England/from €1.459m: A show apartment in a historic building in Berkshire, England, will be ready to view in time for Ascot which begins on June 20th.
The tie-in with a sporting event is no surprise, because Charters, whose design is in keeping with the Art Deco and Modern styles that were sweeping Europe when it was built in 1938, is at the heart of many sporting facilities and events. Local golf courses include Sunningdale, Wentworth (hearsay has it that for the first you need to know the right people to join, while Wentworth is difficult enough but possible).
Polo players are also catered for in the environs (the Cartier International takes place at Windsor Great Park), while Ascot and Royal Windsor will satisfy the racing fraternity.
Charters is also very close to Heathrow Airport and London's not too far off. Yet it is a pleasant place in itself. On a recent visit we saw deer ambling across the 25-acre gardens - which are 100 years olds. Rare koi carp wallow in the pond while woodpeckers tap away in the tree-laden garden.
Sabre Developments, which specialises in restoring historic properties, bought Charters six years ago and will add two new buildings near to the existing house to create around 39 two and three-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 130sq m (1,400sq ft) to 325sq m (3,500sq ft).
The new buildings will be in keeping with the main house but won't be an exact copy. "We don't do pastiche," says Sabre's managing director John Morris.
The house was well know in the past, not least because Pathe News ran a feature on how Edward and Mrs Simpson came to stay there in 1947 (the newsreel shows a rather tight-lipped Edward - the royals weren't keen on the press even back then).
According to the news reel, they stayed for a couple of weeks but a gardener at the time said that they actually hung on for six months. More recently, a few locals knew of Charters' existence because it was used by the De Beers Diamond company for secret research.
The current developers found the original architect, HG Hammond of Adie Button and Partners (who is now aged 95), and tracked down some of the original fittings. A bronze balustrade was discovered in a warehouse in London and has been restored to the entrance hall.
While Modernist houses often seem sparse, this one has been restored with rich and fine materials, in line with Art Deco fashion (think marble halls of the Empire State building). Floors will be in marble or timber, kitchens are by Bulthaup with Gaggenau appliances and polished stone worktops. Bathrooms have black stone floors and chrome Citterio and Raindance fittings. The apartments have been wired for all sorts of new technology and even the bathrooms will have concealed plasma screens behind mirrors. Buyers will be able to choose interior fit-outs from a select palette.
Attention to detail includes burying the climate-control machinery in the ground away from the buildings, rather than having it whirring away on roof tops, and painting the underground car-parks so that cement dust doesn't fall on cars.
The main, grade two listed Mansion, has seven apartments (although someone has just bought two adjacent flats to knock into one) which all share the impressive front hall with its floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the Berkshire and Surrey countryside. Residents can hold parties here.
To one side, the Court building is currently on-site and will house 16 two- and three-bedroom apartments along with a spa for the exclusive use of residents.
To the rear of the Mansion, the Garden House is being built and will also have 16 two- and three-bedroom apartments. To the rear of this will be all-weather tennis courts.
The development, which is due to be finished in October 2007, will have 24-hour security and a concierge service. This will include the holding of post, booking flights and tee-off times, arranging laundry and so on. Services charges are currently projected at €10.2 per sq ft (£7 per sq ft).
The apartments cost from €1.459 million (£1 million) to €4.378 million (£3 million) and are available through Hamptons International, London.
