Gardener turned jousting champion and his magician wife transform their four bed suburban semi into a medieval CASTLE complete with banqueting hall

• Jayne and Martin Townley invited 19 guests to their unique home for a medieval themed New Year's banquet
• Transformed home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, into medieval themed castle two and a half years ago
• They enlisted the help of a mural artist to paint the wall of their dining room in order to create authentic feel

A jousting champion and his magician wife have spent £5,000 transforming their dining room into a Middle Ages-themed banquet hall.

Jayne and Martin Townley moved to the four-bedroom semi-detached home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, two and a half years ago - and decided to give it their own fantasy twist straight away.

Within days they had enlisted a mural artist to paint the walls of their dining room to resemble stones, and used mirrors, archways and real lights from stately homes to create an authentic medieval feel.  

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Jayne and Martin Townley, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, spent £5,000 transforming their dining room into a medieval themed banquet hall

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A step inside their home shows a dining room (left before transformation and right after transformation) from the Middle-Ages

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Two and a half years ago the couple had the outside of their house (left before transformation and right after transformation) painted to look like a grey stone fortress and had the walls painted to look like archways

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A step inside the medieval home shows a banqueting hall (left while the work was in progress and right after its transformation) fit for a king and his guests

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The couple enlisted a mural artist to paint the walls of their dining room to resemble stones, and used mirrors, archways and real lights from stately homes to create an authentic medieval feel

And the couple have found the most unique way to celebrate the turn of the year - by hosting a medieval-style New Year's dinner served on wooden boards and slate slabs with mulled wine and ale from flagons and goblets as an annual tradition.

Even better, their 19 guests also dressed up in medieval outfits, crowns, hats and headdresses before posing outside the back of their home.

Professional magician Ms Townley said: 'We both like anything that's quirky or different, but Martin is the one who is more knowledgeable about what is authentic for the era. 'Martin really likes crowns, knights and everything medieval so he was the reason we did this.

'We had a medieval dining room in our previous house but that was primarily just the props such as the suit of armour and flags - it wasn't until we moved here that we actually painted the walls and ceiling.

'I wanted it to look like a castle, but specifically not like a dungeon. I'm really pleased with it - we wanted it to feel like a film set or a museum. 

Medieval makeover: Couple transform dining room into banquet hall

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 Mr and Ms Townley celebrated the turn of the year by hosting a medieval-style New Year's dinner served on wooden boards and slate slabs

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During the lavish banquet, that saw 19 guests enter their fantasy home, they also served mulled wine and ale from flagons and goblets

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The dinner table in the dining room of the Jayne and Martin Townley's home saw plates of meat, cheese and grapes laid out for eager guests  

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Ms Townley said: 'People who do know we've got a medieval dining room thought it would be tacky and cheesy but it isn't, it's tranquil. They like to sit in there and soak up the atmosphere and listen to the lute music'

'We didn't want it to look tacky or have just pictures of medieval things, we really wanted it to 'feel' medieval, so we even burn log fire scented candles.

'When most people enter the room they are usually in stunned silence.

'They don't expect our dining room to go like this because the front of the house is normal, so it's hidden.

'People who do know we've got a medieval dining room thought it would be tacky and cheesy but it isn't, it's tranquil. They like to sit in there and soak up the atmosphere and listen to the lute music.'

The couple's love for the medieval era comes from Mr Townley's beloved hobby of jousting.

The former jockey who is also a landscape gardener took up the sport four years ago after Ms Townley bought him a jousting experience as a birthday present.

He has since gone on to win the British Amateur Jousting Championships. 

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With the help of an artist, the couple were able to transform their ordinary dining room (left) into a scene from the Middle Ages (right). The couple's 19 guests also dressed up in medieval outfits, crowns, hats and headdresses during the medieval meal

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The couple have also filled their Middle Ages themed home in Somerset with secret doors and magical illusions 

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Mr and Ms Townley later invited guests to pose outside the back of their home which is made to look like a grey stone fortress

But they admit their teenage twins, Max and Evie, 16, are 'not especially interested' as they 'eat in the dining room every day anyway'.

Ms Townley said: 'We do it for ourselves. We do eat in there every day.

'People are usually pretty amazed as you can't tell from the outside.

'Our friends and extended family are always super excited about coming over and our neighbours love it, they come to visit all the time.

'I just wanted to do something different for meal rather than a simple dinner, so I thought a cold meat and cheese platter would be more 'medieval'.

'I don't like modern things much - I didn't want anything tacky but I didn't want just to put up pictures, I wanted proper medieval.

'It looks like a film set, you feel like you really got back in time.' 

Bargain Hunt's Tim Wonnacott puts his 10-acre country estate with a tennis court and four-bedroom farmhouse on the market for £2.75million as he emigrates to Australia

• Former Bargain Hunt host Tim Wonnacott is moving to Australia with his wife Helen to film more TV shows
• They doubled the size of his Whitefoots estate in Horsham, West Sussex and converted Blackfoots farmhouse
• It is 3,651sq ft and has a 4,000sq ft outbuilding that has three bedrooms and complete with own bathrooms 

Former Bargain Hunt presenter Tim Wonnacott has put his luxury country estate on the market for £2.75million as he prepares to up sticks and move to Australia.

Mr Wonnacott, 67 and his wife Helen are selling the two properties that sit on their 10-acre stretch of land in Horsham, West Sussex. 

They have spent years converting both the main Whitefoots house and its accompanying Blackfoots cottage into stunning period properties with a modern touch.

