West Sussex Escape to the Country

This exquisite 16th-century Elizabethan mansion was built

back in 1590 by Sir Edward Culpepper, but today,

these gardens are being celebrated

for their pioneering 21st-century achievements.

So where am I, and how is this 400-year-old estate

making such a name for itself? Find out in just a moment.

Today's country property search has moments of light and shade.

I think it's fairly dark and it's a very bright day today.

That would be a concern for me.

So can we leave our home hunters looking on the bright side?

SHE SIGHS This is amazing.

Go and fetch my bags. THEY LAUGH

Today, I'm in West Sussex, and this is Wakehurst Place.

Surrounded by 465 acres of beautiful country estate,

featuring an internationally renowned collection of trees,

shrubs, and plants, and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

But, as well as a diverse range of mature species, in the year 2000,

this site saw the opening of the Millennium Seed Bank,

a conservation project aiming to conserve 25% of

the entire world's plant species by 2020.

It's certainly reassuring to think that here,

in the West Sussex countryside, an integral part

of our global heritage is being safeguarded for future generations.

West Sussex is a county on the south coast of England,

lying alongside the English Channel and bordered by three counties -

Hampshire, Surrey, and East Sussex.

The county features the rolling hills of the South Downs

National Park, the tapestry of quintessential English countryside,

with glimpses of pretty spires, majestic castles,

and fields of sheep.

The varied coast is home to towns such as the once wealthy

Victorian resort of Bognor Regis,

and beaches ranging from sand to pebbles.

There are also natural harbours, including the one at Chichester,

whose sheltered waters are a popular stop for yachts.

Market towns include Petworth, once voted antiques town of the year,

where the cobbled streets are pounded by regular collectors

and day-trippers alike, hoping to discover a hidden gem or two.

One treasure that's not so hidden

is the Ouse Valley viaduct in the east of the county.

This impressive man-made monolith was built in 1841 and still carries

over 100 trains per day between Brighton and London.

Elsewhere along the River Ouse, picturesque spots include

the village of Warninglid, named best-kept village

three times in the last 25 years.

So, whether it's to find glorious landscape, coastal vistas,

or charming towns and villages, it is clear West Sussex is

an excellent choice for a rural relocation.

As well as impressive countryside, West Sussex also has

some impressive property stats.

Easy access to the coast and to London has pushed

the average detached house price up to around ?433,000.

Now, that's over ?140,000 above the national figure, but, for something

more affordable, try heading to the centre of the county.

Towns such as Storrington offer a good property mix,

while villages such as Fittleworth may lack in amenities,

but more than make up for it with the surrounding countryside.

So, which part of this gorgeous county

have today's buyers set their heart on?

Well, let's meet them, and find out.

Chris, an accountant, and Jackie, who makes bespoke stationery,

had been working together in London for a few years,

when an incident at an office party sparked a romance.

It was in the very late 90s. '99, actually.

Christmas party came around.

It was held in an old Victorian prison.

It was a bit like a Madame Tussaud's type thing.

And I was looking at some pretty horrific scene, and Chris came over.

An extremity fell off the wax thing, so it broke the ice, if you like.

Yeah, that was the icebreaker.

The couple went on to marry and set up home together in Clapham,

a south-west district of the capital, but 15 years on,

they are finding London life no longer meets their needs.

Originally, Clapham was not quite a backwater, but it was much quieter.

Nowadays, there is a lot more development going on,

a lot more people have moved to the area,

especially a lot of young people,

and so the profile of the area has changed quite a lot.

The properties have got dearer, the bars have become more numerous,

and socialising in Clapham has really become a youngsters' sport.

You know, we enjoy going out and having drinks and dinner,

but we like to be able to hear what each other's saying,

and places to go to like that are very few and far between now.

So, with retirement on the horizon, they are looking to escape

the hustle and bustle of the city for a calmer pace of life.

Can get very noisy in was part of the world,

especially in the location we are here.

My lifestyle at the moment is basically going to bed

Sunday nights, getting up Monday morning, going to work.

I really only have a work/life balance over the weekend.

Obviously, by moving to the country, and eventually retiring,

it will definitely change my lifestyle a lot.

The current house doesn't provide for me the peace and quiet

that I would like. We live in a really built-up area.

We just want to feel we have our own space around us.

You know, I'm attracted to the countryside, really,

because of the views, and you sort of associate

the peace and tranquillity with that.

They may agree that London is no longer for them, but when it comes

to selecting a place to move to, there's some difference of opinion.

I would like to live near the coast.

I have a requirement for being close to the sea.

I don't want to live in a seaside town.

I'm erring on the countryside, as being my ideal.

We have been thinking of places to move, and so we have

this dichotomy of wanting little bit of coast, little bit of country,

so West Sussex has been one of the areas we've been considering.

Whether they settled by the sea, or further inland, the hope is a new

rural home in Sussex will offer them the chance

to enjoy new pastimes.

The one thing I would really, really, really like

to be able to do is to grow our own fruit and vegetables.

I'm a really, really keen cook,

and to be able to grow the produce and cook it,

that's something I dream of doing.

Moving to the country will also afford me the opportunity to develop

my desire to do some more walking, and also get on my bike.

And find some new different beers to drink.

Chris is a real fan of real ale,

and actually, you should list it as one of your hobbies.

As well as access to a nice country pub,

Chris is seeking something else from the move.

One thing I wouldn't mind is my own, frankly, man cave.

I don't seem to have one here at the moment. Mm.

They're all occupied with other activities, run by Jackie.

