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@Momentum
Look at NAHBS pictures from this year and last year as there were a lot of blinged out practical bikes (if that's not an oxymoron). It sounds like the kind of bike you want is one that's fairly popular in the US at the moment - look at the velo orange and rivendell sites to get an idea of some of the nice bits you could hang on it. If you want nice (but expensive) custom features then integrated racks, light mounts and internal wiring, custom stems etc are the kinds of things you'll see from NAHBS. I don't know how much touring you're planning, but if it's a reasonable amount then I'd consider using cantis rather than calipers which will also broaden the range of uses.
Of the builders that you mentioned the only one I wouldn't go to is Witcombe. Not because of the prices but because I've heard of a couple of cases of less than awesome workmanship. One guy on here bought a frame before the price hike and ended up not taking it cos the fork wasn't built right and a friend of mine bought one a couple of years ago and the fork crown has cracked. Mercian seem to have a lot of experience in the kind of bike you're looking for. I would also consider Argos and Dave Yates sounds who both have great reputations. I personally would choose Dave Yates as he seems prepared to try new things but is a solid northern engineer at heart so it'll all be well built. However, RM is the only UK builder I know who is doing the kind of custom touches popularised by the American builders.