Imagine unique houses nestled amidst beautiful greenery, all within one of southern England's most charming areas, with easy access to both London and the rest of the world. Wentworth might be one of the most expensive places in the country, but for good reason. If you're looking for properties for sale in Wentworth Estate or the wider Virginia Water area, then keep reading.
A brush with greatness
It was the fall of 1991. I strolled down the fairway of the renowned West Course at Wentworth, the legendary "Burma Road" – a name earned for its reputation as a fiercely challenging golf course. A friend and I were waiting for what was then one of the undisputed highlights of the golfing season: the Volvo World Match Play Championship, which took place annually on this course and attracted the biggest names in the sport. Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin battled it out on this very turf during the 1960s and 1970s; a decade or so later, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els would do the same.
On that particular bright October day, the competition was dominated by the influx of European greats who were ruling the game: Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Jose Maria Olazabal, and of course, Seve Ballesteros. As we walked down the slope of this par 5, a ball crashed down and landed within a few feet of where we were. We couldn't see back to the tee and weren't sure which match was coming up behind us, but we decided to hang around to see how one of the world's best would attempt to escape from under the clutches of those trees.
And the player who walked up to us was the man himself: Seve. My friend and I were speechless at encountering one of our legends. The Spanish maestro cracked a joke as he approached, and although we didn't understand what he said, we chuckled nervously anyway. Seconds later, he'd cleared his ball out of an impossible-looking position and towards the green with uncanny flair, and continued on. The late Seve – who sadly passed away from a brain tumor in 2011 – would probably always forget the shot. Yet, I'll always remember it.
Fast forward to Cherry Slope
Many years later, I'm standing not 50 yards from this spot, at one of the finest homes on Wentworth Estate's "Prime Island." The house in question is Cherry Slope, a charming and elegant Arts and Crafts home, the only remaining original dwelling among the many fine houses on the estate (there used to be another, until it was unfortunately demolished in 2003).
A house fit for a legend
Property developer siblings Jess and Tejit Gaur purchased the house in 2008 and spent the better part of 10 years renovating, restoring, and thoughtfully expanding it. Cherry Slope has been on the market for a couple of years now, and despite a string of near misses with buyers from across the globe, it's still available for purchase. The asking price? £24 million, through Knight Frank. It's a hefty price tag for a magnificent house in a perfect location where high-end golf and high-end property have always been closely intertwined.
Inside, the house is a marvel to behold, from the exquisite round table in the living area to the striking black and white bathroom upstairs, to the feature wall in the family room made using a giant piece of onyx sourced from Italy.
But the house has a far more noteworthy showstopper at its disposal: a function room on the lower ground floor where the herringbone dance floor sinks down, at the push of a button, to reveal a stunningly lit swimming pool. It's a display of extravagance that seems perfectly at home in a house that was once the residence of the US Ambassador to the UK, and whose guests over the years have included royalty, presidents, and Hollywood A-listers.
Those looking for properties for sale in Virginia Water or elsewhere in Surrey might find Cherry Slope appealing. If you're interested and need help navigating the Surrey property market, consider contacting Barton Wyatt estate agents in Surrey who specialise in luxury properties.
A prestigious history
For the past century, this has been prime real estate – pretty much prime, to be honest, with wonderful, rambling houses routinely changing hands for vast sums of money. However, for hundreds of years – centuries, in fact – this entire region was largely overlooked by developers, for one simple reason. The vast swathe of sandy heathland that stretches through large parts of Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Sussex is essentially useless for growing crops.
What it is truly great for, however, is golf. Excellent golf, for sure: 10 of the top 25 courses in Britain (as rated by our partners at Golf Monthly) are to be found on this stretch of land, a statistic that seems even more impressive when you consider that most of the remaining 15 are coastal links like Royal Birkdale.
It's also great for building beautiful houses, surrounded by mature trees, on perfectly landscaped land that is peaceful, secure, and superbly well-connected.