Jackie has her dressing room, her Pilates room, her work room,

and I have half of a bedroom to do my work from home, office work.

You're quite lucky to have that.

But, most of all,

it's about a new chapter together in new surroundings.

The new challenge, actually, that's what excites me most about the move.

I'm really looking forward just to having new surroundings,

new things to get involved in, the quieter way of life,

doing things that we can't do here.

Meeting new people, you know, see what that brings,

and opens up new horizons.

Jackie is drawn to the heart of the countryside, but Chris is keen

to be close to the coast, with an easy commute to London,

meaning the net is cast wide on our West Sussex house-hunt.

But, before we set about looking at houses, we're meeting up

in the county to hear more about the property they're hoping to find.

Well, Chris and Jackie,

welcome to the most gorgeous day here in West Sussex.

Perfect. It's amazing.

So, tell me, why do you want to make the move to the countryside?

Well, I'm coming up to retirement age, and therefore we're really

planning for the future, and therefore moving to the country now

is a halfway house to retirement, really.

I'll still continue to work in the immediate future, and then,

obviously, if you can move before that,

you don't get two disturbances at the same time.

Good idea. Great transition. Yeah.

What is it about the coast, then, that you love so much?

I like the coast, primarily because I never saw it as a child.

OK, that's a good reason.

Jackie, why do you love the countryside so much?

I don't know, I've always loved the countryside,

a bit of an outdoorsy type.

Having lived in London for a number of years, and also worked in cities,

I always wanted to get back to the country, so, you know,

it's just my ideal.

Let's talk about the actual property itself that you would like.

Talk me through it.

Well, the property I think we'd like would be certainly detached,

because we live in a terrace at the moment, and we'd love to look at

a house with the normal reception room, dining room, four bedrooms,

garage, driveway, and things like that.

What about the style?

Do you like old, do you like new, what's the preference?

I think we like older properties... Yeah.

..and some light and airy properties.

Yeah, something with a character. So something with a character?

Yeah, exactly, character.

And Jackie, you've got your own business, I believe.

Yes, I have, I make handmade stationery.

I suppose, really, one of the things I have to have half an eye on when

we look at any properties is space, where I can operate out of.

A room, basically, a craft room.

And then, obviously, to keep it fair, Chris, were you

looking for a man cave at all, or...?

I would like... A man gym.

I would like a room of my own, I don't have one at the moment.

Do you not? OK. No.

And location, are you looking to be part of a village community,

or do you want to be near a market town, ideally?

What works for the two of you?

Erm, don't mind, personally, but we want to be near something.

I think there has to be some access to various things,

because obviously, as you're getting older, and we're thinking

about retiring, you can't live in the middle of nowhere... No.

..because you have to think longer term.

Remind us of how much you've got to spend with this move, please.

OK, we're looking to spend around 900,000.

If the forever home - the ideal property - came along,

we'd probably go up to 1.1 million.

We do have some splendid homes to show you, in this rather gorgeous

part of the UK, so shall we get started?

Oh, yes, please. Ready? If you'd like to follow me.

For a maximum budget of ?1.1 million, Chris and Jackie are

looking for a detached property with a minimum of four bedrooms.

Jackie needs space for her stationery business,

and Chris would also like a room of his own.

They prefer period character, as long as it's bright and airy,

and the area needs to provide good transport links

for Chris's commute back into London.

We've got a selection of great homes to tempt our buyers with,

and at each one, I'll be asking them

to guess the price before I reveal it.

The final property will, of course, be our Mystery House,

which may cause something of a stir.

Our house search is starting in the small village of Madehurst,

two and a half miles north-west of

the vibrant historic market town of Arundel.

As well as a plethora of pretty and historic buildings,

Arundel provides many useful shops, transport links, and amenities.

The civic crest plays on the French word "Hirondelle,"

meaning "swallow", which sounds much like the town's name.

Located in the South Downs, along the River Arun,

a strange local superstition holds that if you shake yourself

on the town bridge on 1st March, you will be free of fleas

for the rest of the year.

The town's impressive castle was built in the 11th century

by Roger de Montgomerie, Earl of Arundel,

and heavily restored in Victorian times.

It was one of the first English country houses

to be fitted with electric lighting.

And, two and a half miles away back in Madehurst,

the house we're going to see has a rather quirky history of its own.

Now, if you can guess what this building was originally used for,

I may even consider buying it for you.

It's part of an estate, therefore it's the estate keepers house.

Ooh, thank goodness you didn't get it right, but you're close,

you are close, because it is part of a larger estate.

The huge manor house which was next door, this was built

as a squash court for the estate.

No! Yes. Wow, yeah. Yeah!

Totally unexpected. What do you think, Chris?

Well, my thought is I'm intrigued to go inside and see how the light

reflects through the windows, because there aren't that many

windows at the front at the moment, and the porch does overhang

a little bit. No, that's a fair comment.

Well, shall we step inside and see how it goes?

Oh, yes, please. Yes, super.

Thought to be built around the 1930s, but converted to a home

in the 1980s, we're taking the door from the veranda at the back

of the property, and going straight into the kitchen/breakfast room.

So, let's start off with our country kitchen.

It's very stylish.

For me, if I was completely honest, it's all feeling a little bit low.

It's done very nicely, it's... You know, bright, modern units,

it just feels a little bit on the cramped side.

I would be inclined to remove the island, and open the whole thing up,

and make it one big sort of kitchen/living space.

It would be huge then, wouldn't it?

Yeah, but it would be great in that format.

Let's see what you make of the next room.

