Archstone Lifestyle Homes

Archstone Lifestyle Homes hosted a decluttering, downsizing and detox for your home seminar in conjunction with Jo Jacob (trained by well known Ann Maurice, Chanel 5's well loved House Doctor) from Benella Interiors.

"We held the free the seminar because we have people who view our show homes and are keen to move but find the prospect of it all very daunting, especially when downsizing" said Deborah Holmes, Sales & Marketing Manager of Archstone.

Once children leave home, couples are often left in a large house that is too big for their present needs and only a small amount of the house ever gets used, even though you have to heat and maintain all of it.  By downsizing it is a cost effective solution and downsizing often means an easier and less stressful way of life.

Jo from Benella said, " I remind people to bear in mind that they will be taking their life with them wherever they go and all they will be leaving behind is bricks and mortar".

Archstone even take all the worry out of moving as they arrange a packing and removals service for you.  They also have an Assisted Sales Service which enables you to reserve the home of your choice before you have sold your own property!

You can view Archstones latest show home at  Heather Grange, Lions Lane in Ashley by telephoning 01425 481225.  Further information may be obtained from their web site at www.archstone.co.uk or by e-mailing sales@archstone.co.uk.           

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The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) is calling on the public and the building sector to do more to safeguard bats, as current figures reveal that bat-related crime levels are similar to those reported in 2003.

Archstone Lifestyle Homes Ltd have recently put up bat boxes at one of their local developments (see attached photo)

Declining bat populations made it necessary to give legal protection to all UK bats and their roosting places, whether they are in residence at the time or not. This protection also makes it an offence to block roost entrance and exit holes without first obtaining formal authorisation.

BCT is concerned that builders, developers and maintenance workers are still responsible for such a high proportion of bat-related crime. The charity recently appointed a Bats & Built Environment Officer, Dr Carol Williams, who is raising awareness within all sectors of the building industry and encouraging bat-friendly building practices.

Dr Williams said : "Sadly, some builders and developers are still deliberately flouting the law by undertaking work that harms bats or their roosts. However, if bats are taken into consideration before development starts there is absolutely no need for a crime to occur."

"Some builders and maintenance workers are still not aware that bats are protected species. It is clear that there is a need for better awareness of bats and their roosts and the legal protection they are afforded. Information and training is available and collaborative working with the building and building maintenance industries to ensure this lack of knowledge is rectified will be a major advance in reducing bat related crime," said Dr Williams.

 
Not so at Archstone Lifestyle Homes: "At Archstone we are committed to protecting the environment, many of our sites have environmental considerations such as the provision of badger walks and protection of habitat or provision of bat boxes, like those at our recent apartments in Hampshire", said Martin Young, Archstone's Managing Director. 

Further information about Archstones latest developments can be obtained from www.archstone.co.uk or telephoning 01425 481225.

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photo of Archstone staff putting up bat boxes in Hampshire

THE MAYOR OF CIRENCESTER OFFICIALLY OPENS LATEST LEISURE YEARS DEVELOPMENT

Award winning Hampshire based prestigious homes developer Archstone Lifestyle Homes Ltd are pleased to have their latest Leisure Years development officially opened by The Mayor Mayoress of Cirencester Cllr &  Mrs Norman Whereat on this their last official engagement.  The development of 2 bedroom apartments & 3 bedroom Leisure Years cottages at Westwood Court in Somerford Road are situated in the beautiful area of Cirencester, 'The Capital of the Cotswolds'.

Westwood Court has been named by local residents Mr & Mrs Townley in a naming competition run by Archstone.  "We like to invite local people to get involved with naming the development as they have lots of knowledge regarding the area. The name Westwood was suggested after Dr Westwood who used to live in the original house on the site.  It was very appropriate and we thank Mr & Mrs Townley for this." said Annette Donovan,. Marketing Executive for Archstone.

The cottages provide two and three bedroom/study accommodation, some with utility rooms, in a traditional semi detached or town house style, some on three floors.  Archstone are delighted that the development has been extremely well received.

The Leisure Years cottages have been designed to fit in with the local architecture of the area, incorporating the use of traditional materials and building methods including drystone walling.

Currently for sale in the Leisure Years portfolio are cottages and apartments in locations throughout the Southern Counties. Further information may be obtained from their web site at www.archstone.co.uk or by telephoning 01425 481225 or e-mailing sales@archstone.co.uk.

