Berkshire East and Buckinghamshire South Regional Information

Reading is the county town for Berkshire. It boasts modern city living alongside traditional Victorian architecture and a popular university campus. Reading also has a strong business community, as does Bracknell, Slough, Marlow and Stains, not forgetting the Winnersh Triangle. Main towns in the area include Amersham, High Wycombe, Uxbridge, Maidenhead, Camberley and Woking.  Attractive riverside living can be enjoyed around such towns as Pangbourne, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Cookham and Windsor. Places such as Wokingham, Hartley Wintney, Egham, Chobham, Sonning, Eton, Chesham, Chorleywood, Sonning Common, Goring and many others satisfy the need for more of a market town or village atmosphere. Prestigious locations include Ascot, Sunningdale, Virginia Water, Weybridge, the Chalfonts and Beaconsfield.

Commuting links into London and easy access to Heathrow Airport are a key feature of the area.  The promise of Crossrail terminating in Maidenhead will further open up access through London to the East.

First Great Western into London Paddington and to the West.
South West Trains into London Waterloo and the South West.
Chiltern Railways into London Marylebone and up to Birmingham.
Virgin Trains down to Bournemouth and up to the North West.

Key motorways are the M3, M4, M40 and the M25.

Good A Roads criss-cross the area and road travel between points is usually quick and direct.  Given the proximity to London, rush-hour can often be a busy time across the Thames Valley.

The Thames Valley contains a rich variety of period and modern houses, located in anything from total seclusion to a city centre.  Property here can satisfy most tastes and budgets.  Thatched cottages can be found in the Chilterns, as well as in parts of south Berkshire and north-east Hampshire.  Victorian houses are very much in evidence along the route of Brunel’s Great Western Railway and around the former furniture manufacturing capital of High Wycombe.  The Metropolitan Line brought inter-War housing to areas of South Bucks and Hertfordshire.  Riverside living can be had in many different areas.  Private estates, hidden away behind farmland and woods, share the area with modern large trophy homes.  Urban living can be readily satisfied with modern apartments in Reading, and in many smaller towns around the area.  Old or new, large or small, with land or just a balcony, there is a property for every requirement in the Thames Valley.

Many blue-chip companies now have their UK or European head office located in the Thames Valley. The M4 corridor has often been likened to Silicon Valley. Business is at the heart of the Thames Valley, both in terms of industry located in the area and the ease of access from the area to London, the rest of UK and internationally via Heathrow. A lot of wealth is generated by and enjoyed in the area and this is reflected in the general cost of housing.

State Education – There is a great diversity in the style of State sector education available, from popular tiny village primary schools to large, highly acclaimed secondary schools, both single-sex and coeducational.  Grammar Schools dominate in South Bucks and are a considerable draw for many would-be property buyers.  Care needs to be taken when considering catchments, which can change year-on-year.

Independent Schools – The Thames Valley enjoys a wide selection of excellent Prep and Senior Independent schools, including some of the best known in the Country.  There are too many to mention in this space and readers are advised to contact the Independent Schools Council, or consider speaking with an independent advisor such as Gabbitas.

A wide variety of sports, pastimes and leisure activities can be found in the area.  Most towns have a wide selection of sports clubs, team or individual, and the Madejski Stadium is home to Reading FC and London Irish RFC.

Golf courses abound throughout the area, the most notable possibly being Wentworth and St George’s Hill. The Thames provides boating enthusiasts many opportunities to enjoy a day on the water, as well as a scenic walking route along the Thames Path.  Horse racing can be enjoyed at Royal Ascot, Windsor and Kempton Park.

Riding is popular in the more rural areas. Gourmet cuisine can be enjoyed throughout the area, Bray notably having two Michelin three-star restaurants: The Waterside Inn and The Fat Duck; also L’Ortolan near Reading, to name but a few.

There are many dedicated cycle-ways across the area and a number of forests and public spaces, such as Burnham Beeches.  There is plenty to choose from for entertainment in the area, such as Legoland, Windsor Castle, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures.

Local Authority Websites:

www.rbwm.gov.uk

www.southbucks.gov.uk

www.chiltern.gov.uk

www.surreyheath.gov.uk

www.wokingham.gov.uk

www.southoxon.gov.uk

www.slough.gov.uk

www.reading.gov.uk

www.runnymede.gov.uk

Independent Schools:

www.isc.co.uk

www.gabbitas.co.uk

State Education:

www.dfes.gov.uk

Business:

www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk

www.thames-valley-business.co.uk

Sport:

www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk

www.london-irish.com

www.wycombewanderers.premiumtv.co.uk

www.wentworthclub.com

www.stgeorgeshillgolfclub.co.uk

Other:

www.town-guides.org

www.sarahwooldridge.co.uk