Alex Austin had long planned on moving to the country to raise a family in a beautiful old house surrounded by nature.
And in 2023 he and his partner Fran Warrington, began to make that fantasy a reality when they found their dream home – a six-bedroom cottage dating from the 1600s in a hamlet just outside of Market Harborough, the historic Leicestershire market town where Warrington’s family live.
Although it cost £930,000 the couple, who both worked in finance, were not too worried. Their plan was to keep their London jobs and commute when necessary.
“Everything should have been really rosy,” says Austin.
But the couple found the reality of commuting back to London two days per week draining, both physically and financially – a peak time return train ticket costs more than £100, meaning their monthly transport costs were close to £1,000.
And while they were overjoyed when Warrington became pregnant last year, shortly after the move, it meant they were going to have to add in the cost of childcare too, plus they would not be able to be as hands-on as they would like with their firstborn, Aurora, who is now six months old.
Luckily Austin came up with a plan B while the couple were away on holiday.
“Some people say that everyone has a book in them,” says Austin. “I very firmly of the belief that everyone has a business idea in them.
“Paddock Capital was born on a sun lounger in Italy.”
The company (paddockcapital.co.uk) is a commercial finance brokerage which helps small businesses find funding, and in its first year Austin was able to earn enough to match both his and Warrington’s former London salaries leaving her free to enjoy her maternity leave with Aurora.
Before the move the couple, both 39, had been renting a house in Brockley.
Austin was raised in Chester and although he had loved living in London as a twentysomething he was less sure about family life in the capital. “It came down to safety really,” he says.
When the couple started trying for a baby they also started house hunting, choosing Warrington’s home town as the perfect location, close enough to commute to London in under an hour, and closer to Austin’s family in the north west.
Selling Austin’s flat for £550,000 helped them secure their dream family house.
Market Harborough itself has proved to be a real find. “It is beautiful,” says Austin. “It has got a lot of small, independent shops, which is great, and some of the most beautiful villages around it.
“We go for long walks, have meals in country pubs, and we have the space to have friends visiting from London all the time.”
Austin admits that the pace of life is slower out of London, but he is enjoying the change, and his happy to be working from home full time.
“There is a time in life when slowing down a little is quite nice,” he says.
“When you have got a baby you don’t necessarily want to deal with the hustle and bustle.”
