What Do the British Prime Minister and George Clooney Have in Common?
When Theresa May
unexpectedly and rather suddenly replaced David Cameron as prime minister of
the U.K., journalists scrambled to find out more about her personal life. Ms. May has always
been a very private person, but one little-known fact about the new leader has
come to light: She is one of the many public figures who favor a small village
on the river Thames just outside Reading and about one hour’s drive from
central London. When she’s not in her
Westminster flat or at her new home at 10 Downing St., Ms. May and her husband,
Philip, have a weekend retreat in Sonning, where their neighbors include Boris
Johnson, the new foreign secretary who campaigned for Brexit, and Led Zeppelin
guitarist Jimmy Page. Another famous
resident is Uri Geller, the eccentric Israeli-born illusionist, who has been
lived in Sonning since the 1980s, but he is trying to sell his £15 million
mansion ($19.8 million) —which was modeled on the White House— and move back to
Tel Aviv. Even singer Taylor Swift and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have
reportedly considered buying another home in the area. However, perhaps Ms.
May’s most glamorous neighbors to date are George and Amal Clooney—the A-list
actor and his lawyer wife bought a nine-bedroom mansion in Sonning around two
years ago. The home, known as
Aberlash House, dates to the 17th century, sits on four acres of land and
boasts a spa, swimming pool, tennis court, boathouse and a separate cottage.
They had been renovating the estate at a rumored cost of £20 million ($26.4
million) and are thought to have moved into their new home in April. But why have these
celebrities all been flocking to Sonning? “It’s always been a
very characterful riverside town, but in the last few years there have been
some very high-profile purchases,” said Matthew Mannall, a partner at Knight
Frank, the global property consultancy. “Sonning is a
relatively gentle village, but with some lovely features such as The Mill
theatre and notable restaurants like the French Horn. It is also on a
particularly unspoiled and beautiful stretch of the Thames path.” Other attractive
features include a large degree of privacy that makes it difficult for
paparazzi to gain access to the town’s famed residents, as well as the
village’s proximity to bustling town of Henley-on-Thames and sought-after
schools including the Blue Coat School, for boys; Shiplake College and Queen
Anne’s School, for girls.