Hampshire Escape to the Country


Hampshire

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This magnificent mansion played host to not one but two British kings

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and their royal mistresses.

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Find out where it is and who lodged here in just a moment.

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Today, a couple with an empty nest

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are on the hunt for their slice of rural England.

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To me, this is an ideal country kitchen.

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It gives you that feel with the beams and everything else and so on.

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I think, yes, it gives you that country feeling.

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But will the idea of outdoors country living be a step too far?

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Are you keen to have chickens?

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-No.

-So that could be another garden.

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THEY LAUGH

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Today I'm in Hampshire and this is Avington Park.

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Back in the 17th century it passed into the hands of George Brydges,

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the groom of the bedchamber for Charles II.

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It's thought that Brydges made the house fit for visits

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from the King and his mistress Nell Gwyn,

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while he was waiting for his palace in Winchester to be finished.

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Around a century later, it also played host to George IV who

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came here with the catholic widow Maria Fitzherbert

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who he had married secretly and illegally in his 20s.

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These royal associations make sure that Avington earns its place

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in the pantheon of Hampshire's great historic architecture.

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Hampshire sits in the south of England,

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bordered by Surrey and West Sussex to the East,

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Wiltshire and Dorset to the West and Berkshire to the North.

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In the east of the county lie the South Downs,

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England's newest National Park.

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Covering over 600 square miles, an area the size of London,

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the Park spills over into West Sussex and beyond.

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Within its boundaries are rural villages

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such as East Meon,

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which counts the impressive Norman All Saint's Church

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amongst its treasures.

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It's the oldest building in the village

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and contains one of only seven black Tournai marble fonts

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in the country, gifted to the church in around 1150AD.

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and depicting the story of Adam and Eve.

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Also in the Park is Butser Ancient Farm,

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an archaeological site which

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displays replicas of Iron Age buildings.

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Together with Roman villas and Neolithic houses,

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the site spans a fascinating 11,000 years of ancient history.

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Towards the centre of the county is the market town

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of Bishop's Waltham, providing a more recent step back in time.

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Old terracotta tiles top the roofs of artisan shops

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and eateries, including the 16th century coaching inn which

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provided lodging for up to 200 captured French and Spanish

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naval officers during the Napoleonic wars.

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With delightful towns and villages steeped in history and a rich

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and varied landscape, Hampshire presents an enticing

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choice for escapees in search of a country life.

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It's no secret that Hampshire is an expensive place to go

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property shopping.

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The average price for a detached house here is just under £400,000.

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That's £114,000 above the national figure.

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That's particularly true of coastal hotspots like the lovely Georgian

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Lymington or Buckler's Hard,

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but that's also because they're in the New Forest.

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A little further north, in the Test Valley,

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or around Andover, your money definitely goes a bit further.

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So which part of this lovely county are our buyers interested

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in looking at?

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Let's meet them and find out.

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Retired personnel manager, June, and her retired marketing manager

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husband, Malcolm, first met when they worked for the same company.

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That was almost half a century ago.

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Malcolm's very much an extrovert and I'm an introvert

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and we balance each other out really.

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-Yeah, I suppose that's true, yeah.

-And we don't agree on everything.

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But you compromise, don't you?

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Mm, yeah, we sometimes agree to disagree.

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So that's how it is, isn't it?

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They've lived in their five-bedroom detached house in Cheshire

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for the past 25 years, alone for 15.

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We have one daughter.

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She works in London now and basically that's why

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we want to move because we just want to be closer to her.

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Mm, cos we do quite miss her

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so what we've tried to do is to look for places near West London.

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Basically something within an hour, an hour and a half

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travelling distance which roughly equates with Hampshire.

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It's not a place that we know anything at all about.

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As a matter of fact, it's a blank canvas.

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It'll be a big change for our pair, relocating from North to South.

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And they're hoping for a quieter life when they get there.

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We currently live in Bramhall.

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It's a very nice place but quite busy

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and the traffic can be horrendous at certain times of the day.

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We just really want somewhere quieter.

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I love the countryside cos it's so peaceful.

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You just feel as though the air's been let out of you

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like a big balloon that's gone puff.

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And although they love their current home,

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they feel it's time to scale down their living space.

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What really we're looking for is something very similar to

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what we've got in terms of individual rooms but fewer of them.

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Because it's just far too large for just two people.

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-It's a family house.

-It is a family house, you're right.

-Mm.

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They're hoping their new home and environment will also give them

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a chance to indulge in their hobbies.

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I think we both are quite active in what we do.

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I like to take video film and edit it

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and produce actually small sort of films.

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Sometimes holiday films but other times they're documentary films.

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I like to garden. I enjoy sewing. I did a floristry course.

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I love flower arranging.

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-You enjoy cooking as well, don't you?

-Yeah, I do, yes.

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With their house on the market, June and Malcolm are all set to

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up sticks and begin the search for a new home

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closer to their daughter.

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It's a challenge. It's an opportunity.

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And it's something that we really want to do.

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It's going to be an exciting experience.

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I think we're both ready for a change now, aren't we?

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Oh, yeah, yeah. Now is the time. We've got to do it now.

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-If we don't do it now we never will.

-No.

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BIRDS CHIRP

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Our buyers have asked us to concentrate our search

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around the northern half of Hampshire within

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an hour and a half's drive of the daughter's home in Chiswick

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in West London.

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And before we get the ball rolling, I'm meeting them

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in the county to discuss exactly what it is they're hoping for.

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-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-What a lovely day.

-It's gorgeous.

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-It's gorgeous.

-And a lovely spot.

-Yep.

-Welcome to Hampshire.

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Is this the first time you've been here?

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We have made one or two sort of trips around just to find out

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-our geography, you know?

-Yeah.

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It's quite a brave move to come from Cheshire, a beautiful county,

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down to a county you don't really know.

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What are you looking for? What would be your ideal property?

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We're looking for basically a minimum, say, of three bedrooms,

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but also we're looking for a study

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so I can carry on my hobby of film-making which I do.

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And we just want to make sure it's somewhere that's a reasonable

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-size but not too big.

-No.

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But as everyone does, we like the large kitchen/diner

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and Malcolm wants a garage, at least one,

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possibly two if we can get it.

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The size of garden needs to be reasonable.

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We're not looking for acres of land.

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What about location?

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Obviously you want to be, sort of, within driving distance of Chiswick.

