South Devon Escape to the Country

I'm standing on the banks of a river

whose meandering charm has had a huge influence on a small region of

the county I'm in today. Find out where in just a minute.

Today's buyers are a retired couple seeking salvation from

the sounds of the city

and our beautiful countryside properties leave them feeling refreshed,

both spiritually and physically.

You could have your aperitifs in here, move into the dining room

and have your dinner and then move back here for your brandy and cigar.

And there are some big decisions to be made.

-We've got that mixed emotion.

-Hm.

You've got to balance it all out

because you don't tend to get many sheep in

-the middle of the village.

-That's true.

-No.

Today I'm in Devon, in the South Hams area of the county,

and this is the River Dart.

Beginning its journey on Dartmoor,

it lends its name to many of the places it touches,

including Dartington and the port of Dartmouth, where it enters the sea.

An easily navigable stretch of waterway for 12 miles inland,

it has helped to shape the towns and villages along its course.

This beautiful river is just one of the gems this glorious part of

the county has to offer.

Devon is the third largest county in England,

but the seventh most sparsely populated,

with Cornwall lying to the west and Somerset and Dorset to the east.

We are concentrating our search in

the South Hams district of South Devon.

It covers an area of 340 square miles,

with 60 miles of serene coastline,

featuring long beaches and sheltered coves.

Pretty settlements include the waterside town of Salcombe on

the banks of Kingsbridge Estuary,

ever popular with the sailing community and second homeowners.

The region also has its fair share of maritime history.

12th century Crusaders set sail from Dartmouth.

Fast forward to the 20th century

and it was one of the leaving points for the D-Day landings.

With beautiful towns and villages,

as well as rural scenery to rival anywhere in the UK,

it's no wonder that this small part of Devon is so sought after

by those wanting a slice of country life.

Devon's enduring popularity is certainly reflected in its house prices.

The average cost of a detached property here is £305,000.

That's £21,000 above the national average.

What's more, the southern half of the county boasts some prime waterfront

and is home to the costliest seaside town in the country, Salcombe,

where average house prices have even trounced those in London.

So what is it about Devon that's so appealing to today's buyers?

Let's meet them and find out.

Today's couple are Will and Kate,

who live in the commuter belt village of Kings Langley in Hertfordshire.

They have been married for six years,

but unlike their royal namesakes they met the modern way.

I'm divorced.

Will is widowed. We actually met online.

We met through a Christian dating website.

-We had a long courtship, didn't we, really?

-We did.

-About three years.

-Yes. Yeah.

Until he got fed up of me nagging at him.

Yeah, proposed over The Lion King.

-Yes.

-Watching The Lion King.

-Yes.

Will was a finance manager for the health service

and Kate a schoolteacher,

but having both retired from their public sector jobs,

these keen churchgoers are no longer tied to the place

where Will has spent most of his life.

Kings Langley, it says it is a village,

but it's a bit of a sprawl, really, out of the town of Watford.

And it's very busy, the traffic,

even through the village itself, is constant,

and the noise and pollution,

it would be nice to be able to see the stars.

-We'd just like a bit more peace, wouldn't we?

-Hm.

And the move to Devon is a chance to fulfil a long-held dream.

It's a beautiful part of the world,

it's got beautiful coastal paths as well as open countryside.

Some pretty little villages as well as one or two bigger towns.

It's timeless, isn't it?

Timeless. That's a good word, timeless. Yeah.

With six children and ten grandchildren between them,

they are looking for a home to accommodate the visiting family

and are also hoping to properly wind down after an active retirement.

For Will, top on the list of hobbies is the garden.

I love gardening. I find it de-stresses me, you know,

when I am feeling very stressful

I can plant out a few plants and I'll get calm again.

And although they are leaving behind a busy life and good friends,

the couple are looking forward to moving into what will be

their first main home together.

The reality of any move is daunting.

I think we want young enough and active enough

and we've got the right mind-set to make it work for us.

-Yeah.

-So that's what we are going for, the excitement.

Will and Kate have set their hearts on the South Hams region,

so we're focusing our search in this part of the county.

And I'm meeting up with them to run over the finer details of the move.

Well, welcome to South Devon.

Why make this move now, why this particular time?

We're both retired

and our commitments back home in Hertfordshire have reduced,

so we're free... Yeah, I think that's...

No family living with us at the moment.

So time for an escape, a new start.

-Yes.

-Time to go.

Well, let's turn our attention to

the property that you'd like to find here.

What's on the wish list for you both?

We'd like to have room for our family to come and stay with us

cos I'm sure they would.

We've got lots of children and grandchildren between us,

so we'd look for four bedrooms, ideally.

