Leicestershire Escape to the Country

With a name that translates as beautiful view,

this stunning hilltop castle has

panoramas that stretch out over three counties.

But where am I, and who's lucky enough to call this place home?

Find out in just a moment.

Today, I'm with a characterful couple

on a quest for a better quality-of-life.

It looks beautiful. I feel I should have

a crinoline on and walk with my Victorian parasol.

Well, it's actually Edwardian...

I don't know what half of that means, but I'll do the same!

-You probably don't want to.

-No.

And as the search progresses, our buyers really open up.

Oh, my bi-fold doors.

The bi-fold doors!

I'm going to adopt you, Alistair, I really am.

-You see?

-I love bi-fold.

Today, we're in Leicestershire and this is Belvoir Castle,

which has amazing views over Leicestershire,

Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

Despite its location,

it's actually the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland.

This stately version was built in the early 1800s by James Wyatt

for the fifth Duke and Duchess,

and they used Lancelot Capability Brown to design the gardens,

although he died before the plans could be completed.

But later in the show, I'll be talking to

the present Duchess about how she rediscovered those plans

and used them to inspire her vision for the future of the estate.

Landlocked Leicestershire sits in the centre of England,

forming part of the East Midlands.

Its varied scenery is a mix of agricultural land, country parks,

pretty villages and market towns.

All of these features can be explored

on the 100-mile Leicestershire round walk

or by taking advantage of the excellent network

of meandering waterways on board a narrow boat.

To the west of the county, a monument made of

a railway sleeper in a field in Fenny Drayton,

indicates the exact geographical centre of England,

as calculated by Ordnance Survey in 2002.

Six miles away lies the site of the Battle of Bosworth,

where Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor in 1485.

As well as the battlefield,

visitors will find a memorial

marking the well from which the king was

said to have taken his last drink before he died.

Those who wish to follow his story will end up at the cathedral in the

city of Leicester, where his recently rediscovered remains were

ceremonially reinterred in 2015.

Also steeped in history are the county's ancient market towns,

like Melton Mowbray, where you can absorb the town's

1,000-year history on a Heritage Trail

and sample its famous Stilton cheese or a traditionally made pork pie.

It's no wonder the town has earned the enviable nickname,

the rural capital of food.

So with a reputation for fine produce, tranquil, open countryside

and historic cathedrals and canals,

Leicestershire has plenty to offer those

looking for an escape from city life.

Here's another interesting fact about Leicestershire -

it was the birthplace of package tourism,

when a young man named Thomas Cook organised a day trip on the railways

from Loughborough to Leicester,

and charged only one shilling for it in 1841.

But if you're planning a more permanent stay in the county,

you might be interested to know that the average price

for a detached house is £251,000.

That's £48,000 less than the national figure.

So with that in mind, let's meet today's house-buyers

and find out about their hopes and dreams

about moving to Leicestershire.

Retired police officer Tim and library assistant Jackie

were brought together 31 years ago by an unusual chance encounter.

As a young police officer,

I was posted to Hammersmith in west London.

And I seem to recall there was a dispute

involving a motorist being issued a parking ticket.

So I went along to see if I could help and the person

trying to issue the ticket was the young Jackie,

who was then a traffic warden.

I don't recall too much about the incident,

because my eyes were obviously drawn

to this attractive young traffic warden.

For the last 19 years, they've lived in this

five-bedroom semidetached home in Guildford, Surrey,

but with their children now in their 20s and moving on,

it's just them and Labrador Amber left at home,

so they're after a new challenge.

We've worked very hard in our jobs

and doing things for the children and

we now feel it's our time.

We had some cousins, cousins on Tim's side,

who moved up to Leicestershire to the Melton Mowbray area.

They have such a fantastic quality of life.

They can travel everywhere nice and quickly.

The properties up there are just phenomenal.

The countryside is gorgeous and that was it. We were just hooked.

Their daughter works in Coventry

and their son is at university in Leeds,

so the central county of Leicestershire,

between both of them, seems the ideal search ground.

For Tim, there's one other benefit.

I'm a huge Leeds supporter and Jackie...

-I like to watch live football.

-She likes to watch live football.

So we felt, why don't we move to somewhere

where it's not too much of a hardship to go

and watch them play?

We're not going too far north to live,

but it certainly makes travelling to the football far more accessible.

When he's not up and down the country supporting his team,

Tim can often be found on the tennis court,

a hobby he is keen to continue when they move,

while Jackie is more at home in the kitchen.