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But do you want to be in a town?

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-No, no. Ideally we want to really move to a village environment.

-Yeah.

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We don't want to be remote, in the middle of nowhere

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and certainly we don't want to be on a very large housing estate,

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that sort of thing. OK.

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We've tended to live in more modern properties.

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I think when you walk into somewhere you know

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and that's what I'm looking for.

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If you had to compromise, for example, would you be interested

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in doing some development work?

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If you had to knock the property around,

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is that something you're interested in?

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-Yeah, provided it's not too substantial.

-And you've got

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a good healthy budget. How much have you got to play with?

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700,000.

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So £700,000 is a whopping budget.

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-Unfortunately, Hampshire does squeeze that. BOTH:

-Mm-hm.

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But we've got three lovely properties lined up,

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I hope one of them tickles your fancy if not all of them.

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-Me too.

-Let's go and see.

-Thank you.

-OK. Good.

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For their budget of £700,000, June and Malcolm are open to the

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style of property they live in, but they do want a large kitchen/diner

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and they'd like four bedrooms, or three bedrooms and a study.

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They'd be happy with a manageable garden with a double garage

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and would like to be in a village

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or edge of village location.

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We've hand-picked a fantastic selection of properties

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for June and Malcolm to view, but only after they've reached

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the end of their tour of each will they be furnished with its price.

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And the third and final visit will be to our Mystery House which

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will offer them a priceless location and a home to match

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if they're willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in.

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For our first stop, we're journeying to the hamlet of Lower Chute

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which is just an hour and 20 minutes' drive

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from June and Malcolm's daughter in West London.

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The Chutes are a collection of five hamlets sitting in the countryside

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of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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There's a real mix of architectural styles here,

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all set against a beautiful backdrop of rural scenery.

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Elevated Upper Chute boasts far reaching views

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along with quiet residential streets.

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While Chute Standen is home to a busy village hall which plays

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host to numerous clubs which unite the local community.

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I've stopped off with June and Malcolm en route to our first

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house because I would like them to get their bearings.

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We're right on the edge of the Hampshire-Wiltshire borders.

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-Uh-huh.

-In fact that is Wiltshire and this is Hampshire.

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And this is the Chute Causeway.

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It's a Roman road and a boundary between the two counties.

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Over here we've got a little cluster of villages called the Chutes

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and that's where our house is.

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-OK. So, let's go and visit.

-Thank you.

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This very causeway is said to be haunted by Charles II after

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he died in the area of the bubonic plague in the 17th century.

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There's no sign of ghostly activity today though as we head to

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Lower Chute, which boasts a 13th century traditional dining pub,

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perfect for a night out and right on the doorstep of our first property.

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-Here we have it, house number one.

-Wow.

-Oh, right.

-It's neat.

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It looks very nice. Yeah, it looks very... Yeah, I'm quite pleased

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-with it, yeah.

-And double garage.

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-Yeah, there's a double garage as well, yeah.

-And you've also got

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this plot here. There's a chicken run now but that could be

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-a veggie patch or something on the other side.

-Mm-hm.

-Mm-hm.

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-The land belongs to this house?

-Yeah.

-Oh, right.

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Have you ever had chickens before?

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-No.

-No.

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-Are you keen to have chickens?

-No.

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OK. So that could be another garden.

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-Shall we look inside?

-Yeah, I'd love to.

-Yeah, excellent, yeah.

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This detached chalet-style house dates back to the 1960s,

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but the extension to the right of the front door was completed

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just over ten years ago.

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We're heading through the hall straight to the kitchen-diner

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at the back of the house.

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The kitchen side was extended when the work to the house was done.

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It's a little bit smaller than what we had hoped.

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You've got all the white goods and everything back there.

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-You've got a utility room.

-Right.

-Yeah, yeah.

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So you could knock that through and make this whole area bigger

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-if you wanted.

-Oh, there's a thought, yeah.

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The good thing about this property is downstairs you have

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lots of rooms to play around with.

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This room at the end here, through the door,

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is currently a very nice study.

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-It has French windows out into the garden also.

-Mm-hm.

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But at the front of the house you've got a dining room

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-and a sitting room.

-Oh!

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So you could, technically, knock that wall through

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and make the kitchen-dining room a very big space with two French doors.

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Oh, yeah, that would be good. Certainly that's workable

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and probably it gives even more than what we've got now.

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It's very difficult also because you haven't seen the rest of the house.

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-No.

-So let's continue the tour.

-Sure.

-Yeah, I'd love to.

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I wasn't joking about this floor.

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It's a maze of rooms and I've saved the biggest till last,

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another reception room.

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It's quite a reasonable width. It's very comfortable, yeah.

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-Are you feeling the vibe of the house?

-Yeah, I like it.

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Yeah, quite like it.

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The first time we came in, I thought,

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"Oh, it's going to be a little bit small."

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Then suddenly it seemed to expand.

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It's like a TARDIS. It seems to, sort of, get bigger as you come in.

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There's also a cloakroom on the ground floor.

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And as we move upstairs through the hall-cum-library,

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the first-floor landing connects the old side of the house with the new.

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This is the master suite which was added into the eaves

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as an extension over the house.

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-Then you've got a walk-in shower in the en-suite room.

-Oh, good.

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-Oh, that's nice.

-Are you looking for an en-suite?

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-Yes, we are.

-Yes, yes, we are.

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At the moment we've got two ensuites so we're very lucky.

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-But then we are supposed to be downsizing.

-Downsizing, yes.

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That's the thing about downsizing, you do have to let go of things.

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Yes, you do. You do, don't you?

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-The thing is, the only thing I can see is the wardrobe space.

-Yes, yes.

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It seems to be...

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-Yeah, because of the sloping ceilings.

-Cos of the ceiling.

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-I have a lot of clothes.

-SHE CHUCKLES

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-Have you thought of downsizing your clothes?

-Could do.

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Could you take one of the bedrooms and make it a dressing room?

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-Good idea.

-That's not... Yeah, yeah.

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Well, there are two more bedrooms to choose from on the other side

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of the Hall. One on the other side of the house with views across

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fields and one at the back, overlooking the garden,

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already set up as a sewing room for June.

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They're separated by a white family bathroom.

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Back downstairs there's plenty of access to the garden

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which wraps around three sides of the house.