Exiting the kitchen into the hall,

the other side of the ground floor features the largest reception room.

So, off our hallway, this is your sitting room.

OK. It's actually a very spacious room.

Yeah, very big, it's a big room.

OK, dare I broach the subject of the windows and the light?

I'd think it's fairly dark, and it's a very bright day today.

That would be a concern, for me. Right, OK.

I agree with you.

I mean, it's a little on the dark side. OK.

Probably compared to what we're used to as well, but it is a bright day,

so that is something, yeah. It's a concern. All right.

Well, let's head upstairs, see what you make of that. OK.

So, some doubts expressed by Chris and Jackie over the ground floor,

but there is additional space in a separate dining room

next to the kitchen, as well as the convenience of a downstairs toilet.

Perhaps the generous four-bedroom accommodation upstairs

will be more to their liking.

Over the sitting room, there's a large double with pretty views

from two aspects. Another room currently has a day bed,

but is large enough to take a double.

And the smallest of the bedrooms, which is presently used

as an office. These are all served by a family bathroom,

and that just leaves the final room.

So here is the master bedroom, complete with en suite.

Yeah.

Oh, perfect, and this is a really much lighter room, brighter room.

So, getting a slightly better reaction from upstairs, I think.

Yeah, it's a lovely room, and it's lighter, it's brighter,

the ceiling is higher. Erm... Yeah, I like this room.

Yes, definitely.

And you've got your sunshine streaming through.

Yeah, yeah, and a beautiful view, actually.

You do. Yeah. You do.

You're not overlooked... No. ..which you'll see in more detail,

because I'm going to take you outside.

A good finish for the interior, but there's more outside,

where this property really shines.

With lawns and terraces, plus beautifully stocked flower beds,

the surprise feature in the garden is a large heated pool.

Outbuildings include a barn with storage,

and workshop that could give Chris a super-sized man den.

And there's also a double garage. What's more, light-loving

Chris and Jackie should warm to the garden's aspect.

South-west facing garden,

so you're going to get the sunlight for most of the day, aren't you?

Yeah. Into the evening. Yeah, no, it's a stunning space.

It's quite amazing compared to the house.

The house normally wouldn't have a thing like this attached to it.

No. Yeah. It's certainly a bonus, isn't it?

Absolutely. Yeah, and adds more potential.

Let's see what it's on the market for.

It'd be interesting to see what you two think. Mm.

925. What about you, Jackie?

I'd say 875. The asking price is ?975,000.

Right. Mm-hm.

I'm pleasantly surprised, makes a lovely property.

Well, I think this is the opportunity for you two to take

another look on the your own this time, have a full explore.

Must admit, with weather like this,

I'm quite happy to wait for you in the garden, if you don't mind.

OK. Be my guests.

Significantly under their ?1.1 million top budget,

our first property meets many of the requirements

on Chris and Jackie's wish list.

It's detached, with bags of individuality.

There are four bedrooms, and there is the garage Chris asked for.

In addition, there are good-sized grounds with entertaining spaces,

as well as that large heated pool,

plus it's a 90-minute commute to London from nearby Arundel station.

Well, this is a good size for a third bedroom.

Yeah, you'd have to get a double bed in here.

I think it's got, well, potential for a couple of uses. Yeah, OK.

I think it's an amazing property.

The amount of land surrounding it and the gardens are just beautiful.

I think the house itself

may be a little bit small for our requirements.

I don't think the house itself

is offering as the things we are looking for.

I don't think I see myself living here,

because this is a little too remote.

That would be my biggest concern, is the connectivity to other places,

is probably the biggest detractor.

I think we'd probably have to go less rural.

Probably I'd give it a 50-50, because the house may be so-so,

but the garden is very much so.

Oh, you've caught me enjoying the rays of sunshine,

and I do love this garden. It's gorgeous, isn't it?

It's an amazing garden, yes. It is.

So, have you seen enough of the house?

Yes, I think we have. Yeah? Yeah.

OK, well, that's the end of this house tour. Let's hit the road.

Wine-making was first introduced to England by the Romans,

and as one of the sunniest spots in the country, with a similar sub-soil

to the Champagne region of France, West Sussex is

a wonderful location for vineyards.

In fact, there are no fewer than 31 in the county,

producing a selection of world-class wines.

We've arranged for Chris and Jackie to visit one of the county's

oldest vineyards on the very first day of this year's harvest.

They're meeting Sam Linter,

whose parents established the Bolney Wine Estate in 1972.

So your parents founded this estate.

What made them choose this area?

Bolney has a really good microclimate.

It actually has sandstone soils, and that soil is really good for vines.

It keeps the vineyard warmer, which is vital, but also it's

free-draining, as vines don't like getting wet roots.

And how is the global perception of English wine?

Is it on the way up? It is, it really is.

We actually export abroad now, so it's actually being really well

accepted, but we all enter our wines into international competitions,

and we're all winning international awards.

Warmer weather at the end of the summer has meant bumper crops

in recent years, and this is looking to be another excellent season

for grape growing.

It takes 75 to 100 berries to make a single glass of wine,

and with 128 million to collect

over the next three weeks, Chris and Jackie

are joining Aimee Knight from the estate to get the harvest started.

So what we do is we cut off a few bunches of grapes, and take them

down to our lab in the winery, and we are looking to measure whether

the sugar levels are high enough, and whether the acidity levels have

reduced that a little bit,

so we've got a really nice balance in the fruit.

Interesting. So what makes a good bunch of grapes?

