Missing family and the great British countryside, today's couple are heading home to Warwickshire having spent the last six years living and working in the USA. Jules Hudson helps with their house search and visits an 18th century walled garden to meet the volunteers who help keep it in tip-top condition.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00For a country escape plan to hit the right spot...
00:05Location's a winner.
00:06Yeah.
00:07And actually, it looks really nice.
00:09So far, so good?
00:10So far, so good.
00:12It's important to know what to expect.
00:15We've no idea what prices are in the country.
00:17We're a little out of touch, aren't we?
00:19Perhaps a rude awakening.
00:20Yeah, absolutely.
00:22And making the right property match can be more of an art than a science.
00:27The perfect house, from my experience,
00:29it's the one that makes you want to embrace its imperfections.
00:32You just never know when the right one might come along.
00:36It feels like coming home, for sure.
00:38Yeah.
00:57We're escaping the city for a county that has none.
01:07Birthplace of wordsmith William Shakespeare,
01:10who once wrote,
01:11All the world's a stage.
01:13Well, with scenery like this,
01:15Warwickshire certainly deserves a curtain call.
01:20Well, if Shakespeare were alive today,
01:22I think he'd rather approve of modern-day Warwickshire,
01:25as it is with umpteen theatres, art galleries and music venues.
01:29There really is something here for everyone.
01:32But we also may need to heed the words of the famous bard.
01:36Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.
01:40That's Othello, Act 2, Scene 3.
01:46Located in the heart of England,
01:48the county of Warwickshire might fool you into thinking
01:51it's all about pretty patchwork landscapes
01:54dotted with picture-perfect villages.
01:58But head to Leamington, known as Silicon Spa,
02:02due to an abundance of computer game creators,
02:05the theatre land of Stratford-upon-Avon,
02:08or wonderfully historic Warwick,
02:10and you'll soon find this shire packs a cultural punch.
02:15There's local craft fairs that happen almost every term,
02:19and then there's the Warwick Folk Fair, or Folk Festival,
02:23which happens every year, and there's so many concerts.
02:28There's something going on that is just awesome for the community.
02:33It's a great place to live.
02:35It's got a lot of history to it, like Warwick with the castle,
02:39and then Stratford has an amazing history with Shakespeare
02:42and all the literature and theatre there.
02:44It's a great community feel.
02:46Everything's really close by, everything's really accessible,
02:49loads of beautiful countryside to explore and loads more as well.
02:59So time now to meet today's buyers,
03:02who after six years living across the pond in North America
03:06have decided to come home back to Blighty
03:09to make this gorgeous part of the world their new home.
03:12Hello, I'm Nigel.
03:14I'm Louise. And I'm Abi.
03:16And we live in Wilmington, North Carolina.
03:18We need your help.
03:20We are returning to live in the UK,
03:22and we'd love to live in the Warwickshire countryside.
03:25Nigel and Louise, who first met at school in Warwickshire,
03:29the county where they were both born,
03:31moved with their now 11-year-old son Herbie six years ago
03:35to expand Nigel's ice cream business into the US market.
03:41This is the road that we need to go on to get anywhere.
03:44There is our neighbourhood.
03:48And in order to go anywhere in this town,
03:50you have to get out and get on to this,
03:52which is six lanes at this particular point.
03:56And what do you think of moving, Herbie?
03:58Well, I'm sad to miss all my friends and everything, so...
04:02Yeah, so it's Tim's with sadness,
04:05but he has four elder brothers and sisters that we need to be closer to.
04:13We both have elderly mothers.
04:16We would love to spend more time with,
04:18and the rest of our family, of course, our children.
04:20And we're about to become grandparents for the first time.
04:25There's something missing in our lives, isn't it?
04:28Obviously, it's our family.
04:30And to be honest, the English countryside as well.
04:32We just want to slow the pace of life
04:35and enjoy what we've missed, British countryside.
04:41Nigel and Louise have a budget of £800,000,
04:45with some wiggle room for the perfect property.
04:48They want four bedrooms, a big sociable kitchen,
04:52and a good-sized garden.
04:54They'd like a countryside location for dog walks and the views,
04:58plus public transport such as a train line within a short drive.
05:07Well, I think Nigel and Louise are a fascinating couple.
05:10Nigel selling gelato to Italian-Americans,
05:13that's like selling coals to Newcastle.
05:15But I do understand why they want to come back to a country
05:20which, let's face it, after only six years abroad,
05:23definitely feels like home.
05:26But, my goodness me, things have changed since they left the UK.
05:30Things are a bit more expensive,
05:32so we're going to have to work hard to find them a new family home,
05:35but one which they can all regard as just that,
05:38a home for all the family.