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A patio leads to the lawn which is dotted with flowerbeds,

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shrubs, hedges and plenty of nooks and crannies.

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I'd be interested to hear

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whether you think this is big enough as a garden.

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-Oh, yes, yes, definitely.

-Yes, yes.

-Ideal.

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This is big enough to enjoy.

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For privacy, you know, you've got the back here.

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No, it's great.

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So I feel your enthusiasm for the property is rising

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-as we go around.

-It is. It's surprising.

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We thought it looked a bit small.

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We're comparing what we've currently got instead of comparing it

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-with what we actually want...

-Yes.

-..which is the main thing.

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We've just got to make that step, haven't we?

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-Yeah. And what we want, I think, is contained in there.

-Yeah.

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It all depends on how much it is and what we can afford.

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Well, since you bring that subject up,

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how much do you think it's on the market for?

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Oh, it's difficult to say.

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I'm going to go for 630.

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No, I think it's on the market for 650.

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Well, to be honest, if you split the difference you'd be spot on.

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-This is on the market for £640,000.

-Right.

-Right.

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I'm going to let you go back inside and then I will see you out

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-the front when you're done.

-OK. Thank you.

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This extended chalet-style house

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has rung in at £60,000

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below June and Malcolm's budget.

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It's managed to come up trumps

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offering everything

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they've asked for.

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There's a study for Malcolm

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along with just the number

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of bedrooms they want,

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plus a perfect-sized landscaped

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garden and a double garage.

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Yeah, I think it has good possibilities.

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There's a lot of work I would want to do to it to obviously

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put our own stamp on to get it to work the way we would want it to.

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But I think it's a very good start.

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I think this would be the storage room, yeah.

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-For all my clothes, darling.

-HE CHUCKLES

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Basically what we would like to do would be to extend

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the kitchen-dining area and make it a sitting area at the end.

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So we have kitchen-dining and then a sitting area, which is

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basically what we have at the moment and we'd like to replicate that.

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You all done?

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-Yes.

-Excellent.

-Er... Yeah, it's grown on us.

-Good.

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-Let's see if the second house grows on you too.

-Jolly good.

-Thank you.

0:16:110:16:14

Food production has always been a part of Hampshire's identity

0:16:190:16:23

and much of the county's home-grown produce is on offer in the

0:16:230:16:27

cathedral city of Winchester at the largest farmers' market in Europe.

0:16:270:16:31

June and Malcolm have come to Laverstoke Park Farm in Overton

0:16:310:16:35

to meet owner Jody Scheckter.

0:16:350:16:37

He used to race cars for a living

0:16:370:16:39

and has a Formula One title to his name.

0:16:390:16:42

But for the past 12 years he's been farming organic food.

0:16:420:16:46

We follow nature very strictly. We have two main keys.

0:16:460:16:49

One, slow-growing animals and plants are generally healthier

0:16:490:16:52

-and taste better.

-Yeah.

0:16:520:16:53

-And biodiversity is a key to healthy, natural environment.

-Yeah.

0:16:530:16:56

Start in the soil, in the grass, in the animals.

0:16:560:16:58

We look at every element of it from the soil right through to the plate.

0:16:580:17:02

-Soil is 90% of farming.

-Yeah.

0:17:020:17:04

Why is the soil so important to your product?

0:17:040:17:07

Well, everything comes from the soil.

0:17:070:17:09

Your grass comes from the soil and animals eat your grass.

0:17:090:17:12

I have a saying, it's healthy soil, healthy grass, healthy animals,

0:17:120:17:16

healthy meat and milk and healthy people,

0:17:160:17:17

and it can't be anything different.

0:17:170:17:19

But soil is very, very complex.

0:17:190:17:21

If you think a handful of good soil will have more living things

0:17:210:17:23

-than people on Earth.

-Really?

0:17:230:17:25

And the biology in the soil is a very complex biology.

0:17:250:17:28

When you first took on the farm, did you have an awful lot to do

0:17:280:17:31

to get the soil into the right condition for you?

0:17:310:17:33

Yeah, well, basically I concentrated everything on getting the soil right

0:17:330:17:38

-at the beginning.

-Mm-hm.

-Compost,

0:17:380:17:39

animals on the field seem to be a very, very good

0:17:390:17:42

way of building up the soils as well.

0:17:420:17:44

What animals do you have on the farm?

0:17:440:17:46

Lots and lots, so why don't you come and have a look?

0:17:460:17:48

Ooh, lovely.

0:17:480:17:49

Jody's livestock doesn't just eat grass,

0:17:510:17:53

his herds feast on a mixed salad of over 30 different herbs,

0:17:530:17:57

clovers and grasses providing them with a variety of nutrients.

0:17:570:18:02

There are 4,500 acres here, home to a variety of rare

0:18:020:18:07

and traditional breeds, including sheep, pigs, wild boar,

0:18:070:18:10

Angus cows, the rarest breeding England,

0:18:100:18:14

and some new arrivals, baby water buffalo,

0:18:140:18:16

just three weeks old.

0:18:160:18:18

How many buffalo do you have on the farm?

0:18:190:18:22

Well, we have about 300 here,

0:18:220:18:24

but then we have about 2,000 altogether on six other farms.

0:18:240:18:27

-And two other farms milking for us.

-Really? Wow.

-Oh, really?

0:18:270:18:30

What makes buffalo good for dairy?

0:18:300:18:32

Well, it's the ultimate undeveloped bovine,

0:18:320:18:35

-so it produces half the milk which is not very positive.

-No.

0:18:350:18:38

But the milk has got twice as much of most things in,

0:18:380:18:41

so lovely, lovely milk.

0:18:410:18:42

With his herds' yield, Jody produces around 100 tonnes

0:18:440:18:47

of buffalo mozzarella a year, which is sold in shops all over the UK.

0:18:470:18:53

-Morning!

-Hello, good morning. Nice to meet you.

-Welcome, welcome.

0:18:530:18:55

-Nice to see you.

-Thank you.

0:18:550:18:57

In the cheese processing dairy, dairy manager Margarita Hermann

0:18:570:19:01

is going to show June and Malcolm how it's made.

0:19:010:19:03

She's taken last night's milk which has turned into curd.

0:19:030:19:07

It's being closely watched and when the curd reaches the correct pH,

0:19:070:19:11

it's time to take the stretch test.

0:19:110:19:14

So if you take a piece of curd and just pull it apart

0:19:140:19:19

-and just crumble it in here.