I would particularly enjoy a really nice kitchen.

-What else, Will?

-Well, I like open fires,

I like log burners and I like chopping wood and burning wood,

so that would be a feature in the lounge.

I think I'd like that.

And I think we would like, if possible,

annexe accommodation to rent out.

And what about outside space? How much is manageable for you?

Not more than about a quarter of an acre, I think. If it was

any more than that it would have to be something we could rent out.

We wouldn't want a project for us to live in,

but we wouldn't mind a project to convert for a holiday let

-if there was space in the budget for it.

-OK.

What kind of budget are we working with, then?

Well, we've said 750,

but we've said for the right house we'd go up to 800.

If it was more than that, we could go a bit above that

by selling a little place we have.

So up to 800 we can cope with

and maybe even a bit beyond that, if need be.

-Let's not waste any time.

-OK.

With a flexible top budget of £800,000,

Will and Kate would like an older property,

with enough room for the family when they come to stay.

Will's after a log burner or open fire

and Kate wants a well-designed practical kitchen space.

They'd like a separate holiday let

or the potential to build one,

and they could sell their

holiday home to find some extra cash

for the perfect home.

We've lined up a selection of wonderful homes to show our buyers

here in South Devon,

but they won't know the price of each until the end of our viewings.

Our last property, the Mystery House,

will challenge our couple on both age and layout.

Well, you're moving quite a way from where you are currently.

How do the family feel about you making this move?

Are they supportive?

They're sort of mixed about it.

We've got six children between us

and most of them have said that we need to do what is right for us.

And, in fact, one of our daughters and her husband have gone on

the internet and had a look at what houses are available in this area

within our sort of budget

and they've printed out some predictions

and we've got them in an envelope here.

Let me see. Let's have a look. Are they coming with you?

I don't know if you can read it.

It says, "Do not open until after filming."

And it's well sealed on the back.

Oh, that is fantastic.

And so they are predicting what we might look at.

So we're absolutely going to have to open that at

the end of our second day's hunt.

-Yeah, see how close they are.

-Yes.

We're on our way to the hamlet of Dunstone,

around a mile from the coast.

Nestled in rolling South Hams farmland,

nearby Chillington is the most convenient village for amenities.

There's an excellent range of services,

including a post office and general store, a hairdresser's,

as well as a health centre.

It's by far the largest village in the area

and its narrow streets are lined with pretty pastel-painted cottages,

covered in flowering wisteria.

The property I want to show Will and Kate is around a mile away from

the village, on a quiet country lane.

It consists of two detached buildings,

arranged around a gravel courtyard -

one an L-shaped stone farmhouse

and the other an up-and-running holiday let.

So I've brought you to see a very elegant,

very pretty farmhouse that dates back to 1550.

Whoa! That's got a bit of age, then.

It's got some history, this house.

And you will have also noticed another building there to the left.

That used to be the dairy.

That was converted 30 years ago and it's a two-bedroomed holiday let...

-Oh, fantastic, fantastic.

-../family accommodation.

How's it striking you so far? What about the location?

-It's quite rural.

-But it's a beautiful setting.

-It's lovely.

-Fantastic-looking house.

-So let's go and take a look.

-Smashing.

The look of our stone farmhouse clearly appeals to Will and Kate,

although I detect some nervousness from one half of our couple about its location,

but I know that for Kate the kitchen is key

and I'm pretty confident the one in this property is on the money.

In we come.

Through the entrance hall.

Oh, kitchen, Kate! There you go.

You did talk about liking some views while you cook.

-I did.

-There's a pretty good view.

-Well, that is a pretty good view, isn't it?

-It's beautiful.

I could be making cakes and looking out over that hillside.

And, actually, there's a lovely flow to this house.

If you follow me, I'll take you through to the next room.

And we come through to a really good-sized sitting room-cum-dining room.

Yeah, it's fantastic.

And the depth of the window ledges is amazing, really.

Fantastic thickness of the walls, yeah.

Can you imagine curling up on the sofa with a book

and not feeling that you're in the middle of a...?

When I'm not out chopping wood, you mean?

When you're not out chopping wood for the wood burner, certainly.

We're going to stay in this part of the house,

we're just going to go up the stairs cos I want to show you the master bedroom.

-Oh.

-Thank you.

There are four bedrooms in the main house.

Three of these are at the other end of the property

and include a ground floor room,

which is currently being used as a study.

Above that, and accessed by a second staircase,

are two further double bedrooms, both in the eaves

and each benefiting from their own separate en-suite bath and shower rooms,

useful for the visiting family.

And that leaves the bedroom we've set aside for Will and Kate.

What a beautiful room.

-Really light.

