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We
also operate in the following areas - click on any area for further
details:-
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southern England and the
Midlands
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in the Channel Islands
MAIN TOWNS/AREAS IN BERKSHIRE:
Ascot
Berkshire
Downs
Bracknell
Brimpton
Burghfield
Crowthorne
Englefield
Green
Eton,
Goring
Holyport
Hungerford
Lambourn
Mortimer
Newbury
Old
Windsor
Paley
Street
Pangbourne
Reading
Sandhurst
Slough
Sunningdale
Sunninghill,
Thatcham
Twyford
Warfield
Windsor
Winkfield
Wokingham
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Sands
Home Search are property
search
& relocation agents
who specialise
in finding and acquiring prime country houses & estates, farm
& equestrian property and waterside homes throughout BERKSHIRE,
the UK, London and Cape Town South Africa for retained private
& corporate clients.
For further information about our service use the menu at the
top of this page.
About the County of Berkshire
(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold in
Berkshire recently, scroll down to the bottom of this page)
click on relevant link below to view further information on...
> Country, Equestrian,
Farm & Waterside property for sale in Berkshire
> Property
prices of prime properties in Berkshire
> Private & Public schools
in Berkshire
> The leading
Country, Farm & Equestrian Estate Agents in Berkshire
MAIN TOWNS/AREAS IN BERKSHIRE: Ascot,
Berkshire
Downs, Bracknell,
Brimpton,
Burghfield,
Crowthorne,
Englefield
Green, Eton,
Goring,
Holyport,
Hungerford,
Lambourn,
Mortimer,
Newbury,
Old
Windsor, Paley
Street, Pangbourne,
Reading,
Sandhurst,
Slough,
Sunningdale,
Sunninghill, Thatcham,
Twyford,
Warfield,
Windsor,
Winkfield,
Wokingham.
Berkshire is a county of contrasts;
urban and industrial sprawls lie close to picture postcard villages
and tranquil waterways, flat plains border rolling hills. The
modern face of Royal Berkshire is somewhat removed from its time
as the playground of kings!
The principal reason for this rapid change in
character is that it lies on two lines of communication –
initially the River Thames and more recently the M4. The Thames
enters the county around Streatley and winds its way through Reading,
Henley, Maidenhead and Windsor. The M4 has inspired a host of
new businesses to spring up along its route and encouraged development
ever westwards; it is the UK's own Silicon Valley. There is, however,
still a clear distinction between the east and west of the county.
In east Berkshire, choosing the right area is
often the biggest hurdle. Areas such as Slough, Bracknell and
Staines are the obvious ones to avoid. There are also, however,
parts of areas such as Windsor, Virginia Water and Sunninghill
which should be avoided if you want nice views and peace and quiet.
Much of this area between the M3 and M4 surrounds
the vast Windsor Great Park Estate, some 13,000 acres. Just on
its edge, the village of Englefield Green provides a suburban
interpretation of English life. Moving further south, Ascot, Sunningdale
and Sunninghill are much more suburban with some residential roads
where many smaller houses – built at the beginning of the
twentieth century – are now being knocked down and replaced
by larger, often technologically advanced, homes.
To the west of the area, Winkfield, Holyport,
Paley Street and Warfield provide more open countryside but as
you move closer to the M4 some of the villages tend to be affected
by varying degrees of road noise. Planes from Heathrow can also
be a problem.
Most of west Berkshire is within 75 minutes
of London. It remains one of the most popular areas for the country
house market as much of it is extremely pretty and within a comfortable
commute of London.
In the north, the Berkshire Downs stretch as
far as the Ridgeway, which marks the border between Berkshire
and Oxfordshire. Lambourn, which is the second largest racehorse-training
centre in the UK, is based here. There are only a few villages
dispersed amongst the wide open spaces of the downs meaning fewer
country houses come to the market here than elsewhere in the county.
The M4 dissects the Downs and the rest of the
county from east to west. The noise affects a wide area either
side and can pull down house prices.
South of the M4 and around Hungerford, the countryside
remains extremely attractive although not as exposed as the Downs.
This area has the benefit of having easy access east and west
yet, at the same time, is rural.
East of Newbury there are many developments
dotted along the A4 towards Reading. Small towns such as Thatcham
and Theale are growing with new business parks and industrial
sites. The visual and audible impact these have had on the area
has blighted prices in this pocket of West Berkshire.
Finally, moving north to Goring and Pangbourne,
which are both attractive market towns, there are many villages
popular with commuters due to their proximity to Reading and Newbury.
Trains from Reading to Paddington take approximately 25 minutes.
Land here is, predominantly, pretty wooded valleys, and it has
remained as such, due to management policies of local estates.
As much of the area is in the ownership of these estates, it is
rare that properties with large acreages come on to the market.
THE BEST BERKSHIRE COUNTRY HOUSES FOR SALE IN RECENT TIMES
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)
Harewood Estate, Windsor (Mansion, helipad, 36.59 acres): £27.5m
Old Titness, Sunningdale (new mansion): £9.5m
Hillfields Farm, Basildon: £6.4m
Ruscombe Estate, Twyford (Elizabethan manor, 128 acres): £4m
Oakfield House, Mortimer (Georgian house): £3.6m
Battle House, Pangbourne (Georgian country house): £2.6m
Stone House, Brimpton (95 acre sporting estate): £2m
Country Life
HIGHEST VALUE STREETS IN BERKSHIRE
1 Fulmer Rise, Slough SL3 £2,673,799
2 Middle Green, Slough SL3 £1,958,418
3 Stoke Park Avenue, Slough SL2 £1,313,878
4 Wellingtonia Avenue, Crowthorne RG45 £1,188,834
5 Scarletts Lane, Reading RG10 £1,145,855
6 West End, Reading RG10 £1,141,554
7 Hatchgate Lane, Reading RG10 £1,076,353
8 Lower Sandhurst Road, Wokingham RG40 £1,065,203
9 Egypt Lane, Slough SL2 £1,023,511
10 Stoke Poges Lane, Slough SL2 £995,372
HIGHEST VALUE AREAS IN BERKSHIRE
1 RG8 (Reading) £377,935
2 RG10 (Reading) £345,035
3 RG7 (Reading) £304,838
4 RG40 (Wokingham) £299,483
5 RG45 (Crowthorne) £291,205
6 RG4 (Reading) £282,742
7 RG41 (Wokingham) £268,245
8 RG42 (Bracknell) £257,728
9 SL2 (Slough) £245,545
10 GU47 (Sandhurst) £234,894
HIGHEST VALUE TOWNS IN BERKSHIRE
1 Crowthorne £289,877
2 Wokingham £282,637
3 Reading £233,750
4 Sandhurst £233,731
5 Slough £216,709
6 Bracknell £208,620
If you require
impartial advice on acquiring a prime property, please contact
PRIME PROPERTY SEARCH AGENTS, Sands Home Search on
FOR
UK PROPERTY SEARCH ASSISTANCE
From
the UK: 01425
462 549
From
overseas:
+44 1425 462 549
Or click here
to email
FOR
CAPE TOWN PROPERTY
SEARCH ASSISTANCE
South
Africa: 076
222 7518
From
overseas:
+27 76 222 7518
Or click
here to email
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FOR
BERKSHIRE & UK PROPERTY SEARCH ASSISTANCE
Within
the UK:
01425 462 549
or
if calling from outside the UK:
+44 1425 462 549
Or click
here to email
FOR CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA PROPERTY SEARCH
ASSISTANCE
Within
South Africa:
076 222 7518
or
if calling from outside S.Africa:
+27 76 222 7518
Contact : Shaun Ascough
click
here
to email
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