So, what we look for is even fruit,

so we want the berries to all be of a similar sort of size.

And we also want them to be of a similar colour,

so we don't want any green berries in our nice black bunch.

Several varieties of grape are grown here, but the one our couple are

helping to harvest is called Rondo, a dark-skinned hybrid,

developed to mature early,

as well as cope with a slightly cooler and wetter climate.

So, Aimee, what do these grapes taste like?

Have a taste. See what you think.

Oh, they're actually quite sweet.

Well, shall we head down to the tasting room so you can try

the final product? Sounds good to me. And me.

The yield from the estate's 42,000 vines will be pressed to produce

a juice, and sugar and yeast added to start the fermentation process.

It will take up to four years

before this season's harvest turns into wines that are ready to drink.

Fortunately for Chris and Jackie, Aimee has some they made earlier.

So, have you ever tried any English wines? No, never.

Oh, OK. Well, let's start with our 2009 Blanc de Blancs.

So, this is 100% Chardonnay, this wine.

It's made in the traditional method, so the same way as champagne.

It spends a minimum of two and a half years ageing, which gives it

sort of some yeasty, honeyed, autolytic sort of flavours.

But, because Chardonnay is quite an acidic grape, you should also get

quite a lot of lemon, some green apple, quite a clean,

refreshing mouth feel with this one, so cheers.

Cheers.

So, what do you think?

That is lovely.

Light, very crisp.

I'd say that I could drink this one. Yes!

So, moving onto our white wine, the grape variety is Bacchus.

It's of Germanic origin.

It's very floral, very fruity.

It's ever so slightly sweeter as well.

Wow, the fruit really comes through in that.

Yeah, very fruity, very pleasant.

And finally our red wine, so this is our Bolney Pinot Noir.

It's a cool climate red wine, so it's very, very light.

You'll be able to see from the colour,

you can see through the wine.

You get a lot of sweet, red berries on the nose, and on the palate

you should get only a low amount of tannin in this wine.

Wow, very surprising.

That would be lovely chilled in the summer.

Very good summer wine, I think.

Yes, I get the berries. Very light as well.

Very reminiscent of some of the reds I like.

Yeah, a great summer wine, as you were saying.

So, what do you think about English wine?

Well, it's certainly opened my eyes, I can tell you.

The wines with tasted here are fantastic.

Well, cheers! Cheers. Cheers.

Having sampled some of the wines West Sussex has to offer,

it's time to press on with the house-hunting.

Our search is heading into the heart of the West Sussex countryside,

and the tiny hamlet of Nutbourne, with the nearest shop

a couple of miles' drive away, in the village of West Chiltington.

The Grade I listed 12th-century church of St Mary's

is considered an architectural highlight of West Chiltington,

and the village also showcases

former 17th-century correctional facilities.

Something of a hub for West Sussex wine making,

it offers two village centres, separated by a picturesque jumble

of country roads, and each centre has a pub

and a post office and store.

We're a couple of miles drive away in the hamlet of Nutbourne.

The house we've come to see is at the end of a quiet lane,

with a large gravel driveway.

Let me introduce you to our Scandihus,

which is an unusual building.

Very different, very different.

You don't expect to see that behind the hedgerows of the countryside.

So true.

And the roof doesn't give it away from the road. No. No.

Do you like what you see?

I don't dislike what I see.

Right, OK.

I'm intrigued to see what it's like inside, I have to say.

OK. Shall we take a look inside?

Oh, yes, please. Yes, please.

Built in the 1980s in Scandinavian design, an additional wing

was added in the 1990s, to create an L-shaped home.

Inside, the nod to the Nordic continues,

with a bright and airy entrance hall that leads us through

into a very spacious and stylish kitchen/diner.

So, you have a very unusual entrance there. Very modernistic, all white,

and then you step into this huge kitchen.

It's enormous. Huge potential.

Amazing space.

Is it you? Is it you two?

Erm, it's a bit modern for me, but I love the space.

Yeah, it's the space you have to look at, because, obviously,

it's people's interiors, which you can take out...

Yeah. ..and make your own.

Very true, very true. Mmm.

All right, well, let's continue.

I'm going to go back through the hallway,

and show you one of the sitting rooms.

Off the kitchen, there's also a utilities space to the rear,

and a snug to the front of the property.

Back through the hallway and past a large downstairs cloakroom,

we come into the newer wing, where we find the main reception room.

So, just mind the step, and here is your sitting-room. Mm.

Another large, big... Big room. Yeah.

Bit too modern and space-agey for me, I think.

You know, I'm a bit more liking of period-type features,

and sash windows, that type of thing,

so I find the windows a little bit too stark and modern for me.

Yeah. I do think it's a great size. OK.

All right, well, let's see what we all think of upstairs, shall we?

If I can squeeze past you. Thank you.

Well, Jackie and Chris have said they want airy, light-filled spaces,

and this home has plenty.

Running off the sitting room, the ground floor also offers a study,

as well as the first of five bedrooms,

currently used as a music room.

It benefits from sitting beside a shower room.

The rest of the sleeping accommodation is on the upper floor,

and accessed via two staircases.

The main stairs lead up to three bedrooms,

the first with which has its own balcony,

whilst two further doubles both provide lovely views.

These are all served by a family bathroom

with a modern, freestanding bath.

However, we're taking the second staircase from the entrance hall,

which goes directly to the master en suite.

So, up the spiral white staircase.

That leads straight into your master bedroom.

A great room.

Great space. Yeah.

Great view out of the windows.

Yeah, as far as the eye can see.