I love cooking, love doing dinner parties.

We're very good entertainers, we do love it, don't we?

-Very much so, yes.

-I'm really quite happy

mucking about in my kitchen, with my utensils to hand.

like a mad scientist, creating.

With their house under offer,

the reality of the move is setting in

and Tim and Jackie are filled with

mixed emotions. Sad to leave their present home behind,

but excited for what the future holds.

It'll be an emotional wrench to leave this house for many reasons.

It's been a very, very happy home and a real party home as well.

We're leaving for the right reasons and the right time for us now.

But there will always be emotions involved

-because we like what we've got and what we've had here.

-Yes.

-Very much so.

-But it is a new chapter in life's big book.

Tim and Jackie know and like the market town of Melton Mowbray,

where they have family,

so we are focusing our search in and around

the towns and villages to the north of the county.

I'm meeting up with them to find out what kind of property they're after.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Welcome to lovely Leicestershire.

Thank you for bringing us here. It's not often we come here.

It's a really lovely county.

I know, the heart of rural England as well.

What is it that you're looking for in the property itself?

We need a minimum of four bedrooms. I would love a separate dining room.

We've had a big eat-in kitchen and I really would like

a formal dining room for those special occasions,

Christmas, what have you.

We want to improve on what we've got now,

so we'd like a nice detached property with a big garden,

and I'd like to have some chickens. I was on a farm as a child,

so I would like some chickens.

Any other kind of like rooms?

You've been a bit quiet on the room front.

Yes, I have. Um... If possible, I'd quite like a man cave.

A man cave.

Can you give me a bit of spec about that?

Of course I can.

Snooker table, pool table.

-A proper man cave.

-Darts.

And, for me, I don't mind a conservatory.

I've never had a conservatory and, again, it's something to experience.

-You pulled the most exquisite face there.

-I hate conservatories.

I just can't stand them.

They're awful. I want bi-fold doors,

I want the continuation from

the inside to the outside, the garden room.

And are you keen on being in a community,

or would you like to be out in the countryside?

We'd like to be on the edge of a village,

but we would like to be quite near a nice pub.

We do like a nice pub in the evening.

-Pubs are important.

-Pubs are very important.

-That's a way of meeting people, for sure.

-They certainly are.

How much have we got to play with? What's your top budget?

The top budget is around 480.

We've got three lovely properties lined up for you.

-I hope one of them is going to be the one.

-Yes.

So let's get in the car and

-go and find them.

-Definitely.

-Let's do that.

With a maximum budget of £480,000,

we are looking for a four-bedroom property

that has a large kitchen for Jackie,

preferably with a separate dining room,

a man cave for Tim and a large garden to keep some chickens.

They'd ideally like the property to be at the edge of a village.

We've got three great houses to tempt them with,

all very different in style, but equally full of character.

At each one, I'll be asking them

to guess the price tag before I reveal it.

And finally, we'll be turning our search on its head

with our mystery house,

a property offering an exciting mix of old and new.

Our search begins in the village of Eastwell in the Vale of Belvoir.

Just 15 minutes in the car from Melton Mowbray, this attractive,

quiet village centres on the ancient church and village hall.

There's a farm, producing award-winning local cheese and milk,

but for further produce and amenities,

residents travel a mile to Stratham,

where there's a butchers and bakers and a couple of country pubs.

Our first property is on the edge of Eastwell, set back from the road.

Come on in. House number one.

It looks really cute.

It's really pretty. It's quite, sort of, chocolate box-y, quite cute.

And it's got chickens as well.

-Chickens.

-I'm impressed with the initial setting

and I think it's incredible we've seen chickens already.

So, this is the downside,

because this is actually your garden at the front.

So, quite a small garden.

-Yes.

-The back is all open fields, but they just don't belong to you.

-Right.

-Oh, right.

-Let's have a look inside.

-Yes.

This 1990 self-build has a mix of modern living space

with some interesting, period-style character features.

A good test for our first house, I think.

So, let's start in the living room.

That is just adorable.

It's super snug in here.

Even though it's only from the '90s,

they went for the kind of cottage look.

-Yes, they have.

-And then you've got, not quite bi-fold doors,

but French doors out into the back.

-Yes.

-The views out over the field.

I'll get the mallet out. I can knock those through, no problem.

It's calm. It's got a very calm feel to it.

Yes. I like... Very nice decorating, as well.

Very nice. Very much to our taste.

Let's continue the tour and look at the all-important kitchen.