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Photo attached the Mayor Mayoress of Cirencester cutting the ribbon with Martin Young, Managing Director of Archstone

Ringwood based Archstone Lifestyle Homes were pleased to donate £100.00 to St Ives First School for their Strawberry Fayre this year to raise money for the swimming pool appeal.

"The swimming pool here is so important as our pupils learn to swim at a young age, an important life skill" said Stuart Calvert the Headteacher of the school, "the pool plays an important function in the community as it is also available for others to hire out and use at certain times" he added.

A spokesperson for Archstone explained that as a company Archstone like to work in the support of the community, and were therefore delighted to support St Ives First School, which is situated very close to their recently completed development of luxury apartments, Heather Grange in Lions Lane. The apartments are designed with spacious accommodation and set in mature landscaped grounds which appeal to those looking to downsize from a larger property.

You can visit Archstones latest show home at Heather Grange, Lions Lane in Ashley Heath Friday and Saturday 10am until 4pm.  Further information may be obtained by calling 0845 815 7811 or from their web site at www.archstone.co.uk or by e-mailing sales@archstone.co.uk.

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Award winning Hampshire based prestigious homes developer Archstone Lifestyle Homes Ltd  were pleased to have their 3rd Charity gold day on 14th September at Canford Magna Golf Club.

Teams from the construction and land industry raised funds for the local branch of Age Concern in Ferndown, who at present are raising funds for a new minibus which will cost £58,000, they already have £48,000.  The minibus will transport 90 plus persons to the free day care centres in and around Ferndown every week and also provides occasional social outings so this is an essential vehicle for Age Concern, it is also rented out to similar like minded organisations.  "We have a way to go but with the money raised from the golf day we are on our way" said Maureen Godfrey.

"We have had good support from a lot of companies such as Moore Blatch Solicitors, Royal Bank of Scotland, Tesco and Waitrose as well as smaller individual companies such as Arcade of Flowers in Ringwood, and also from our suppliers and subcontractors such as G W Sparrow and Trevor Thickett Associates", said Archstones Marketing Executive Annette James, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their support, we have raised approximately £3,000 for Age Concern this year and we have another event planned on the 19th October to add to the funds"

Peter Pod and the Peas will play live at an event to raise money for Age Concern

A fabulous night of sixties sounds will be held at Braishfield Social Club on Friday 12th October from 7.00pm to 11.30pm - all this for just £10 a ticket!

If you would like to come along there are a few tickets remaining! - Contact Paul Boshier on 07887 954377 for details

Please note tickets are not available on the door

If you would like to donate a prize for the games and raffle also held on the night please contact Paul Boshier.

Archstones new development in Wilton which is currently under construction has been named by competition winners Mr & Mrs Hinds after Florence Nightingale.

Florence has connections with the Pembroke family of Wilton, in fact Sidney Herbert of the Pembroke household was instrumental in sending her to work abroad and for her famous research and reform of military hospitals abroad - thus saving hundreds of lives.

Florence Court will be the name of Phase 1 which comprises a mix of cottages and apartments in a courtyard style setting and Florence Mews, phase 2 will be 3 bedroom townhouses.

Appointments to view the show home at Florence Court are being made by Maggie Dalton, please call on 02380 268240 for more information

In a naming competiton run in the Blackmore Vale, Archstone will name the new Leisure Years development in Sherborne after the Abbey School playing field on which the development is being built.

The name was suggested by Mr Crumpler and was chosen because of the connection to the school.

Abbeymead Court will be released for sale in 2008 - construction is due to commence shortly

For more information call Deborah or Annette on 01425 481225

First cheque for £1400.00 was given to Age Concern in Romsey and the money was raised from a Peter Pod & The Peas Concert, at a 60s revival concert in Braishfield – Paul Boshier Archstones Construction Director organised the event for the Romsey branch of Age Concern.

The second cheque for £2500.00 was given to Age Concern Ringwood Daycare Centre from monies raised by Archstones annual charity golf day and was presented to the Director of Age Concern Winchester Mr John Marton by Archstones Annette James

Age Concern thanked Archstone for their donation – and Archstone thank all that helped to raise the funds. 

Archstone specialise in providing courtyard or mews style select developments  exclusively for the over 55's throughout the Southern Counties and have chosen to support Age Concern to help the local community.  Further information may be obtained from their web site at www.archstone.co.uk or by telephoning 01425 481225 or e-mailing sales@archstone.co.uk.           