-Oh, I see.

-That's it.

0:19:190:19:23

Margarita adds hot water to the curd which melts it

0:19:230:19:26

so that it can be tested for its elasticity.

0:19:260:19:30

There we go. See?

0:19:300:19:31

So my Italian master told me that if I can see my hands or my hair.

0:19:330:19:37

Hands through it. Yeah.

0:19:370:19:38

But I don't have any hair on my hands.

0:19:390:19:42

-He had very black hair on his hands.

-THEY LAUGH

0:19:420:19:44

Once the mozzarella has passed the test,

0:19:440:19:46

it's put through the stretching machine,

0:19:460:19:48

where it's also shredded before being moulded into the balls

0:19:480:19:51

we recognise from the supermarket.

0:19:510:19:54

But how does this carefully created buffalo mozzarella taste?

0:19:540:19:57

June and Malcolm are about to find out.

0:19:570:20:00

Jody's waiting for them in the farm's walled garden.

0:20:000:20:03

Is this very healthy for you?

0:20:030:20:05

I think it's healthy because it's very natural.

0:20:050:20:07

There's no other ingredients except milk really.

0:20:070:20:09

You'll feel it's a little firmer than you're probably used to,

0:20:090:20:13

but it'll also have a fresher milkier flavour.

0:20:130:20:16

-You just get, sort of, a fresh, sort of, feeling on your tongue.

-Mm.

0:20:170:20:22

Well, Jody, thanks very much indeed.

0:20:220:20:24

-Really enjoyed it and thank you very, very much.

-It's a pleasure.

0:20:240:20:27

For our second offering, we're travelling to the hamlet of

0:20:330:20:35

Great Shoddesden, which is an hour and 20 minutes'

0:20:350:20:38

drive from West London.

0:20:380:20:40

Just five minutes away and across the border into Wiltshire

0:20:400:20:44

is the town of Ludgershall.

0:20:440:20:46

Here, all the necessities can be found alongside a 16th-century

0:20:460:20:49

dining pub and the ruins of a medieval fortress,

0:20:490:20:53

the late 11th-century

0:20:530:20:54

Ludgershall Castle.

0:20:540:20:56

Less than two miles south and we're in Great Shoddesden,

0:20:560:20:59

rural and rather wet, and where we find our next house.

0:20:590:21:04

I'll wheel you around here, because this is our second property.

0:21:040:21:08

Oh, nice size. I quite like it. I like the size.

0:21:080:21:13

-Malcolm, you're pulling a face.

-Don't like it.

0:21:130:21:15

-You don't like it?

-No? No?

-It's a fairly good-sized house.

0:21:150:21:18

It just doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't have any kerb appeal.

0:21:180:21:21

-But you're quite taken by the style.

-Yeah, I quite like it.

0:21:210:21:24

-Oh! There you are.

-Yeah, but we're often different.

0:21:240:21:28

It's actually quite a classic Hampshire cottage

0:21:280:21:30

in the sort of the use of the brick and the flint.

0:21:300:21:33

Oh, yes, I accept that. It just doesn't...

0:21:330:21:35

It's not ringing your bell.

0:21:350:21:36

No, it's not. I'm sorry.

0:21:360:21:37

It's not ringing your bells at all, is it?

0:21:370:21:40

-I want to be honest, you know.

-Yeah, absolutely.

0:21:400:21:42

I mean, inside it might be gorgeous. And maybe that might change.

0:21:420:21:45

-Let's look inside.

-OK, sure.

0:21:450:21:47

Mixed reactions for property number two.

0:21:490:21:51

This brick and flint house has grown from humble beginnings,

0:21:510:21:54

with the oldest part dating back to the 1800s,

0:21:540:21:57

when it would have been a two-up, two-down.

0:21:570:22:00

But there have been several later additions.

0:22:000:22:02

We're walking through the dining room, which is

0:22:020:22:05

in the original part of the house, to the

0:22:050:22:07

kitchen/breakfast room in one of the extensions.

0:22:070:22:10

-Oh, it's a good size, isn't it?

-Good-sized kitchen.

0:22:100:22:12

-Is this more what you were thinking of?

-No, it's nice.

0:22:120:22:15

Yeah, it's a nice size. I like this.

0:22:150:22:17

To me, this is an ideal country kitchen.

0:22:170:22:19

Gives you that feel with the beams and everything else,

0:22:190:22:22

and the way that they've done the butler sink and so on.

0:22:220:22:25

I think, yes, it gives you that country feeling.

0:22:250:22:27

Seriously, this is the most modern bit.

0:22:270:22:29

-Let's go back in time and look at the oldest part.

-OK.

-Uh-huh.

0:22:290:22:32

Back through the dining room

0:22:320:22:33

and across a small hallway is the sitting room.

0:22:330:22:37

This one goes back to about 1800, they think.

0:22:370:22:39

You can see the great big beams with all the hooks

0:22:390:22:42

-hanging from the ceiling.

-I love the fireplace.

-It's very cosy.

0:22:420:22:45

We've never had a house as old as this before, have we?

0:22:450:22:48

-No, we haven't.

-I quite like it, but I don't think it's Malcolm's thing.

0:22:480:22:53

It's very nice as it is, but we'd prefer something a little

0:22:530:22:56

larger than this.

0:22:560:22:57

Unlike the last property where they had a lot of space downstairs,

0:22:570:23:00

this one has quite a lot of space upstairs

0:23:000:23:02

because there's four bedrooms.

0:23:020:23:03

-Shall we have a look at that?

-Yeah, sure.

0:23:030:23:05

Also downstairs in a further extension, there's

0:23:050:23:07

a cloakroom and a study, which would be perfect for Malcolm.

0:23:070:23:11

Then moving upstairs,

0:23:110:23:13

there's a contemporary family bathroom for three of the bedrooms.

0:23:130:23:16

There's a particularly large double in the extension over

0:23:160:23:19

the kitchen. Then in the original side of the house, there's

0:23:190:23:22

a smaller single and an even more compact room, which could

0:23:220:23:25

easily double up as a dressing room.

0:23:250:23:28

That just leaves a room for June and Malcolm.

0:23:280:23:30

-This one is the master bedroom with an en suite.

-Oh, lovely.

0:23:300:23:34

Oh, that's a bonus. I like this room very much.