Definitely.

Also off the main hall, there's a good-sized study, downstairs toilet,

and a lovely, bright dining room,

perfect for when Jackie and Tim host their dinner parties.

Lots to explore, but let's look at the kitchen first.

How does this meet with your approval?

It meets very well.

I've already noticed that you've got a range, and I love a range.

Yeah, you've got a great double range there.

Absolutely love that.

I like the fact you've got an everyday table over there,

so, obviously, save the dining room for special occasions.

-And a garage as well.

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

Now, this is where your man den could be.

-Right.

-Originally, the garage was separate,

but they put on a big utility room, on the other side of this red wall.

-Right.

-And it links the garage back into the rest of the house.

-Brilliant.

-And while they were doing that,

they also added on top of the garage a big bedroom with an en-suite.

Oh, man cave.

So this could be your man cave.

-Yes.

-I don't know quite how you'd get pool table up there,

-but I'm sure you could.

-Oh, minor detail.

-We'll just pay someone.

-Minor detail.

Let's take a look at the sleeping quarters,

-see what you think of those.

-Yes.

Positive reactions to the downstairs space.

The three bedrooms on the first floor vary in size, but would all be

workable doubles, sharing the use of a smart family bathroom.

Come in. This is the master bedroom, so the biggest of the rooms

in this upstairs section of bedrooms.

It's lovely. It's really cosy.

-Nice size.

-What would you use all the bedrooms for?

Well, the two children do come home.

So we'll let them fight over the room sizes.

-I don't really mind.

-Yeah, we will do.

Put them in a really tiny, cramped room.

A deterrent, that's it!

-I like your thinking.

-Yeah.

Let's go out to the back, because we can talk about the views and the

shared access and stuff.

-And the price.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Definitely.

To the rear of the property is a shared driveway,

leading to a large parking area and the garage.

The real highlight of the outside space is

undoubtedly the views across the surrounding fields.

So, this is the joy, but also, this is the setback.

So, you've got all these lovely views,

but this is really the full extent of your back yard.

But you could put some decking down, you can plant it out.

There are some options there though.

There are some options there, there are.

Now, what do you think all this is on the market for?

I'd probably go for about 440.

Tim?

I would have said slightly higher, I think around about the 450.

OK, so, this is on the market for...

Brace yourself.

£385,000.

Oh, my goodness gravy.

That's a real surprise.

A big, big, big surprise.

Have a look around and I'll meet you

out the front and then we can go on to the next house.

Brilliant, thank you, Alistair.

This detached modern home delivers

almost everything on Jackie and Tim's wish list

for nearly £100,000 less than their budget.

It has the four bedrooms they asked for,

one of which would make an excellent man cave for Tim,

and Jackie would get her large kitchen,

as well as a separate dining room.

It's near to their family in Melton Mowbray

and in a lovely village setting, plus it's already got chickens.

I think this has got potential for the man cave.

I thought you'd say that. It has, it's nice and big.

You can easily put your snooker table up here, and your dartboard.

And it's a bit out of the way from the main house.

Yeah, and we can just shut the door and leave you in here.

-No reason why it can't be a man cave.

-Definitely.

I think the house gives off a lovely vibe.

It seems to be a very happy place.

Looking at the decor, it's beautifully done.

There would be very little to do here.

The downside is that we are

quite keen gardeners and the garden space is a bit limited and the two

bedrooms upstairs are quite small for our needs.

I think to get a quality house like this for

the price that it is actually on for

is extremely positive and bodes well for the rest of our tour.

-Hello, guys.

-Hello there.

-All done?

-Yes, thank you.

-Excellent. Now, let's head off to the next house.

-Definitely.

As Tim and Jackie plan on doing lots of entertaining

when they move to Leicestershire,

they'll be on the lookout for some local fare to serve their guests.

So, we're sending them to an award-winning family butcher

just outside Melton Mowbray and one of a small number

of producers of the famous Melton Mowbray pork pie.

Established in 1905, the business is now run

by the founder's grandson, Scott Bailey.

Welcome to Bailey's in Broughton.

Thank you very much. How long have you worked here?

I've worked here since I left school,

so a good 20 years, unfortunately.

Why would Melton Mowbray be a famous place to make pork pies?

Well, traditionally, it was quite an agricultural area, so for a start,

cheese was at the forefront of the food.

Whey, then, the waste product,

came in, so they fed the pigs, so pigs therefore led to...

There was plenty of pork.

