Located in the fashionable enclave of Cobham in Surrey, Audley Fairmile packs a punch when it comes to style and sophistication
The latest member of the Audley family (there are 19 other retirement developments in its portfolio) is relatively small at just 74 two-bedroom homes.
But small is definitely beautiful in this case.
Audley Fairmile sits very comfortably alongside the grand houses in the Fairmile Road neighbourhood of Cobham.
The Open Day on Thursday 8 September gave owners and locals the chance to mingle and have a look round the development and learn about its history.
Audley Fairmile comes with all the modern, luxurious features we have come to expect from this retirement operator, including a fine-dining restaurant, spa, swimming pool, library and landscaped gardens.
It’s in a great location too − not far from the A3 into London, and with many attractions on its doorstep including the award-winning Painshill Park, Claremont Landscaped Gardens and Hampton Court Palace.
The furnishings, decor and fittings would happily complement those found in an exclusive boutique hotel.
Even so it took the locals some persuading to allow Audley Fairmile to be built.
‘I’d never seen so many letters of objection,” declared Audley CEO Nick Sanderson at the opening. “There were something like 400, which was quite surprising considering there are only about 20 houses in the immediate vicinity.”
Fortunately for Audley, Elmbridge Council could see the huge benefits and understood what the operator was trying to achieve.
The Mayor of Elmbridge Richard Williams was so enthusiastic he came to open the village.
A nice historic revelation became apparent when Nick Sanderson disclosed that a local philanthropist had lived there previously.
Katurah Hain used to hold charity fundraisers in the garden and was a supporter of Whiteley Village nearby.
Whiteley was one of the earliest retirement communities in the country built on a 225-acre estate in the 1900s for the drapery workers of Whiteley’s store.
“The idea was to create somewhere where people could live independently but be supported by the community with all the activities and benefits that would bring and live for the rest of their lives,” Nick explained.
“I visited the village for inspiration back in the 1980s and it really became a benchmark for everything Audley does. So it seemed appropriate for us to build a retirement village on the same site where fundraisers for Whiteley’s were once held.”
For more information visit Audley Fairmile
