The very best of country living at Summers Place

Berkeley Homes Southern will be launching the magnificent Summers Place development next Saturday, 4th October, from 10 am to 5 pm, with the opening of a stylish mews-style show home.

Approached via a magnificent, beech-lined drive, Summers Place is centred on a splendid Grade II listed country house set in 28 acres of landscaped countryside, just a mile north of Billingshurst in West Sussex, close to the Surrey border. Until its acquisition by Berkeley Homes, it was locally well known as the home of the international Sotheby's auction house and was used for its sales of garden statuary.

Berkeley Homes Southern is refurbishing and converting The Manor House to provide eleven distinctive apartments designed for modern, elegant living. A further five spacious, contemporary two and three-bedroom apartments are being created in a new wing that will blend seamlessly with the existing building. Within the parkland grounds, sixteen new three and four-bedroom mews houses, all with garden terraces and some with private gardens and garages, are being built together with three individual new mews cottages.

The new mews houses and cottages will pay homage to the architecture of the original manor house with warm brickwork under tiled roofs and gables to follow the Sussex vernacular.

Gary Hodges, Managing Director of Berkeley Homes Southern comments: "Our company has a very strong reputation for high quality refurbishment, as well as new build, and Summers Place will meet our very highest standards. We anticipate that these prestigious homes will have great appeal to people who are trading down from a large family house and are looking for a luxurious, spacious but easy to maintain home in wonderful surroundings."

Paul Hogarth, Partner and Head of New Homes Sales and Marketing for selling agents, Knight Frank (South East), adds: "Summers Place is a truly impressive development. Berkeley's painstaking restoration of The Manor House and thoughtfully designed new homes will offer sumptuous living to buyers. Its location on the Sussex/Surrey borders means that Summers Place benefits from wonderful countryside, yet is convenient for those who want to commute into London, making it ideal for professionals who want to escape the city as well as downsizers seeking quality of life in a wonderfully unique setting."

The new homes are being built to Berkeley's renowned standards of luxury, style and practical living. Stunning kitchens and luxurious bathrooms and shower rooms are the order of the day. All properties will have gas-fired central or underfloor heating, with mains pressure hot water. Energy efficiency, including low energy appliances and lighting, will be a hallmark, as will dedication to the digital age with cabling to meet all the demands for satellite, broadband, radio and music distribution throughout each home. Residents will have full use of the beautifully landscaped grounds and gardens, fringed by substantial established trees.

The front door opens on to a large hall, with deep, warm putty-hued welcoming carpeting which leads to the extended family area and kitchen, where a sense of light and stylish functionality is uppermost. Casual seating and a designated dining space will meet most daily needs and double French doors lead out on the private terrace. The impressive kitchen, with glass splashbacks, wenge and white high gloss finish doors, features stainless steel appliances and a ceramic hob with concealed telescopic extractor. Worktops are of composite stone, with a stainless steel, undermounted sink.

The first floor is home to a more formal sitting room. A mirrored wall opens up the light and space in the room. A soft plum and aubergine colour scheme, along with scatter cushions in an opulent fabric, give a warm welcome, especially in the autumn and winter months. This floor also provides a double and a single bedroom, both served by a family bathroom.

The second floor is given over to peace and slumber, featuring the master bedroom and another double bedroom, both with ensuite shower rooms. Both bedrooms are of excellent proportions and extend into the sloping eaves at either end of the property. Handle-less mirrored cupboards stretching right across the opposing wall reflect the light pouring in from the parkland scene outside, enhancing the sense of space whilst providing ample clothes storage.

Villeroy & Boch white suites grace the bath and shower, with elegant Hansgrohe chrome taps and showers, all thermostatically controlled and with concealed controls. Underfloor heated ceramic tiling completes the enticing package.

Outside a terrace offers private outdoor space to enjoy the flavours of Sussex and views across a communal grassed area to the more rustic parkland beyond. Large, lawned areas provide great strolling and reflective space while the existing framework of mature, native trees along and within its boundaries give a sense of history and substance. Altogether they provide ample opportunities for residents to relax and enjoy the country atmosphere.

Billingshurst provides a wealth of local shopping facilities and restaurants while for a wider range of retail and leisure amenities Horsham is just six miles away and Guildford is within 20 miles. Commuting is very easy with fast trains from Horsham taking just 45 minutes to Central London. Gatwick airport is just 16 miles away.

Prices for the new mews houses range from £350,000 to £565,000. Homes in the restored Manor House will not be available until spring 2009.

For more information, log on to berkeleyhomes.co.uk.