the tops, to be frank,

you know, to kind of tone it down a bit.

-Now, bedrooms, you said...two? BOTH:

-Two or three.

-Come and have a look upstairs.

-OK.

The kitchen also benefits from a separate utility room

with space for the washing machine.

Upstairs, there are actually four bedrooms

arranged off a central landing.

They're all large enough to accommodate a double bed,

so more than enough room for visiting family.

There's also a fully tiled family bath and shower room.

So that just leaves Anthony and Morag's master.

Now, it's surprising, isn't it?

When you look at this place from the outside

-to find that it's got four bedrooms.

-Yes, indeed.

This is what's currently used as the master.

None of them are en suite,

but this one has the views out the back.

Lovely views. Nice square, well-proportioned rooms.

Good light. Yeah, it's good.

Well, they aren't giving much away,

but my hunch is that although they're warming to this property,

it hasn't quite hit the mark on character.

Outside, the south-facing garden extends to the rear

and is mainly laid to lawn, with a timber garage outbuilding

offering plenty of scope as Anthony's potential art studio.

But the real selling point of the garden

is that view across open countryside.

There we are. It's not bad, is it, really?

No, it's a lovely view from here.

And you can see the Downs up there, the sheep sort of setting the scene.

So, are you happy?

-Pleasantly surprised, let's say.

-Yeah.

Well, it is the first of three. And it's our first price guess now.

-Oh.

-CHUCKLING: Yes.

So, £500,000 is what you've given us to play with.

Who's going to go first?

-Would it be cruel to ask him to go first?

-Go on.

Considering that the property has

a lot more bedrooms than we were looking for,

my guess would be about 485.

485. Morag?

The garden is not that large.

All things considered, I would say 465,000.

Not bad, actually.

475.

-Oh, right in the middle.

-So, you straddled it, yeah.

So, it's certainly affordable and I think would give you just

enough left over to really play around with that studio space.

-Absolutely.

-Go and have a look at that,

and I will come and find you a little bit later on.

-OK, thanks, Jules.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

Brilliant. Well, there we are, look.

Sheep grazing, the Downs in the distance,

and this is the gate to the pub.

Just as well it's locked, isn't it?

Under budget by £25,000,

this recently renovated family home meets their brief.

It provides our couple with bags of space,

featuring a large, open-plan living and dining room,

and a unique, well appointed kitchen.

Upstairs, there are more bedrooms than our buyers asked for,

and outside, there's a potential studio.

What's more, its location provides access to market town amenities

and a good train route into London.

This house has a lot of good things going for it.

It's got good light, and the flow downstairs works well.

But I don't think it has the character

that I think I'm looking for.

I think it's a good-sized space.

-Could almost turn this into a machinery workshop.

-OK, that side.

-And this side more for painting.

-Where would you set up your easel?

-On the other side?

-Probably the other side.

It's a good space.

I was impressed with the studio space, and the outlook is stunning.

It may not have the kind of charm that we're after

in terms of some character features.

However, in terms of its practical base,

I think this is something worth thinking about.

Well, can you believe it? Our first house is done already.

Yeah. Good first start.

Good first start. Now it's lunchtime.

-And hopefully time for a pint.

-You see.

MORAG CHUCKLES I knew it was coming. Let's go.

The undulating North Wessex Downs

is known for its rolling chalk-laden hills

on which man has made his mark for the past 5,000 years.

Along with this chalk bedrock,

another defining geological feature of the Downs are sarsen stones,

used as building blocks since Neolithic times.

Today they can be spotted at prehistoric stone circles

such as the one at Avebury

and in the foundations of historic buildings,

including nearby Avebury Manor, which dates to the 16th century.

Since Anthony's keen to immerse himself in British heritage

and Morag hopes to get more involved in the community by volunteering,

we sent them to Avebury Manor which relies heavily on local help

to keep the property open to the public.

They're meeting National Trust museum curator Dr Ros Cleal.

Welcome to Avebury Manor and Gardens.

Well, thank you for having us here. It's a very impressive building.

Can you tell us a little bit about the history of the place?

Well, it goes back to the 1500s,

and the part that's in front of us was probably built in the 1550s.

And it's mostly finished by about 1600.

And so what happened to the house after it was built?

Did it remain just in one family's hands?

No, it didn't. No, quite the opposite, in fact.

So, it changed hands lots and lots of times over the centuries.

How has the building been maintained over all these years?

In 1991, the National Trust bought the house

and quite a major restoration of the house took place,

and each room was presented as a different historical period,

partly because that's so much part of the house's history,

that it's had this changing history of ownership.

Today, the manor house and its attractive walled garden

with lavender-lined lawns and topiary

are open for much of the year

and attract around 140,000 visitors annually.

Ros has arranged for our couple to meet volunteer Richard Bradshaw,

who today has the job of getting the house ready

before it opens to the public in the morning.

Inside the manor, the refurbished rooms

reflect different historic periods

and includes a Tudor parlour right through to a 1940s reception room

and country house kitchen dating to 1912.

But one of the most popular rooms is an 18th-century dining room.

Wow, what a beautiful room this is, Richard.

Yes, it is a nice room.

It's Adam and Anna Williamson's room, the Georgian period.

But our job now is... I've already opened up the curtains.

We want to set the scene out, prep it up for the visitors

coming in at 11 o'clock.

-So, are you happy to give me a hand on that?

-Absolutely.

So, Richard, is there many volunteers

working here at Avebury Manor?

We have anywhere between 200 and 300 at any particular time.

-Wow, that's a lot.

-They don't all work in the manor.

Volunteers have a range of duties,

from cleaning to working in the gift shop.

But the majority, like Richard, are tasked with presenting

the story of the house to the general public.

Here at Avebury, visitors are encouraged to interact

with the furniture and objects,

and one such piece has caught Anthony's eye -

a Georgian exercise chair.

So, how old is this chair?

Oh, wow, this would go back to the 18th century.

-Maybe slightly before that.

-OK.

-This is a copy of one of them.

-Oh, wow. Right.

-It's extraordinary.

-What does it feel like?

-It's like being on a rickshaw.

-THEY CHUCKLE

It's very unusual.

Another object the public are encouraged to explore

can be found upstairs in the Tudor bedchamber.

This is called a truckle bed

and this can be moved in or out underneath the bed.

So, if you have a visitor stay, they could stay on here

or if, for instance, you felt like you wanted

a cup of tea in the middle of the night,

you'd get your servant to sleep on there

and they would make you a cup of tea when you wanted it.

You've heard the phrase of good night, sleep tight.

-Yeah.

-And this is it.

If the ropes are tight, you do get a good night's sleep.

If they're slack, you do not.

-That's interesting, isn't it?

-That's important.

Make sure the ropes are tight and that the mattress is comfy

and you will have a good night's sleep.

It's great to know where these sayings come from.

-Fantastic.

-It is, isn't it? Yeah.

So having had a glimpse inside one of the region's historic properties,

we're turning our attention back to finding Anthony and Morag

the characterful country home of their own.

For our second offering, we're venturing north-east

to the highly sought-after village of Aldbourne,

around nine miles from Swindon

which has regular rail services into London.

Set in the Marlborough Downs,

this delightful village has many amenities

and an active local community.

Village life is centred on a pretty green

which is bordered by rows of characterful cottages.

Well, guys, on your travels, have you ever been here before?

-No, we haven't.

-Never.

You wanted a slice of quintessential English country life.

-This is Aldbourne. Look at that.

-It's gorgeous.

-Absolutely beautiful.

This little green is surrounded by

some of the prettiest houses I think Wiltshire has to offer.

It also has a fabulous local pub which I can personally vouch for.

And the whole thing is overlooked by that church.

Take a good look at that,

because we may see something similar to it very shortly.

Because if you like all of this, you're going to love property two.

It's really intriguing. Come and have a look.

Our second house choice is situated

on a quiet country lane in an elevated position,

and I'm hoping it'll offer Anthony and Morag

the external character they've wanted.

Right then. Here we are.

-Property number two.

-Oh, wow.

What do you reckon? What do you think it is?

It looks like either a Victorian or Edwardian cottage.

You could be mistaken.

-This is 1947. So it's post-war.

-It's post-war.

-Just post-war.

-Just.

It was built by the current owner's grandfather,

and this is the first time that it's ever been on the open market.

-Wow.

-I do love some of the details.

These lovely Crittall-framed windows with the lead work inside.

Yes, the eyes of the house are very nice.

You talked about eyes of the house when we met.

-This one has eyebrows, doesn't it?

-Yes.

I like the character from the outside. It's lovely.

It's got a lot of interesting features, the lead windows.

I think it's got a lot of quirky elements to it.

-Come and have a look inside.

-OK.

Fortunately, there's quite an upbeat reaction

to this redbrick detached property built back in the 1940s.

Since that time, this unique home

has been in the care of the same family for nearly 70 years.

OK, Morag...

-There we go.

-Oh, this is lovely. Look at the wood panelling.

That's very nice, on the walls.

It's a room, I think, with a lot of character.

-It lets a lot of light in.

-Yeah.

-I think you could fit all your sofas in here.

-Yeah.

With this window, this window,

and it looks like another window over in the corner there.

Now, have a think about this door here.

It's a full-length door, obviously,

but I think we can do something similar next-door in the kitchen...

-OK.

-..which would help kind of connect it

to the rest of the garden.

-You'll see what I mean.

-All right.

All the rooms on the ground floor lead off a central hallway

and include a downstairs washroom as well as a conservatory

which has been built onto the back of the house.

This is the kitchen-cum...sort of, well, sitting room at the moment,

-but clearly is begging to be kitchen-diner.

-Yes.

Or one big room where you have your dining table

-at this end of the kitchen...

-Yeah.

-..leading to outdoor dining area.

Exactly. Now, if we could replicate that door that's next-door

to give you French doors to mirror the look of what's already here.

Yeah, knock out the lower part of that window, you'd have

a great way of moving straight out onto the terrace beyond.

-And you could make this much wider.

-Yes.

You know, take this out, perhaps. To give you the sort of

classic kitchen-diner that you've been talking about.

Perfect. That would be a great way to look at this room.

I'm delighted our buyers seem receptive

to adapting the living space to suit them.

Upstairs, there are three decent-sized bedrooms

including a double-aspect guest room and a smaller single.

They're served by a family bathroom and a separate WC.

There's also a smaller windowless room off the landing

which the current owner has made into a walk-in wardrobe

as it's next to the master.

And then finally this one

which is probably just bigger than bedroom two, I would think.

It's small, but it will do us, I guess.

The best part of the room, really, is the fact that

you have a beautiful outlook to the garden which is very private.

This window is one of those two dormers

with those lovely eyebrows that we saw when we first arrived.

-So we're in the eyebrows of the house.

-Exactly.

I noticed another window over there, which is nice.

-I was concerned that up here was a bit more limited.

-It's tight.

-It's cosy, which you might need on a winter's night, anyway.

-Sure.

Wahey! Well, we'll leave that conversation there, shall we?

Let's get out and cool off in the garden.

-Come on.

-OK.

-After you guys.

Well, despite the smaller layout upstairs,

they do seem right at home in this house.

Outside, the gardens wrap around three sides of the property.

At the rear, there's a low-maintenance area laid to slate

with steps down to a small gravelled area and storage shed.

There's an additional timber shed

which could be replaced with a larger structure

for Anthony's art studio subject to planning permission.

But the front garden is the real focal point of the outside space.

Here there's a paved patio

and steps leading up to a charming, raised seating area

as well as an incredibly eye-catching centrepiece.

Now, I said this garden was fun.

MORAG CHUCKLES

-My goodness.

-What about it?

-Oh, my God.

-It's the church from down the street.

-Exactly.

This is St Michael's Church, Aldbourne.

It's a real folly, isn't it?

He obviously had plenty of time to study the original.

-Is this the original owner of the house who's done this?

-Yeah.

Look, let's get back to business.

There it is. A house with eyes and eyebrows.

1947, very unique. What do you think?

I would put it at slightly more than the last property.

At £485,000.

485. Anthony?

Very close to my estimation, actually.

I was thinking somewhere in the vicinity of about 490.

Well, here's the thing. This is also on the market

for £475,000.

Oh, it's the same. OK.

Excellent. Well, I'm glad you've enjoyed seeing this one.

It's a very different proposition to our first property.

It's well worth you taking another look at, I think.

And while you do it, I'm going to see

what else I can find in the garden.

-OK.

-Off you go.

-Thank you, Jules.

-Thank you.

The price of our second property, a characterful 1940s house,

leaves Anthony and Morag with

£25,000 to spare to put

their stamp on it.

It provides them with the

generous living room they wanted and

with a bit of work, the potential

for an open-plan kitchen-diner.