0:23:340:23:38

And it's, you know, nice and light with the two windows.

0:23:380:23:41

I like this very much.

0:23:410:23:42

-Good, let's go into the garden and talk about price.

-Yes.

-OK.

0:23:420:23:45

Well, it's true that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover,

0:23:460:23:49

as Malcolm has begun to warm up after his very cool reception

0:23:490:23:53

when he first arrived.

0:23:530:23:54

Here the entire garden sits at the front of the property

0:23:540:23:57

and makes for a pretty spot, despite the dreadful weather.

0:23:570:24:01

So, the rain has set in,

0:24:010:24:02

but if we stick ourselves here, we can get a view of the house.

0:24:020:24:05

You can see the new extension there.

0:24:050:24:07

The extension's been sympathetically done, hasn't it?

0:24:070:24:10

-Matches it very well.

-You've also got two sheds and a double garage.

0:24:100:24:15

-Uh-huh.

-And the size of the garden?

-Yeah.

0:24:150:24:17

It could do with a little bit of trimming back,

0:24:170:24:19

but nevertheless, as far as size is

0:24:190:24:21

-concerned, it's fine.

-That's just our...

0:24:210:24:23

OK, so what do you think the price of this property is?

0:24:230:24:26

I think it will be 625.

0:24:260:24:28

I think it will be more because it's been very sympathetically

0:24:290:24:33

extended, and it is an older property.

0:24:330:24:36

I think it will be 670.

0:24:360:24:39

That's interesting because this is actually on the market for £595,000.

0:24:390:24:44

Oh, really?

0:24:440:24:45

Why don't you get back inside into the dry and have a little

0:24:450:24:48

-mosey around and I'll see you at the front when you're done.

-OK.

-Lovely.

0:24:480:24:51

-Thank you, Alistair.

-Thank you.

0:24:510:24:53

This attractive home is priced

0:24:540:24:56

£105,000 below

0:24:560:24:58

June and Malcolm's budget,

0:24:580:24:59

and it does pretty well

0:24:590:25:00

meeting their requirements.

0:25:000:25:02

There's a generous-sized

0:25:020:25:04

kitchen/diner and a study for Malcolm.

0:25:040:25:06

Here they get one more bedroom than

0:25:060:25:08

required and, outside, there's

0:25:080:25:10

both a manageable garden

0:25:100:25:12

and a double garage.

0:25:120:25:13

This property, I quite like. I like the size of the kitchen.

0:25:130:25:18

I particularly like the dining room,

0:25:180:25:20

but I don't think I'd ever get Malcolm to live here.

0:25:200:25:23

-Oh, it's a nice room. I can see this being my study.

-I know.

0:25:240:25:28

-It'd be a good study for you.

-I'll put a reserve on this one.

-OK.

0:25:280:25:32

I didn't care for the appearance of the building,

0:25:320:25:35

but inside there were a lot of things that

0:25:350:25:37

I think were quite appealing.

0:25:370:25:38

But overall, I'm afraid it didn't really do it for me.

0:25:380:25:42

-Here you go. Your brolly awaits, madam.

-Thank you.

0:25:420:25:44

Let's find somewhere dry

0:25:440:25:46

-where we can digest what we've seen today.

-OK.

0:25:460:25:48

It's the second day of our journey round Hampshire,

0:25:550:25:57

hunting down a new home to bring June and Malcolm from

0:25:570:26:00

Bramhall in Cheshire closer to their daughter in West London,

0:26:000:26:04

but in a rural country location well away from the city.

0:26:040:26:08

And with a budget of £700,000,

0:26:080:26:10

we're looking for a property with room for guests and hobbies.

0:26:100:26:14

We've still got our Mystery House,

0:26:140:26:16

with a rather special outlook, to come.

0:26:160:26:18

-I think it looks sweet.

-I do like the location.

-Good.

0:26:180:26:22

It's...that's spot on.

0:26:220:26:24

And I'll be seeing how some spectacular furniture is created.

0:26:240:26:28

This really shows off the handmade nature of the work.

0:26:280:26:31

-It pushes the other one up.

-Yeah.

0:26:310:26:33

Today's going to be an interesting day for June and Malcolm

0:26:360:26:39

because what became apparent yesterday is that Malcolm,

0:26:390:26:41

in particular, is very strongly opinionated about his houses.

0:26:410:26:45

And today the Mystery House is,

0:26:450:26:47

well, it's a bit of a challenge on that front,

0:26:470:26:49

because it's a beautiful property and it could be a dream home,

0:26:490:26:53

but they need quite a lot of vision and quite a lot of thinking through,

0:26:530:26:57

and we'll have to see whether those are forthcoming.

0:26:570:26:59

For our Mystery House, we are journeying to the

0:27:030:27:05

hamlet of Monkwood, which is

0:27:050:27:07

an hour and a quarter's drive from

0:27:070:27:09

June and Malcolm's daughter in West London.

0:27:090:27:11

Just under three miles away, is the larger village of Ropley.

0:27:110:27:15

Here, quiet lanes are flanked by character cottages, sheltered by

0:27:150:27:19

blooms and hedges, with classic brick and flint a recurrent theme.

0:27:190:27:24

There's a village shop, a post office

0:27:240:27:26

and a village hall offering various events for locals.

0:27:260:27:29

The 800-year-old Grade II listed St Peter's Church was almost

0:27:310:27:34

completely destroyed by a fire which ripped through it in 2014.

0:27:340:27:39

It's currently at the beginning of a long process to restore it.

0:27:390:27:43

Six minutes' drive from the centre of the village

0:27:430:27:45

and we're in rural Monkwood, at our third and final house,

0:27:450:27:49

a larger undertaking, perhaps, than June and Malcolm would choose,

0:27:490:27:53

but I think it's a trade-off that's more than worth it.

0:27:530:27:55

We are starting off at the back of this character cottage.

0:27:550:27:59

Here we have it. Now, hold your horses, especially you, Malcolm.

0:27:590:28:03

This is the Mystery House. I know that you are big on kerb appeal.

0:28:030:28:07

But what are your first impressions?

0:28:070:28:09

I think it looks sweet. Yeah. I really do. It's very nice.

0:28:090:28:13

-It's not to my taste.

-Oh!

0:28:130:28:16

-But I do like the location.

-Good.

0:28:160:28:18

-It's...that's spot on.

-This is the Mystery House.