No neighbours. Yeah.

So, you've got a huge walk-in shower next door, massive, and in a way,

it's like a Jack-and-Jill,

because it leads into one of the other bedrooms.

Certainly not short on space, you know, in rooms. Mm.

All right, well, let's see what we make of outside, shall we?

Our buyers may have reservations over the style,

but they certainly like the sheer scale of this home.

And the generous footprint continues outside,

with a little over three quarters of an acre of grounds.

Mainly laid to lawn, the plot

overlooks the gorgeous West Sussex countryside,

and as well as more than enough room for Jackie's dream of

home-grown fruit and veg,

there's an extraordinary decree of privacy and seclusion.

So, finally, we do have to talk about his garden, don't we?

Yeah. It's, well, huge.

A lot of space... Yeah. ..but I

think it could have some features put into it.

Yeah, for a bit of landscape. I mean, it is a fabulous garden.

Yeah. But it's very basic at the moment, but it could be amazing.

Yeah. Yeah.

How much do you think this very unusual house is on the market for?

I'm going to say 999,500.

OK.

I shall go 875.

You're both over. Oh.

It's actually on the market for ?830,000. Wow.

Now, I know you had a few concerns.

I wonder if that's going to change anything?

Don't answer. Go and have another look,

and at that price, see if you could perhaps make it work.

OK. OK, let's go.

Please do.

It is a really unusual house, that's the thing.

First impressions - I do think you either love it,

and are desperate to get inside, or you have reservations,

and our couple certainly had those, but inside,

it gives them everything they want, and it's way under their budget.

This bright, airy and detached Scandinavian style home could leave

Chris and Jackie almost ?200,000 to put their own stamp on things.

There's one more bedroom than they've asked for,

so plenty of space for Chris to have his man cave.

Keen cook Jackie gets a large kitchen/diner and she could

also fulfil her self-sufficiency home-grown dreams in the garden.

Plus, the property offers peace and

seclusion at the end of a quiet country lane.

This is the second bedroom. Yes. It's a very good size.

It would actually make a really nice guest room.

You've got the balcony and the outlook.

Great view over there. Over the fields again.

Yeah, yeah. It's a nice room.

The amount of space outside and in, it is quite surprising.

It offers lots of rooms. So it would actually, you know, suit our needs.

Sadly for me, it's probably not my style.

For me, the spiral staircase is probably a deal-breaker.

There was scope to do other things with the property, however, I don't

think you could do much with the space where the spiral staircase is.

You've come out with smiles on your face. That's looking good, yeah.

Have you seen enough? I think so, yes.

Yeah, I think I have, thank you. Ready to hit the road?

It's Day Two of our property search with Chris and Jackie from

Clapham, South London who have a top budget of ?1.1 million to

buy their dream forever home in West Sussex.

So far, we've shown them some great property, but there's more to see.

And, our Mystery House could be just what they're looking for.

Literally walked through the door and went, "Wow."

And I'm still saying, "Wow." So, it's all good. Yes.

And I'm visiting somewhere in West Sussex that really rings a bell.

BELL RINGS

I'm a good trainee campanologist, but...

I would love to have you as a trainee, Nicki.

Well, it's a new day and of course it's the Mystery House day.

This time we're going to be taking our couple further away down to the coast,

something we know Chris adores.

However, it will mean a longer commute back to the capital.

But first, a property that's closer to the city but still

has all the wonderful countryside views.

Let's see what they make of it.

Our house-hunt is taking us further inland and across the county

border to the Surrey village of Walliswood.

3 1/2 miles west of the village of Ockley.

Ockley Station provides a regular train service to London Victoria,

with travel times of around an hour and a quarter.

There's also a pretty farm shop here.

3 1/2 miles west, back in Walliswood,

the pump on the village green has a tiled roof,

stone pillars and carved wooden gables that typify the local style.

The 17th-century village pub takes its name from the Scarlett family

who once owned much of the land here and it's

a 10 minute walk from the house we've come to see.

What do we think of the house?

It actually looks really interesting.

It's lovely. It looks very large as well.

BOTH: Yes.

A promising start, do we feel? Yes. Quietly optimistic. Yeah?

Wood boarded, very attractive, on a very quiet road. Mm.

Let's see what you make of the inside.

Thought to be built around the 1850s,

this detached Victorian country home retains many period features

including the high ceilings Chris and Jackie love.

We're entering via a back door in the sympathetically done

extension, which houses the big and bright kitchen/breakfast room.

I do love it when you start a house tour with

a really generous sized kitchen. It's really lovely.

It's very nice, very large.

And then you have those wonderful patio doors looking out

onto your garden. Yeah. It's a lovely aspect. It really is.

And I appreciate, it will be very light.

This is my idea of a kitchen-dining space. Is it? Yeah.

Especially looking out over the garden like that. Yeah, it's perfect.

Yeah? Could you see both of you in here of the weekend?

BOTH: Yeah.

You'll be out there digging up the vegetables and I'll be in here cooking.

THEY LAUGH

Already got the roles sorted out. OK, let's keep going.

Off the kitchen we also find a utility,

downstairs cloakroom and snug.

Then, heading out through the main entrance hall,

we arrive at the sitting room.

We actually passed the front door. But we never use that, do we?

It's a nice shaped room and, you know, it's quite good having a

square room when it comes to laying out furniture and TVs and whatnot.

Very true.

And it's higher ceilings which is good. It is a nice room.

Chris? Big fan of the fire? If someone makes it, yes.

Would you like to see a little bit more? Oh, I certainly would, yeah.

