When June Cranstone moved into her new home at Stapleford Court in Stalbridge, she certainly wasn’t new to the area. Stalbridge was home to her ancestors and, as a child, June spent school holidays with her grandparents there and during the war she even attended the local school!

Stapleford Court is a delightful retirement development which comprises 13 attractive cottages, each with its own conservatory or garden room, set around a beautifully landscaped courtyard in the heart of Stalbridge.

Landscaped courtyard at Stapleford Court

A good place to live

“I often came to Stalbridge to visit my sister and while here I noticed that a new Archstone development was being built – although that was at a very early stage of development,” says June. “I had been widowed and was living in a village where there wasn’t even a shop. I don’t drive and buses were very infrequent. I thought Stapleford Court would be a good place for me to live, because everything is within walking distance.”

Stapleford Court is ideally located for the local supermarket, post office, the traditional family butcher’s, the chemist, the doctor’s and the dental surgery and a variety of other shops. The local library is almost on the doorstep of the development!

“I expressed my interest in the new development and Archstone updated me on a regular basis,” says June. “Selling my own house wasn’t too difficult but I dropped the price quite a lot. I thought it was very much a case of ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,’ as I didn’t know when another buyer would come along and I would have been really disappointed if I’d missed out on the house I wanted at Stapleford Court. The company was flexible as far as the price of my new house was concerned which helped me to buy.”

Tea and chocolate biscuits

In some ways, June was sad to leave her former home where she had lovely neighbours but living in a village without facilities wasn’t practical and she had a very large garden that she couldn’t maintain any more.  June’s former home held many memories but she also has plenty of memories of Stalbridge – and a box of photographs that she intends to start sorting out!

June Cranstone in her new kitchen

“I know Stalbridge well from years gone by and have lots of happy memories. I also have a sister and a niece who live here,” adds June. “The main High Street hasn’t changed so much although a lot of housing has been built since the war years when I was at school here.

There’s a large new supermarket – Dike & Son. The Dike family has had an independent grocery store in the town since 1851 and I remember ‘old Mr Dike’ who must have been the great-grandfather of the present Mr Dike bringing the bread round and delivering it straight onto the kitchen table!”

When June first moved into Stapleford Court, it was still a building site and she used to enjoy the banter of the construction team who persuaded her to give them chocolate biscuits with their tea! Now the development is finished, June is looking forward to new neighbours moving in. “This is a lovely place to live,” concludes June. “There are two communal gardens and I look out onto both of them. Now it’s finished, it is a beautiful development!”

For further information on Stapleford Court, contact Archstone on 01963 364106. Prices for a delightful cottage at Stapleford Court start from just £275,000. The website is at www.archstone.co.uk.

Stewart Andersen

Downsize with Style

Deciding to downsize where you live usually comes from the fact that your current house or apartment is too large or too expensive to run. Properties require constant ‘general’ maintenance, gardens need care and attention and sometimes this can become too much, especially in terms of cost.

These days, the price of calling in a plumber or an electrician can be prohibitive and it can be so much easier to leave this aspect of day-to-day living to someone else. But when the decision is made to downsize, the great thing now is that there is so much choice

There are a great many different age exclusive properties throughout the UK and this means it’s possible to find exactly the right place for you. Also, there is a choice between the usual apartments or houses on a development or assisted living developments where there is a much greater level of help and care.

Finding just the right home when you’ve decided to downsize involves getting the right answers to a number of questions you should ask before you sell your current home and make the move to a smaller property. These are:
•    Is the property near friends and family?
•    Does the development you are looking at have good parking/public transport nearby?
•    Local facilities – shops, garages, library, doctors, dentists, places of worship?
•    Location of the property – ground floor? Any higher, is there a lift?

•    Although you may be downsizing, is the property large enough to accommodate whatever possessions you want to retain?
•    Are the facilities within the development what you want?

Keen gardeners thinking of moving to a development should check whether they would be allowed to join in caring for the plants surrounding their home and for anyone who wants a social life, don’t forget to ask about a residents’ association and whether there is a lounge where you can get together with your neighbours. If you’re happy with the answers to these questions, you’ve probably found your new home.

A topping ceremony

A topping out ceremony took place recently at Bramshott Place Village, the age exclusive development currently being built in Liphook by Helical Bar and Urban Renaissance Villages, when Bill Gair, chief executive officer, officiated at the ‘Topping Out’ of the scheme’s landmark Clubhouse building. When complete, later this year, the Clubhouse will be a focal point for the Village, offering residents a range of facilities including a restaurant, bar, fitness and games rooms, hydrotherapy pool, library and communal entertaining areas.

Bill Gair said, “Our experience has shown that the property demands of older buyers go way beyond merely improved interior design features. They’re looking for a well-maintained, supportive community that offers them extra amenities, and this is what we are providing with the Clubhouse at Bramshott Place Village. I’m sure this Clubhouse is going to be very popular with the Bramshott Place Village residents. I rather wish I lived here too and could use it myself!”

The Clubhouse at Bramshott Place Village

The Topping Out ceremony marks a significant milestone in the development of the over 55s village scheme. The first residents are now starting to move in, as the first phase of luxury apartments and cottages becomes ready for occupation. As well as the Country Club, there will be facilities such as a village manager, laundry, cleaning services and a health centre on the doorstep.

“There is clearly a real demand for this type of lifetime home for the over 55s, which we saw many years ago, and we are creating our age exclusive village accordingly,” continues Bill Gair. “It is a way of living that has increasing appeal for independent, busy over 55s who like the idea of a community of like-minded neighbours, with convenient facilities and a little extra security on hand, which gives them the freedom from daily chores to enjoy life to the full.”

Phase 1 of Bramshott Place Village is now complete, with prices ranging from £295,000 to £315,000 for the apartments and from £435,000 to £470,000 for the cottages. Each property is sold with a 125-year lease and ample outdoor parking.

Further information about the homes available for sale at Bramshott Place Village is available from sole agents Clarke Gammon Weller, on 01428 722800, or by visiting www.bramshottplace.co.uk

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