The WhatHouse? team recently left the office behind to head to Buckinghamshire to see first-hand the properties for sale at Shanly Homes’ Windsor House scheme in Marlow.
It’s another sunny spring day as we take the train from Paddington to get to Marlow, the well-to-do town set on the northern side of the River Thames. The journey takes around 50 minutes, changing to the branch line at Maidenhead, and there’s a ten-minute walk from the station to the front door of Windsor House itself.
We’re greeted by sales director Shelley West and sales assistant Louise at the fully furnished show home – more of which later. We start off talking about the town itself. With history preceding Norman times, it now has a number of celebrity residents and has visitors from across the country trying to book a table at the Hand and Flowers, run by Tom Kerridge and the first UK gastropub to win two Michelin stars.
Add to this a great range of shops on the doorstep, road and rail links, and its proximity to the Thames on the fringes of The Chilterns and it’s easy to see why Marlow is so popular.
Many of the buyers so far have been locals, mostly downsizers though there are some couples in their 30s who have purchased too. Phase one comprises 11 apartments, two of them with one bedroom and the rest with two. Three units are still available here, ‘build complete’ and ready to move into, and Phase 2 is bringing six more to the market.
Previously a sprawling office building, the appealing architecture has been preserved while inside, each property has an unusual layout. Quirky room shapes and hallways are certain to appeal to potential purchasers who find the more predictable, square rooms of many modern apartment blocks. Living space is generous, with a one-bedroom unit we see at 615 sq ft and the two-bedroom show home offering 1,154 sq ft, and high ceilings make the rooms feel larger still. Shelley and Louise have found this and storage to be winning features for the downsizer market.
Shelley adds: “Windsor House presents the ideal opportunity for buyers to move without compromising on their lifestyle. The scheme is located in the perfect spot in the heart of Marlow, where residents can instantly be part of this bustling town whilst having the added benefit of being able to retreat to the sanctuary of their apartment.”
Regardless of size, each home has an identical, high-quality specification which includes Siemens kitchen appliances, granite worktops, chrome switches, beautifully fitted and tiled bathrooms/en suites, and underfloor heating. Each home also comes with a parking space underneath the building, accessed via a car lift.
This show home, No.7 on the second floor has been fitted by Shelley Jackson Interiors and it demonstrates that even with a selection of generously sized furniture, a room retains a feeling of spaciousness. The lounge we’re sitting in has two large bay windows, so there’s an abundance of light coming in. It’s an open-plan room, but the kitchen is set in an alcove with plenty of workspace and it doesn’t intrude on a room that would be perfect for a party.
Back out into the hallway and first on the left is the bathroom, next to which is a sizeable storage cupboard. There’s also an even larger linen cupboard off the hallway close to the front door. Bedroom 2 has built-in wardrobes and the interior design has underlined the size of the room by the size of the bedhead and the use of wide bedside cabinets either side. There’s still plenty of room for other furniture if you need it.
Those same cabinets are used in Bedroom 1, a larger room, also with built-in wardrobes, which benefits from a terrific bay/alcove window of its own. It also has an en suite shower room for that extra touch of luxury that is becoming a standard in many new build apartments.
Shelley then takes us to a view home, completed but unfurnished, which also has two bedrooms (the master bedroom a very different shape but still with plenty of floor space, built-in wardrobes, alcove and en suite). This unit has a large open-plan kitchen/living space, an unusual shape with two alcove spaces and French doors out to a sizeable private terrace.
It’s back to the first show home now, and we talk about Shanly Homes itself. The company is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and is proud of the reputation it has achieved over that time. It has achieved a lot of local residents’ recognition in the towns and villages where it has been building regularly, with the benefit of customer loyalty and repeat buyers who move from one brand new Shanly home to another. Shelley and the team are also proud of the five-star rating on the In-House customer satisfaction survey.
Shelley adds: “All of us at the Shanly Group is proud that the company is turning 50 – its success and excellent track record are testament to the dedication of the team. There is real passion and a commitment to deliver homes people fall in love with and communities people want to be part of. Our customer satisfaction levels are closely monitored and a good indication that we are achieving this. But there is always more to do, so we can’t wait for the next 50.”
Marlow has a lot to offer resident, such as a wide array of shops, banks, pubs/cafes/restaurants and leisure facilities, including Higginson Park and a range of sports clubs.
While there have not been any family buyers to date at Windsor House, there are a number of well-respected schools in the area for those who need them. For infants/juniors, Burford School and Holy Trinity Church of England School are both rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and Danesfield School ‘Outstanding’; for 11- to 18-year-olds, Great Marlow School is ‘Good’ and Sir William Borlase's Grammar School ‘Outstanding’.
Marlow is at the end of a branch line running from Maidenhead, with journey times ranging from 48 to around 70 minutes. There’s one train an hour in each direction. The arrival of Crossrail will make trips to the West End and City far quicker. It’s about eight minutes by road to the M40, 13 to the A40 and High Wycombe. There are a number of major towns and cities within an hour or so, including Slough, Reading, Windsor, London, Swindon and Milton Keynes.
Prices at Windsor House currently range from £660,000 to £670,000. The show home use is open daily from 10.00am to 5.00pm, or find out more at www.shanlyhomes.com. Please tell the team there you heard about it through Whathouse.com.