As you pass her there's a distant glimpse of the imposing house across meadows full of buttercups and then the drive swings left under another glorious crested arch and two smart chaps with dangly things in their ears politely ask you to park up while they call for a buggy.
At the grand neo-Classical entrance to the house, staff proffer champagne and exquisite little canap?s (can I have 20 more you want to ask) as you pass through into a book-lined library where a string quartet is playing: surely a reference to Dustin Hoffman's film Quartet starring Maggie Smith, set in a posh home for retired classical musicians? Then, a local barbershop group treats the assembled guests to various strange tunes before Lord Carnarvon, a neighbour, steps up to formally unveil a plaque and declare Audley Inglewood open.
Nick Sanderson, CEO of Audley Retirement, has pulled out all the stops for the launch of his new retirement village in West Berkshire. Once the centre of a great estate, it is exactly the sort of property that presented the perfect opportunity for Nick, a man with a mission to persuade the UK's property-rich baby boomers to give up the unequal struggle to maintain their labour-intensive family houses and move into something just as nice but a lot more manageable. This is his eighth venture in luxury retirement villages, and all, he says, "have their own personality as well as some heritage aspect".
Inglewood's heritage reads like the story of many grand English stately homes. The site is mentioned in the Domesday Book and the house, rebuilt on more than one occasion, was home to various grand families. The last was the Wormsleys, who sold it in 1928 to French monastic order the De La Salle Brothers which ran a seminary here until the Seventies.
It was then a Champneys spa for 30 years before being bought by the Audley group in 2006.
"It was an important building, but tired out, "It was an important building, but tired out, and it needed to find a new use," says Nick. "I persuaded the council that it might be used for a retirement village for the over-55s."
The Inglewood house seen today is not the original manor but a replica. Surveys found that the old place was too costly to restore so it was knocked down and a perfect imitation built in its place using the expert services of local stonemasons. The Champneys spa was also rebuilt to provide a modern luxury facility.
HEN complete, the village will offer 90 properties Wranging in price from ?250,000 to ?600,000 for a 125-year lease and include apartments, cottages and mews houses which will be added in three phases.
Charges are ?650 per calender month regardless of the size of property, covering concierge services, maintenance and communal facilities such as the spa, bar, library and restaurant. There are also two guest suites for family and friends. The first reservations have been taken on the apartments in the main house. The village will be geared towards independent living but tailored care packages run by a sister company called Audley Care are available according to individual need.
Inglewood is located in a beautiful part of Britain, as Lord Carnarvon was at pains to state. Just down the road from his majestic pile, Highclere Castle, the property star of Downton Abbey, it is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to the hill immortalised by Richard Adams in Watership Down.
Nearby is the village of Kintbury, which has been named as one of Britain's top 10 most sought after villages. In fact, the road through Kintbury is positively medieval with a series of tiny hump backed bridges but the rest of the access, from London at least, is easy and the M4 motorway is just a short drive away.
Newbury, the nearest large town, offers everything the average retiree could desire: from leisure facilities, restaurants and clubs to museums and three theatres.
In his address, Lord Carnarvon noted how different today's retirement homes have become: "At similar openings a few years ago, you would have thought, 'how sad', but those type of care homes are a thing of the past," he said.
Audley Retirement is certainly proving a game changer under the leadership of Nick Sanderson, who is also chairman of the Association of Retirement Villages.
"We are seeing a generation of aspirational and discerning older people stand up and challenge the status quo and demand more," he said.
"This fast-growing sector of society is looking for desirable, quality homes to suit its lifestyle ambitions, so we must stop focusing on unwanted institutional care and provide the attractive specialist housing that the country is crying out for."
A tour of the new facilities and apartments at Inglewood provides a glimpse of this. Interior designer Carol Gearing has managed to recreate the special ambience associated with English country houses.
Giant blue and white Chinese urns, magnificent Venetian style mirrors; sparkling chandeliers, warm textiles and vases overflowing with flowers adorn the communal areas.
No wonder retirees are being drawn in ever greater numbers to a life that allows them to put down the gardening gloves and DIY manuals and pick up a glass of prosecco while deciding on the summer cruise.
INFORMATION: 0800 093 8181/audleyretirement.co.uk
Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/property/409619/What-a-grand-way-to-retire
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