To the southeast of the county Berkshire, south of Ascot and west of Surrey’s Virginia Water, sits the town of Sunningdale. As a relatively new town, only formed officially in 1894, Sunningdale has thrived as an affluent town owing to its proximity to Ascot and direct commutability to London Waterloo. Owing to this, houses are typically grand country-style affairs, with prices exceeding £6.5 million!

Although to most, Sunningdale is a relatively new town, its roots actually trace back thousands of years. In fact, Sunningdale was situated on the Roman ‘Devil’s Highway’ - the road from London to Silchester, and archaeological evidence has revealed a small Roman settlement here! Despite these Roman roots, Sunningdale’s name actually comes from the Saxons. After the Romans left Britain in AD 410, the Saxons followed suit in AD 449, often occupying previous Roman settlements and territories. Sunningdale was one such territory, and it probably takes its name from the Saxon King Sunna, who controlled Windsor forest!

Nearby Ascot only received national recognition in 1711, when Queen Anne founded the Royal Ascot Racecourse - but before then, it was a relatively small town. Sunningdale, likewise to Ascot, only really began its journey into affluence following the explosion of interest in the Royal Ascot races. Before 1894, Sunningdale was part of Old Windsor, and the town mainly developed as a scattering of houses and manors through the 18th century onwards. Nowdays, Sunningdale is most well-known for the Sunningdale Golf Course - the late Victorian golf club that is frequently considered to be one of the best in the world!

Sunningdale, like Ascot, faces numerous problems when it comes to new developments. As an affluent area, flanked by swathes of green belt land and private golf course land - there is limited room for peripheral development in the Sunningdale locale. Considered an aspirational area, the housing market is dominated by large country manor houses, and suffers from a lack of housing diversity. Sunningdale is part of the Royal Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council, who have not produced a local plan since 2014. Part of previous local plan heavily focuses on separating the various villages in the locale, preventing infilling. However, a recent luxury development in Sunningdale Park has been constructed - on a 78-acre country estate, providing many 3 and 4 bedroom luxury houses and apartments in the area!