-Sun streaming in.

Beautiful, super room.

-Lovely.

-Loads of space.

-Good size.

With an en-suite beautifully fitted, light, contemporary.

I'd just like to step back, if I could,

and just show you the view through the window.

-Beautiful.

-Imagine waking up to that in the morning.

You couldn't want for more, could you, really?

When you've brought me my cup of tea, I can...

-Fantastic. To die for.

-Lovely.

-You couldn't ask for better than this.

-That's the perfect room.

-Well, this is your bedroom taken care of.

-Yeah.

-What I'm really keen to show you is the holiday annexe.

Let's head back downstairs and back outside

-and go and look at the old dairy.

-OK.

-Brilliant.

A fantastic response to the main house,

despite the rural remoteness of the property.

I hope our couple will be equally as impressed with the holiday let

right across the courtyard.

-So this is the holiday let.

-Quite nautical again with the blue.

-Very nice.

-A good-size lounge

and there's a second log burner in there.

-That's lovely.

-Fantastic.

And upstairs there are two really good-sized bedrooms.

I can imagine it's popular for being rented out.

Is the location a drawback?

I need to get in the car and I need to drive around

and just find out exactly where we are.

Ironically, I think the mixture of remoteness, which may be remote,

but actually it's beautiful setting, so we've got that mixed emotion.

You've got to balance it all out cos you don't tend to get many sheep in

-the middle of the village.

-That's true, you don't.

No, that's true. Or open views in the middle of a village.

We're a contradiction, I know.

So it may be a compromise that we are prepared to take.

Let's go look at those fields and those open views

-and let's have a chat about the garden and the land.

-OK.

-Right.

The garden is comprised of a sunny patio area and a low-maintenance

strip of lawn that overlooks those stunning views.

Then, across the road, there's also a paddock with a barn,

a vegetable patch and a greenhouse.

In addition to the holiday let with its adjoining car port,

there's also a further outbuilding.

This consists of garaging for two cars,

as well as a two-storey self-contained annexe,

with a kitchen, shower room and an open-plan studio space,

creating even more room for children and grandchildren.

-This is the bit I like.

-Yeah.

-So you've had a good look around?

-We have.

-You've got to go first.

-I've got to go first?

What do you think it's on the market for?

It's probably maybe 775?

-OK, Will?

-I'm going to go more than that.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was over 800.

OK, well, you're both off the mark, but, Will,

you're only slightly off the mark.

It's on the market with a guide price of £795,000.

-OK.

-Yep.

I was going to say 795, but I would say that now, wouldn't I?

I think that's good price, it's a lot of property.

But there is the potential if you didn't want the land, to sell the...

That includes the land?

-Yes, that price includes the land.

-OK.

-Well, that's a good deal.

Are you keen to carry on looking and to explore more?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Yeah, I am.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

It's funny, I can't quite get a feel for what's going on here,

but my gut instinct is that Will likes it a lot,

but Kate has some reservations about the location.

Priced at just under £800,000,

which is at the top end of their budget,

this fabulous stone farmhouse

gives our couple everything they asked for.

Kate gets her nice kitchen

and Will gets his log burner.

There are four bedrooms in the main house

and a further two in

the well-appointed holiday let.

The property is surrounded by peaceful countryside

and has stunning views.

This is such a lovely house.

My only concern is it does feel really rural.

Kate, I think, has always felt we should be near somewhere where,

you know, we can get a paper, a pint of milk, visit the doctor's,

for example. If it's too countrified

then I suspect she may have more reservations than I do.

I think Will is keen on this, I think he really likes it.

He probably likes the rurality of it, I think,

and it's unusual cos I'm usually the one that goes with my heart

and Will's the one who goes with his head, he's the sensible one.

But I think, at the moment,

to me it feels like we've swapped roles there a little bit.

This is such a special spot.

If Will and Kate aren't interested,

I might need to consider a little escape to the country of my own.

-I found my gin and tonic spot.

-Fantastic, isn't it?

It is. Have you found yours?

I think there's three, so I need three gin and tonics.

A lot to think about!

Perched high on the cliffs above the town of Salcombe is

the house of eccentric inventor and scientist, Otto Overbeck,

who lived here in the early 20th century.

This Edwardian seaside home contains his collection of curios,

natural history specimens and gadgets.

But Overbeck was most famous for advocating electrotherapy,

a popular medical treatment in the early 1900s.

It's a house Will and Kate have visited before on their trips to Devon,

but they've never been behind the scenes,

so they're meeting long-serving volunteer, Malcolm Wesley.

As part of the tour,

one of the things we show people is Otto Overbeck's Rejuvenator.