0:28:180:28:21

This is all different rules here because this is a very special spot.

0:28:210:28:25

Over there, on the other side of that lane, that is

0:28:250:28:28

-the South Downs National Park.

-Really?

0:28:280:28:30

-You can't build on that view ever.

-Oh, wow.

-It's all protected.

0:28:300:28:35

This side of the road is not the South Downs National Park,

0:28:350:28:38

and that means that you can extend this cottage, June.

0:28:380:28:43

-Are you with me on this?

-Yeah, I'm with you.

0:28:430:28:46

I want to see inside.

0:28:460:28:48

-Let's go in and see inside.

-Come on.

0:28:480:28:50

Our single-storey Mystery House dates back to the 19th century

0:28:500:28:54

and will really test our buyers

0:28:540:28:56

on their mission to downsize.

0:28:560:28:59

It's already been extended, not by the current owners, but they do

0:28:590:29:02

have planning permission to expand it even more by going up and out.

0:29:020:29:07

The back door leads straight into a long kitchen which runs

0:29:070:29:11

from the front to the back of the house,

0:29:110:29:13

with the sitting room to the left.

0:29:130:29:14

Quite open-plan L-shaped kitchen.

0:29:140:29:16

You've got one kitchen on that side,

0:29:160:29:20

-and then a sort of second kitchen here.

-Uh-huh.

0:29:200:29:22

What are you thinking? June.

0:29:230:29:26

Well, I'm trying to think just what I would do and what it would cost.

0:29:260:29:31

Personally, I can't see the point of having a kitchen area there

0:29:310:29:34

and a kitchen area here.

0:29:340:29:35

And I think make this as the living space

0:29:350:29:38

-because you've then got the view over there.

-Yes, I would.

0:29:380:29:41

And take this out of here and make the kitchen area over there.

0:29:410:29:45

-Yeah.

-Yeah, for me, I'd like to see it as an empty space.

0:29:450:29:48

-Could you imagine living here as it is?

-No.

-No?

-Not as it is, no.

0:29:480:29:54

Could you not do it as a very short-termism,

0:29:540:29:57

-whilst you're working on the rest of it?

-Yes, I suppose I could.

0:29:570:30:00

As a short-term you could move here,

0:30:000:30:03

we could still live in this area here.

0:30:030:30:04

-And bit by bit, you could move things around.

-Yes.

0:30:040:30:07

So let's continue the tour,

0:30:070:30:09

and I'll show you a bit more of the house, OK?

0:30:090:30:11

June and Malcolm have definitely got their own take on our houses.

0:30:110:30:14

I just hope they have the vision to see the possibility

0:30:140:30:16

the Mystery House offers.

0:30:160:30:18

We're heading to the other side of the chimney breast.

0:30:180:30:20

This room is a bit of a through-room, but it could be a

0:30:220:30:25

dining room because you've got a fireplace.

0:30:250:30:27

But the reason I wanted to stop here is because, in the plans,

0:30:270:30:30

this bedroom here becomes the keystone entrance and this would be

0:30:300:30:34

the hallway and the staircase would go up,

0:30:340:30:36

and then you would go upstairs.

0:30:360:30:37

Because the thing about upstairs is that it's got amazing views.

0:30:370:30:40

And they've got plans for five bedrooms,

0:30:400:30:42

-but you could do anything you like with the upstairs space.

-Yeah.

0:30:420:30:46

This cottage has loads of potential.

0:30:460:30:48

Currently, there's just one bathroom here that serves two bedrooms.

0:30:480:30:52

And we're heading to the second, the master, in an extension

0:30:520:30:55

just on the other side of the

0:30:550:30:57

through-room-cum-dining room.

0:30:570:30:59

Through there, you expect there's an en suite

0:30:590:31:02

but actually it's a utility room.

0:31:020:31:03

But it would be crying out to turn that into an en suite.

0:31:030:31:06

-Yes, it would.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:31:060:31:08

Is it the sort of place you could imagine sleeping?

0:31:080:31:11

I would still want to see it as an empty blank canvas,

0:31:110:31:16

speak to an architect and see what could be done with the space.

0:31:160:31:20

I'm quite happy to put in new kitchens and en suites and

0:31:200:31:25

bathrooms, but to take on a whole house project at our time of life...

0:31:250:31:31

I'd like to just think about how much it's going to cost.

0:31:310:31:34

What the timescale would be.

0:31:360:31:38

And then, sort of decide because, to be honest with you,

0:31:380:31:42

-the view is absolutely fantastic.

-It is. The location is perfect.

0:31:420:31:45

And that's the thing that's pulling me towards it.

0:31:450:31:48

Well, let's go and look at the view and talk about the price.

0:31:480:31:51

There's a big step here, so mind yourself.

0:31:510:31:54

This pair might know what they want

0:31:540:31:55

but it doesn't seem to be the same thing.

0:31:550:31:58

Outside, the grounds are at the side

0:31:580:32:00

and rear of the property, with a gravelled seating area,

0:32:000:32:03

perfect to soak in the views. Along with a veggie patch,

0:32:030:32:06

greenhouse and, at the front, a garage.

0:32:060:32:09

-OK, so what do you think this is on the market for?

-Well, I think...

0:32:090:32:13

-390,000.

-I'll go...

0:32:130:32:15

-..420.

-420.

-And we're going to be miles out, I know.

0:32:160:32:19

-Yes, you're miles out.

-Yes, I thought it might be.

0:32:210:32:24

This is on the market for £575,000.

0:32:240:32:27

-THEY GASP

-Yeah.

0:32:270:32:30

So why don't you go and have a look around, and I will pick you up,

0:32:300:32:32

and then we can go and find somewhere to mull it all over.

0:32:320:32:35

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Alistair.

0:32:350:32:37

Our Mystery House may be priced

0:32:380:32:40

above their guess, but it's still

0:32:400:32:42

£125,000 below June and Malcolm's

0:32:420:32:44

budget, meaning plenty of cash

0:32:440:32:46

spare if they're willing to take

0:32:460:32:48

on a project and make it their own.

0:32:480:32:50

It's got open-plan living quarters

0:32:500:32:52

and the remaining rooms offer

0:32:520:32:54

flexibility.

0:32:540:32:56

Outside, the garden - with its views

0:32:560:32:57

across the National Park -

0:32:570:32:59

gives our buyers a chance to live

0:32:590:33:01

in a very sought-after location,

0:33:010:33:03

but only if they're up

0:33:030:33:04

for the challenge.