05:43Our first destination is in what was historically Warwickshire,
05:47but is now the West Midlands,
05:49where we've lined up a property in the village of Birkswell.
05:52But before we head there, we're catching up in the grounds of our hotel.
05:58Wow, this is all very idyllic, isn't it?
06:00What a nice start to your escape to the country.
06:02Nigel, Louise, welcome back to the UK, all the way from North Carolina.
06:07And here we are, Warwickshire. Why here?
06:10We both met in school, which was in Sully Hall,
06:14which used to be Warwickshire, it's now West Midlands.
06:17So we kind of grew up in the area around,
06:20and this is... My mother lives near here, your mother lives near here,
06:24and we just became grandparents a week ago.
06:26Congratulations, yeah. Thank you.
06:28And we have other children that are here.
06:30We only took one with us, or one's with us now,
06:33so we needed to come back and become a family again.
06:36The eldest, 32? Correct, yes.
06:38Herbie at the other end, who's 11, who's been with you in America.
06:41That's right. Is he looking forward to coming back?
06:43I think he wants to have more contact with family as well.
06:47He knows how important it is to us,
06:49and so that's kind of filtered into his family values.
06:52So in terms of what you're looking for,
06:54clearly this needs to be a big property.
06:56Big enough to have, certainly right now, family times and all get together,
07:00so that's quite important to us.
07:02But at the same time, we are looking forward to more character.
07:05Our neighbours' houses, everything is very, very standard.
07:08All the bathrooms are the same, all the kitchens are the same,
07:11so we crave a bit more individuality.
07:13The weather is with us. You're here, all the way from the States.
07:16Fingers crossed, in a couple of days' time,
07:18we can see you set sail into a property that's going to work for the future.
07:22Let's hope so. Yep. Fingers crossed.
07:24Come on, then. Let's go. Follow me. All right.
07:29The first house I'm showing them is a mile or two
07:32from the outskirts of the city of Coventry,
07:34where the suburb of Tile Hill is located
07:37on the former site of the ancient Forest of Arden.
07:40There's a selection of shops and services,
07:43as well as a train station on the west coast mainline,
07:46with direct services to the cities of Birmingham and London.
07:50We're a little over a mile from the station,
07:52within the parish boundaries of the village of Birkswell,
07:55with a striking property that is set down a private, gated drive.
08:00What do we think, then, of that lot?
08:04Wow. It's definitely character.
08:07The entrance is gorgeous and spectacular.
08:10I think, compared to what you're likely to find in North Carolina...
08:14Oh, this is so far removed.
08:16There's no resemblance whatsoever.
08:18It probably will feel smaller.
08:20We're expecting that. Looking forward to seeing it.
08:23Come on, let's have a look. All right.
08:29This attached barn conversion is built from Warwickshire brick,
08:33tile and timbers that may well have come
08:35from the nearby ancient Forest of Arden.
08:38A desirable period nesting site for many.
08:41But let's see what my recent returnees from the USA make of it,
08:45as our tour begins off the entrance at the Gatorland.
08:51So let's start in here.
08:53Decent size.
08:55So this could be a cosy, kind of, more of a winter room,
08:59a winter reception room. The floor's lovely.
09:02I think this absolutely is something you would cosy up in.
09:05But in terms of social space...
09:07Yeah, there's plenty of room in here.
09:09For two big sofas, as you can see there, as well,
09:12and extra furniture as well.
09:14The entrance hall is a good size for keeping coats and boots,
09:18and on the other side we reach a second reception room.
09:23What do we call this? Family room, dining room, you name it, really.
09:27But the dual aspect is what makes this work.
09:29And in terms of what you're used to at the moment...
09:32How much smaller is this?
09:34Well, in terms of putting the two spaces together,
09:37I would say that it's similar size for the living area that we have.
09:41We're very open-plan living right now,
09:43and I said, wouldn't it be nice to be able to shut a door
09:46and have something going on there?
09:48We want that, and we want the separation of rooms.
09:51All right.
09:54Located at the centre and rear of the home
09:57is a kitchen with fitted shaker-style units.
10:03I'd quite like to take these two walls out and make it into one room.
10:06That would work for me.
10:08That flow between the kitchen and the living area, I do like that.
10:11Because I can't stand being on my own in the kitchen
10:14when everybody else is chatting and I'm missing all the gossip.
10:17Yeah, yeah. But there is a cost to that.
10:19Let's have a look upstairs... OK.
10:21..and then we can start to draw it all together.
10:23OK. After you, mate. Lead on.
10:27It's great that Nigel and Louise's creative juices are flowing,
10:31all subject to the right planning and building consents, of course.
10:36Off the kitchen, a utility room completes this level.