It's taken Gerald and Freda Brown about 18 months to downsize from their large family home in St Albans but they're finally looking forward to moving into a new cottage at Archstone's Abbeymead Court in Sherborne which they discovered on the internet!

"We decided to move from St Albans to Dorset to be nearer our family about 18 months ago and spent over a year looking at houses in the Yeovil area which, on reflection, were not what we should have been looking at," confesses Gerald. "We were supposed to be downsizing and the houses we were viewing were similar in size to the one we were leaving!  Did we want to take on a large house and garden?  The answer, of course, was a resounding no!  Eventually I resorted to the internet, visited the Rightmove site and noticed the advertisement for Archstone Lifestyle Homes' Abbeymead Court."

As the Browns soon discovered, Abbeymead Court is a delightful courtyard development of two and three-bedroom cottages situated in Old School Place, off Horsecastles in the historic town of Sherborne.  The Browns were interested in the layout of the development which was shown on the web and thought that the location was particularly attractive.

"The development looked just what we were looking for and friends told us that Sherborne was just like St Albans used to be thirty years ago," continues Gerald. "It has an outstanding collection of small, independent shops and a really good sense of community; people actually take the time to speak to you."

Although construction is now well underway at Abbeymead Court, there wasn't anything for the Browns to view at that time so the sales team at Archstone Lifestyle Homes stepped in and suggested that the Browns visit the newly completed courtyard at their Florence Court development in Wilton.

"We went down to Florence Court in Wilton and met Maggie, a very helpful sales advisor, who showed us round the development," continues Gerald.  "We looked round the cottages and thought that the finish was superb and that the fittings, including the kitchen appliances, were of a very high standard.  We knew that this was the type of home we could live in – so we went back and made an offer one of the cottages at Abbeymead Court in Sherborne which was accepted."

Although they were buying off-plan, Freda and Gerald were very impressed with the customer service provided by Archstone between reservation and completion as Gerald explains:

"Archstone operates an excellent system whereby they give you a person who acts as your single point of contact.  Our Archstone representative was Rachel; she's always on the end of the phone and has 'bent over backwards' to help, answering all our queries on each occasion."

Gerald and Freda soon discovered that one of the benefits of buying off-plan is that the specification can be amended to personalise the new home.  The Browns decided to have their bathroom fully tiled and the shower changed to suite their requirements. 

"Archstone Lifestyle Homes has kept me in the picture all the way down the line," says Gerald. "We were given full working drawings and really got the feeling that Archstone wanted us to as really happy with the end product as they were with the designs they had created."

The Browns are currently in the process of moving into their new home and feel sure that they will be happy there.  Certainly, at Abbeymead Court, they'll be in the ideal location to make the most of everything in the local area. 

One of the most sought-after locations in North Dorset, Sherborne nestles amidst green valleys and wooded hills and offers over 100 independently owned retail outlets, antique shops and art galleries, a superb range of restaurants, its famous abbey, two castles and a traditional weekly market selling fresh produce and clothing. 

To join the Browns in the community of like-minded people at Abbeymead Court, please call Pat or David on 01935 817970 or visit the website on www.archstone.co.uk.

 For many retirees like Brian and Connie Haskell-Thomas, one of the benefits of having more leisure time is being able to spend it with family and friends – but if visiting the family takes too much time, it could well be time to move closer! 

Since April, when Brian and Connie moved into their new Archstone Lifestyle Home at Florence Court in Wilton, they've found that they're not only within easy reach of the family, they're living in a great location where they don't need to drive to get to the local shops! 

"We previously lived in Horsell, near Woking in Surrey but our son lives in North Wiltshire and our daughter and her family are hoping to move to the New Forest soon," explains Connie.  "We were finding it was taking us longer and longer to visit them – or for them to visit us – and so we decided to move.  We have friends who live in an Archstone Lifestyle Homes' apartment in Dorset and we thought that the design and finish were very good so my husband wrote to Archstone to find out if they were building in the area where we wanted to move to – and they told us about Florence Court."

Florence Court is a delightful courtyard-style development of two-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom cottages situated in the heart of Wilton.  The development is within easy reach of an excellent range of independent shops and everything that Wilton has to offer including historic Wilton House with its beautifully landscaped parkland, which is almost on the doorstep!

"We immediately realised that Florence Court was well-placed in a very nice area and just an easy walk away from the doctor, the dentist and the shops," confirms Connie.  "There's a marvellous bus service to Salisbury which only takes about 12 minutes and there's a park and ride in Salisbury which is excellent and runs every 15 minutes.  The time will come when we won't be able to – or won't want to – drive anymore but that won't be a problem now we're living at Florence Court."