0:33:040:33:06

This house, initially, I really liked it.

0:33:060:33:09

I liked the view, I liked the open aspect of it,

0:33:090:33:12

it was a very sweet country cottage.

0:33:120:33:15

I was not a fan of this house from the first impression,

0:33:150:33:18

but I do think the location is perfect.

0:33:180:33:22

I think Malcolm has more vision as to what could be done with

0:33:220:33:26

the house than possibly I do. I see the practical side of it.

0:33:260:33:30

But I think Malcolm, if he had enough money,

0:33:300:33:33

would like to take this project on.

0:33:330:33:37

It wanted an awful lot of work doing to it.

0:33:370:33:39

It needed a lot of reconstruction,

0:33:390:33:41

and it needed an additional layer which would put the cost up.

0:33:410:33:45

OK, Mystery House done, all three houses done, in fact.

0:33:500:33:53

Time to find a place to reflect upon them, OK?

0:33:530:33:56

Amongst the wealth of beautiful properties found throughout

0:34:040:34:06

Hampshire is one sitting high on a ridge overlooking

0:34:060:34:10

yew and beech woodland.

0:34:100:34:12

This cottage was once home to the celebrated British furniture

0:34:120:34:15

designer and maker Edward Barnsley.

0:34:150:34:18

It survives, not only as a cottage designed during

0:34:180:34:21

the Arts and Crafts movement, but within its walls,

0:34:210:34:24

it also keeps alive the legacy of the influential late 19th

0:34:240:34:28

and early 20th century design principles of the movement.

0:34:280:34:33

Traditional skills and ideals were employed to produce high-quality

0:34:330:34:37

handmade products as a protest against mass industrialisation.

0:34:370:34:41

I've come to the cottage in Froxfield

0:34:420:34:44

in the South Downs to meet the workshop manager here,

0:34:440:34:47

furniture designer James Ryan.

0:34:470:34:49

Edward Barnsley was the son of Sidney Barnsley, and Sidney Barnsley

0:34:500:34:55

and his brother Ernest and their friend Ernest Gimson,

0:34:550:34:58

they were kind of the Arts and Crafts pioneers.

0:34:580:35:00

So they actually left their city life,

0:35:000:35:02

they went off to the countryside, and they made things.

0:35:020:35:06

Edward was born in 1900.

0:35:060:35:08

He came down here for the very first time in 1919.

0:35:080:35:11

And he worked with a chap called Geoffrey Lupton.

0:35:110:35:14

Geoffrey Lupton had built this cottage.

0:35:140:35:16

So, aged just 19, Edward Barnsley trained with Geoffrey Lupton

0:35:160:35:21

and learned the skill that would make him his name.

0:35:210:35:23

He then worked as an Arts and Craft architect and cabinet-maker here

0:35:230:35:27

in Hampshire and, aged just 23, he took over the workshop from Lupton.

0:35:270:35:33

So what characterises the idea behind the

0:35:330:35:35

Arts and Craft movement at that time?

0:35:350:35:37

It was about kind of going back to basics.

0:35:370:35:39

It was about truthfulness of materials,

0:35:390:35:42

so the Arts and Crafts furniture is using things like oak

0:35:420:35:44

and walnut and just showing it in its natural form.

0:35:440:35:48

Edward Barnsley lovingly created over 7,000 pieces of furniture

0:35:490:35:54

that he hoped would be pleasing to the eye and give real joy in use.

0:35:540:35:58

Up in the cottage are examples of some of the beautiful

0:35:580:36:01

handcrafted pieces of furniture made here by James,

0:36:010:36:05

and also a special item by Barnsley.

0:36:050:36:07

This is a really important piece.

0:36:070:36:09

It was designed by Edward in 1976.

0:36:090:36:11

It's a writing bureau in English walnut,

0:36:110:36:14

and it has some really nice features.

0:36:140:36:17

These panels, these are actually called feather walnut panels,

0:36:170:36:20

and they come from the main trunk of the tree where it

0:36:200:36:23

splits off into two branches.

0:36:230:36:25

That crotch, that double back figure you get there,

0:36:250:36:28

that's used to a particular effect here, a decorative effect.

0:36:280:36:31

-And can we open it up?

-Absolutely.

0:36:310:36:34

And then we've got...these open.

0:36:340:36:36

Oh, they open so beautifully.

0:36:360:36:37

And they support the front flap.

0:36:370:36:40

What are the things that fascinate you about it?

0:36:400:36:42

I think it's the refinement and sophistication of it.

0:36:420:36:45

Things like these little divisions here, you know, you can see they're

0:36:450:36:48

very thin and it takes a lot of confidence

0:36:480:36:51

to just design it to be that thin.

0:36:510:36:53

You know, it doesn't need to be any thicker than that.

0:36:530:36:55

How long would it have taken to make something like this?

0:36:550:36:58

About 900 hours of work.

0:36:580:37:00

And to put that into context,

0:37:000:37:02

most of our craftsmen here will do about 1,100, 1,200 productive hours

0:37:020:37:08

a year, so it's almost a whole year's worth of work.

0:37:080:37:10

You are now kind of the head designer.

0:37:100:37:13

Have we got a piece of yours that we can compare and contrast?

0:37:130:37:17

I'll bring this over.

0:37:170:37:18

So, this is a piece I designed a couple of years ago.

0:37:180:37:21

It's a little jewellery box.

0:37:210:37:22

You will see this kind of curved chamfering

0:37:220:37:24

on a lot of Arts and Crafts pieces.

0:37:240:37:26

And here I've kind of reworked it a little bit by incorporating

0:37:260:37:29

another wood underneath the chamfer.

0:37:290:37:32

So you move the feet and the lid pops up.

0:37:320:37:36

And then inside you've got a

0:37:360:37:38

ripple sycamore interior and this really shows off the handmade

0:37:380:37:42

nature of the work.

0:37:420:37:43

-And it pushes the other one up?

-Yeah.

0:37:430:37:46

And that is the difference between a few plane shavings

0:37:460:37:49

and it wouldn't do that.

0:37:490:37:52

James's beautifully crafted treasure chest is

0:37:520:37:54

priced at £7,500, and some items sculpted here have

0:37:540:37:58

even higher price tags,

0:37:580:37:59

like this beautiful scorched oak rocking chair at £25,000.