That led to pork pies being made,

which the workers took onto the land.

The lady is just making them, so if you want to come and have a look,

I'll introduce you and you can have a go.

-That'll be lovely, thank you.

-Follow me.

-Thank you.

Originating from the late 1700,

pork pies were traditionally baked in a clay pot,

covered with a rough pastry,

before evolving into what resembled

a parcel of pastry with a pork filling.

A popular lunch for agricultural workers, grooms and hunt servants,

this allowed them to be carried without getting damaged.

The pastry case would be discarded before eating, unlike today.

Pie maker Chris Catling is showing Tim and Jackie how they are made.

Right, so the start of the procedure,

from my end, anyway, is the pastry.

Would you like to have a go at that?

-Yes.

-Soften it up.

A little bit of flour.

Yes. So, how many pounds of this do you make a day?

We work twice a week, so we're looking at about 12-13 stone.

-Good Lord!

-I think you might be at the consistency

where we can put it through the roller now.

You'd like to get it to about this thickness.

To about that thickness, right.

Chris has worked at the bakery for eight years

and is one of four in the pie-making team.

Coming in five different sizes, up to five pounds in weight,

today they're making the one pound pie.

They sell several hundred a week, making it their most popular.

Do you always use the same recipe or do you ever tinker?

No, no. Traditional recipe.

Coarsely minced pork and just seasoning.

-Right.

-Right then, Tim.

I think it's time you did some work then.

-OK, Chris.

-After you.

-Right.

-We've got the pies raised, Jackie's made the lids.

Now we've got to fill them.

Each pie is filled with 265g of pork rolled into a ball and

pressed down into the case.

-This is one tray.

-How many of these would you do?

Probably about 12. A lot of pies.

-I'll be here a long time.

-You will, yes.

The pie lids are moistened with water

to help them stick. and then laid on top.

So, shall we have a go at hand crimping these?

We normally put them on the machine,

but just for you today, you can have a go.

Thank you, Chris. So, is there something special

about how you would crimp a Melton Mowbray pie?

Is there a tradition to them?

Well, I think most of them are hand-crimped to look like that.

And the idea of the traditional Melton Mowbray pie

is when they are baked,

-they are baked and they have the bow shaped sides.

-Yes.

We put ours in with a hoop to retain their shape to start with,

and then after about half an hour,

the rings are taken off, and when the pies come out,

they've got their little bow sides.

-Their shapes.

-Two fingers, a finger and a thumb.

I mean, you know how to do this.

Yes, I do that at home.

Would you like to have a go at that, Tim?

I can see a new career for you, Tim.

Definitely a one-off, there, Tim.

I know.

As well as its distinctive bow-shaped sides,

the Melton Mowbray pie can be recognised

by its fresh pork filling that turns a greyer colour when cooked,

compared to the pinker cured pork of other mass-produced pies.

They're cooked for an hour and a half and then left to cool,

after which a bone-stock jelly is injected through holes in the lid.

This will hold the pie together

and also ensures that the meat stays fresh.

Just for your benefit today, we're going to let you try a hot one.

-That's good. I've never tried a hot pie before.

-Never tried a hot pie.

Nice texture of the meat.

-Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.

-There you go.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Right, cheers.

-Cheers.

Oh, yes.

-Nice?

-You've converted me.

Oh, they're so good.

Chris, thank you so much for your time this morning.

These are absolutely gorgeous.

-Enjoy your pie.

-We will do.

I'm glad Tim and Jackie have had a chance to refuel,

because they will be needing energy as we return to our house search.

Our next stop is in the village of Scalford,

less than five miles from house number one.

Scalford's quiet roads are surrounded

by picturesque open countryside,

making it a popular stop-off for walkers and cyclists.

For locals, there are a range of events

hosted by the pub and the modern village hall.

So, Scalford's a nice village. It's really nice. Got a great pub.

-That's a good start.

-It's also got the Jubilee Way,

which is a great footpath that goes from Melton Mowbray all the way to

Belvoir Castle. Good for the dogs.

-Yes.

-Good for the dog.

-That's good.

The parish church of St Egelwin is believed to be

the only one in England named after the saint.

It sits on a hill in the centre of the village.

Just next door, our property occupies an attractive corner plot.

House number two.

-It's a goodie.

-It looks absolutely handsome.

-Wow!

-Gorgeous.

-Bit more of a garden.

-Lovely garden.

-Lovely shrubs. Fantastic.

-Yes.

-So far, it looks beautiful.

