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Escape To The Country - Season 26 Episode 28 - Nottinghamshire
Transcript
00:00on escape to the country we get to toast the merits of some stunning period properties I
00:09can see you sitting over the glass of rosie right now but there's always room for some
00:15familiar modern comforts this is pretty close to what I would do if I was designing something
00:21there can be a lot to get your head around I must have absolutely no idea that's not very
00:29helpful Chris and some tricky decisions to make we've made it harder in a lot of ways
00:59with its sprawling ancient woodlands and stories of heroes passed down through generations
01:08Nottinghamshire is perhaps the world's most legendary county the Amazon forest is known as
01:17the lungs of our planet the giant forest of California is home to the largest trees in
01:22the world if you're looking for a forest full of folklore and legend then this is it Sherwood
01:28Forest because if these trees could talk imagine the tales they could tell the county of Nottingham
01:36share is situated in the East Midlands of England the area is synonymous with the legend of Robin
01:44Hood and with epic castles and extensive woodland it's not hard for tourists to imagine themselves
01:50following in the footsteps of his merry men the present residents are pretty merry to people
01:57will talk to each other when they pass each other on the street always happy to have a chat people
02:02have time for people up here so this is a very friendly place to be it's a county of contrast we've
02:08got Sherwood Forest then you've got Nottingham itself which is order a very busy busy city and the
02:14countryside around here it's just lovely to pick up the countryside and the urban side of the county
02:19the food scene in particular is amazing it's so diverse you can literally have anything from
02:25casualties to Michelin star there's literally something for everyone the market town of Southwell
02:32is often referred to as the jewel in Nottinghamshire's crown and is renowned for the two lead-capped spires on
02:38the minster known locally as the pepper pot spires crop well Bishop is a picturesque village with a strong
02:46farming heritage famous for producing stilts and cheese it's surrounded by countryside so if you love
02:53walking and or cheese it's a great spot to explore
02:57after years in the fast-paced world of investment banking today's buyer is finally powering down his
03:16computer for the last time and trading in city life for the peace and tranquility of the countryside
03:22former investment banker Shane was born in Canada but lives in Greenwich southeast London I've lived
03:31in a city with less than 3 million people since I was 19 years old but he's found more residents
03:40doesn't always mean more community like guarantee that half of people live in London couldn't tell you
03:47three neighbors that live within a one block radius having taken early retirement he's now looking for
03:54a quiet location I live on a very busy street big city so just want to slow things down a little bit
04:01we're big fans of the show my mother loves it we've been watching it for years and so I thought why not
04:08apply I knew I wanted to remain in the UK and I know that I didn't want to be in London and I travel
04:13quite a lot so I need access to the airport see-through and Gatwick friends have recommended Nottinghamshire
04:21he believes the county should offer what he's looking for as well as a larger garden for more pets
04:27there's currently enough room for my two cats to run around but the plan is along with many others to
04:36adopt a couple dogs he'll be assisted by his friend Chris who made his own escape from London to raise
04:44his family in his hometown of Newcastle I will try to keep Shane on track and I'll try and keep him
04:49focused on the job in hand but that is easier said than done Shane likes modern interiors and needs a
04:58minimum of three bedrooms plus a garden big enough for two dogs he travels a lot so wants good transport
05:05connections to London and to be in a community all for a maximum budget of 1.1 million pounds
05:12moving from London out to the countryside Shane does have a very healthy budget but I think even he's
05:26going to be a little bit surprised at just how much you can get for your budget in gorgeous Nottinghamshire
05:31we're kicking off our search with a property near the middle of the county in the village of
05:38Eakering but before we go see it I'm meeting Shane and Chris in one of the county's many forests one of
05:46the few places Shane hasn't visited previously you have been traveling I have a little list here I have
05:53indeed let's have a look so you have been in Calgary Toronto LA New York London twice my I had
06:00Hong Kong Sydney all of these amazing cities have I missed any that's most of them yeah yeah pretty
06:07much it's already left it's already left well I tell you where it's left Nottinghamshire
06:12surewood forest got to add that to this list that's the plan well it's a great county isn't it I mean
06:17you're looking for countryside it's all over it really is you're steeped in lots of forests lots
06:23of history so we're going to have a great time exploring here but it's going to be very different
06:28to city life and London life prior to this my real only experience with Donninghamshire was Trent Bridge