10:40Then upstairs, there are four bedrooms,
10:43starting with a very characterful principal en suite set into the eaves
10:47that's about as far from North Carolina as you can get.
10:52This is beautiful. Yeah, this is a gorgeous room.
10:55It is refreshingly light, isn't it? Yes.
10:58With these skylights, that really helps it.
11:00You've also got an en suite in there too.
11:03All right.
11:05Figuring out how it all works with the rest of the family and, you know, Herbie,
11:08because, you know, he's got to buy into this as well, hasn't he?
11:11Yeah. Go on, then. Off you go. OK.
11:14There are three further bedrooms with 11-year-old son potential.
11:19The cosy double has exposed original timbers.
11:22I think this would be somewhere Herbie would like to be.
11:25Yes. A bit smaller than he's used to.
11:28Yeah. We would need to fit some storage in here.
11:32Well, I can just hear Nigel and Louise exploring upstairs.
11:36They may find it a little on the small side,
11:40but we do tend to do things on a smaller scale.
11:43But, fingers crossed, we are heading in the right direction.
11:48The family bathroom provides a free-standing contemporary bath
11:52and a separate shower cubicle.
11:55Another bedroom is a single room and the smallest on offer.
11:59Then, finishing off the accommodation is a sizeable double
12:03with a pitched dormer to the front of the home.
12:07I think this would be Herbie's bedroom rather than the other one.
12:10Better for an 11-year-old that's living here all the time. Yes.
12:13No fitted wardrobes is something we're going to have to get used to.
12:16I know that's something we have to compromise on.
12:20Outside, there's a courtyard garden...
12:24..as well as a large area of lawn with a wildlife pond.
12:28Outbuildings include a timber-built garage
12:31and workshop to the front of the home,
12:34as well as a garden studio with power.
12:39Well, now they've started to scale back their expectations
12:42to English country home sizes,
12:44let's see how readjusted they are to the state of the property market.
12:50I love the outside.
12:52We quite like to change things and put our stamp on stuff
12:55and, you know, open out and do work.
12:57What that would cost and what the cost of the building is in the first place.
13:01Well, let's talk about that, shall we?
13:03What do you think this might be on the market for?
13:06I know where we are in the country,
13:08but we've no idea what prices are in the country.
13:10We're a little out of touch, aren't we?
13:12I'm estimating round about the £785 mark.
13:18Are you trying to read my face? Yes, I am, but not getting very far.
13:21I've got a poker face. No, that's all right.
13:23£785,000, OK.
13:25I'm going to say £810,000.
13:27£810,000.
13:29This is currently on the market for offers over £800,000.
13:33Yikes. OK, OK.
13:35Perhaps a rude awakening.
13:37Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
13:40This attached brick, timber and tile barn conversion
13:43has two reception rooms,
13:45a kitchen with separate utility and four bedrooms.
13:49It's in a rural location with a private driveway
13:52close to the facilities of the city of Coventry.
13:56I like the garden, like the lawn,
13:59like the way the building looked.
14:01A little courtyard in the back.
14:03You'd think you could have some good sort of party times in there.
14:06So those are good things.
14:08I love the character of it.
14:10I love that it all had the beams and there was a lot of features,
14:14the sort of thing that Nigel and I really love about a property.
14:20Wow, one down, two more to go.
14:22Come on, out you come.
14:25Hopefully this is giving you a sense of what it's like now,
14:30buying rural properties in the UK,
14:32particularly in an area such as this,
14:35but hopefully not this hot.
14:37I think we need to go more rural.
14:39Do you? OK.
14:41Excellent. Come on, then.
14:44Returning to the UK after six years
14:47means Nigel and Louise have more than a new home to find.
14:52There's a school to sort out for 11-year-old son Herbie
14:56and thereafter a community to become part of.
15:00This is really pretty.
15:02That's where the county town of Warwick,
15:05set alongside the River Avon, comes in handy.
15:08It's a really lovely, pretty Georgian town
15:11with lots for visitors and locals to enjoy.
15:14It's got a lovely range of shops,
15:16plenty of coffee shops for people to come and meet friends
15:19and lots of other activities and things that people can do
15:22and just a chance for people to come and enjoy themselves
15:25here in this beautiful town.
15:28Several bus and coach companies provide routes to and from the town
15:32and there are a variety of services available.
15:35These provide routes to and from the town
15:38and there are regular trains to Birmingham,
15:40Stratford-upon-Avon and London.
15:42Schools include nearby Might & Secondary,
15:45rated good by Ofsted.
15:47And with the population assessed
15:49as having one of the highest average disposable incomes
15:52in the country, it's perhaps no surprise
15:55the town is thriving with independent shops and services.
