With well-heeled Londoners left wondering if busy city life is all it’s cracked up to be after lockdown, those considering ditching the capital for the British countryside would do well to start flocking to Berkshire.
While The Cotswolds has long been the upmarket bolthole of choice, society bible Tatler has declared that neighbouring Berkshire is the new ‘It-spot for weary Londoners’.
With the much-anticipated introduction of the Elizabeth line this autumn, the publication said the area is a ‘viable commute option for city tycoons and business moguls’ with a selection of pricey public schools and celebrity-approved eateries.
The leafy county is home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s parents, and brother James, while her sister Pippa purchased the sprawling Bucklebury Farm Park petting zoo last year.
Resident can also rub shoulders with Hollywood royalty with American actor George Clooney and his human rights lawyer wife owning a lavish mansion in the village of Sonning.
Here, FEMAIL reveals a few of the things that makes the spot worth a visit after it was crowned top Britain’s top countryside spot by the publication.
RUB SHOULDERS WITH ROYALTY
The Duchess of Cambridge’s sister Pippa Middleton, and her hedge-fund billionaire husband James Matthews split their time between leafy Berkshire and their £17 million six-bedroom home in London
In 2021, the couple purchased the sprawling Bucklebury Farm Park, a petting zoo which is a favourite of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for just £1.5million
A 44-acre deer park is included alongside some livestock; agent Knight Frank said the tourist attraction offers scope for ‘redevelopment’
The Duchess of Cambridge’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton moved to Berkshire before the birth of Kate in 1982 and currently live in a £4.7m Bucklebury mansion.
When the couple first arrived in the area they purchased a Victorian house in Bradfield Southend temporarily moved abroad before returning to West Berkshire in 1986.
In the early 90s the couple moved to Oak Acre, a Tudor-style manor house in Bucklebury and in 2012 triumphed in what was called a ‘fierce bidding war’ for their current seven-bedroom property.
The Georgian pile, which is the former family seat of a family whose ancestors were granted the land by Henry VIII, offers the Middletons unrivalled seclusion and privacy.
In the same Berkshire village, James, the younger sibling of the Duchess of Cambridge, owns a £1.45 million Grade-II listed farmhouse where he lives with his French wife Alizée Thevenet
The Duchess of Cambridge’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton moved to Berkshire before the birth of Kate in 1982 and currently live in a £4.7m Bucklebury mansion
In the early 90s the couple moved to Oak Acre, a Tudor-style manor house in Bucklebury and in 2012 triumphed in what was called a ‘fierce bidding war’ for their current seven-bedroom property (pictured)
The manor house is set in 18 acres of landscaped grounds with views across a picturesque valley.
In the same Berkshire village, James, the younger sibling of the Duchess of Cambridge, owns a £1.45 million Grade-II listed farmhouse where he lives with his French wife Alizée Thevenet.
Meanwhile Kate’s sister, Pippa, and her hedge-fund billionaire husband James Matthews split their time between leafy Berkshire and their £17 million six-bedroom home in London.
In 2021, the couple purchased the sprawling Bucklebury Farm Park, a petting zoo which is a favourite of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for just £1.5million.
When the couple purchased the farm, the 72-acre rolling fields were home to a 44-acre deer park, cafe and glamping pods and could accommodate the ultimate new-build country pile.
The couple reportedly plans to splash out £800,000 transforming the rundown petting zoo and deer park into an indoor play barn for children and expanding an existing barn to include a cafe and farm shop with outdoor seating.
And the couple may already have come up with their name for the venture, with the Daily Mail revealing in November they had registered a company called Pippa’s Playground.
James, 46, who runs Mayfair investment firm Eden Rock, bought Bucklebury Farm last March and is the joint owner with his business partner, James Murray.
Fort Belvedere is a Grade II listed house with tower towards the southern end of Windsor Great Park, where King Edward VIII – the Queen’s uncle – signed his abdication papers in 1936, and could be a new home for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Kate Middleton has been ‘looking around schools in Windsor’ as the Cambridges ‘prepare to move closer to the Duchess’ parents Carole and Mike’, sources have claimed
The Duke and Duchess themselves have even considered the area, with sources claiming earlier this year that the couple ‘will move to Berkshire and start a quiet life in the country’.
Royal commentator Hilary Rose told The Times that Windsor Castle has been ‘earmarked’ as a new base for the couple, adding: ‘It’s said that they’ll head for the discreetly wealthy little web of rural villages near her parents — whom William adores — where the locals have taken an oath of omerta about the Middletons in their midst.’
Teddy Wolstenholme, the editorial director of Talk Education and a former editor of the Tatler Schools Guide, said: ‘[The Duke and Duchess] have been doing their research on local schools for the last year.
Insiders told The Telegraph they have their eyes on Fort Belvedere, a Grade II listed house with tower towards the southern end of Windsor Great Park, where King Edward VIII – the Queen’s uncle – signed his abdication papers in 1936.
The fort is owned by the Crown Estate and leased to the billionaire Weston family, close friends of the royals.
MEET SOCIALITES AND HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS
George and Amal Clooney are among the many celebrities living in the area after purchasing a 17th-century, Grade II-listed house in the small Berkshire village of Sonning
Hollywood star Clooney moved into the secluded home with his wife and twins in 2016, after an intensive 18-month long refurbishment. An aerial view of actor Clooney’s mansion in Sonning-on-Thames
Model Rosie Tapner is often spotted splitting her time between Berkshire and London while presenting equestrian events
George and Amal Clooney are among the many celebrities living in the area after purchasing a 17th-century, Grade II-listed house in the small Berkshire village of Sonning.