06:34for the cricket and that was in stay in the city centre go watch a cricket match and never really
06:41exploring the rest of it but yeah friends will be coming up to go to Trent Bridge and watch cricket and
06:46for visit so Chris is that why you're here exactly I'll be there this is very exciting amazing houses
06:55to show you great but we've also got this beautiful countryside to explore walk through the opposite
07:00exactly and people to meet as well so let's get on with it indeed that's good
07:08the sought-after conservation village of Eekling was a Danish settlement in the ninth century and the
07:14name means circle of oak trees there's a community orchard maintained by volunteers and the park has a
07:21play area for kids plus an outdoor gym for grown-ups for the community there's a village hall where people
07:28are encouraged to socialize and less than a quarter of a mile away is our first property it has an attractive
07:35symmetry from the front but there's far more than meets the eye from this angle
07:39well Shane take a look at this property number one and we had to show you a good traditional farmhouse
07:52it's great seeing it from here we're gonna get a better view if we stand up there so follow me sure
07:56yeah now this is the reason I wanted you to see it from this angle yeah there's a lot more to it than
08:05you see from the street right isn't there yeah I love that little terrorist area right there for
08:10sitting especially on a day like today right there I can see you sitting over the glass of rosé right
08:14now yeah there's a couple of wine clubs around here wow so you'd fit right in with a glass of rosé
08:22up on the terrace as long as you invite other people you've done your research you're invited thank you
08:27it's a gorgeous house let's get inside perfect great this farmhouse dates to the late 1700s and
08:38has been extended over the centuries to now boast over 4 000 square feet of living space we're starting
08:45our tour in the newest part you like open plan living I understand and this is the big central
08:56open plan space of this property yeah yeah oh it's less modern than I'm used to but it just has a really
09:07homey feel to it right like like a country home do you cook I love you very good yeah if you like
09:15spicy food I love spicy well I guess being from the Caribbean yeah yeah I love some spicy food yeah well
09:21you should come over okay somewhere in Nottingham church sometimes a great cooker like that would
09:27work for you I love that style of cooker I was actually saying to Chris last night one thing I
09:31forgot to put on my wish list was a cooker like that and then turn around and then
09:36you're facing out to this they've got this wonderful light well here is this the heart of
09:41the home like many or are you actually I like to be in the snug living room we're talking about
09:46snugs and I just don't get the concept of snugs I really don't really I think I think they were
09:50calling them closets but I think it's a closet when you're buying and it's a slogan yeah right
09:55well this is generous it carries on through there there's a pantry the boiler's tucked behind there
10:02but what I'm going to show you now is a couple of rooms which I find very snug like but not closets at
10:08all okay so you get a second area with a dining table again doors leading to the outside wow but
10:20there's more through here keep coming so a very snuggie cozy room but it's not a closet no no no
10:28living room how do you feel being in this room snug it is cozy I'm not sure I would lay it out this
10:38way but I love the light in it you can imagine just sitting here and reading right oh good reading room
10:44I like it yeah and you've got a room about the same proportions just the other side it's being
10:50used as an office at the moment is that something you need ongoing yeah I would like to have an office
10:54possibly yeah you've got those options Shane is currently writing a couple of books and this home
11:02previously belonged to a children's author so perhaps he'll be inspired upstairs the middle floor
11:09has the required three double bedrooms as well as three bathrooms each with a freestanding tub the
11:16size of this bathroom well it leads us through to this now what about this for a main bedroom yeah
11:24this is very nice again in the windows I mean it's all very very light it's plenty big enough too is it
11:30yeah I think you need a bit more space go and have a look around there and see what else you get okay if
11:35you thought that big bathroom was for this room you would be right okay because what's one big
11:40bathroom when you can have another all right okay I guess you would use this as your ensuite right
11:46probably yeah I would think but then it sort of begs a question what is yeah that for come let's
11:52discuss let's think about it so I'm thinking it could be he's often he's thinking hmm that could
12:00just be one giant wet room sauna right yeah yeah yeah that's not a bad idea actually on the top floor
12:11there's another pair of bedrooms one with an ensuite then a separate staircase leads to a sixth bedroom
12:18above the main suite the land covers nearly half an acre and includes a former barn with planning
12:25permission to create more living space as if there wasn't enough there are mature fruit trees vegetable