Great, I'll squeeze past you. Thank you

They both seem to be warming to the

character and proportions of this home so far.

And opposite the sitting room, the similarly square-shaped,

elegant dining room boasts another feature fireplace.

The classic staircase leads up

to four bedrooms all fanning

off the landing.

There's a good sized guest double above the dining room and two

smaller rooms, each currently arranged with single beds.

The compact family bathroom has both a shower and bath and then to

the rear of this floor, there's a generously sized master en suite.

Another lovely room. Amazing ceiling. Yeah.

Now, you do have the height. We won't be ducking these beams.

THEY LAUGH

Behind me, good sized wardrobe. Wow, yeah.

And then behind that, just as you walk through,

a really good en suite bathroom with a bath. Mm.

It's lovely. The window's actually good for the room character as well.

Looking out of those windows,

is that what you're after, that look when you wake up every morning?

Absolutely. Great. All right, well, let's see what we think of outside.

What a wonderful reception for the interior of this charming home.

Outside, in the half acre of grounds, there's

a ready-made vegetable patch right outside the kitchen, as well as

a pleasant terrace with seating.

There's also a barn-style garage and tranquil country views.

How green fingered do you want to be when you make this move?

It's something I'm interested in doing because I want to grow herbs

and vegetables so the area closer to the house would be perfect for that.

You know, and your man cave could be up at the end here somewhere, under an oak tree.

THEY LAUGH

Well, let's see, shall we, if the price is pleasant?

Well, I think it's probably the top end of our budget.

I would say around the 1.1 mark. OK.

Well, to be different, I'll say 1,075,000.

OK. Well, you're both out.

By quite a lot. The asking price is under a million pounds.

Wow. It's ?995,000.

Oh, OK. That's surprising. Very surprising.

Well, I'm glad! That's a positive reaction with our price.

So, now you know, I think you should go and have another look around.

Yeah, love to. I'd love to. Yeah? Good, go on, then, thank you.

Thank you.

It does look gorgeous from standing up here,

a slightly elevated position. This is a beautiful country home.

It's a country home with everything you want from the country

around you but has the convenience of going back, because Chris

sadly has to commute nearly every day to London and this is the

perfect location for the two of them.

Well under budget, this Victorian country residence

has all the accommodation Chris and Jackie require.

It comes with a large kitchen/breakfast room,

four bedrooms, including that generous master en suite,

a well-stocked garden with beautiful countryside on the doorstep

and all with added convenience of London transport links nearby.

Bedroom number four. OK.

Actually, I think this would be a great office space with

the aspect over the garden. You have your desk there,

you're looking out. Perhaps another man cave.

The amount of land here is phenomenal.

And I'm actually very surprised at how big the house is as well.

And I think it could offer us the type of accommodation we've

been looking for. Locationally, it looks to be well situated for us.

You know, to have this lifestyle that we're looking for.

It offers us the period features

that we've wanted and the character that we really wanted as well.

It ticks a lot of the boxes in terms of the features, the space, the size...

I mean, today, I don't really have a man cave.

I mean, obviously, one bedroom would have to be taken over.

I could get a large shed at the end

of the garden and use that as my study come man cave.

It's a great house and I could see us living in it.

How are we? Impressed. Yeah?

A very positive house tour this time in Surrey.

Yeah. Seen enough? Yes, I think so. Yeah. OK, let's go.

As well as the beauty of its countryside,

West Sussex is rich in history and architectural heritage.

Located at the southwestern tip of the county,

the cathedral city of Chichester was once a Roman settlement.

And there is still evidence of the Roman influence to this day

with the city wall standing as the most intact circuit of Roman town

defences in southern England.

Elsewhere, one of the most striking sites is the cathedral which

has stood at the heart of Chichester for 900 years.

Subsequent generations have also left their mark here,

for it's possible to admire both exterior medieval architecture

and interior 20th-century artworks.

Today, I'm finding out about the history and continuing work in this

impressive ecclesiastical building, starting with

a welcome from the Dean of the Cathedral, Stephen Waine.

This is my first time here at Chichester Cathedral.

And it really is magnificent. It is a jewel in the crown of Chichester.

It's beautiful.

It was begun in the year 1076 and although it was finished

relatively quickly, there were a couple of disastrous fires

which means that it was dedicated for the second time in the year 1199.

Since then, it's been added to and beautified and restored

at various times throughout the histories.

There's scarcely a century in which something important hasn't happened here in terms of the building.

Out of the whole of the West Sussex countryside,

why did they decide that Chichester should be its home?

Originally there was a cathedral in Selsey,

but at that particular period they were bringing bishops in from

the countryside into centres of population and the old Roman

town of Chichester was one of the major centres of population.

The cathedral also became a site of pilgrimage after one

former Bishop of Chichester, Richard de Wyche, was canonised in

the 13th century.

The original shrine to St Richard was destroyed in

the 16th century under the orders of Cromwell.

But a replacement shrine continues to draw pilgrims.

So how much do we know about St Richard?

St Richard was reputed to be a very good man.

He spent a lot of time walking around the streets of

Chichester and so he built up a reputation for dealing with the

poor, he also had quite a reputation for being tough on his clergy.

One of the things that he couldn't stand were clergy who

mumbled while they were saying Mass, so... Surely not you?

No, we try not to.

Now, standing here, you know, you can see the building in all its glory.

I mean, what's it like trying to maintain a historic building the like this?

It's a constant task with a building of this age.

If you don't attend to the small things very, very quickly,

they become large things.