I feel I should have a crinoline on and

-sort of walk with my Victorian parasol.

-Yeah.

Well, it's actually Edwardian...

I don't know what half of that means but I'll do the same!

-You probably don't want to.

-No.

-Shall we go in?

-Let's go in.

Built in 1905,

this beautiful three-floor Edwardian home

occupies over 2,000 square feet.

We're entering through the back door the property.

Come on in. You've got a boot room there,

and then through into the kitchen.

Nice square kitchen.

Wow! It's got character.

It's got character as well.

You've gone a bit quiet, Jackie.

-Are you deep in thought?

-I'm deep in thought.

Probably I might just change the kitchen slightly.

It's not my personal sort of taste, but I like the squareness of it.

It's certainly got an awful lot of potential.

It's a fairly square standard layout,

but you will see that the living space goes from

-the front to the back of the house.

-Yes.

-Let's have a look.

-Yeah.

At the back of the house is a useful utility space with a WC,

off the main hall at the front, there's a small study,

a sitting room which could be used for formal dining,

as well as a large dual-aspect living room.

This is their main living space.

-Wow!

-Wow!

So you can see, it would have been two rooms.

It has been knocked through.

-Yes.

-And they have a dining table here because they entertain here.

Open the doors...

-Inside out, no conservatory.

-No conservatory.

-We knocked it down especially for you.

-Thank you very much.

-Good job.

-The size of the room as impressive as well.

-It is impressive. They've got quite a bit of furniture in here.

-Yes.

It doesn't feel cluttered at all.

And there's lots of space upstairs as well,

because there's five bedrooms in this property.

Let's go and explore those.

Yes, definitely.

The bedrooms occupy the top two floors,

with two up in the eaves giving Tim options

for his all-important man cave.

Three equal-sized bedrooms lie on the first floor

off a central hall,

all served by a family bathroom and an additional shower room.

This is the one they're using as their master bedroom.

You see you've got beautiful views over the undulating hills.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-A nice square room.

It's nice and big.

What are your thoughts upstairs?

The decor in this one is not to our taste.

But the layout, the extra headroom, the age of the property...

-The windows.

-And the options, again are really, really impressive.

Let's step back into the garden.

I want to talk about a few added extras and, of course, the price.

Definitely.

I think the outside space is a real selling point of this property.

There's a large lawned back garden,

a charming smaller area to the front with well maintained beds,

and the added extras are

two separate areas for the chickens and veggies.

There's also a garage with a car port.

-We love the garden.

-Really, really impressive.

And lovely options on the sun positions as well.

Yeah, there's always a spot where you can get some sun.

-Yes.

-A delight for people who are coming to stay and entertaining.

-Yes.

-A great space to have a party.

-Definitely. Oh, yeah.

What do you think the cost of this property is?

I think this one is going to be more around...

460.

I'm going to go a bit lower, I'm going to say 450.

Right. OK, so,

this property is on the market for 500,000.

-Right.

-So, it's a bit above your budget,

but we've spoken to the vendors

and they are open to offers around the top

of your budget. Have a look around inside.

-We will do.

-I'll probably be sunning myself.

-Lovely. OK.

-See you later.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy yourselves.

This large detached Edwardian house has five bedrooms,

giving plenty of space for when the kids come home,

as well as options for Tim's man cave.

The downstairs offers great entertaining space

with the possibility of a separate dining room.

And there's a large garden, with chickens.

All this in a lovely village location.

I do like the chicken area.

Yeah, there's certainly enough space.

This would make an ideal vegetable plot, too, wouldn't it?

Yeah. Greenhouse.

It just seems to go on and on.

I know. It's been segmented very, very well.

I do like that.

I like the house from the outside.

It's got real character.

It really, really does look nice.

Theoretically, we could see ourselves living here.

Again, we'd have to do the maths

and see how much a kitchen and doing some of the cosmetic work

that we would want to do,

just a little bit of spec to make it personal for us.

This property...

..I'm not quite feeling that, that...

People say when you know something is absolutely right,

but there are some very good aspects to it.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello there.

-Had a good look around?

-Yes, thank you.

-A very good look around, thank you.

Let's go and find somewhere to rest and chew over today's property

and then we can think afresh tomorrow.

-Absolutely.

-A great idea.

-Thank you.

It's day two of our search with Tim and Jackie,

who, with a budget of £480,000,

want to swap their Surrey home of 19 years

for a quieter life in the Leicestershire countryside.