12:33beds and still plenty of garden for Shane's prospective two dogs to run around in so there's
12:40lots of potential you've seen the whole house it is stunning how much do you think it's on the market for
12:451.1 so 1.1 million pounds yeah okay I'll tell you slightly more 1.2 this house is on the market for offers over 1 million pounds okay wow
13:00okay it's a little bit less than I thought it would be well so do the numbers add up to a sound investment for Shane
13:07this 18th century property has a huge kitchen six bedrooms four bathrooms and almost half an acre of
13:17land all available for offers over 1 million pounds I was really thinking country type houses I was looking
13:27something more modern but I like it a lot more than I thought I would like something like this I can see
13:33the attraction of living in a place like this in a village like this very pleasantly surprised it's
13:37a lot of house really and for what it's on for I think it's something that certainly deserves
13:42consideration you've set the ball rather high don't know this property
13:45as Shane has lived in some of the largest cities in the world including the Big Apple we thought we'd
14:05send him to discover not New York but Newark on Trent the River Trent is its Hudson River Northgate station
14:14it's Grand Central the spire of st. Mary Magdalene would be its skyscraper and the 12th century castle
14:21would be well New York doesn't have castles so Newark wins hooray and if this doer upper can pull itself
14:31together by tomorrow maybe it could be Shane's mystery house the castle is most famous for being the site of
14:39King John's death in the year 1216 Anno Domini is that like I think so and Shane wouldn't be the
14:50first city slicker to settle there before living here I'd always lived in big cities you know I've
14:55lived in Manchester London Istanbul and I have really kind of dug myself in over the last eight
15:01years it is very typically friendly and sociable as a small time you get to know everybody and yeah
15:09I'm stuck here I'm not moving I love it we got loads of shops you've got all the cafe and you need to go
15:15if you want to go and then you can visit the countryside very easily and the travel is quite convenient in
15:22addition to the town's rail links it's just off the a1 and within 40 miles of Nottingham Lincoln and Leicester
15:29but really there's no need to go anywhere else we have got vibrant cafes we've got some lovely pubs in Newark
15:37someone I think some of the best in the area and we have a very good art scene going on with a lot of local
15:45artists and some galleries that operate in Newark as well which is fantastic one gallery is housed in
15:53the Town Hall along with a museum and there's another dedicated to the town's importance in the English
15:59Civil War so although they only named it once there are plenty of reasons to be a part of it here in Newark
16:15for our next stop we're making our way to the north of the county headed for the market town of
16:20Rhettford at the heart of the town is the market square lined with Georgian buildings the pedestrianised
16:28shopping streets offer a range of independent stores plus bars and restaurants to socialize in
16:34outside since withan's church is a grade two listed cannon captured at Sevastopol during the Crimean
16:43War of the 1850s during that century the population doubled from 6,000 to 12,000 and the town became
16:51linked to London by rail today the station offers a direct route to the capital in under 90 minutes and
16:59just a short 15 minute walk away in a quiet pocket is our next property so we're taking you from farmhouse to
17:12the grand house well it just screams open my open plan on the outside I would say it looks very light
17:18very airy is just a sense of space it's bespoke one of a kind and I think they've done an excellent job
17:25this home was designed by the current owners and completed in 2023 it includes a 10-year build
17:43warranty and is full of cutting-edge features as well as environmentally friendly ones highly insulated
17:50and with underfloor heating it's been given a very favorable EPC rating this is a bit different
17:56isn't it you couldn't get more of a contrast you really couldn't for what you saw this morning yeah
18:02farmhouse and now we've walked into something new but they've kept a lot of natural materials just
18:09different right so we've got the metals we've got the brickwork it's almost like a loft conversion in a
18:14city where they keep the brickwork and they keep the you know some of the original thing and just
18:19open the light up and clean it up this makes me think of like sort of lower Manhattan but then you
18:26look there and there's forest through the window you probably wouldn't get that in lower Manhattan
18:30probably not no come on let me show you through here well this is about as open plan as it comes
18:36right I mean look at this I think this hands down goes as one of the biggest I can't even call it a
18:43breakfast bar you know it's not it's not it's not at all is it yeah this is amazing entertaining space
18:49it really is cooking music beautiful view to the garden right again the brickwork the way that
18:56everything is laid out is just so clean yeah yeah and this is probably pretty close to what I would