Upstairs, there are three

decent-sized bedrooms,

and the quirky character continues

into the garden with that

astonishing model church.

And the house is situated in the

middle of a sought-after village.

The thing that really worked for us

was its location to a beautiful village.

And when we came to the front of the property,

we both thought it had bags of character

and we could see ourselves here.

There's just something holding me back on this property.

I don't really know what it is.

But maybe I'm baulking at the work of the renovations,

cos it does require some modernisation of the kitchen.

This is a great space for a studio, Anthony.

Yeah, the existing shed's obviously a bit too small.

But you could almost fill this whole space.

Have the front door of the studio almost at the top of the steps.

Absolutely.

I think that there's a big jump from what we've seen in the first house

to this property and I could certainly see myself living here,

in a place with this type of character and features.

This is a place of great fun.

-Have you enjoyed it?

-I have enjoyed it. It's interesting.

-Do you fancy a quick look at the church before we go?

-Which church?

The real one. Come on. THEY LAUGH

It's the second day of our property search

across the North Wessex Downs with Anthony and Scottish-born Morag

who currently live in Brussels.

With their £500,000 budget,

they're looking for a characterful British home

after many years living abroad.

Coming up, the Mystery House is an education in history.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Look at that.

-This space is just incredible.

And I explore one of the region's time-honoured traditions.

Pull it down quite firmly. All the way down.

BELL RINGS Oh, that's fabulous.

The hammers on the bell. That's amazing.

Well, yesterday was a good day

made even more memorable by that astonishing model church

in the garden of property number two.

I can't wait to get home and start building one of my own.

But of course I can't rush off just yet

because we have our Mystery House to show our buyers.

Now, this also has a unique architectural twist

which I hope they'll really enjoy.

The Mystery House is just a five-minute drive

from our previous property.

It's situated in the village of Ramsbury,

and the most convenient rail station for London

is Swindon around 12 miles away.

Ramsbury is nestled in the pretty Kennett Valley

and is steeped in history.

Dating back to Saxon times,

the village is home to a thriving community

with many clubs and societies

including a choir, local WI and a horticultural group.

Amenities include a post office and two pubs,

one of which is a 300-year-old former coaching inn.

The Mystery House is just a short distance from the village centre

and pushes character to the max.

But Anthony and Morag may have to compromise on size

to get the kind of traditional property they're after.

Well, at last. Here it is. Our Mystery House.

-Is it a church?

-Wow.

It looks like a church, but then it doesn't at the same time.

It's an old Victorian schoolhouse. It is technically a semi.

OK. So it's joined at one end.

Yeah, it's joined at one end, at that end.

But you get this bit, the sort of lion's share of it.

Now, I have to be up front about this.

It doesn't have studio space. OK?

So we would have to think about finding you something elsewhere...

-To rent maybe.

-..to rent.

-But maybe you'd end up with something bigger.

-Yeah.

Where you could make even more mess. THEY CHUCKLE

And go nuts with it.

But that's the one big drawback.

But in terms of village location and getting you into

a beautiful community, I think this one works a treat.

-Come and have a look.

-OK.

This former Victorian school built from brick and flint

was converted into a family home in the 1990s.

And whilst it may now require a bit of updating,

it does retain many of its original features including leaded windows.

The entrance hall takes us straight into a dining kitchen.

Come in then. Back to school, as it were.

We'll start with the kitchen.

-It's square.

-MORAG CHUCKLES

-It's nice proportions.

-Exactly.

-It does need a bit of work.

But if it were redone, would it work for the cook?

I think it would. As Morag says, it's got the right proportions.

Nice floor. I would certainly keep that the way it is.

-Yeah, it's good fun.

-No tiles.

Definitely could work. Depends on the rest of it.

-Yeah, well, the real selling point is through here.

-OK.

-There you go.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Look at that.

-A bit more character than the others.

-Yes.

This space is just incredible.

It's roomy enough. It certainly will fit our sofas.

It certainly will.

I like the fireplace. It's got lots of character.

Those beams are really magnificent.

I think there's still a bit of work here because there's...

I can see the ceiling over there has...

Yeah, I think a lot of that, actually,

is probably original lath and plaster

and that's what those cracks are revealing.

Let's go upstairs and see what you think of the bedroom.

Next to the main living area on the ground floor

is one of the two bedrooms the Mystery Property offers.

And the only bathroom in the house is also on this level,

just off the entrance hall.