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Former Bargain Hunt presenter Tim Wonnacott has put his 10-acre country estate Whitefoots (pictured) in Horsham, West Sussex on the market for £2.75million ahead of him and his wife moving to Australia 

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Mr Wonnacott and his wife Helen overhauled the farmhouse in Horsham, West Sussex (pictured from behind) and managed to double it size, keeping its period features while adding modern luxuries.

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Inside Whitefoots there is a stunning open plan kitchen, dining and living area overlooked by a stylish wooden balcony 

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There are four bedrooms in the main house in total (one pictured) complete with period beams and large windows. Some have French doors out onto a garden balcony and all are accompanied by their own bathroom There is also a third Greyfoots outbuilding that boasts office space, greenhouses and garage facilities and a full-size lawn tennis court on top of the 10 acres of sprawling green space. 

Whitefoots has four bedrooms, including two that come with a large balcony, all with their own bathrooms.

The downstairs kitchen, living and dining room is open-plan with large windows and French doors to ensure maximum light and stunning countryside views.

Blackfoots has a cosier feel but is still spacious with three bedrooms, two with balconies, and a large living space and drawing room.    

Mr Wonnacott said: 'We moved to Sussex 25 years ago and lived in a wonderful house on the Lock Estate. 

'The farmhouse was a tumbled-down wreck of a house but it was great. The kids could run amok and ride their ponies away from traffic. But the man who owned it wouldn't sell it so we ended up buying a house elsewhere.

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Wonna game of tennis? Tim Wonnacott's 10-acre estate in Horsham, West Sussex, comes with its own lawn tennis court

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The country estate comes with two main buildings. The first, Whitefoots House (pictured left) is the main home, complete with four bedrooms and two balconies. The second is a large farmhouse, Blackfoots Cotage (right) also boasting three bedrooms and two balconies with a large amount of green space in between 

Who is Tim Wonnacott? 

Tim Wonnacott, 67, followed in his father’s footsteps to become an auctioneer and joined Sotheby’s in 1978. 

He rose quickly and became chairman of Sotheby’s South before leaving the company in 2003 to focus on media opportunities.

He presented BBC’s Bargain Hunt from 2003 until 2015 and has been the narrator of Antiques Road Trip since 2010.

He is selling his West Sussex estate to spend more time filming in Australia but will keep ties with the London area. 

He has a wife, Sarah, and they have three children. 'When we learnt there was this little cottage coming up for sale we jumped on it. It was small and didn't have enough land but we managed to get ten acres in the end and bought another cottage, Blackfoots, then extended Whitefoots to double the size.

'If you want a very comfortable, bang up-to-date and ready to go house, this is it. The cottage is great for family coming to stay, or an elderly parent who wants to live near their children but have their own space and the agricultural building you could use for whatever you want.

'The property is like a little village and it's all down a private road so there's no public traffic, just the odd tractor or combine harvester.

'It's very good for riding and walking with lots of bridleways and footpaths and you don't seen another house or any lights, it's the ultimate privacy.

'My wife and I have had an incredible time here and we will be selling with a heavy heart.'

After deciding to move Down Under, Wonnacott is also selling some of his antiques. The first auction of the treasures he accumulated sold for £120,000 recently at Sworders, of Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. 

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Inside Blackfoots Cottage: One of the living spaces inside the smaller country house is packed with period features, a wood-burning fire and historic beams 

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The Blackfoots cottage has a smaller kitchen than the main house, but the open plan design leaves plenty of room 

Many of the items were things he had picked up at antique markets while he was filming for the show, but his collection is so vast it will be sold over several auctions in the next six months.

Liz Berman, from Strutt & Parker, said: 'Both the main house, guest cottage and outbuildings are in apple pie order, requiring no alterations or improvement at all - ideal for someone looking for a turnkey family home.

'It has enough space and land to feel private, with stunning country views from all directions, yet easily accessible to the next-door villages as well as Horsham's mainline station for commuters. It is the ultimate country house.' 

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The main house has an open plan living area, with a spiral staircase and large glass windows and French doors 

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The kitchen in Whitefoots is open plan, with a large island work surface, dining table and large French doors to outside 

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The dining area in Whitefoots looks onto the living area, which boasts a wide-screen TV, several sofas and armchairs that all have a view of the garden space outside 

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A separate dining room inside the Whitefoots house is pictured with a 12-person dining table and wooden display cabinet 

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Another snug living space inside the Whitefoots house features its own fire and period furniture with polished wooden floors

Wonnacott followed in his father's footsteps to become an auctioneer and joined Sotheby's in 1978. 

He rose quickly and became chairman of Sotheby's South before leaving the company in 2003 to focus on media opportunities.

He presented BBC's Bargain Hunt from 2003 until 2015 and has been the narrator of Antiques Road Trip since 2010.

He is planning on spending a lot of time in Australia but will return to the London area when he can.  

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A third building - Greyfoots - is also included in the price, boasting office space, greenhouses and garage facilities 

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Describing his luxury home (garden pictured), Mr Wonnacott said: 'It has enough space and land to feel private, with stunning country views from all directions, yet easily accessible to the next-door villages as well as Horsham's mainline station for commuters. It is the ultimate country house.'

An aerial view shows the size of Mr Wonnacott's country estate, with three buildings, a tennis court and large garden space 

A floor plan from estate agents Strutt & Parker shows the considerable scale of the estate and its three properties