Wentworth Estate
Wentworth Estate | ||
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Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | Virginia Water | |
Postcode district | GU25 | |
Dialling code | 01344 | |
Police | Surrey | |
Fire | Surrey | |
Ambulance | South East Coast | |
UK Parliament | ||
The Wentworth Estate is a private estate of large houses set in about 2.7 sq mi (7 km2) of woodland, in Runnymede, Surrey. It lies on a gently undulating area of coniferous heathland, around 0.75 mi (1.21 km) south west of the centre of Virginia Water. Construction of the estate, known locally as "The Island", began in the early 1920s. Wentworth Golf Course is part of the estate and some properties can only be accessed through the course.[1]
Description
Most of its invariably large plots have homes built from scratch or rebuilt after 1930 in a range of styles from the ornate multi-chimneyed
History
19th century
The 19th-century house the "Wentworths" (now the club house for the Wentworth Club) was the home of a brother-in-law of the 1st Duke of Wellington. It was purchased in 1850 by the exiled Carlist Ramón Cabrera, 1st Duke of Maestrazgo, and after his death, his wife bought up the surrounding lands which were later to form the nucleus of the Wentworth Estate.[2]
20th century
In 1912, builder W.G. Tarrant had started developing St George's Hill, Weybridge – a development of houses based on minimal 1-acre (0.40 ha) plots based around a golf course. In 1922, Tarrant acquired the development rights for the Wentworth Estate, getting Harry Colt to develop a golf course around the "Wentworth" house. Tarrant developed the large houses on the estate to a similar Surrey formula used at St George's Hill – tall chimneys, dormer windows, gables, leaded lights, tile-hung or half-timbered or a combination of both; most using hand-made bricks and tiles. Some houses had stonework round the front door and stone fireplaces, a few had a marble floor in the hall, and the rarest – of which he was most proud – had a stone tablet with his initials WGT.[3]
Development of Wentworth Estate ground to a halt due to
Wentworth subterranean bunkers
With the outbreak of World War II, Wentworth Estate was selected as an alternative seat of government and a rural command post, offering fewer security problems and more resources than the
Post-war
Post-war development picked up considerably, and, by 1960, most of the available land was already used.
Planning and amenities
Wentworth Estate Act 1964 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to make provision for the maintenance of the private roads and footpaths on the estate known as the Wentworth Estate in the urban district of Egham and the rural district of Bagshot in the county of Surrey; and for other purposes. |
Citation | 1964 c. xl |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 31 July 1964 |
Status: Current legislation | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
In 1962, a committee of residents and the company promoted a private
The Wentworth Estate is laid out across 700 hectares (1750 acres) and forms one of Europe's premier residential areas.[12] Within the estate borders are a mixture of public and private roads, footpaths and open areas. It adjoins along a long border the long row of its village's shops, restaurants and other amenities, which is laid out upon similar lines, but has many 21st century converted mansions and newly built apartments.[13]
The River Bourne runs through the area, which has a population of 5,895.[14]
Transport
- Road
Wentworth is just outside the ring of the
- Rail
Wentworth is adjoined to its south and east by a major stop and minor stop railway station on the London
- Air
Wentworth is 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Heathrow Airport; in private aviation Fairoaks Airport is 5 miles (8 km) south, accessible through Lyne and Ottershaw.
Residents
The estate was in the British newspaper headlines in 1998 when former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was kept under house arrest in one of its houses prior to his extradition.[15][16]
- 's residence.
- Thomas Bjørn – golfer[19]
- Sultan of Brunei[20]
- Ron Dennis – British businessman[19]
- Ernie Els – South African golfer[21]
- Sir Bruce Forsyth
- Prince Naseem Hamed – former Boxing world champion[19]
- Aidan Heavey – Irish businessman
- Eddie Jordan – head of former Jordan F1 Team[19]
- Gary Numan – musician[19]
- Kevin Pietersen – Retired England International Cricketer[19]
Former residents
Founder residents included Agatha Christie and her first husband, who was a friend of one of the estate's founders. The original residents built their own homes in any style they wished. She and her husband separated while living there and she sold the house, reportedly to repay the loan she had taken out to pay for it.[19]
- Russ Abbot – entertainer
- Boris Berezovsky – oligarch[22]
- Diana Dors – actress
- Bryan Forbes – actor and film director, lived at Seven Pines[23]
- Sir Bruce Forsyth – entertainer[24]
- Kirsty Gallacher – model/presenter, grew up on the estate
- Ted Heath – bandleader[19]
- Sir Elton John – musician[25]
- kleptocrat and daughter of Islam Karimov, former-president of Uzbekistan. Acquired hundreds of millions of dollars through bribery, convicted by Uzbek court.[26]
- Nanette Newman – actress
- Prajadhipok, abdicated king of Thailand[29]
- Sir Cliff Richard – singer[30]
- Sarah, Duchess of York
- Andriy Shevchenko – striker for Chelsea F.C.[18]
- John Hay Whitney – US ambassador to the UK, publisher, art collector, philanthropist and investor[31]
- Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney
References
- ^ Subramanian, Samanth (2 March 2021). "The rich v the very very rich: the rebellion at Wentworth Golf Club". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ Archives Network Wales – The de Morella Collection
- ^ Books, Research and Information – Arts & Crafts Home
- ^ BBC – WW2 People's War – It was totally different
- ^ Wentworth Estate Website - History
- ISBN 9780956440570.
- ^ Subterranea Britannica
- ^ 28 days later Urban Exploration - Wentworth
- ^ "ROYAL ASSENT HC Deb 31 July 1964". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 31 July 1964. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ Wentworth Estate – History
- ^ "Welcome To The Wentworth Estate - The Wentworth Estate". The Wentworth Estate. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ^ BBC NEWS | England | Surrey | Priciest street outside of London
- ^ Wentworth Estate
- ^ Census data
- ^ BBC News | World | Pinochet retreats to luxury estate
- ^ Pinochet, General Augusto, Archive news
- TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ a b Safe as houses: the KGB-proof mansion Sunday Times – 6 May 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h "You'll never believe who I just saw...! Part 2". Egham Museum. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ unofficial-guides.com – Royal Holloway
- ^ Time for something Els | Golf | Guardian Unlimited Sport
- ^ Moscow on the Thames The Telegraph
- ISBN 978-1-5290-2617-7.
- ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ^ "Elton At Home". Getty Images. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ^ "The UK's kleptocracy problem: How servicing post-Soviet elites weakens the rule of law" (PDF). Russia and Eurasia Programme. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "The rich v the very, very rich: The rebellion at Wentworth golf club". The Guardian. 2 March 2021.
- ^ "Pinochet retreats to luxury estate". BBC News.
- ^ Compton House, Lake Road, Wentworth Estate, Surrey, accessed 3 March 2015
- ^ Adams, Stephen (12 August 2009). "Sir Cliff Richard lodges appeal to keep conservatory". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- OCLC 17436174.