Rejuvenator? What is a rejuvenator? What does that do, then?

Well, Otto was very much into electrotherapy,

and Otto had the theory that our brains are the source of

the electrical energy in our body, and as you age

the balance between the positive and negative electricity goes wrong

and that's what causes all of your aches and pains and ailments,

and so in order to restore your health, rejuvenate

and restore the balance in the brain

and you do that by giving the brain an electric shock.

And what he patented is this device

and the treatment consists of taking the two combs,

connecting it to a battery, and I can just show it is connected,

because we have lots of sparks from it, and then, very simply,

you just comb it through your hair.

You do that for several minutes

and then you swap hands to reverse the polarity,

and then you repeat the process.

And the electrical energy flows into the brain

and that restores the balance and hence rejuvenates the body.

-And does it work?

-Well, I bought this on eBay a few years ago,

paid £30 for it, I use it every day,

and I am just celebrating my 113th birthday.

Joking aside, the Rejuvenator's success made Otto a wealthy man,

enabling him to buy the Salcombe house.

Like much of Britain's heritage,

Overbeck's relies heavily on

the work of volunteers to keep the house

and its beautifully exotic six-acre garden running.

Will and Kate have expressed an interest in helping out when they move to Devon,

so our couple are visiting the greenhouse

where they're meeting head gardener, Cat Saunders.

The gardens here at Overbeck's are really beautiful.

But I can see some tropical type plants,

and I'm just wondering how come we've got tropical plants in South Devon?

Well, actually, this part of South Devon has got the most amazing microclimate.

You know, it's much warmer

and it's much drier than other areas of Devon.

Now, Cat, I'm interested in volunteering in the garden,

I think you've got six volunteers?

Six volunteers here, yeah.

So how could I do that, and how would I go about that,

and perhaps we could try something this morning, could we?

Yeah, I could... Well, now I've got you here

-I'm going to get you to do something.

-OK, good.

Volunteer gardeners help out with a range of duties,

from regular weeding to pruning palm trees.

Today, Will and Kate are going to help Cat take some cuttings

from this aeonium plant.

What I'd like you to do is chop off all of these rosettes,

OK, and give it about an inch.

So if you do that, and I'll prepare some compost.

Aeoniums are well-suited to the balmy South Hams climate.

It originates from the Mediterranean

and can tolerate long periods without water

by storing it in its thick leaves.

Now, you can also chop this into lengths,

so I'm going to give it to you as the gardener. I want about...

-Four or five inches?

-..that long, and remember which way is up.

-They don't root if they go in upside down.

-Oh, right, OK.

Aeoniums do well in containers

because their shallow roots grow near the surface of the soil,

and the final step is to insert the cuttings into pots

containing a mixture of peat-free compost and grit sand.

-Just firm it in?

-Firm it in.

Cuttings should then be left uncovered and kept indoors

at a temperature of around 18 degrees in a well-lit place,

like a sunny windowsill.

-Smashing.

-Well, that was lovely, I've really enjoyed that.

-Can I take that one?

-Go on.

-Oh, thank you!

-That's yours, go on.

-Thank you.

I shall call it Cat in honour of you.

With Will and Kate determined to put down roots of their own in South Devon,

it's time to reflect on their Devonshire journey so far.

It's the second day of our property search in the South Hams area of Devon,

with retirees Will and Kate from Hertfordshire,

who have the princely sum of £800,000 to spend.

Coming up, I meet the Devon artist

whose ornate creations are one serious labour of love.

How long would it take to create something like that?

-It's 1,000 hours.

-1,000 hours, that's incredible.

And there's a big revelation at the end of our house-hunt.

Oh, my word!

Oh, my word!

Now, I sensed a difference of opinion in our couple over

the stone farmhouse we showed them yesterday.

I could tell Will absolutely loved the position

and those stunning views,

but for Kate, I think it could have been just too remote.

Well, we've got a new day, two new properties to show them.

Coming up later is the Mystery House.

Now, this is going to test out whether they really want a holiday let or not,

but first of all, another property with fantastic views

set to rival those of yesterday.

Let's hope we can have a shared opinion on this one.

For our next offering, we're heading to the hamlet of Kingston,

close to the beautiful riverside village of Dittisham.

Situated on the banks of the River Dart,

this sought-after attractive village has two pubs,

one of which plays host to both the post office and local shop.

During the Second World War,

the river at Dittisham played an important role in providing safe anchorage for

the D-Day invasion fleet.

Today it's popular with holiday-makers,

and also offers a regular ferry trip to the town of Dartmouth,

around three miles downstream.

The property I'm going to show Will and Kate

is less than a mile from the village,

set on a quiet country lane with uninterrupted views of

the South Hams hills.