16:00Coffee? Absolutely.
16:02That one then? Yeah.
16:04Someone who can tell Louise and Nigel more about that
16:08is local resident Jack Linstead,
16:10who opened a cafe here four years ago.
16:14Thank you. Thank you very much.
16:16Why did you choose Warwick?
16:18Warwick, I moved to for work originally,
16:21but then it was a place that sort of captured my heart.
16:24It was almost like living on holiday and it felt more like a village.
16:27You've got lots of different independent shops
16:30who support each other,
16:32so you get that sort of community feel as well, I think,
16:34because the business owners get to know the people who live locally.
16:37We make great coffee, Jack. Thank you very much. Thank you.
16:40And apparently very good cakes.
16:42Can I have one of those lemon slices? Of course you can.
16:44Here we go. That's good. Thank you.
16:46Enjoy both. Thank you. Cheers.
16:49For a different perspective on the town, head to the river.
16:52Thank you, gentlemen.
16:55And take a boat down the Avon
16:57to check out the waterside properties.
17:00That view of the castle is stunning.
17:03Look at it. It's so pretty.
17:07The only problem is I now want one of the houses on the river.
17:11It feels like coming home, for sure. Yeah.
17:15Well, let's see if we can find them their very own castle to call home
17:19here in the Warwickshire countryside.
17:28My next house is in the rural outskirts of the Warwickshire village of Shrewley.
17:33Located around five miles north-west of Warwick,
17:36the village has almost 900 residents.
17:39There are a couple of pubs in the parish,
17:41including one that offers food seven days a week.
17:44The village hall hosts community activities
17:47and there's a handy shop with post office facilities.
17:52With a railway station at Hatton in walking distance,
17:55as well as the M40 motorway close by,
17:58it's a popular and well-connected location.
18:01There's also an added benefit for my UK returnees.
18:06So, we are not a million miles from Shrewley,
18:09which absolutely works for the family, doesn't it?
18:12We have two very close members of the family living nearby,
18:16just down the road.
18:18You can probably walk to them from here. Yeah.
18:20Well, this is what I want you to have a look at.
18:23Oh, this is very charming, actually. I like the big windows.
18:26Location's a winner. Yeah.
18:28And, actually, it looks really nice.
18:30So far, so good? So far, so good.
18:33Right. Fingers crossed, then. All right.
18:37This attached home is thought to be the former coach house
18:40for a neighbouring property.
18:42The building probably dates to the early 19th century
18:46and has a Grade II listing.
18:49It was converted to residential use in the 1990s
18:52and has been in the same family ever since.
18:55Our tour starts in a long wing with arched windows
18:59that houses the kitchen dining room.
19:02There. Come on in.
19:05It has character, for sure.
19:07So, dining area here, obviously,
19:09and then connected through the beams to the main kitchen.
19:13Yes. That works.
19:15And I do like these windows from this side as well.
19:18Yeah.
19:19For me, it gives a nice cosy feel.
19:21I feel a good feeling.
19:24But are we creeping towards a style that might fit the bill?
19:30It is a style that I think we like. Yes.
19:34The other end of this wing adjoins an additional building
19:37linked by internal double doors
19:39that open onto a large reception room
19:42where the timber features continue.
19:45There. How about this lot?
19:48Oh, this is really welcoming.
19:51Love the beams.
19:53Sometimes I feel that houses with a lot of beams can be oppressive,
19:57but I don't feel that here.
19:59What would your North Carolina neighbours think if they came in here?
20:03Oh, shock horror.
20:05What? You live in... Jeez, couldn't you get a new one?
20:08Yeah. It's so far removed.
20:10But there's bags of room in here and leads on to study next door,
20:14plus also utility room as well, overlooking the garden.
20:19I'm very interested to see what upstairs is like.
20:21Well, I think now I'm going to give you the run of upstairs on your own.
20:25OK. I'll find you out in the garden.
20:27OK. Thank you.
20:30Stairs rise up to the loft space above the kitchen diner
20:34where there's a spacious landing...
20:36Nigel, look at this.
20:38..leading to the principal en suite at the gable end.
20:42It's a lot bigger up here than I thought.
20:44Yeah. That's pretty out there, isn't it?
20:47Yeah. You like?
20:49I like this. Good bathroom. Good size.
20:52It's more airier than I thought it would be.
20:55Definitely a lot bigger, and the high ceilings make it seem...
20:58Well, it's got the high ceilings, hasn't it?
21:01Off the landing to the other side
21:03is a family bathroom with another arched window.
21:06This serves two additional bedrooms,
21:08starting in a large double with fitted wardrobes that might suit their son.
