Known as Royal Berkshire due to Windsor Castle being within its borders, the county offers a wealth of palatial properties.
If you’re looking for a home within easy reach of London yet seemingly worlds apart then this could prove the ideal place to explore. Rupert Reeves, Head of Residential at Carter Jonas in Newbury, comments,
“With both Her Majesty the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge’s parents residing in Berkshire, its royal credentials are indisputable. As a county, Royal Berkshire offers two quite distinct lifestyles. To the east, smart areas such as Windsor and Ascot attract affluent – often international – buyers looking for sprawling houses in an easy commute of London. Commonly, they will purchase a large, but perhaps outdated, property in acres of land and on a gated estate, level it, and build a contemporary Georgian-style mansion in its place.
“By contrast, the west is much more rural in character and with its hub of outstanding independent prep schools, it holds vast appeal for many families. The ex-head of Ludgrove Prep has recently relocated from west London to Elstree, and is bringing lots of families with him. Excellent senior schools such as Bradfield, Marlborough, Wellington College, Radley and Downe House are within an hour’s drive, making it ideal for weekday boarders. Henley is one of Berkshire’s most famous hotspots – thanks in part to the Royal Regatta – and is arguably the country’s prettiest market town with a thriving centre and a plethora of unique period properties.”
Ed Heaton, founder and managing partner of property buying and search agency, Heaton and Partners, reports that there is still a significant amount of stock at the very top end of the market in the east of the county, with a glut of large new homes for sale.
“These tend to appeal to international buyers for their own occupation, yet this market remains rather subdued for the time being. To the west of the county, which is much more driven by the domestic market, transactions are stronger, and here, there is a real lack of stock.
“In the domestic market, outside of London, we have to remember that the majority voted for Brexit, and are therefore generally pretty upbeat about the future. There is a real confidence amongst buyers across the country about the prognosis of the market in a year or so, with some expecting price rises of as much as 20% in the next three years.”
Andrew Russell from Strutt and Parker’s Country House Department attributes Berkshire’s continued popularity to excellent schools and fast access into London and Heathrow.
“We have agreed sales of high value properties since the Brexit vote, with almost all being to UK buyers. We are seeing an increase in ex pats moving back to the UK, taking advantage of the weakened pound.
“There is also an increase in the number of London based buyers registering with us to move out of central London to Berkshire. There appears to be a shortage of stock at the higher end of the market, and with demand remaining steady, prices are likely to remain at similar levels that we have seen in recent times.”
Englemere, Ascot
This impressive collection of apartments is just moments away from Ascot High Street. Within 12 acres of private, landscaped grounds, Englemere offers 17 superb properties reached via a grand entrance hall with chequerboard stone flooring. Traditional elements from the original house are recreated such as antique fireplaces, feature mirrors, a stone staircase and wood panelling. Each apartment is individually crafted and features the highest quality fixtures and finshes. The beautiful grounds include woodland areas, a walled formal garden, walkway, fountain and terrace. A special feature is the range of ancient trees, including a magnificent oak that dates from the time of Henry VIII. The original enclosed squash court has been renovated as a leisure suite that incorporates a club lounge and mezzanine level gym, as well as a kitchen and changing rooms. This leads out to the swimming pool with communal barbecue area and two enclosed tennis courts for residents’ private use.
From £1.4m / €1.63m / $1.84m
Millgate Homes
www.millgatehomes.co.uk
Bruton Park, Wentworth Estate
An imposing architectural masterpiece overlooking 3.5 acres of sweeping lawns down to the river Bourne, this limestone property includes magnificent detail. It has five bedrooms and bathroom suites on the first floor, two guest bedrooms and bathroom suites on the lower ground floor. Three principal reception rooms and a kitchen/breakfast/family room are also on the ground floor. Its lower ground floor includes a formal dining room, prep kitchen, cinema room, beauty salon, gym, pool complex including spa, sauna and steam room, plus a wine cellar and two-bedroom staff apartment. There is surface parking for two cars with a lift down to lower ground floor parking for a further five cars including an impressive display turntable overlooking the pool.
£20m / €23.3m / $26.2m
Barton Wyatt
www.bartonwyatt.co.uk
Cootes, Crookham Common, Thatcham
A lovely family home in a quiet and secluded location, close to the open spaces of Greenham Common yet within striking distance of excellent road and rail links as well as good schools. The ground floor of this large property includes an entrance hall, cloakroom, sitting room, study, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and conservatory with a large walk in larder. On the second floor there is a master bedroom with dressing room and en suite, four further bedrooms, a family bathroom and an additional shower room. The property’s four acre plot of land includes a stable block incorporating a double garage and log store, two further stables, a greenhouse and potting shed, established gardens, a pond and paddock.
£1.45m / €1.7m $1.9m
Carter Jonas
www.carterjonas.co.uk
Larksmead, Titlarks Hill, Sunningdale
On one of the most exclusive residential roads in Sunningdale, Larksmead backs on to (and has private access to) the renowned Sunningdale golf course. All principal reception rooms lead on to the terrace and large rear garden. Other highlights include a marbled reception hall with a curved, double height, marble and walnut staircase. The superb master bedroom suite includes his and her individual mirrored dressing rooms and marble en suite bathrooms. There are four further bedroom suites with en suite bathrooms plus a multi-purpose room/bedroom with en suite shower room. A triple car garage has separate accommodation over it including a vaulted games room/living area, separate bedroom and bathroom with shower.
£7.5m / €8.74m / $9.83m
Strutt & Parker
www.struttandparker.com
Imperial Row, Ascot
Just a few minutes’ walk from Ascot High Street, Imperial Row offers just four magnificent detached residences. The show home, St James, is an elegant, five-bedroom house offering over 4,800 square feet of living space. Set over three floors, it includes a top floor leisure room, as well as a detached double garage. Its vast kitchen, family room and breakfast area is the hub of the home. The individually designed kitchen by Lida Cucina features a curved island with quartz worktop and full width bi-fold doors opening to a terrace. An array of state-of-the-art controls also makes this an intelligent house.
£2.95m / €3.43m / $3.86m for The Kensington
Strutt & Parker
www.struttandparker.com
Pelling Hill, Old Windsor
At the top of the exclusive Pelling Hill, this family home has in excess of 3,100 square feet of living space accessed via a private road. Built in 2006, it includes a spacious entrance hall leading to a study and a large living room which links to the dining room and overlooks the rear gardens plus a kitchen/breakfast room. The first and second floors have five double bedrooms with four en suites and a family bathroom. The master suite also has a walk-in dressing room. Externally, the property has a gated entrance with video entry and an extensive driveway with ample parking. The rear garden has gated access which leads to quarter of an acre of mature forest for the residents’ sole use.
£1.5m / €1.75m / $1.97m
Romans Windsor
www.romans.co.uk