Upstairs, there are two rooms at either end of the living space.

One is a gallery at mezzanine level

which the current owners use as their dining room.

At the other end, accessed by another staircase

is the second bedroom.

This is currently the master, as described.

Although the bedroom downstairs is pretty big too.

I think I'd like this as a master, actually. I think this is sweeter

and it's got some of the beams within the make-up of the room.

-I love the windows.

-Yeah.

-They are quite beautiful, actually.

-This is a lovely window.

-A lot of light comes in from this.

Clearly, there are some compromises with this one.

-But then every house has an element of that. Let's be honest.

-Mm-hm.

-But I don't know, maybe the price...

-OK.

-..might persuade you.

-Let's talk about that outside.

-Sounds interesting.

Clearly Anthony and Morag are captivated by

the school's unique character, but I wonder

whether the practicalities of modern-day living here

are creeping into their thoughts as we venture outside again.

The garden is private and enclosed.

Mainly lawn, it's certainly manageable

and also has a patio area.

In addition, they'd also have use of

a larger communal garden to the rear.

The compromise of our characterful Mystery House is that it currently

doesn't offer an outbuilding for Anthony's art studio.

But perhaps there'll be money left over to rent one.

So, there we are.

Our lovely old Victorian schoolhouse in the heart of Ramsbury.

-Very pretty house.

-Any idea what it's worth, then?

-415.

-415. Yeah.

I would say 395,000.

It's actually on at £430,000.

It's been reduced to that. It's been on for about 18 months.

So I suspect there is a deal to be done,

which, if successful, would leave you with a fair bit of change.

It's an interesting proposition. I'm not sure if it's a step too far

for us in terms of the work that needs to be done.

But it's an interesting building nonetheless.

It is. It's certainly something to think about.

-Go on. It's all yours.

-OK.

£70,000 under budget,

our Mystery Property is

a former Victorian school

packed with characterful features,

leaving them plenty of change

to put their stamp on it.

Despite being compact,

it offers Anthony and Morag

a large high-ceilinged living space

and an eat-in kitchen.

There are two good-sized bedrooms,

and the garden is more than manageable.

And despite the fact there's

no art studio space for Anthony,

the village location gives him

rental options nearby.

From the outside, I thought, "Yay! This is my house."

I had a different feel inside, I have to say.

I was a bit disappointed when I came in

cos there was so much work to do.

It has to have a completely new kitchen. It's very old and dated.

And the bathroom probably needs to be updated as well.

What I liked about the Mystery House was its features.

The exterior is extremely pretty.

The lead in the windows, the high ceilings were impressive.

I think what doesn't work for us is that there's a lot of work to do

to get this place the way we would like it.

Well, I think we've given you

a really interesting mix of properties this week.

So, it's now time to go away and think about them

because, let's face it, this move has got to happen sometime soon.

-Certainly.

-Right then. After you.

-OK.

In the heart of the North Wessex Downs,

the market town of Hungerford, with its pretty Georgian streetscape,

has a long-established reputation as a centre for antiques.

Today the town is home to over 100 specialist dealers

selling anything from furniture and curios to rare books and clocks.

One such dealer is the town's clockmaker

who not only sells but also restores and repairs historic timepieces.

I've come to the shop and studio to meet clockmaker Chris Bessent,

who's been tinkering with clocks since the 1970s.

-Chris, nice to see you.

-Hi, Jules. How are you?

-This is beautiful.

If you are a clock aficionado, this is a real Aladdin's cave.

How long have you been a clockmaker for?

I've been clockmaking for the last 36 years.

Never had a boring day yet.

And what got you into it in the first place?

Really just taking apart clocks,

bits and pieces, anything I could find

and seeing if I can get it back together.

Fortunately now, I've mastered the process.

But how difficult is it to master

the range of movements that need repaired?

The first 20 years was probably the most difficult.

Making a handcrafted clock from scratch

is a time-consuming and costly process,

so most of the clocks for sale in the shop are refurbished antiques.

Chris spends the majority of his time servicing clocks

brought in by the public.

Upstairs in the workshop, he's just finished restoring a bracket clock

dating to the early 18th century,

so called because it could be mounted on a wall bracket

or positioned on a tabletop.

-That's a lovely old patina, isn't it?

-It is gorgeous, yeah.

-And it's got a date on it too.

-This is round about 1710, 1720.