21:14Herbie's bedroom. Yeah.
21:16We'd have to borrow his wardrobe space.
21:19They'd also need to compromise on bedroom numbers.
21:22What a shame there's not one extra bedroom up here.
21:27However, there is the option, potentially,
21:30of converting the downstairs study into bedroom number four.
21:34Fingers crossed they will make that compromise over bedrooms upstairs
21:38and take the whole thing, well, as a whole.
21:45There's also potential to convert the adjoining garage and store
21:49subject to planning consent.
21:52The generous garden includes a cobbled patio, hedging
21:55and matured trees around an area of lawn.
21:59And whilst the local birdlife has the pick
22:02of a detached residence, there is a distant sound
22:05other than birdsong here.
22:08Beautiful garden. Love all this.
22:12It's the road. It's difficult, isn't it?
22:14Because we've tried to get you in this hub of where you want to be
22:18with family and all the rest of it.
22:20You could pretty much walk to their front doors from here. Yeah.
22:23We thought, absolutely, got to show you.
22:25Well, let's talk about the price, shall we?
22:27Let's say 790, maybe. Yeah. OK.
22:29£790,000, not to confuse it with dollars.
22:33I think it's going to be worth more.
22:35I'm going more...
22:38..£840,000.
22:42£840,000.
22:44This is currently on the market for £850,000.
22:50However, sensible offers genuinely get sensible answers.
22:55This attached early 19th-century converted coach house
22:59offers both open-plan family space in the kitchen diner
23:03and a separate reception room with character features.
23:06There are three double bedrooms, a large garden,
23:09and it's close to a lovely village where they have family ties.
23:15I love the feel of the age and the history in this property.
23:21It's a very beautiful property.
23:23Loads of character.
23:26The feeling I had when we walked inside,
23:29it was kind of like coming home, I suppose.
23:32I kept walking through, there was something else that I liked,
23:35something else that I really liked,
23:37and then it was more or less the moment we stepped outside
23:41that we went, mm-mm, I'm sorry, it's not going to work for us.
23:47But it's not game, set and match for our property quest just yet.
23:54Ah!
23:56Whoa!
23:58Tell you what, what a fantastic way to finish a day of house hunting.
24:02Love it.
24:04My favourite thing to do in the world, this is.
24:07Back at our hotel, we're ready to bat some thoughts back and forth
24:11on the search so far.
24:13Hey, get it, get it, get it, get it.
24:15I'm taking it.
24:17Oh, my goodness.
24:20Good game, guys.
24:22I think this goes to the heart of who you are, doesn't it, as a couple?
24:25You know, you love the outdoors, you love being sporty,
24:28and the social life that comes with it.
24:30Yeah.
24:32We're going to carry on over here.
24:34Well, talking of carrying on, I know today perhaps a little bit
24:37frustrating that we didn't find you a property where you just said,
24:40oh, my goodness, Jules, that's it.
24:42Yeah.
24:44But has it helped inform the process?
24:46Completely.
24:48I think we've got a grip on the value of houses back here.
24:52Yeah.
24:54It's helped to establish what we can get for our budget.
24:57And we're definitely in the right area.
24:59Let's reaffirm that.
25:01We just have one more to come.
25:03I'm crossing everything that tomorrow, Mystery House...
25:06Yeah.
25:08..might just do it. But who knows?
25:10Hope for the best.
25:12Another set there before... Come on, then.
25:14..beers and dinner. Let's break a sweat.
25:20Fingers crossed I might still serve up a winner.
25:34The average price for a detached home in Warwickshire
25:37stands at over £527,000,
25:41quite a bit higher than the UK average of £457,000.
25:48Not surprising, perhaps,
25:50given the county's winning combination of beautiful countryside,
25:53low population density and good transport links.
25:58Warwickshire is absolutely ideal in terms of location.
26:01It's got the M40 motorway which takes you to the south,
26:05so you're in London within an hour and a half.
26:08It's got the M42 motorway
26:10which takes you to Birmingham and the north and Birmingham Airport.
26:14It's easy to get trained from Leamington Station or Birmingham NEC
26:20and it's a gorgeous setting.
26:24It certainly is.
26:26This two-bedroom, Grade II-listed cottage is in Aston Cantlow,
26:30a village that was once home to Shakespeare's mother.
26:34Internal period features include flagstone floors and original beams.
26:40And outside there's a cute back garden,
26:43offered at £285,000.
26:49Or this detached house with an oak timber extension
26:52is in a more rural setting.
26:54A glass roof lantern floods the kitchen with daylight.
26:57There's a sizeable garden with views over the countryside
27:00and it's on the market for offers over £650,000.
