About West Berkshire
West Berkshire combines beautiful countryside in a central southern England location with excellent work opportunities and recreational facilities.
Location, Location, Location
Newbury’s location is no accident. A Norman knight saw an opportunity in having a stopover point near a busy river crossing that was a day’s ride from four of the country’s most important ancient cities: Oxford, Winchester, Salisbury and Wallingford. Its Thames Valley location remains a prime asset today: an hour’s drive along the M4 can take you as far as Bristol or London, while the A34 takes you north towards the Midlands or down to the South Coast.
West Berkshire Property Values
Property values in West Berkshire mirror the popularity of the area. In recent years, they have increased at a faster rate than the national average. The average property selling price in the first quarter of 2007 was around £284,000.
Nevertheless, Newbury and the surrounding villages remain a popular choice for couples and families moving out of London. For these buyers, properties are affordable and London Paddington is less than an hour away by train.
Jones Robinson’s link with London-based agents Carter Jonas ensures that all of the properties that we market have exposure to the London market.
Schools and Education
Newbury and Thatcham are fortunate in being able to offer a choice of excellent schools across all key stages (primary, secondary and sixth form) within both the state and independent sectors. Because all of Newbury’s state schools offer excellent educational facilities, the school catchment area effect is much less of an issue than in other parts of the country.
If you’d like to improve your Salsa dancing, learn bricklaying or beekeeping, or study fulltime for a qualification in business, Newbury College offers more than 2,000 full and part-time courses.
Sports and Leisure
Newbury’s racecourse hosts a number of top quality meetings – both flat and National Hunt, and is home to the famous Hennessy Festival.
Newbury Rugby Football Club has first division status, which means it is one of the top 30 teams in England. As well as providing the spectacle of high-quality professional rugby, Newbury has a thriving amateur section and one of the most vibrant youth memberships in the country. The rugby club is increasingly involved in the local community, providing rugby coaching for schools and working with local companies for the benefit of both. Jones Robinson supports Newbury Rugby Football Club as a sponsor and by providing marketing expertise to further the role of the club in the community.
For arts lovers, Newbury’s Corn Exchange, the unique Watermill Theatre, and New Greenham Arts all offer high quality arts and entertainment that is accessible to all.
The West Berkshire countryside speaks for itself. There are hundreds of miles of footpaths, including the Ridgeway national trail, which will take you through rolling open downland using the same route used since prehistoric times.
Because Jones Robinson has estate agency offices in Newbury, Lambourn, Wantage, Didcot and Oxford we can be sure that our local knowledge and expertise extends across the entire area.
Related
For more information about Newbury, Lambourn and West Berkshire, try these resources:
