Wentworth Estate

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 51.3974
longitude = -0.5845
official_name = Wentworth Estate
map_type = Surrey
population = less than 3,000
shire_district = Runnymede
shire_county = Surrey
region = South East England
constituency_westminster = Runnymede and Weybridge
post_town = Virginia Water
postcode_district = GU24
postcode_area = GU
dial_code = 01344
os_grid_reference = SU985674 The Wentworth Estate is a 1920's development village of houses, shops and restaurants on an area of 700 hectares (1750 acres) around the world famous Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. It encompasses one of Europe's premier residential areas. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/surrey/6368743.stm BBC NEWS | England | Surrey | Priciest street outside of London ] ]

History

The 19th-century house the "Wentworths" (now the club house for the Wentworth Club) was the home for the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington. It was purchased in 1850 by exiled Spanish count Ramon Cabrera, who after his death his wife bought up the surrounding lands which were later to form the nucleus of the Wentworth Estate. [ [http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info/cgi-bin/anw/fulldesc_nofr?inst_id=38&coll_id=3174&expand= Archives Network Wales - The de Morella Collection ] ]

In 1912, builder W.G. Tarrant had started developing St George's Hill, Weybridge - a development of houses based on minimum one-acre plots based around a golf course. In 1922 Tarrant acquired the development rights for the Wentworth Estate, getting H.S. 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. [ [http://www.achome.co.uk/biographies/wgtarrant.htm Books, Research and Information - Arts & Crafts Home ] ]

Development of Wentworth Estate ground to a halt due to depression in the late 1920s, and in 1931 when the banks asked for repayment of a large debenture, Tarrant was forced to declare bankruptcy. The ownership of the land passed to Wentworth Estates Ltd, which came under the control of Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd. Construction picked up in the late 1930s, with many houses built by Tarrant Builders Ltd, with Tarrant's son Percy as one of the directors; but again stopped during World War II when the need arose to build high-density housing close to Virginia Water railway station. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/62/a6093362.shtml BBC - WW2 People's War - It was totally different ] ]

Post-war development picked up considerably, and by 1960 most of the available land was already utilised.

Today

In 1962, a committee of residents and the company promoted a private act of Parliament, and on 31 July the Wentworth Estate Act was given Royal assent. The Act established the Wentworth Estate Roads Committee, which appoints its members on advice from the Wentworth Residents' Association. [ [http://www.wentworthestate.org.uk/site/history.php Wentworth Estate - History ] ]

Today the Wentworth Estate covers 700 hectares (1750 acres), and encompasses one of Europe's premier residential areas. Within the estate borders are a mixture of both public and private roads, footpaths and open areas as well as the village shops, restaurants and other amenities. [ [http://www.wentworthestate.org.uk/site/introduction.php Wentworth Estate ] ]

The River Bourne runs through the area. The village lies within the census area "Virginia Water" which has a population of 5,895. [ [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=5942932&c=GU25+4JX&d=14&e=16&g=491535&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1 Census data] ]

Transport

Wentworth is just outside the ring of the M25 near to the M3. It is served by two railway stations, Virginia Water and Longcross, as well as being located just a few miles south-east of Heathrow Airport.

Residents

The estate hit the headlines in 1998 when former Chilean president General Augusto Pinochet was kept under house arrest in one of its houses prior to his extradition. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/225567.stm BBC News | World | Pinochet retreats to luxury estate ] ] [ [http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/talk/news/pinochet_archive.html Pinochet , General Augusto, Archive news ] ]

*Peter Aven - Russian banker [http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article1752236.ece Safe as houses: the KGB-proof mansion] Sunday Times - May 6, 2007]
*Boris Berezovsky - Oligarch [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2004/02/28/prus28.xml Moscow on the Thames - Telegraph ] ]
*Thomas Bjørn - golfer
*Sultan of Brunei [ [http://www.unofficial-guides.com/guides/rhul-accommodation.html unofficial-guides.com - Royal Holloway ] ]
*Ernie Els - golfer [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1448081,00.html Time for something Els | Golf | Guardian Unlimited Sport ] ]
*Bruce Forsyth - entertainer
*Gary Numan - musician
*Cliff Richard - singer [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=394732&in_page_id=1773 Cliff becomes a bungalow boy | the Daily Mail ] ]
*Andriy Shevchenko - Striker For Chelsea FC

Former residents

*King Edward VIII
*Russ Abbott - entertainer
*Sarah Ferguson
*Elton John - musician
*Late Dr. K.T.B Menon

References

External links

* [http://www.wentworthestate.org.uk Wentworth Estate website]