27:08Or for a short trip, why not branch out
27:11with a self-catering stay in a treehouse near Henley-in-Arden?
27:16Set on stilts, there's a double bed and private hot tub
27:20with views across the surrounding hills.
27:24It's £410 for a minimum two-night stay.
27:30Well, as we head into our final day of house hunting here with Nigel and Louise,
27:34in some respects the search thus far has been a bit frustrating
27:37and it's hard to know why.
27:39Because, let's be honest, we've got a great budget, we've had great weather
27:42and the pick of some of the best properties the region has to offer.
27:46But yet, we have still to land a real winner.
27:49So what can we do for our final offering, our mystery house?
27:52Well, on this occasion, I'm going to move away
27:55from a classic escape-to-the-country property
27:57and dial up the architectural heat
28:00to try and give them something which I think will feel more familiar
28:03from everything they're leaving behind in North America.
28:09The twist of my mystery house is we're heading out of Warwickshire
28:13to the Worcestershire village of Ablench.
28:17Six miles away, I've sent Nigel and Louise to familiarise themselves
28:21with this expansion on their search area
28:24in the medieval market town of Evesham.
28:28Shoppers have a choice of a traditional high street,
28:31shopping centre and a retail park.
28:33There are good bus routes serving Worcester, Redditch
28:36and a variety of rural communities.
28:41And it's to one of these, a cluster of hamlets and villages
28:44collectively known as the Lenches,
28:47where I've come ahead to check out our final property.
28:51Well, while Nigel and Louise enjoy the delights of Evesham,
28:55I get to show you a little sneak preview
28:57of what our mystery house is all about.
29:00And I think the first thing to say are the views.
29:05Come and have a look at this.
29:07We know Nigel and Louise love a bit of open plan,
29:10but I think we're still going to try and get them towards something
29:13that feels a little bit like America, what they've left behind.
29:17And all of the four bedrooms, four bedrooms are en suite
29:21and from every window, views to die for.
29:24Surely this is the one.
29:26Let's see if they're here and see if I'm right.
29:32How was Evesham? Very interesting.
29:34Somewhere I've never been before.
29:36Well, talking of places you've never been before,
29:38you won't have seen this either. Mystery house, what do you think?
29:41I'm just looking at the views at the moment,
29:43more than the house, actually.
29:45The views are absolutely gorgeous.
29:47You've brought us out to the sticks, haven't you? We have.
29:50But the result is this.
29:52Well, it looks like you get a bit more for your money.
29:54I'm hoping that some of the modern twists that this one offers you
29:58might feel a little familiar
30:00with what you're leaving behind in North Carolina.
30:03I'm intrigued.
30:04Anyway, come on, let's have a look. Let's start our little tour.
30:09My mystery house started out as a one-bedroom bungalow in the 1950s,
30:14but has been turned into a very substantial detached home
30:17with a series of extensions, most recently by the Currentovers.
30:23I'm hoping the contemporary spin will appeal.
30:27Welcome.
30:29As we start our tour in the open-plan kitchen, diner and living area.
30:36OK, so we've got the open kitchen, which is what we were asking for.
30:40It's a big space.
30:42I'm just trying to envisage our type of furniture in here.
30:45This is a different type of furniture.
30:47It's quite a blank canvas, actually.
30:51Off the kitchen to the rear is a utility and cloakroom.
30:56Double doors lead through towards the front of the home
30:59and an additional reception room.
31:03So this is another living room.
31:05Yeah, there's tons of space in here.
31:08And lots more light as well.
31:12French doors open onto a conservatory with a panoramic rural outlook.
31:18I could sit here for a while, just study the view.
31:21It's so beautiful.
31:23It's such a shame that the opportunity isn't available for in there.
31:28There's this block here.
31:31I would almost lose the walls for that, or something, you know.
31:34Yeah, yeah. It's very easy to see how you would do that.
31:37Come and have a look through here.
31:40Many previous occupants have made their mark on the structure of this home
31:45and there's no reason why Louise and Nigel shouldn't explore doing the same.
31:52A modification by the current owners is a ground floor extension
31:56providing a one-bedroom annex.
31:59What you've got is a living room, bedroom and en suite through there.
32:03This is like a guest suite.
32:05A guest suite, absolutely.
32:07So there's three more bedrooms upstairs?
32:09There are. Have the run of it.
32:11Go and look at the master bedroom as well.
32:13And I'll find you out in the garden.
32:15OK. I'm just going to have a look in there first.
32:17Yeah, go on. Go on. Check it out.
32:20That's what it's about. Yes.
32:22Exploring, that's what we want people to do.
32:24Explore, understand and hopefully interpret this in a way that means it will work.
32:31Upstairs there are three further double bedrooms set into the eaves.