The Hollywood star and human rights lawyer moved into the secluded home with their twins in 2016, after an intensive 18-month long refurbishment.
The couple paid an undisclosed sum for the listed property, which was put on the market for £7.5 million, in September 2014, a couple of weeks after their three-day wedding extravaganza in Venice.
The duo’s abode stands on an idyllic stretch of the Thames in Sonning-on-Thames and is secluded by trees on acres of land.
In 2018, Amal offered a glimpse into the couple’s home during an interview with Vogue, showing off her lavish lounge, pool house and a screening room called ‘George’s zone’.
Other celebrities who live in the area include; Lord Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
Frequenting the county’s various horse racing tracks, model Rosie Tapner is often spotted splitting her time between Berkshire and London while presenting equestrian events at Royal Ascot.
She was educated at the prestigious Downe House boarding school in Newbury before taking part in various British Eventing competitions and forging a successful career as a TV presenter.
PARTY AT STATELY HOME WITH A SCANDALOUS POLITICAL HISTORY
Described as a stately home with ‘350 years of powerful personalities, iconic parties and scandalous affairs’, Cliveden House in Maidenhead has a rich and exciting history
Described as a stately home with ‘350 years of powerful personalities, iconic parties and scandalous affairs’, Cliveden House in Maidenhead has a rich and exciting history.
The Cliveden estate was acquired by Mansfield Family in 1605 and later by George Villiers 2nd Duke of Buckingham, who built the original House on the terrace as a hunting lodge to entertain mistress and friends.
While the home has been home to many powerful figures throughout history, it was Viscountess Nancy and Viscount Waldorf Astor who brought the home into the spotlight during early twentieth century
Cliveden became famous for its lavish hospitality and glamorous guests including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, George Bernard Shaw and Henry Ford.
But scandal struck Cliveden in 1963 when it was revealed that John Profumo, Secretary of State for War, had first met 19-year-old model Christine Keeler by the swimming pool of the home.
In what would later be known as the ‘Profumo Affair’, it emerged that Keeler had been sleeping with the politician same time she had been having sex with handsome Russian spy Evgeny Ivanov.
But when the news broke, Profumo lied to the House of Commons about his affair. He was soon found out and Keeler sold her story to the News of The World for £23,000.
In June 1963, he quit in disgrace, amid allegations Keeler had been asked by Ivanov to discover from the War Minister when the West Germans might receive U.S. nuclear missiles to be stationed on their soil.
Guests can now stay in the house overnight in various rooms and suits, or rent out the luxury spring cottage – originally built as a summerhouse and tea room for the Countess of Orkney in 1813 – from £2,250.
The venu is also available to rent out for weddings, corporate events and private parties.
MICHELIN-STARRED MEALS
Heston Blumenthal’s renowned Fat Duck restaurant in Bray is one of Berkshire’s highest regarded eateries among locals and A-listers alike. Pictured, a dish at the Fat Duck shared by food influencers The Edible Twins
Heston Blumenthal’s renowned Fat Duck restaurant in Bray is one of Berkshire’s highest regarded eateries among locals and A-listers alike.
Housed in a 16th-century building gained its first Michelin star in 1999, earning another in 2002 and its third in 2004.
To celebrate the restaurant’s 25th anniversary, the renowned chef is launching an anthology menu of Fat Duck classics including snail porridge, crab ice cream and truffle and oak toast with scented moss.
Located in the village of Shinfield, fine dining restaurant L’Ortolan has been home to five Michelin starred chefs since it opened in September 2001.
The restaurant is situated in a grade II listed building, surrounded by stunning landscape, and has won various awards and accolades since opening its doors.
Meanwhile, family-run restaurant The Waterside Inn in Bray won its first star in the inaugural UK Michelin Guide in 1974, followed by a second star in 1977 and third in 1985. It has maintained all three ever since.
And while it doesn’t boast michelin stars, Italian restaurant Pazzia in Sunninghill, is a favourite with locals which is said to have been visited by Hollywood royalty George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
FAMOUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
One of the most well known public schools in the area is Eton College, which has bred 19 British prime ministers including Boris Johnson and David Cameron
One of the most well known public schools in the area is Eton College, which has bred 19 British prime ministers including Boris Johnson and David Cameron, and educated both Princes Harry and William.
The £14,030-per year independent boarding school Downe House has notable alumni including Countess Alexandra Tolstoy; Tessa Dahl and Annette Worsley-Taylor.
Elsewhere in the county, St Mary’s Ascot, which costs £14,260 per term to board, boasts many notable alumni including Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor and Lady Amelia Windsor, the granddaughters of Prince Edward.
Voted as one of the best public schools in the country by Tatler last year, Wellington College costs £14,210 for pupils to board.
Founded in 1853, this Berkshire school boasts lessons in Happiness and Positive Psychology which it’s even extended to parents.
Sporty students benefit from 16 rugby and football pitches as well as a climbing wall and nine-hole golf course, as well as an outdoor pool where some take part in the Maniacs challenge, swimming two lengths before 7:30am.
The school even has its own TV channel, WTV, where budding journalists can present news programmes.
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