So, Will and Kate,

this is the property I've really wanted to show you.

Quite a stunning setting.

It's stunning, absolutely stunning.

-It's amazing.

-We've got sheep, and we've also got

some other friends that I'll tell you about a little later on,

-we'll keep that bit a surprise.

-OK.

It was originally a worker's cottage,

there's an older part to the house that dates back 150 years.

It's been extensively renovated, the owners think over the last 50 years.

-Lovely.

-It looks so pretty.

-And it's got that Devon sort of slate...

-Hung slate.

-Oh, it's hung slate, is it?

-Yeah.

And it looks like there's some serious windows going on

-that look out on all of this.

-Hm.

And you can probably see a second roof just over there,

-beyond the property.

-OK.

-That's because there's an old piggery

that's been converted to a very beautiful two-bedroomed holiday let...

-Wow!

-..which has been let very successfully.

-Fantastic. Wisteria growing up the wall.

-How beautiful.

-Yep.

I think we should go and see if there are any views from those windows!

I'm going to take you back round to the front door.

-Lovely.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Our buyers are clearly impressed with the outlook from this whitewashed hillside property.

We're using the entrance the current owners prefer,

as it's right next to the parking area.

Ah, the kitchen.

-There you go.

-Yeah, the views are OK on this house, I think?

-Yeah, yeah.

-You know, just acceptable!

-Yeah, plenty of open space in front of you, that's for sure.

-Yeah.

It's got the social aspect to the kitchen.

-Yes, so it has.

-Nice breakfast bar.

-Yes.

-Is that a larder in there?

-It is.

-Oh!

-Are you fond of a larder?

-Oh! Yeah, yeah.

-I just love a larder.

-Her dream is a larder.

-You're smiling.

-I am smiling.

Can you imagine yourself cooking up a storm in this kitchen?

I think I could, actually. I think I could.

Good work space, and open as well, which is lovely,

but it has a nice sort of country feel to it, as well.

-Do you like the style, Will?

-Yes, very nice, countrified,

and every woman's dream, a larder.

And some men's, as well, I guess?

Well, quite right, sorry, that's very sexist.

Very sexist, and some men's, absolutely.

-Let's wander on through.

-Thank you.

Now, before we go and explore that view, that very tempting view,

I just want you to duck in here.

And this is the main sitting room for the property,

with that spectacular fireplace.

Ah, I get my log burner!

-Lovely.

-It is a lovely room, but I think the most spectacular room of

-the property is the one I'm going to show you next.

-OK.

So with Kate happy with the larder, and Will his log burner,

we are weaving our way through a dining room,

which leads to the star of the show.

Oh, lovely!

Beautiful views, look at those views.

Oh, wow! I don't think you'd ever leave this room, really, would you?

-No, just live in here.

-Almost speechless, really.

It's the kind of view that's good for the soul.

Yes, it is, isn't it?

You could have your aperitifs in here, move into the dining room,

have your dinner and then move back here for your brandy and cigar.

And once Will's finished for the evening,

there are numerous beds to choose from.

Of the four bedrooms, three are on the first floor,

they are all doubles and one is currently being used as a study.

There's also a family bathroom complete with roll top bath.

But I think the bedroom our couple may want to use is below

the sun room, down on the lower ground floor.

-So great views from this room.

-Certainly.

-Fantastic, yeah.

-Cup of tea in bed, very nice.

-Beautiful.

And a door out onto the garden.

-And you've got a nice, modern en-suite.

-Lovely.

-Always important.

-Hm.

What about the size of the bedroom?

-It's fine.

-It's fine, it's compact, it's not huge, is it?

But, for heaven's sake, there's a sofa in here so, yes.

And you're yet to see the annexe,

-which has got two beautiful, very large double bedrooms.

-Oh, right.

So the main house gets the royal seal of approval from Will and Kate.

But before we see the annexe, it's time to meet the neighbours.

There you go, there are the extra friends I told you about.

The owners' pet alpacas.

They're so lovely.

The holiday let is accessed by its own private path and garden,

and is finished to a very high standard.

Oh! We could live in here, Kate!

Yeah, I could work as happily in here

as I could in the one in the main house.

For a holiday let, it's terrific.

So it lets out at various points in the year from anywhere between £400

to £900 per week.

And you've got this great-sized kitchen,

a good-sized living room, with a cosy log burner,

two beautiful large double bedrooms

-and a really well-equipped family bathroom.

-Fantastic.

Let's take a look at the garden and then you can guess the price.

Amounting to one acre,

the attractive grounds include a vegetable patch

and greenhouse on sloping land overlooking the property.