32:35The first is a spacious principal en suite that spans the width of the property.
32:42OK. Ooh.
32:44It's all immaculately finished.
32:47Mm.
32:49Plenty of space for all your clothes.
32:52I can't get over that view.
32:55You wake up to that all the time, can you?
32:57Yeah.
32:59I think the bedrooms here are one of the key selling points of this property,
33:03all of which are en suite, not to be sniffed at in a rural property.
33:07Fingers crossed they like what they see.
33:12Bedroom three is being put to use as a home office
33:15and, like all the first floor rooms, has a dormer window as well as an en suite.
33:21And finally, bedroom four is to the front.
33:25What do you make of it so far?
33:27I look at it more as a blank canvas
33:30and I'd want to take out a few walls, move the kitchen.
33:34A lot of that would be dependent on the price.
33:36Exactly. Yes.
33:38But before I reveal my out-of-county mysteries price tag, there's more.
33:44With an attached double garage,
33:46the property is set in its own elevated plot that includes parking for several cars.
33:53There's a south-facing patio area next to a lean-to greenhouse and raised veg beds.
34:00But the majority of the garden is lawn, surrounded, of course, by glorious countryside.
34:10But let's think about the price, then, of our final offering, our mystery house.
34:14I'm going to say around about...
34:18..our budget, so around about £800,000.
34:21£800,000, yeah, Nigel?
34:23So I'm going to go with £765,000.
34:26£765,000.
34:28It's currently on the market for offers in the region of £775,000.
34:33OK. Right.
34:34And I think it is open to a reasonable offer.
34:37It leaves some money in the budget to do what we would want to do to a house.
34:42Yes, we've got plans already, extensive plans.
34:45Would you like to have another look around and continue making some plans?
34:48Yeah, let's have another look. Paper and pencil.
34:50Go on, off you go. OK, thanks.
34:52I'll find you later on.
34:54That is very interesting.
34:56For me, one of the really exciting parts about looking at any property
35:00is thinking creatively about how I might make it my own.
35:04And that is what they are now thinking about,
35:06and that, in my book, is a good sign.
35:10This cheeky sneak across the county border
35:13has given them the option of a substantially extended detached 1950s build.
35:18It has an open-plan kitchen and living room,
35:21a large conservatory, four en suite double bedrooms
35:24and an attached double garage.
35:27It's set in its own elevated plot
35:30with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
35:35This property has made me feel so much more optimistic.
35:40I'm liking what I'm seeing here.
35:42Yeah, we can get something in our budget.
35:44It's nice to know that there could be some money left
35:47to actually make it our own place.
35:49It's funny if it is just crossing a county makes it slightly more rustic,
35:54and I quite like that.
35:56And more affordable, I think.
35:58I definitely like that.
36:13Many I've helped on country escapes over the years
36:16express a desire to start growing their own.
36:21But in the days before fruit and veg imports,
36:24that wasn't a wish, it was a necessity.
36:29I've come to Warwickshire Moted Manor House, Battersley, Clinton,
36:32to check out a great innovation our ancestors came up with
36:36to extend the growing season, the walled garden.
36:41I love a walled kitchen garden, so much so I even wrote a book about them.
36:45But when I get the chance to see one I've never seen before,
36:48it's an opportunity I simply cannot resist.
36:53The house, garden and 150-acre estate
36:57is now in the hands of the National Trust.
37:00I'm meeting head gardener Lucy Simpson in the centuries-old courtyard.
37:05This is just such a hidden gem, isn't it?
37:08And the wisteria, we can smell it from here.
37:11That's incredible.
37:13It is. This is almost a walled garden within itself
37:16and it really amplifies the scent with the heat that we have in.
37:22But it's the official walled garden I've really come here to see.
37:27And that dates to the 18th century
37:29when it was laid out on the sunniest side of the house.
37:35Well, Lucy, we're in the far corner of your walled garden,
37:38somewhere with walls that's protected,
37:40keeping the pests away, keeping the winds away too.
37:43And they were vital, weren't they, for properties like this?
37:46Yeah, they were.
37:47And you can raise the temperature within a walled garden
37:49by a couple of degrees,
37:50which just means you can tweak your horticulture a little bit
37:53and grow maybe a few things a little earlier in the season
37:56or a little later.
37:57And so clever.
37:58You know, we don't have heated walls here
38:00but some places have heat actually within the walls
38:03and fires within the walls.
38:05Yeah, amazing science behind it.
38:07I mean, that is absolutely loving where it is against the wall.
38:10It is.
38:11And that's why the walls work, isn't it?
38:13They retain that heat in the brickwork
38:15and clearly that young wisteria is on its way
38:18to becoming something like that.