19:02do if I was designing something on the money I can very much they share living here well let's keep
19:08this good momentum going let me show you the other room over here great great alongside the kitchen is a
19:17utility room a shower room and a study that extends into the garden then back across the double height
19:24entrance hall is the main reception room and look at this for living room yeah this is super nice too
19:31again it's just a really open room the way they furnished it the owners the design is amazing but the
19:37way they furnished it is pretty impressive too yeah obviously it gets a lot of light through here just the way
19:44that it's done it's just very modern that blend of clean modern lines interspersed with the surrounding
19:54natural world creates a green glow that continues upstairs up here sit three bedrooms in a row and at
20:02the opposite end of the landing is what I propose as the main bedroom now this one is a blank canvas you get
20:10that full glazing there looking under the trees high ceilings yeah and turn around to look up there
20:18oh wow there's your bathroom so through there you've got a shower bathroom toilet dressing area right you
20:27head up the spiral stairs and that's your bathroom yeah plenty big right I love these floors I really do I
20:36think while it's a modern house it's not cookie cutter it's not all boxes is it and so it still gives
20:43you character still gives you some quirks even just the shape of the room the fact that it's not square
20:48yeah it's a nice touch I think it's time for you to get off explore on your own and then come tell me
20:54what you think of the whole property afterwards all right thank you thank you very much thank you
20:59oh wow it's expecting that's after the master bedroom I think if this is a guest bedroom the
21:08guests should be very happy yeah your bedroom that's for your mother right what a fantastic view these
21:16windows that go up into the roof I think are magnificent and they really show off those
21:23wonderful trees everywhere you go here is bespoke it's beautiful it's ultra modern but it's also got
21:30so much character I mean this is just a dressing room right so you don't really need a lot of light
21:35but you would just get the aspect of the forest but this gives you the top of the trees and the sky
21:43I mean it's amazing building today doesn't it yeah outside the low-maintenance landscaped gardens wrap
21:54around the home and feature multiple zones for chilling out in the Sun how much do you think
22:01this is on the market for hmm I must have got absolutely no idea that's not very helpful Chris a million offers in the region of a million
22:14I would say 850 getting better at this all right this one's on for offers over 1 million pounds
22:24for this striking contemporary home with supersized features including an open plan kitchen and a grand
22:39main bedroom with a split level on suite it's energy efficient with a high EPC rating and has a secure
22:46landscaped garden ideal for pets it's just very clean minimalist new it's a good combination of modern
22:55technology fittings a very open plan I love the exposed brickwork I love the fittings and bathrooms are
23:01amazing everything is just very clean anyone that knows me knows my style would say this is much more me
23:08clearly it's absolutely brand spanking new it's modern design modern build and it looks incredibly modern
23:15it's a very very impressive property despite its excellent transport links and peaceful countryside
23:29Nottinghamshire offers better value property prices than the national figure the UK average is around
23:36four hundred and thirty eight thousand pounds compared to the county average of three hundred and forty six
23:42thousand but if you like the area you'd better be quick as that affordability means demand is high
23:49and rising particularly for detached properties local estate agent Sarah Smith can explain more we've
23:58seen a steady growth this year I think it's a result of regeneration that's in the area and so it's
24:04naturally kind of encouraging people to come to this area I think apart from the obvious like the price and
24:09the value yeah why would they come into Nottinghamshire I think generally because of the regeneration
24:16but also because of what we've got on the doorstep and there's some great cultural and culinary places
24:22which is a real draw for people I think just the location the lifestyle the natural beauty that we've got
24:27that's a huge draw I think for a taste of what else is on the market how about this lovely blend of
24:35modern with traditional it boasts a shaker style kitchen a good-sized sitting room and three bedrooms
24:45upstairs set against a rural backdrop it's priced at two hundred and eighty thousand pounds or if you fancy
24:53something a little older this delightful Elizabethan cottage has red brick features and exposed beams
25:00throughout it comes with four generous bedrooms a mature garden to the rear hand is on the market for
25:08four hundred seventy five thousand pounds as for the rental market available options include this
25:16terraced home in a rural hamlet with three bedrooms gardens front and rear plus use of a double garage for
25:24eight hundred and seventy five pounds a month yesterday we introduced Shane to some traditional countryside
25:37living with that gorgeous period property but then we showed him something very modern everything
