The Buyers Agent Since 1984

Regional Information

Geography

South Oxfordshire is fairly flat across the Thames Valley and the Vale of the White Horse and encompasses some pretty villages. However, Didcot power station can be seen from miles around with it’s plumes of ‘smoke’ belching out across the landscape.The land rises as you come up across the North Wessex Downs to the Ridgeway, an old roman road that runs from Oxford to Avebury and is some 96 miles long. It is in fact Britain’s oldest road. Here you will find ancient barrow sites, hill forts and chalk cut white horses of which there are 17 across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

From the Ridgeway south into West Berkshire the landscape becomes open downland, mainly arable and sparsely populated. This brings you down to the gallops in Lambourn the second most important centre for the racehorse industry in the country.

The region is then split by the M4 running from east to west and the A 34 from north to south.
To the east of the A34 you will come to some attractive Thameside villages including Wallingford, Pangbourne and Goring where the area is more densely populated. South of the M4 and heading into Wiltshire, is the ancient Savernake Forest near Marlborough. This is approximately 4,500 acres of privately owned forest where once upon a time Henry VIII was a frequent visitor and legend has it that he used to meet Jane Seymour there. The Kennet & Avon canal wends its way through this region. Starting from the Severn estuary, it runs through the rolling hillside of the Pewsey Vale, towards Hungerford, then descends through pastureland, woods and water meadows to join the Thames at Reading.

At its southern edge the area is bordered by the Salisbury Plain, an interesting area some of which is used by the Ministry of Defense.

Cities and Towns

The city of Oxford attracts many people for many reasons. The most obvious may be the university but it is also renowned for its good schools and its culture.
Swindon is the main town in this area. It is largely industrial with numerous companies choosing to have the base for their UK operations here. Swindon is also considered to to be an almost exact microcosm of the whole of the UK in its demographic makeup.

The market towns of Wantage, Newbury, Hungerford, Marlborough and Pewsey are all lively communities with plenty going on and well suited to meet the needs of everyday life. Some of the smaller villages are sought after by those moving out of London, particularly those like Great Bedwyn and Kintbury with trains taking them directly from the village station into London. Didcot and Abingdon are also popular with good road and rail links to London and the midlands and proximity to Oxford.
To the west of the area you will find Burford, known as the gateway to the Cotswolds and Lechlade, another traditional market town.

Communications

Rail
First Great Western trains run from all stations in this area into London Paddington. Aprox. 1 hour from Oxford or Swindon.
South West trains run from Andover to Waterloo, 1 hour 10 minutes.
Road
The M4 is the main route through the area stretching from Swansea to London. Swindon to Heathrow would be approximately 45 minutes and to central London would be approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. The A4 is the old route from London to Bristol and runs parallel to the M4.
The A34 travels all the way from Oxford to Southampton. Other main roads in the area are the A361, Swindon to the midlands. The A420 Swindon to Oxford. The A339 from Newbury to the M3 at Basingstoke. The A338 from Oxford to Salisbury.
International airports
There are no main airports in the region but Heathrow, Bristol, Birmingham and Southampton are all within easy reach.

Properties

This area has many different property types ranging from timber framed country cottages to the ultra modern Huf Haus. Traditional building materials used here are brick and flint, limestone, or brick and stone. Thatch roofing is still found in abundance, particularly in the Wiltshire villages. Large country estates, vicarages and manor houses are always in demand and will often fetch a premium as will a good period village house.

Economy

From large blue chip companies to small businesses and farming to tourism, the region’s economy is diverse. Many people who work in London or the midlands are able to move to the area to enjoy a more rural lifestyle and still easily commute or work from home. Equally, there is high local employment in many different industries with excellent private and public housing meeting the needs of those workers. Swindon is still expanding and seeing a period of regeneration, particularly in the town centre. Honda UK, Motorola, Intel and W.H. Smith are all major employers here. NHS trusts are also high employers, particularly the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals with over 9000 staff making them one of the largest employers in Oxfordshire. West Berkshire has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in Europe and includes many high technology businesses, distribution centres and business parks.

Schools

State Education
There is a great variety in the type of state schools available, from the tiny village primary schools to large, highly acclaimed secondary schools. See the local authority web sites for further details.
Independent Schools
Marlborough College, Downe House, Bradfield College, St Edwards (‘Teddies’) and the Dragon school are among the most renowned. Please refer to the Independent schools Information Service website for details of all schools in the area.
www.iscis-sw.co.uk
www.dfes.gov.uk

Leisure

With all that open space anything ‘outdoorsy’ is going to be popular here. There is plenty of walking, cycling and riding along the numerous footpaths and bridleways. Horses feature in many activities; watching the racing at Newbury, point to point at Barbury Castle or just enjoying a day in the saddle. The racing stables in Lambourn hold an annual open day. Hunting and shooting are also available. A more leisurely pastime is to take a traditional narrow boat along the Kennet & Avon canal, maybe stopping for a leisurely meal at one of the local hostelries. Fishing is available on the rivers Avon, Kennet and Upper Thames.