A separate orchard with space for a hammock

and a more traditional lawned area lie just outside the master bedroom.

Will and Kate wanted a manageable garden

and I'm conscious this is more than they asked for.

You know what's coming now, I need you to guess the price.

I suspect we're looking over budget,

so I'd probably go at 825,000.

Yeah, I was certainly thinking over budget a wee bit, to 835, perhaps.

You're both right, it is over budget.

Unfortunately, it's over budget by a little bit more than you've both said.

-OK.

-It was on the market for £895,000.

It was reduced a month ago and relaunched at £850,000.

-OK.

-However, the owners are open to potentially a slight negotiation.

What are your thoughts? I can't read you on this one, either of you!

I know you love the views,

but I don't know if this is too much of a house for you or not.

The house isn't huge, it's not vast. I think the jury's still out.

I wouldn't discount it.

Yeah, but we do need to talk about the budget

and also this amount of ground.

Well, there's lots to think about, so off you go, go and explore,

do some thinking and I'll come and catch up with you soon.

-OK, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Over budget by £50,000,

the price of our white house with views

would mean our buyers possibly selling their second home

to cover the cost.

Dating from the 19th century,

the house has undergone modernisation in recent years

and gives our couple spacious family accommodation,

a cosy living room and a sun room

with 180-degree views across the valley.

The house and separate up-and-running holiday let

are set within an acre of stunning grounds.

This house seems to be all about its view from the back,

which is amazing.

A beautiful house and the annexe is stunning, really.

I mean, the finishing is excellent to say the least, it's first-class.

One concern, really, is the outside space.

There is actually quite a lot of ground to be maintained,

which we don't want to find is a problem for us in the future.

-Have you seen enough?

-I think so.

Fantastic views, a shame to go but...

Lots to think about, I think there might be a bit of head versus heart

-going on with this one.

-Yes, I think there might be!

Our final property is located in the large hamlet of Ledstone,

just two miles from Kingsbridge,

which is one of the South Hams' most popular towns.

Situated on its own river estuary,

the market town is a magnet for the boating community and tourists.

In the 19th century,

Kingsbridge was a centre for the tanning

and boat building industries.

Today there's a vibrant local arts scene

and an independent cinema operates from the old town hall.

Our Mystery House gives our couple a more modern,

contemporary feel and layout, but the location gives them

the close proximity to all the amenities they want.

And here is our Mystery House.

It's a large, detached stone property

and it dates back a couple of hundred years and it was originally

a little worker's cottage that's obviously been massively extended

over about the last 30 years.

I guess the thing for us is that it's going to challenge you

in that thought that you want a holiday let

-because there's no holiday let on this property.

-OK.

-What do you think?

-It doesn't look as old as it seems to pertain to be.

I suppose if it's been extended and I suppose the whitewashed walls,

and I guess the roof sort of looks new,

so it doesn't have that age to it from immediate impact.

But it's a sweet-looking little property so, yeah,

it'll be interesting to see what it looks like inside.

Would you like to go and explore?

-We certainly would.

-Yeah, let's go. Let's do it.

So the lack of a holiday let doesn't seem to be a huge problem at the moment,

but the house itself will have to really appeal to our buyers' tastes

if it's going to win them over.

As you can see, it's a split-level house.

-This is what I want to start off with.

-It's very intriguing.

-Open-plan space.

-Oh, my word!

You wouldn't expect this from outside.

-The vaulted ceiling.

-Think of all this space, my word.

-A lot of space. Quite modern inside, isn't it?

-Yes.

And it's light, yeah, plenty of windows.

Well, let's just walk across and see the kitchen layout as well.

So we haven't had to travel far!

-No.

-That's the benefit of open-plan.

Very contemporary as it's set out at the moment.

And I could work with that.

It's quite unusual in the sense that the house is so old, or parts of it,

and yet inside it's very modern.

If you were looking on the search on your own,

would you have been drawn to a contemporary interior like this?

I don't think we probably would have, really.

-No.

-I'd like to show you the master suite,

-which is on a separate level so we've got to go upstairs to it.

-OK.

The house comes with five bedrooms,

three of those are back down on the ground floor

and include a large double with two smaller bedrooms.

This level also has a family bathroom and utility room

with an airing cupboard.

The two remaining bedrooms are back on the upper level.

They are accessed via a couple of steps from the living room

and feature a guest double with an en-suite

as well as the master suite.

Nice, bright, airy room with a modern en-suite off it.

-Yeah, very nice.

-It is very light.

Yes, plenty of space, a good-sized room.

I sense something, I don't know if it's disappointment,

but I don't sense a natural enthusiasm for this property.

You're very astute, aren't you?