25:43he'd asked for and he seemed to love them both so today with our mystery house it's going to be a blend of
25:49the two let's see what he thinks about that we're traveling to the East Nottinghamshire village of South Clifton the
25:59location of our mystery house the village is a designated conservation area due to the historic importance of many of
26:08the buildings yeah this is a quiet village yeah not Piccadilly Circus that's for sure
26:17it's surrounded by cycle routes and footpaths where Shane and Chris are taking a stroll while I go prepare the property
26:25in the heart of the village along a gated drive is our final offering we do like to mix things up with the mystery
26:34house so this is it a petite house with a living room and a kitchenette plus an en suite double bedroom upstairs
26:42well that could be for when friend Chris visits
26:48of course that's not all there's an even larger annex with a double garage that Shane could use as a gym
26:55plus a lounge opening to the garden a decent sized kitchen and again an en suite double bedroom upstairs
27:02so that's the weight bench and visiting family sorted too but of course that's not all either for
27:10there's a third building packed with modern finishes wrapped up in character and it's this one that could
27:17be the mystery home for Shane look at this vaulted ceilings it's got period features it's got charm and
27:28underfloor heating now that's the modern touch so it's three for one the kind of deal former investment
27:35banker Shane would snap up welcome hello to the mystery house well different isn't it what you've got
27:48is a barn conversion yeah okay but the reason it's a mystery is because this one gives you three for
27:55the price of one we're diversifying your portfolio a little bit okay so you get one two and a third
28:01dwelling wow all on this plot wow that's an amazing wraparound to acre of land yeah beautiful well it's
28:09mysterious I think it's quite interesting from the road you've got no idea to you correct yeah I can't
28:14wait to see some more okay let me show you some more this collection of buildings were first raised in
28:231752 but the interiors are modern as they were only converted to residential dwellings from 2012
28:30look at this wow wow yes wow indeed love the fireplace yeah the fireplace is very focal got lots of
28:40natural materials again yeah feels open and airy and light all around yeah courtyard here great floors
28:49yeah let's actually say it feels quite homey yeah it does it's very modern on the inside the floors are
28:55beautiful yeah but you have the period element of the beams and the height of the ceiling it's rustic
29:02and feels comfortable okay let me show you some more great this building is arranged in an L shape around
29:12a courtyard so from the main living room you turn left into the kitchen another amazing kitchen I think
29:20yeah beautiful isn't it lovely yeah very modern central island again yeah yeah yeah yeah but look
29:26at this I mean they're glazing all the way across right yeah straight out into that courtyard all light
29:32in here that's one thing that strikes me about you know for a kitchen to have windows looking under the
29:37terrace like that it really is again I wasn't really expecting this kitchen after that right it's sort
29:44of rustic and again was expecting maybe a slightly older kitchen but it's all very modern well keeping with
29:51the beams and the stonework you know a lot of houses you walk into and you can kind of figure them out right
29:56away when you walk in you can go okay I bet you there's two bedrooms up here now we're through the main
30:01reception room into the kitchen and I still don't know what back there what's over there what's so it's kind of it's a
30:08a little bit of a mystery right I mean we're getting there bit by bit well the next bit is further along
30:15from the kitchen where beyond a family bathroom is the main bedroom which comes with an ensuite shower
30:21so this is one of the four bedrooms right it's got ensuite and the door right onto the garden yeah
30:30nice little quaint yeah these bonds used to be stables right yes yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I love how
30:39they've kept the beams beams are cool through here well it continues in this sort of style great yeah I can
30:46very much see you living here mate I think it's um it's a bit more to your sort of needs almost that you
30:54don't need to have too big too many bedrooms easy living so the nice kitchen nice room outdoor living
31:01I think it this I could see you very much being very comfortable here you take those happy feelings
31:06go explore the rest okay I can't wait to hear what you think when you've seen it all okay we'll see you in a bit
31:11off you go above this bedroom is another with a window that would amuse the cats then back at the
31:21other end of the building there's another ground floor ensuite bedroom with a room above that's used
31:26as an office and features a low opening onto the lounge mezzanine good luck Chris well that was very
31:36easy fun for you right yeah I'm not gonna do that again did you bang your head no no well I like the
31:46way it flows onto the kitchen kitchen flows onto the courtyard so it's not a super modern open plan