0:37:590:38:04

Before he died in 1987, Edward Barnsley made

0:38:050:38:08

sure his workshop would continue to nurture new talent, which it does.

0:38:080:38:13

As a charitable trust, it offers apprenticeships in furniture

0:38:130:38:17

design and craftsmanship, which is how James became involved here.

0:38:170:38:21

It's taken him over 20 years to reach his level of excellence,

0:38:210:38:25

and today there are four apprentices in the workshop

0:38:250:38:28

under the wing of craftsman-tutor Stephen Rock.

0:38:280:38:32

They learn about staying true to those

0:38:320:38:34

Arts and Crafts principles,

0:38:340:38:36

but gear them towards the modern-day market.

0:38:360:38:38

Sam is at the end of his year-long apprenticeship.

0:38:380:38:42

-Hi, Alistair.

-Hey, hello, nice to see you.

-This is Sam.

0:38:420:38:45

Sam, what are you making?

0:38:450:38:47

I'm making an occasional table with a drawer.

0:38:470:38:50

-So far, I've spent about 70 hours.

-70 hours? Right.

0:38:500:38:54

Can you give us a tour? What has it got involved?

0:38:540:38:56

-Most of the work is in this.

-Put together well. It's a good sign.

0:38:560:39:01

Yes, yeah, they shouldn't come off too easily.

0:39:010:39:04

Basically, you've got... it's made up of this carcass.

0:39:050:39:09

-Beautiful veneer, this.

-You can see it best looking at it like this.

0:39:090:39:14

These curves, they're straight inside, curved on the outside.

0:39:140:39:18

Then you've got a veneered top.

0:39:180:39:21

So what's your relationship with this?

0:39:210:39:23

If you spent 70 hours making this, I mean, is this like your baby?

0:39:230:39:26

I mean, do you kind of dream about it?

0:39:260:39:28

Yeah, it's a bit hard seeing it go, but it's what we're here for.

0:39:280:39:31

-Yeah.

-We make furniture for clients.

0:39:310:39:34

All the apprentices come to the workshop with an existing

0:39:340:39:37

interest in furniture-making, plus some experience under their belts.

0:39:370:39:41

When they join the workshop, what we ask them to do is to go back to

0:39:410:39:45

basics to make the first, perhaps, half dozen pieces entirely by hand.

0:39:450:39:49

Who's your client base? Who buys this stuff?

0:39:490:39:52

We have quite a few clients who are local to us.

0:39:520:39:54

We also have quite a few clients from London.

0:39:540:39:56

So, Sam, do you know how much your table is going to sell for?

0:39:560:39:59

Between 2,000 and 3,000.

0:39:590:40:00

Well, all the best. I hope it goes well,

0:40:020:40:04

-from strength to strength.

-Cheers, thank you.

0:40:040:40:06

Thanks for showing me round. I feel very relaxed.

0:40:060:40:09

It's comforting to know these skilled artisans are upholding the

0:40:090:40:13

Arts and Crafts mantle

0:40:130:40:14

almost a century after Barnsley first arrived here.

0:40:140:40:17

For a whole array of reasons, I think

0:40:210:40:23

we can probably rule property two and three out of the running.

0:40:230:40:26

But it will be interesting to see whether June and Malcolm

0:40:260:40:30

are still enamoured of Hampshire, and whether house number one

0:40:300:40:34

could be a contender.

0:40:340:40:35

-Good afternoon.

-Good afternoon.

0:40:390:40:41

-How are you feeling after all your house-hunting?

-Um...

-Confused.

0:40:410:40:47

But, nevertheless, I think we have a path forward.

0:40:470:40:51

-Guys, it's been an eventful week.

-Uh-huh.

0:40:510:40:54

Are any of the houses contenders?

0:40:540:40:55

The only one that, in my opinion, could be

0:40:550:40:57

a contender is the first house that we saw.

0:40:570:40:59

It did actually fulfil a lot of our requirements without any

0:40:590:41:04

alterations. And with minor alterations,

0:41:040:41:08

of course, it could actually be improved.

0:41:080:41:10

-We need to look more at the location of that one, don't we?

-Yeah.

0:41:100:41:14

But also to cost out some of the alterations that we think

0:41:140:41:17

we would like to make, see how that fits into our overall budget.

0:41:170:41:21

It's been a good learning curve for us,

0:41:210:41:24

and I think it's brought it home to us exactly what downsizing means.

0:41:240:41:29

We've got to think more of what our requirements will be,

0:41:290:41:32

and then make sure we keep to them.

0:41:320:41:34

What are you going back to Cheshire thinking?

0:41:340:41:36

I'd like to revisit the location of the first house and I would

0:41:360:41:43

like to search, in a lot more depth, the location of the last house.

0:41:430:41:48

And also, try to get some sort of pricing for alterations.

0:41:480:41:53

What would it cost to do this?

0:41:530:41:56

That will then determine as to what the price

0:41:560:41:58

we can actually pay for a property.

0:41:580:42:00

Well, I hope you find somewhere. I hope this week hasn't

0:42:000:42:02

put you off moving to Hampshire with its high prices.

0:42:020:42:05

No, I'm sure we will find something that

0:42:050:42:08

meets our requirements.

0:42:080:42:09

But it might take longer than we initially thought.

0:42:090:42:13

No, I think it's been a really, really good exercise.

0:42:130:42:15

To be honest, we are very grateful because, without it, I think

0:42:150:42:19

we would have been lost in where we were going.

0:42:190:42:22

We would never have bought anything.

0:42:220:42:23

But I think there's a very, very good chance now that we can

0:42:230:42:26

then move and find somewhere that we really like.

0:42:260:42:30

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-Our pleasure.

-Thanks a lot.

0:42:300:42:34

Downsizing is a tricky business, particularly

0:42:370:42:40

if you're moving from one county to a more expensive one,

0:42:400:42:43

so it ends up that you have a smaller house

0:42:430:42:45

for the same amount of money.

0:42:450:42:46

But I think that Malcolm and June rose to the challenge magnificently.

0:42:460:42:51

And even if they don't buy one of our houses

0:42:510:42:53

here in Hampshire, I hope that they will move to the county soon.

0:42:530:42:56

And I hope that you join us next time for more Escape To The Country.

0:42:560:43:00

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0:43:010:43:04

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