The Berkshire town of Ascot is a Home County classic – renowned the world over for its magnificent race course and Royal connections. The glamorous allure and high stakes of horseracing ensure Ascot is always on the radar in the international equine community but there’s far more to the town than just top hats and horse tails.
As well as the racecourse, the Ascot locale offers exemplary golfing facilities, with Wentworth, Sunningdale and Mill Ride golf clubs all located less than five miles from the town. Keen golfers can also practice their swing at Fairweather Golf Ascot – a driving range that’s home to only one of two RoboGolfPro machines in the UK.
Ascot also falls within prime commuter belt territory, with a train journey of an hour to both London Paddington and London Waterloo. If the predisposition is to travel by car, the M4, M3 and M25 are close by, and jet setters are just 15 miles from Heathrow Airport.
When the above is combined with the area’s excellent educational facilities (The Sunningdale School, Papplewick, ACS International School and the Marist School are respected Eton and Harrow feeder schools), it is no wonder the thirst for substantial family-sized houses never fades.
Dwellings with five, six, and seven-bedrooms, swimming pools, staff quarters and cinema rooms pepper Ascot’s verdant private roads, especially in the Sunningdale, Richmondwood, Earleydene and Sunninghill enclaves. Demand is so high that new mansions are being built all the time, with developers keen to utilise large plots that are occupied by older, more dated properties.
Ascot is far more than just mansions; gated apartment developments with high levels of security and concierges always find favour with frequent travellers and second-home owners. The Charters Estate – with its Art Deco architecture and spa complex – is one such example, and you’ll find some of the UK’s most lavish penthouses nestling in the 24-acres of secluded grounds.
Large residences are also being carefully reimagined to yield smart collections of luxury apartments that typify high end ‘lock up and leave’ living. The developers of Birchcroft, Osborne House and Montrose Court are enjoying continued sales success, suggesting that there is still room for more.