Still to come, Jackie makes plans in our mystery home.

Do you think your stuff would fit in here?

Yeah. It would tone the place down a bit, but...

No, we'd have new, dear.

-Oh, I was afraid of that.

-Yes. Yeah.

And I find out what the future holds

for this spectacular 19th-century castle.

It's great to see it, after all those plans,

to see it kind of come alive.

It's amazing.

Tim and Jackie's property hunt in Leicestershire is proving, well,

a bit surprising because I thought they would love the second house

yesterday and be a bit indifferent about the first,

but actually, it turned out to be the other way round.

They really, really loved the

interiors of the first house and were a bit, meh,

about the second one.

So the mystery house is a bit of a shot in the dark,

partly because it is not in the area they originally stipulated,

and also it doesn't have a huge garden,

but one thing I have learnt about Tim and Jackie

is they are party animals.

They love to socialise and throw a party and this house

is a great social space, and it's in a very sociable village.

For our mystery house, we're heading to South Leicestershire.

Our destination is the village of Husbands Bosworth.

A large village six miles west of market Harborough

and surrounded by open countryside,

Husbands Bosworth has a thriving community of around 1,000.

They are well served by a number of shops, a post office, school,

a 13th-century church and, of course, a pub.

There's also a tennis club, which should be of interest to Tim.

Known for its countless footpath and bridleways,

there's lots of opportunity for dog walking, too.

The property we're seeing is in a quiet road just off the high street.

I've been biting my nails about this,

because this is quite a mystery house.

You know, we throw you a curveball.

-Yes.

-It's very unusual.

It looks very unusual.

It's a converted stables to this building,

which is the oldest building in the village.

One of the oldest buildings.

It is the farmhouse and this was the stable block.

The compromise is that, obviously, the house is slightly hemmed in

with these other properties, but we are hoping

that the interiors are going to wow you. Let's take a look.

-Let's take a look.

-Definitely.

Tim and Jackie did say they were open

to seeing all kinds of property,

which is always helpful on a search.

This one's a bit of a risk.

Going by their positive response

to the modern interior of the first house, it might pay off.

The 19th-century stables have been imaginatively converted

into a modern upside-down house,

with three ensuite bedrooms all located on the ground floor.

This means the kitchen and living areas are on the first floor,

accessed by a beautiful double-height entrance hall.

So, we thought, "This is going to be a kitchen that Jackie would love."

-Oh, my God! I'm seduced.

-It's beautiful.

-It's gorgeous.

-It's absolutely beautiful.

I know the kids would like this as well.

They're very trendy, our two children.

And they just would absolutely love it.

Is there a separate dining room or is this the main...?

There isn't a separate dining room at the moment.

-Right. OK.

-Mind you, that's still

sort of closed off a wee bit from the main kitchen.

Let's have a look at the living space,

which is back over this lovely hallway.

I think the luxury continues through into this space.

-Doesn't it just?

-Beautiful.

Beautifully finished. Lovely wooden floors.

-Fantastic solid fuel burner.

-I know!

-Mm.

But stripping out all the furniture, do you think your stuff

-would fit in here?

-Yeah, it would tone the place down a little bit!

-But, yeah, it would fit in here, yes.

-No, we'd have new, dear.

-Oh, I was afraid of that.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Let's continue the tour.

-It's a bit topsy-turvy, the house.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Follow closely.

It does take a while to get your head around the layout

of this property, although it's deceptively spacious.

There are little surprises at every turn.

This one's for you, Jackie.

-Oh, my bi-fold door.

-There is the bi-fold doors.

I'm going to adopt you, Alistair, I really am.

-You see?

-I love a bi-fold.

Golly gosh.

This is lovely to have breakfast in, out from that kitchen area.

-Very pleasant.

-So, there's a spiral staircase

that goes down into an office. It could be a bedroom.

But the main bedrooms are back where we came in

on the ground floor. So, let's take a look at those.

Absolutely.

Heading downstairs, the bedrooms are all good-sized doubles,

with plenty of built-in storage and their own bath or shower room.

This is your en-suite, back there, and your dressing area

-and then this is the main bedroom.

-This is a good size. It's lovely.

How do you feel about the upside-down living,

-having your bedrooms downstairs?

-I don't mind it.

-Really don't mind.

-His cousin in America has got it

and I've got Danish friends and they have it.

-So, it's not an alien concept to us.

-And we've lived in a bungalow

-for 19 years.

-That's totally weird, downstairs bedroom living.