31:51but it kind of flows room flows to room nicely it's not boxy and you know kitchen over there yeah dining
31:58room over there I think flows down low describes is quite well actually yeah across the gravel driveway
32:05is the largest annex well similar sort of theme right high ceilings beams all coming out into another
32:14courtyard but it's a good size yeah I mean you could almost turn this into maybe a office slash study
32:22area I don't know and then tucked into the garden is less of a man cave and more of a man house that
32:30could be Shane's writing studio or a self-contained rental the substantial one acre plot includes the
32:37patio areas a vegetable patch and a small paddock previously used for sheep and alpacas there she is
32:45so how much do you think this is on the market funny I knew you were gonna ask me that and I was
32:51thinking about I kept getting distracted by all the buildings um I would say 1.15 okay 1 million 150
33:03thousand pounds great I'll just I'll go quite a lot low I'd say 850 it's on for office over 995
33:10thousand almost like right exactly yeah you're a little bit closer yeah offers over 995 thousand
33:23pounds for this sprawling three-for-one mystery package boasting a total of six bedrooms and five
33:30bathrooms across three separate self-contained units they are all packed with period features
33:37including high vaulted ceilings with exposed beams and the zoned garden fits a wide range of purposes
33:44probably out of all them this one's most challenging I would say simply because not
33:49only is a mixture of period and modern but just figuring out how how life would be really with two annexes
33:58a main building how you actually get some use out of them so yeah it's given me different things to
34:05think about have a walk around the whole place get a sense of what's going on I really can see Shane
34:10living here I think he'd be very comfortable here he has the flexibility to be his own stamp on the
34:15property so put a gym where he wants to use annex for a guest room or whatever it may be but I
34:20think the flexibility and he gives them some optionality
34:27you
34:36there's no doubt who the county's best-known resident is as the globally famous Robin Hood made
34:42his own escape to hide out in this wood centuries ago but today it has another important tale to tell
34:54being here in Sherwood Forest is like stepping into a storybook that's come to life the towering ancient
35:00trees the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves this is home to some of the oldest trees in
35:07the UK but with a changing climate some of these ancient trees are in need of a helping hand and
35:13I've come to find out how Sherwood Forest covers more than 420 hectares and it's a unique habitat for
35:25all kinds of flora and fauna the RSPB senior site manager for this important reserve is Holly Drake
35:33this place is magical isn't it Holly yeah and the trees you've got everything from young trees through
35:41to the ancients but what are the challenges that these wonderful trees in this forest are facing now
35:47from climate change and everything else that's changing climate change is probably not just
35:52affecting Sherwood it's probably affecting everywhere all over the globe Sherwood we have seen it we have
35:57had extreme weather events if we have extreme droughts the trees go into stress because they can't
36:02access that moisture and that might potentially affect their growth in future years
36:06oh stressed out trees I never thought about it I know so what are we looking at around here I mean
36:11what's the age of these sorts of trees um this one here is a next generation tree so that's not
36:16one of our oldest ancients next generation I like it sounds quite funky what does that mean how young
36:21or how old would it be yeah so this is the next generation of ancients so it could be up to potentially
36:25six seven hundred years old okay so they're still quite old trees but they are you know not at that
36:32nine hundred thousand year old so given that you've got trees that are six seven hundred years old and
36:37older they sound quite resilient why do they need our help now we want this space to be as magical as it
36:43is now in a hundred years time in two hundred years time we want to do everything we can do to protect
36:49these habitats we provide educational tools in the visitor center and some of the interpretation to
36:54tell people those stories for me we educate people they can go away they can tell their friends their
37:00families you know their loved ones all about what they've learned and that for me that inspire to
37:05educate is the big piece for me there are over 1,000 ancient oaks here the largest collection in Europe
37:15and much of the wildlife that thrives in this unique habitat is rarely seen outside the forest
37:21deadwood habitats are what makes Sherwood special so if there is an ancient tree that has deadwood it
37:27could be aerial deadwood what we want to do is preserve that sometimes what we do is we can put
37:32interventions in place where we actually strap the trees so behind us is one of our ancients called
37:38mister split mister split is actually a standing deadwood that is still as vital habitat as a living
37:45ancient tree so what we try and do is make sure we bandit and we keep that dead Hulk is what we call