It doesn't... It hasn't hit a chord with me yet.

Maybe it's the contemporary nature or maybe it just hasn't grabbed us,

but we haven't seen it all.

The immediate reaction is not, "Wow! This is a house we must have."

-OK, well, let's head outside.

-OK.

Although the house doesn't wow,

the grounds here are certainly more manageable for Will,

with terraced patio areas leading up to a level lawned garden.

Despite the lack of a holiday let,

the property does come with an outbuilding,

a garage which has been converted into a useful office space.

Well, you've had a good look round, now's the price bit.

What do you think it's on the market for?

I'm going to go 595.

Well, I would pitch it down,

but I wouldn't go that low.

I'll go 675,000.

That's quite interesting cos you're both under.

-Really?

-You are, yes.

It's not been on the market long

and it's gone on for offers in excess of £700,000.

Oh, my word! OK.

I guess its location, close to Kingsbridge,

has probably pushed the price up.

I think I pitched it down because of the lack of holiday let, really.

Well, why don't you take a look around,

see if you can imagine yourselves in contemporary open-plan living?

-Thank you.

-We'll go.

Under top budget by £100,000,

our open-plan mystery property

leaves money in the pot

for Will and Kate to make improvements

and even build their own holiday let, should they wish,

subject to planning permission.

The five bedrooms offer plenty of potential for visiting family

and the garden is easy to maintain.

The location, just a short drive to Kingsbridge,

also gives our couple all

the services they want

right on their doorstep.

The situation is perfect and the little hamlet it's in

makes it feel not isolated, so that's good for us.

So I guess the position of the house is fine.

I'm not used to open-plan living, I don't think I've ever lived in

a house where we've had open-plan, not totally.

My low price estimate is an indication of

the fact that this house is not for me.

This house is a fantastic space.

I can see that it really works for a family,

but we are past that and our prime concern needs to be a home for us.

That's all the properties we have to show you.

Now it's time for us to go and have a chat.

-Decision time, then?

-If there's one to be made!

Devon's diverse and beautiful landscape

has long been a source of inspiration to artists.

On farmland just outside Exeter is

the studio of one of the country's leading architectural sculptors.

Geoffrey Preston specialises in making ornamental plasterwork.

It's an art form which adorns the ceilings and walls

of some of Britain's greatest buildings, including the

Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London's Trafalgar Square.

I've come to the studio to meet Geoffrey

and find out more about his work.

Geoff, could you tell me about this form of decorative plasterwork?

It goes back to Roman times and probably before.

And how did it arrive here in the UK on our shores?

It probably already happened with lime plaster decoration in houses

and even in medieval times.

And Devon's very rich in plasterwork from

the Tudor times and Jacobean times.

I mean, talking about your work, we're surrounded by

some wonderful pieces here and this piece behind me is stunning.

Tell me about that.

This was a commission for a house in Ireland,

but it's actually a direct copy of a vault in a church in Bavaria.

In the 18th century,

there was an international style, so actually the forms

in this particular piece, you would see them all over Europe.

How long would it take to create something like that?

-Well, Jenny, my wife, tells me it was 1,000 hours.

-1,000 hours?!

That's incredible.

I'd love to see the process behind creating something as beautiful as that.

-Would you show me?

-Yes, certainly, come this way.

Until the late 18th century,

decorative plasterwork was handcrafted directly onto

the ceiling using a material called stucco.

Today the most common method of producing plaster ornament

is to model in clay first

before making a silicon mould and casting in gypsum plaster.

Geoffrey is going to take me through some of the processes involved

in this art form,

in particular making a cast from the mould of a leaf pattern.

This is one of the silicon moulds I was talking about.

It's actually got a case behind it to keep it rigid.

Less likely to bend

while we're doing the cast so it will be accurate.

And the cast would be the messy bit?

-That's going to be messy.

-Shall I put this on, then?

Yes, put an apron on.

The cast mixture is made from gypsum plaster

and a specific quantity of water.

So you pick it up with two hands like that

and sort of let it fall through your fingers

so it kind of goes in evenly.

Is there a limited time for how long you've got to work with it?

-Yes.

-OK. In terms of the finished product,

I've noticed that everything in the studio is this beautiful,

-chalky colour. Is that how it should stay, really?

-I think so, yeah.

It never looked very good when it's actually painted a colour.

Do they need to be treated?

Because they look incredibly fragile, some of them.

No, they don't need to be treated.

Right now it's just taking the water on board,

but very shortly it's going to begin a chemical reaction

which is going to create crystals of gypsum

which is ultimately going to give it that rigidity so rapidly.

Why is it, whenever you've got hands like this you get a really itchy nose?