38:20Exactly. Exactly.
38:24I've always felt that when you walk through the door
38:27of any walled garden, you cross a rather magical threshold.
38:31There is something rather wonderful and enchanted
38:35about a walled garden space, isn't there?
38:37Yeah, yeah. You feel protected.
38:40As well as being a quiet sanctuary for visitors,
38:43the garden provides produce for the restaurant.
38:46By the late 18th century,
38:48horticulture got even more high-tech
38:50with the addition of glasshouses.
38:53These expanded the possibilities
38:55of what could be grown in the English climate even further,
38:58something today's gardeners still take advantage of.
39:02And look at this. I'm such an anorak for walled gardens.
39:04I know that this is beaver-tail glass.
39:06Oh, no, we call it fishtail.
39:08Oh, fishtail, OK. Fishtail, beaver-tail.
39:10So that the water runs through the centre of the pane
39:12and away from the woodwork to try and preserve it.
39:15And you've got a vinery there. Is it the right one?
39:17We do. Yeah, a Black Hamburg vine in there.
39:19We think she's about 160 years old.
39:22And in a good year, we get a nice crop.
39:28Much of the work is done by a team of around 35 volunteers.
39:32Today I'm meeting two of them, Eden and Dorothy.
39:36Pleased to meet you. Lovely to see you too.
39:38Thank you. Oh, that's it, obviously.
39:40Sure. What are you doing?
39:42We're creating fences for the herbaceous plants to grow up through.
39:46Is that hazel? It is. Yeah.
39:48The plant will eventually grow through
39:50and you won't be able to see the hazel at all.
39:52Of course.
39:53And eminently compostable when you finish with it.
39:55Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, that's right.
39:57So how long have you been volunteering?
39:59Almost seven years. And what about you?
40:0111 years now. It's brilliant.
40:03I mean, just being part of a team, working in a place like this,
40:07it's fantastic. What better way could you spend a day?
40:10Every time we're here, there's a new skill to be learned.
40:13Well, both of you, it's been an absolute pleasure.
40:15Keep up the good work. Thanks very much.
40:17Thank you very much. Thank you.
40:21I have thoroughly enjoyed my brief bit of gardening leave,
40:24but now to get back to the important business
40:27of my buyer's need for a Warwickshire home.
40:32Well, it is now famously decision time for Nigel and Louise.
40:37Has our house search been successful?
40:40In the words of the great man,
40:42is it to be or not to be?
40:44Hamlet, Act 3, c'est moi.
40:52Well, you two, all the way from North Carolina
40:55to find a home here in Warwickshire
40:57and the wider Warwickshire community.
40:59Here in Warwickshire and the wider region.
41:02I had high hopes, but we haven't found something
41:04that's knocked you off your feet.
41:06You've done very well. It's been a good experience.
41:09The third one, though, you know, we are interested,
41:11it's a question of the distance,
41:13and we won't really know that until we go and explore ourselves
41:16in a car, drive around.
41:18We need to spend some time exploring the area,
41:20seeing what the schools are like, if there are any other families
41:23with young children living in the area, that kind of thing.
41:26You're moving back very soon, aren't you?
41:30Furniture is leaving, whether we do or not.
41:34We're going to move, and we're in the right area.
41:38I have no doubt you will get there in the end,
41:40but I'm going to give you my sort of parting words of wisdom.
41:43The perfect house, from my experience,
41:45it's the one that makes you want to embrace its imperfections.
41:49Right. The perfect part. Very deep.
41:52But, guys, it's been an absolute pleasure,
41:54in your move back here, and let us know what happens.
41:57Cheers to you guys. Thank you.
41:58Cheers, and thank you. Pleasure.
42:00It's been our pleasure. Thank you.
42:06Well, it is true to say that Nigel and Louise
42:08are not walking away with any of the keys
42:10to the properties we showed them this week just yet,
42:13but I am confident they are going away inspired and reinvigorated
42:17as to what life here in the UK is going to offer them
42:20when finally they return from the United States.
42:23When they return, they most certainly will.
42:25Their families are here, their business is here,
42:27they were born here, and they will be back.
42:30In about six weeks' time, truth be told,
42:33fingers crossed all their future plans work out.
42:36I'll see you next time.
42:39Nigel and Louise returned for a second look at the mystery house
42:43and continued to view more properties in Warwickshire.
42:46They fell in love with a five-bedroom thatch cottage
42:49in Stratford-upon-Avon, put in an offer, and it was accepted.
42:53We wish them all the best in their new home.
42:57If you would like to escape to the country in England, Northern Ireland,
43:00Scotland or Wales and need our help,
43:02why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part.
43:19.