37:52it so the Hulk together to stop it collapsing because inside of that is the vital habitat for the
37:58invertebrate species that are here on the site one current resident of the forest is not quite as
38:05famous as Robin Hood but it's probably older this is our major oak so it potentially is even up to 1200
38:13years old it's been here a very long time it is our star icon to bring people here we have a lot of
38:20people wanting to visit wanting to see it and just understand how we can help protect it for the future and
38:26it looks like there's a little bit a lot of work to help protect it but even back to the Edwardian
38:31period right at the top of the tree you can see we've got chains that from the main stem back to
38:36the limbs to try and keep it from dropping them we've also got some props so there were wooden props in
38:42place when the fence was put in place around the 1970s to try and stop people going to the major oak
38:48because there's a lot of compaction through decades and decades of people enjoying this space you know
38:52the actual ground underneath the major oak is as solid as concrete right because of the amount
38:57of people that have been and looked at it and the kind of footwear that it's had around it so what
39:01we've done is obviously we still keep the fence line in place we let the area be more wild because
39:07the variation of flora that we can have on here the better because different flora has different
39:12depth roots so that kind of breaks up that kind of concrete pan that we're talking about we're also
39:17doing some work around the base of the oak so we're actually manually aerating the soil
39:22with the support from volunteers and trowels and a lot of hard work um in conjunction with leading
39:28soil and tree specialists in the uk because if we can do that it'll get more nutrients it'll get
39:33more oxygen and the tree hopefully will be able to get all of the stuff it needs to grow easier but it
39:39is still growing it is still growing we still have leaves um so yeah it's it's still there what we want
39:45to do is try and preserve it for as many years as we possibly can moving forward absolutely we want this
39:49to keep going it's been so wonderful talking to you here and you have so much knowledge the fact
39:54that we're getting this out for other people to learn from and to carry on this amazing heritage
39:58is fantastic yeah thank you it's been great and thank you for being part of the story
40:02it's almost impossible to imagine what the world will look like in a thousand years time
40:11but hopefully with the help of holly and her successors this mighty oak will still be around to see it
40:18well we've shown shane a great selection of houses this week and had great reactions
40:27so let's find out what he's going to do next
40:29so having spent a couple of days with us how are you feeling about
40:37moving out into the countryside 100 confirms what i previously thought that country living is
40:43definitely for me the first few properties we saw especially property number one because when i said
40:49i wanted something modern in a country setting i was pretty sure that i wanted modern but property
40:56number one surprised me how much i really like that um you've given me a lot more to think about than i
41:02would have previously thought about which has been for me probably the the biggest takeaway you've made
41:07it harder in a lot of ways so thank you very much for that i think next steps are certainly to explore
41:15the villages around property number one property number two and just get a feel for things so if
41:21you were going back would you have a second viewing yeah absolutely i think house number one and house
41:26number two i would like to see again get a feel for the area get a feel for what's around it this is
41:31exciting isn't it isn't it you could either go for exactly what you said you wanted yeah or something
41:37completely different yeah exactly yeah and nottinghamshire is the county for you i think
41:42so yeah i'm pretty sure thank you so much for going with us on this journey and letting us in on
41:48this next chapter of your life thank you very much it's been amazing best of luck and of course when
41:54you buy let us know absolutely we'll keep in touch thank you thank you very much we've had a wonderful
42:04week here in nottinghamshire showing shane a great selection of houses and i think we've given him a
42:09bit of a dilemma he's ended up with not one but two properties that he wants to take a second look at
42:15for me i've had a chance to get to know this wonderful county and what's not to love the trees
42:21the birds the weather it's had it all now for shane i truly hope that he enjoys those second
42:28viewings and makes a decision and he moves out here very soon and i hope you join us soon for more
42:34escape to the country having had time to review the homes shane's front runner is now the modern house
42:42we showed him plus another contemporary home in the county but he needs his own house sale to go through
42:48first we hope it all works out for him as soon as possible so he can begin his new chapter in the
42:55countryside if you would like to escape to the country in england northern ireland scotland or wales
43:01and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:18so
43:24so
43:26you
43:27you
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