Busy time for estate agents as Winkworth opens doors

A new estate agent has entered Marlborough’s buoyant property market.

And staff at Winkworth have hit the ground running – saying they’ve been busy since they first opened their doors on March 7.

One property generating a lot of interest is just over the road from their new office at 65 High Street.

The Old Rectory is a Grade II listed building with four bedrooms, three receptions rooms, and a large basement offering three further rooms.

Locals will be familiar with the distinctive flint wall that bounds the property, but won’t have seen the private south-facing garden, from which the tower of St Peter’s Church can be seen.

“We’ve had 26 viewings in a week,” said sales negotiator Isabella Lawrence.

“And that includes the days we were closed over Easter,” added her colleague Shona Ford, well known to local buyers and sellers from her time at Smiths Gore, which recently departed the town after a take-over by Savills.

According to Shona, the new Winkworth office is perfectly positioned to catch the eye of Marlborough College parents. “Many of them would like a local base, especially when their children start boarding,” she explained.

But the local comprehensive – named one of the best in the country by Tatler magazine – also proves a draw. “The question we’re most often asked is ‘is the house in the St John’s catchment area?’” she said.

“And, of course, parents of younger children or couples hoping to start a family are also drawn to the top-rated local primary schools.”

All of Marlborough’s estate agents are bracing themselves for a surge of interest when the new houses are built on the Crown Estate land on Salisbury Road. But Shona reckons they won’t make a dent on Marlborough’s buoyant property market.

“Those new houses will help meet a need, but demand still outstrips supply – the development is welcome, but won’t have a negative impact on existing house prices,” she predicted.

Back in High Street, The Old Rectory, which carries a guide price of £795,000, is one of three houses side-by-side being marketed by Winkworth.

Next door, Riverside offers three bedrooms, two reception rooms, a large kitchen and additional space in the cellar. It too has a south-facing garden and garage parking. It has a guide price of £645,000.

And next door to that is The Coach House. Formerly part of the stable yard to The Rectory, the property offers three bedrooms, a sitting room/dining room, and two off-road parking bays, and is accessed through the Grade II listed stone and flint entrance wall. The guide price is £565,000.

The Marlborough office joins a sister office in Devizes run by franchise-holder Simon Jacobs. The Winkworth brand can also be found in Newbury, Salisbury and Bath.

Mr Jacobs briefly opened an office in Ramsbury before relocating the operation to Marlborough. “Ramsbury showed there was demand locally,” said Shona. “And we’re delighted with the reception we’ve had in Marlborough. We’ve been very busy; we’ve not drawn a breath.”

The Marlborough office casts its net wide, and the jewel in the crown of its current instructions is a Grade II* listed Greek Revival styled mansion in Calne. Built in 1813, the Lodge House boasts six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and four reception rooms.

The price tag on £1.35 million also includes four acres of land with a stone balustrade terrace, servants’ quarters, and a swimming pool within four acres of gardens.

For more information, log on to www.winkworth.co.uk or call 01672 552777.