Just at the moment, behind us here we've got some scaffolding.

We're fixing a historic roof up there. Is that ongoing?

Is that something I could perhaps take a look at?

It is ongoing, why don't you go and have a look?

You'll find it absolutely fascinating when you get up there.

I'm looking forward to this. Good.

This is certainly one building site I'm keen to look around,

and acting clerk of works, Tony Allen, has offered to show

me the latest projects and the incredible view.

What can we see?

Well, over there you've got the Isle of Wight,

Portsmouth, and in the far distance, Southampton.

A height of 274 feet to the top of the spire may offer panoramic

views but the exposed coastal location takes its toll on

the fabric of the building.

I mean, we can feel the wind today.

And where we're stood,

we suffer predominantly from south-west winds.

So, it comes across here,

across the Solent and it batters all the stone, if you wish.

So, it's eroding the stone as you look at it.

Is this what this is, all these ridges? Correct.

And this will all have to be repaired in time?

In time each piece will have to be replaced.

But it's not just the weather that has given the cathedral a battering.

It's also suffered attack from

political unrest and would-be foreign invaders.

Down there you can see the copper roof which went on just after the

war to repair the damage from the war, now that is wearing very thin.

The wind gets underneath, drives up each panel,

the rain drives in. We're constantly repairing it.

This is also the only medieval cathedral with

a separate bell tower, or campanile.

It's a 15th-century structure that is sadly showing its age.

That is in a very bad state of repair.

We're going to be looking at refurbishing that in the next

couple of years, so we'll be trying to raise funds for that.

We're talking in the region of ?4 million

just to restore the stonework externally.

There are attempts to get this unique feature onto

the World Monument Fund Watch list,

meaning it would receive support to preserve it.

Meanwhile, the bell tower is very much a living building.

BELLS RING

Offering an after-school drop-in centre as well as continuing

to serve its original function.

The bell-ringers, also known as campanologists, have the

task of peeling out a ring from up to eight bells in the lantern.

Regular ringer, Hamish, has agreed to give

me some instruction at a practice session today.

Hello, Hamish. Hello, Nicki, welcome to Chichester. Thank you.

Now, I'm looking forward to this because this is a first. I've never rung a bell before.

I want you to look after me because I'm not going to end up in

the rafters, am I? You certainly won't. OK. I'll make sure of that.

Thank you. Right. The rope will take your hands up, keep the rope tight.

OK.

I'm going to put my hand on top of yours the first few times

to make sure your hands do come down. Here we go. OK.

I'm concentrating now.

BELL RINGS

Oh. That sounds amazing.

Pull straight down. Perfect.

That was a really good pull-down.

I'm a good trainee campanologist, but...

I would love to have you as a trainee, Nicki. Yeah? OK.

Hand over the rope. Right. Take it away. Thank you. OK.

Well, time for me to leave bell number four in the capable

hands of the regular ringers.

As they peel out a ring that has

been sounded out for more than half a millennium.

Looking back, we showed you quite a variety of properties.

Any changes with what you want?

The one thing that has crystallised is that we are probably not

prepared to be too remote.

So, we do have to start thinking of looking at houses and

properties that are closer to town, I think. Or even market towns.

That kind of situation.

Coming from 8 million people down to nearly no people,

it's rather a big shock.

Yeah.

Our mystery proposition sees us leave behind the depths of rural

life to tempt Chris to the coast.

But, at the cost of a longer commute.

We're five miles west of Brighton in the small seaside town of Southwick.

Here, there are pretty harbours and

marinas with views across the English Channel.

The town has plenty of easy to reach amenities including pubs

and a train station. Giving Chris those all-important links to London.

Southwick's square features a selection of traditional

shops as well as larger chains and it's just

a five minute walk from here to our Mystery House.

Now, I think you might have guessed why we picked this property.

I think because it might be on the coast. It's on the coast. It's on the coast.

It's also on a road that, you know, we have to be aware of.

With a little bit more traffic than you might be used to in the country.

But, yeah, we are about 15 minutes from the marina here in Southwick.

So, on first impressions, what do we think?

It's an impressive house.

It's a very big, large house. Yeah, large house.

Well, shall we step inside, see what you make of it? Yes, please.

Despite not being in the heart of the countryside, the exterior

appeal of our Mystery House seems to be of interest to Chris and Jackie.

Built in the 1900s, the Edwardian home was recently extended

by the current owners to create a very grand space with

a large entrance hall leading into an elegant dining room.

This isn't a small house. Certainly not.

So here's your hallway, larger than some people's homes.

In here, I like the way it's open.

Dining room. Oh, this looks fantastic.

But, then what do we make of this?

Oh! This looks amazing. Go fetch my bags.

THEY LAUGH

This is fantastic, seriously. Amazing.

It's out of a homes magazine.

You know, one of those glossy magazines, it's fantastic.

You've ticked boxes I didn't even have to be ticked. Really?

Yeah, yeah. It's fantastic. And it is, it's actually my taste.

I know you want space for entertaining friends coming to stay.

Let's take a look at the sitting room next door.

A well-designed utility lies off the kitchen whilst back through

the hall the first of two sitting rooms again boast

those Edwardian high ceilings.

And this is just another big room. BOTH: Yeah.

Definitely. A very comfortable sitting room, and the window

lets in loads of light. It's so huge. That's an original fireplace.

BOTH: Yeah.

It certainly feels like I could live here. Yeah, yeah.

So far, it has the wow factor. I literally walked through the door and went, "wow".

And I'm still saying, "wow," so it's all good. Yes.

You can keep saying it, I'll be very happy.

Well I take it you'd like to see upstairs, then? Yes, please. OK.

Thank you.

This impeccably presented Edwardian home

has certainly enchanted our couple.

The ground floor also offers the first of three bathrooms,

plus there's the second sitting-room.

But, there's still a lot more to see.

A wide staircase takes us to the first of two upper floors with

a total of five bedrooms-

a good-sized double to the front of the house

next to which is a slightly smaller bedroom.

And another spacious double to the side.

There's also a family bathroom with separate WC,

typical of this period of home.

And, finally, at the back of the house is

a very large bedroom with en suite.

Try your master bedroom out for size.

Crikey.

THEY LAUGH

It's another very, very large room.

The most beautiful en suite walk-in shower in the bathroom.

Absolutely gorgeous. This would certainly work for us, wouldn't it?

Certainly as a master bedroom. Certainly. Yeah, yeah.

Lot of walk around space. We're on course, aren't we? Yep.

But we haven't got the man den.

How would you feel about having a man attic? I could cope with that.

Yeah? You nearly broke into a smile there, Chris. It's very unusual.

Because, above us they've actually gone into the loft.

It's huge up there. Certainly food for thought. Yeah? Yeah.

The house has far more positives than negatives. So, yeah. Super.

Well, let's see if our Mystery House can build on those positives

outside, where the enclosed gardens have been professionally

landscaped whilst retaining many mature shrubs and trees.

There are a couple of greenhouses and a shed as well as large

areas of well maintained lawn.

So, here we have our beautiful long garden. Very neat, very tidy.

Yeah, and it's a mature garden. Lots of interesting things to look at.

Yeah. Yeah.

You're looking at an hour 40mins to Victoria from here.

And then obviously you got to get to the train station which isn't too far.

It is walking distance, but still a little bit more on your

journey every day and I know you work pretty long hours. Yes.

It would certainly be a very big consideration in any decision

to buy something like this. So, what we think?

How much do you think it's on the market for? 950. OK.

I think maybe 995. The asking price is bang on ?1 million. Oh.

If it was the house for us, I would be happy to pay that.

Oh, that was quite telling. I love the house.

That's the big question mark, isn't it?

Well, go and have another look around and

I'll find you in a little while.

Thank you. Thank you.

It is such a beautiful home.

Exquisite garden, but I think the penny is dropping with Chris.

I think even if I found him the most amazing house, right near

the coast, with a very quick commute to London, I still think it would

be too far for him.

It makes it such a long working day and that's, I think, in their

heads, what they've got to work out-

where the priority is.

This impressive Edwardian property has wowed Chris and Jackie

and leaves them ?100,000 in their budget.

There's a stunning kitchen/diner,

three additional reception rooms, five bedrooms,

including that attic room that could make a man cave and the coastal

location is close to amenities including rail links to London.

Wow, yes. Another large space.

You could get your parties equipment up here,

you could get some storage down one side. Yeah, potential.

Huge potential to do things to it. Huge potential.

The Mystery House is stunning.

The high ceilings and all the other period features are exactly what I

want to see in my next house. It's just the wow factor.

It really has the wow factor.

I think the Mystery House is absolutely great.

There's the footprint, the size, the space. What I really like is the light, airy,

spacious feel you get from walking from room to room.

I think the commute of an hour and 40 on the train if you're

doing 10+ hour days, it becomes untenable for a long period of time.

So, that's it. You've seen all our properties.

You two need to have a little bit of a chat and then we'll find

out what your next move's going to be.

Well, we've certainly ended on a high note here in West Sussex with

our Mystery House, but the question is, how high?

Let's go and ask them.

Well, Chris and Jackie, we are desperate to get you away

from the big smoke for a new life in the country.

Have we got close, I wonder?

I think you got close to a property that we really do like.

Well, two properties that we really do like. Yeah.

It's the location, I think is the sort of sticking point.

Well, let's talk about the actual properties themselves.

Put me out of my misery then. Which were the two that you loved?

We like the house in Southwick, but we also liked the house in...

Walliswood. Yes. Yeah, in Walliswood.

I think they... Very different houses, themselves.

But each had so much to offer

and ticked an awful lot of boxes.

You know, totally different locations in each case.

So, that has given us a lot to think about.

But, you know, that, I think has really now helped us to focus

on what's important and what, perhaps, we need to look for.

And I think we realised the coast is probably too far away to commute from.

I think it's the commute aspect of life is the one that's really sinking...

coming to the forefront of my mind at the moment.

And obviously that's very key while I'm still working in the city. Mm.

And another thing to consider as well with this remoteness, we,

even for my line of work, we're going to be very reliant on having

a good Internet service.

Being in London, you have everything, don't you, in that respect?

And it didn't occur to me, actually, that that might be an issue.

So, it's something else that's going to have to go on that list. It's really helped us now to...

We can see what we like and what we don't like.

Well, I'm glad we've been able to help.

No, I definitely think we're much closer,

you know, than we were a few days ago even.

You know, I feel very positive.

It's been great, we've loved showing you around,

so all the very best and I hope you get to move very soon, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Well, we may not have finalised our house sale with Chris and

Jackie but what we did do is find them the perfect home.

Just, frustratingly in the wrong location. But I think the last

few days has really helped them fine tune what it is they want

from this new country lifestyle that they so crave.

They've just got to decide on the exact location and the rest will

fall into place. We wish them all the very best wherever they end up.

And I'll see you again on Escape To The Country.

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