-It's all going very well so far.

-Yes, very.

-Just absolutely buoyant.

-OK, now we're going to go outside!

-OK.

The outside of this property is a slightly more complicated

situation and, I have to say, I'm feeling somewhat nervous.

Deep breath. I know the garden is not very big.

-Mm-hm.

-OK.

-So before you, kind of, start crying...

-Too late.

-It's a lovely sun trap. but this red-brick building here

is also yours. Now, this is a huge, kind of, another bit

of farm housing and this has plans for development.

One of the things you could do with it is you could knock

-half of it down...

-Mm-hm.

-Right.

-..and increase your garden size.

On the other side, you've got an enormous double garage,

-which you could also develop or knock down.

-Yes.

-If that all feels like too much work which, frankly, it is...

-Yes.

-There is also an allotment going spare in the village.

-Yeah.

What are your thoughts about the space?

I think we would like an area of green, so I think we'd have to

really have a look at the measure of that area and have a real,

sort of, think about putting some turf down.

It just demonstrates you just can't have everything.

It's the most stunning house.

-What about the price?

-I think it's going to be top whack.

I do. I'm going to go for 470.

I'll go for...475.

You are getting much better at this!

Because, sadly, this is right at the top of your budget.

-480, it is on the market for.

-Right.

-It's been on the market for a while.

I think the owners would probably be open to a bit of negotiation.

-Yes.

-Stroll down the garden path.

-Yes.

-I will catch you later on.

-Lovely, thank you.

-See you later.

-We will do.

Thank goodness. That was so nerve-racking.

I thought it was going to be a disaster.

It's a lovely property. Why was I afraid?

These fantastic converted stables offer Tim and Jackie

three bedrooms, with an option to create another, and a modern layout,

providing excellent entertaining space.

The open-plan kitchen has a dedicated dining area,

making up for the lack of a separate room.

The garden could be extended into the workshop or garage space,

with some careful planning.

And it is set right in the heart of a lovely village.

It's a big space.

-Wow! That gives us some...

-I know.

-A lot of options.

I think I would turn it back into a garden.

-All of it or just some of it?

-Just this section

and against that wall, I'd have to put some nice climbers.

I think the mystery house is absolutely stunning.

I think it has confirmed now that we are leaning towards

more of a contemporary design in our house search.

I have some reservations about the outside and the actual

siting of the property. And it's easy to, kind of, overlook that,

simply because the inside is just so stunningly done.

This is a lovely sun spot.

Could be a nice garden, actually, if they knocked down that garage.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Just topping up my tan, while you finished your tour.

-It's a very nice sunspot here, too.

-Indeed. So let's find a spot for you

to gather your thoughts and see what you think about the houses.

Thank you. Good idea.

In the north of the county, the beautiful Vale of Belvoir

is overlooked by the magnificent regency era Belvoir Castle.

Set in 16,000 acres and featuring some 300 rooms,

the castle has been the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland

for almost 1,000 years.

The land was originally a gift from William the Conqueror

to Robert de Todeni, the baron that bore William's standard

during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The castle we see here today was completed in 1832

and is the fourth iteration to stand on the site.

I've come to meet the current Duchess of Rutland,

to take a look around and find out more about a rather

exciting recent discovery on the estate.

-Good morning, Emma.

-Hi!

This is possibly the grandest place I've met someone in quite some time.

Really? Well, this is called the Elizabeth Saloon

and it is named after my mentor over here.

Elizabeth was the instigator of this castle and arrived here from

Castle Howard and thought the Charles II building was very dull.

And so, on her honeymoon, at 18 years of age,

she instructed James Wyatt, with her husband's agreement,

obviously, to come and build this castle.

-So, she instigated this iteration?

-Yes. And it took 25 years to build

and, during the building of it, in 1816, there was

an enormous fire and, so, half of it was destroyed.

-And so, Elizabeth, sadly, never got to see this room.

-Oh, no.

And in some ways, there is a parallel with Elizabeth,

because when you came, the estate was struggling and you've, sort of,

by all accounts, pulled it up by its bootstraps.

Yes. You know, I just feel... I think when you're involved

with heritage, you feel a great, great responsibility

to just improve it and then hand it over.

And we've had this extraordinary finding,

which I'd love to show you, in our library,

-of the Capability Brown plans.

-Wonderful. Can I have a peek?

-Yeah.

Definitely. Come with me.