I've got a really itchy nose!

The next step is to start mixing by hand to dissolve the lumps,

all the time trying to avoid introducing air into the plaster.

Right, we're ready to pour, so let's put the handle over that side.

And then if you just pour in one location right in the middle,

-relatively slowly.

-Right, so don't move around?

-That's right.

Before the advent of silicon in the 1980s,

artists used a range of materials to make moulds including lead and gelatine,

although neither were as flexible and durable as modern-day rubber.

Once the plaster has set a little,

the overfill is screed off using a straightedge.

Slowly or one big, fast movement?

-Slowly.

-In order for the piece to be hung on a wall,

a wire hook is embedded in the drying plaster

and it's then left to set.

Push it in a bit.

An hour or so later,

the plaster has fully hardened so the case and silicon mould

-can be removed.

-Shall I turn it over?

Gosh, there's some weight in it, isn't there?

-There is.

-Getting the large pieces out must be a big...

-It's already fallen out.

-Just take the case.

-Got that?

-Yeah, I've got that bit.

Great. OK, now you can have the fun job of just pulling off the rubber.

This is like taking the best cake ever out of a cake tin.

Oh, it's beautiful!

Goodness me, it's beautiful!

Oh, it's so lovely.

Wow! It's good.

-I don't know why I'm surprised!

-You did sound a bit shocked then!

I'm a bit pleased with that for my first one.

It's absolutely beautiful.

I've got a long way to go to get to your standard.

I don't know, I'd give you a job!

With ornamental plasterwork very much in vogue, it's amazing to see

this 500-year-old tradition still going strong in South Devon.

We certainly gave our couple plenty to consider

and it's time for me now to discover if any of the houses we showed them

could become a home.

What a glorious two days we've had in South Hams.

The sun has been shining for us,

we've seen some fantastic properties,

and I have a feeling that two are standing out for the two of you.

Am I on the right lines?

Well, the stone farmhouse, I think, ticked all the boxes.

Absolutely stunning, loved the courtyard,

loved the accommodation. Had the ideal holiday let for us as well.

It even gave us an acre pasture, a little paddock,

which we hadn't expected.

We want to check out the location, I think, because the proximity to

Chillington, we'd need to just check how easy it is to get in

and out of Chillington.

I think that was the only thing that actually, if you like,

didn't fully tick the box to say,

"Right, we'll sign the contract today."

When it came to the white house, that was stunning.

I mean, the fittings and features, absolutely outstanding.

And the holiday let,

well, you could have lived in there quite happily on its own.

The views from both were stunning and lovely.

So I think we would put that one on the back burner,

but only because, if need be,

we would have to secure the extra funding,

it's obviously over budget.

We can do that, but it would take a little bit longer to achieve.

But I think that's absolutely fantastic news,

I'm so thrilled that we've managed to find actually two properties

that appeal to you. So are there any plans for the stone farmhouse?

Well, we'll certainly check out the area

and just get that solidified in our minds

and go back and have a second viewing,

just to see if it's as good the second time

as it was the first because, you know,

it always helps to view something twice at least.

Absolutely. Now, I recall at the start of this process,

you had this very large envelope.

And inside it were some properties, and it was your daughter

who thought we might pluck out for you to look at.

-Yes.

-Are you ready to open it?

-Yes.

-Go on!

-I think we need to do that.

-Sealed.

-Now we have to see if these predictions are anything like...

I'm really intrigued to see if people that know you well

have chosen similar properties.

-So...

-Oh!

Oh, my word!

Oh, my word!

-There we are!

-That is the one.

That's it. There we are.

They do know you well.

She's gone quite emotional!

Bless your soul!

Who knows? Maybe it's meant to be.

Are you all right?

I'm sorry.

Oh, my word!

And on a big sticky...

-A big orange sticky...

-"Our first choice."

Well, the family like it, you know that much!

-Oh, my word!

-They're going to come and visit!

I think you need to go and get that second viewing booked.

I think we might, before we go back.

Oh, deary me.

We wish you well with your search

and we really hope you find somewhere that makes you very happy down here.

Well, thank you for a fantastic experience for us.

-Thank you very much.

-It certainly has.

When we were looking round the stone farmhouse,

I got such a strong sense that our couple really liked it,

Will in particular.

So, hopefully, once they've explored the area more,

they may have found the perfect home to enjoy those gin and tonics in.

Join me next time on Escape To The Country.

Will and Kate did return to the stone farmhouse for a second viewing but,

in the end, their heads overruled their hearts

and they decided it was too remote for them.

If you'd like to escape to the country in either England, Wales,

Northern Ireland or Scotland, and need our help,

then please apply online at...