That's astonishing. I mean, you know,

-not long after the English Civil War.

-Oh, absolutely, yeah.

Can we have a look at the back and see

what all these bits and pieces will look like when they're together?

And I can show you how it works if you'd like to see.

Yeah, let's see it operate.

When these were made, they didn't have very good artificial light,

so to know what the time was, they needed to pull a cord

and it would give them the nearest quarter.

Pull it down quite firmly.

-All the way down.

-MACHINERY CLUNKS

I can just hear it winding up.

Oh, that's fabulous. The hammers on the bell.

And, presumably, each clock could have its own signature tune?

They followed patterns.

-But if you had a specific request, you could have that.

-That's amazing.

So, it would give you a fairly clear indication

of what time it was in the middle of the night

just so you knew what was happening.

We didn't really worry about minutes and seconds in those days.

The nearest quarter was adequate.

Having seen the finished article,

I'm keen to get a sense of the myriad of components

that make up a bracket clock.

Chris is working on another 18th-century example,

and he's about to reassemble the mechanism.

You basically start off with the centre wheel,

which we'll plop in there.

And you just know that that's where it goes?

It's experience. And it's experience that tells you.

After that, you have a little crown wheel.

-Can I use these?

-Yeah, help yourself.

I mean, that is fabulous.

How long would it take you to make that now with modern machine tools?

-That would take me about two days to make.

-Two days.

And to make an entire clock like this from scratch?

You're talking about months and months of work.

It is absolutely fascinating.

Restoring a clock is clearly complex.

-Have you ever tried to build one?

-I've made a number of clocks.

I'm actually currently making one at the moment. I'll show you it.

Beautiful. What kind of a clock is this one?

So, this is a drop dial clock. It's a fusee.

It's a clock that I'm making for my granddaughter.

I started it when she was born.

She's going to be eight this month.

So it's taking quite a while, then.

Well, the trouble is I'm so busy with repairs

and restorations that I don't get a lot of time.

It doesn't take that long,

it doesn't take eight years to build a clock,

but it does take a long time to get to do it.

Chris, thank you very much indeed. I wish you all the best of luck.

She'll be very pleased, I'm sure,

-when she finally takes delivery of that.

-Thank you, Jules.

CLOCKS TICK

Well, there is no underestimating the urgency

that surrounds Morag and Anthony's move,

but have we done enough this week to help them finally get it under way?

I wonder.

Well, look at this. Is that for me?

-Yes.

-JULES SIGHS

Well, guys, here we are at the end of our house search.

-It flies by, doesn't it?

-It has.

So, how close did we get, Anthony? We gave you three to consider.

What about property number one?

Property number one, I think, had a fantastic workshop.

In terms of the house, it had plenty of room,

but probably lacked the character that we were looking for.

What about property two, then?

I think property two was a real contender.

I guess it was our favourite.

It had a beautiful facade,

some of the rooms were very nice, characterful.

I could see where we could make the changes to make it work for us.

But I think, at the end of the day,

it was the kitchen that was a breaker,

because it really needed a complete new kitchen.

I think it just didn't grab me enough

for me to put my £500,000 on the table for it.

Interesting. So number two was your favourite.

Our Mystery House, we tried to up the ante on character

whilst still giving you a sort of heart-of-village location.

But I think we all agreed it was probably a little bit small.

It was the smallest.

I think also it didn't really have a true living area.

I don't really particularly like staircases

leading into a main living area.

Where do we go from here?

Well, we've actually fallen in love with the area.

The Wessex Downs, the villages that we looked at on the way through,

just absolutely stunning,

and we're very keen to keep looking and focus on this particular area.

So watch this space.

Well, guys, I am sad that we haven't been able to

find a solution for you this week,

but we wish you all the very best of luck.

-Thank you, Jules.

-Pleasure.

Well, this may have been a frustrating week of house-hunting,

but it doesn't always follow that it's been a bad one.

Let's be honest, exploring this part of the world

is never a great hardship.

And although we haven't quite sold Morag and Anthony a new home,

we have sold them on the North Wessex Downs.

And let's be honest, when you look around you on a day like today,

whoever decided that this should be

an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,

well, they really did know what they were talking about.

I'll see you next time.

Morag and Anthony revisited some of the areas

they were introduced to on our search

and have since bought a property near Malmesbury

which they'll be moving into shortly.

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