In 1780, landscape architect Lancelot Capability Brown

drew up plans for Belvoir Castle's grounds

for the fourth Duke of Rutland. But they were only ever

partially implemented.

Having rediscovered Brown's plans in the castle archives,

the Duchess has been inspired to complete much

of the unfinished work.

How did you come across such an enormous plan?

One day, eight years ago, our archivist came into my office

and said, "Your Grace, I don't think you realise what you've got here.

"We've got this extraordinary plan

"drawn by Mr Brown for the Belvoir landscape."

So, tell me a bit about the history. So, who was the Duke at the time

and he commissioned Brown to do this?

Yes, the fourth Duke, who was Elizabeth's father-in-law.

He was a great art collector, the fourth Duke, and he showed him

a picture that he had bought, by Claude Lorrain,

and he said, "I want my landscape to look like that."

Amazing. Brown had died by the time this landscape was put out,

but we know that Spires, who was the engineer,

he was laying it out exactly to Brown's specifications.

What are the major changes that he was suggesting?

I think, most probably, you see the boundary of this

-whole landscape...

-The woodland.

-..being lined in trees.

And then, he expanded the stream that ran through the bottom,

so it looks like a river. And there's another wood

that was never put in by anyone, so I put a nine-acre wood

in last year, to celebrate the tercentenary.

Known as England's master of garden design,

Brown's nickname arose from his tendency to describe landscapes

as "having capabilities." Rejecting the formal geometric

French style of gardening, his designs focused on echoing

the natural undulations of the English landscape.

Since the plans came to light, the Duchess has been working hard

at Belvoir, to bring much of his vision for its landscape

to fruition.

It's great to see it, after all those plans,

to see it, like, kind of, come alive.

It's amazing. And if you can see the lake from here,

you can see exactly what he did.

So, it looks as if it is a river running down through the valley.

And the last memorial lake, that I've just put in at the far end,

is making it meander to the eye, around the corner.

-But it's not actually the river.

-No. They are all separate lakes.

It's all smoke and mirrors.

So, it's a, sort of, work in progress?

-You still have ideas, still being inspired by this?

-Oh, all the time.

It's so inspiring and it's really lovely to have your eyes,

-because you have brought it to life for me.

-It's a pleasure.

When Belvoir Castle first opened to the public,

after the Second World War, the Duchess' father-in-law

opened the doors to a queue of an incredible 7,000 people.

Over the years, visitor interest declined,

but with the Duchess' restoration project underway,

this year marks a new beginning for Belvoir.

Hopefully future generations will be able to share in its history and

Brown's legacy for years to come.

That was a hair-raising mystery house for me because I had no idea

whether they were going to totally hate it or totally love it.

I think it was probably more towards the love end of the spectrum but

I still don't really know whether they were sold on it.

So let's go and find out what they think.

Look at this, very nice.

Leicestershire spoils us.

It certainly does.

Well, what's the sort of lasting impact of the week for you?

The week has been a fantastic experience.

It's really been sort of food for thought for us.

It's focused us and confirmed to us

that this is most definitely the right area we want to move to

and whilst we felt before that we would be open to

almost any type of house,

most definitely that has changed

and we both like contemporary interior design.

What about the mystery house?

-Did that leave you with any thoughts?

-Fantastic.

Absolutely loved the mystery house but we've been sort of

thinking it down and mulling it over

and we have got a ten-and-a-half-year-old Labrador

and because the house is upside down living,

we don't know whether that would suit her needs,

but a beautiful house,

just something we never in 100 years would have thought to look at.

We just loved it. Pinched loads of ideas.

-But we've loved it.

-And for me,

that's the nicest house I've ever seen inside.

So, what happens next with your buyers presumably

breathing down your neck to move in? What are you going to do?

Just have another...

sort of continue our search and see what comes up.

But the mystery house was just amazing.

But I'm not sure whether we can sort of count that in.

Having said that,

who is to say if we don't find anything better than

what we've seen with the three houses you've shown us,

the mystery house may still come back as a contender?

-A contender.

-Go. Go forth, hunt and find.

We will go forth, we will hunt

-and we will find and we will let you know.

-Do.

-We will do.

This is how it should have gone.

Jackie and Tim sold their home, came on the show,

we found them their dream home in Leicestershire, the end.

However, you and I know that property buying

is a little more complicated than that.

And although we didn't get them their dream home and the dream

garden in one property, they did love the mystery house

and I think it's crystallised their search quite considerably.

So, fingers crossed, they will find something in this lovely county.

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

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