After their first visit in November, Brian and Connie soon reserved a cottage and they moved in April. They're extremely happy with their new home and are pleased to have so many like minded people within the development.   Downsizing was quite challenging, though and Connie would recommend anyone thinking of downsizing to do so whilst they are well enough to do so.

"We hadn't moved for over 30 years but we knew that we had to downsize from our spacious four-bedroom house with its large garden," says Connie.  "Whilst we were living in our former home, my parents and my mother-in-law died so we accumulated so many things in addition to our own.  Some of the items had been in my grandparents' house; some things you can't part with but some things you have to.  I coped with all the sorting out and the move because even though I'm 78, I'm still very active."

Brian and Connie's downsizing certainly helped a good cause, though:  they donated their unwanted items to the local hospice shop.   The couple used to go the hospice's warehouse in Woking on a weekly basis, each time with a boot full of items! 

Florence Court has already been so successful that only three cottages and a selection of apartments remain available. For further information or to arrange an appointment to view the development, please call Maggie on 01722 744746.

Prices at Florence Court start from £239,950 for a two-bedroom apartment and from £315,000 for a three-bedroom mews-style cottage.  The show apartment at Florence Court, just off West Street, in Wilton, is open seven days a week from 10.30 am to 5.00 pm.

It's been almost two years since Archstone Lifestyle Homes released details of its Florence Court and Florence Mews development in Wilton but, for home buyers like Roy and Hazel Polkinghorne, the finished homes have certainly been worth the wait!

Florence Court is an elegant gated courtyard development of just 17 two and three-bedroom houses and three-bedroom apartments, located just off Netherwells Lane, within walking distance of Wilton town centre and the beautiful Wilton House, with its 14,000 acres of parkland.  A further eight two-bedroom mews houses have also been created in the adjacent Florence Mews.

"We were living in a five-bedroom family home set in a third of an acre when we first learned that Archstone Lifestyle Homes intended to build an over 55s development in Wilton.  We decided we needed to downsize; family homes are for families and when you reach a certain time of life, you have to be sensible – even if it is a case of head versus heart at first," says Hazel. "We knew that it would be some time before Florence Court would be built and, in the interim, we did some research.  We visited Archstone developments in Cirencester and Ashley Heath and saw how well built they were.  As soon as the sales office opened at Florence Court, we decided to reserve one of the new homes."

The Polkinghornes weren't the only couple to reserve off plan at Florence Court:  more than 50% of the new homes were snapped up before the show home opened!   The success of the development is partly due to the outstanding location, as Roy explains:

"Florence Court is really conveniently located for a really good range of every day shops, the doctor and the dentist – and everything else the town has to offer.  Wilton itself is flat rather than hilly – which is ideal for people our age. The transport links are also excellent – it's easy to get into Salisbury."

The Polkinghornes moved into their new home in May and are delighted with it.  When the weather is fine, they are able to sit outside in the courtyard and enjoy their morning coffee; which they've never been able to do before because their previous house was situated on a main road.

"Our new home is just lovely.  Everyone who has visited us has been really surprised by the space and light. When they first come into the courtyard and see the front door, they expect the house behind it to be small but soon discover that it's really spacious!" continues Hazel. "As you become older, it's more important to have quality of life rather than a large home. There'll be a good sense of community here; we have one new neighbour who is charming and we're looking forward to more people moving in. One of our widowed friends is moving here and another of our friends who chose to buy on another development, was really upset when she saw just how nice our Archstone house is – she really regrets not buying here herself!"

Whilst moving home can be daunting, particularly when you've lived in the same house for many years, starting afresh in a brand new house that's easy to maintain as well as being energy-efficient, is ultimately a positive experience for home buyers like the Polkinghornes.  With an Estate Management service, it's easy to go off for a couple of days without having to worry about security. 

"Moving here has made such a difference to our everyday lives. We're completely independent but enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having an Estate Manager on hand," concludes Hazel.   "I feel as if a burden has been lifted off my shoulders.  It has taken some time to sort out our things - we got rid of so much stuff and could do with getting rid of so much more – but we're really happy here!" 

For further information on the new homes at Florence Court and Florence Mews, where prices range from £240,000 to £365,000, please contact the sales team on 01722 744746, seven days a week from 10.30 am to 5 pm.  Details on all