When Joss Rushford viewed the show house at Bewley Homes’ Watership Place development in Whitchurch it was with a critical eye – he was working for another housebuilder and was excited to see the difference.
The Assistant Site Manager was immediately impressed, so too was Jess Griffiths his girlfriend. They immediately decided to reserve a three bedroom house on the new development near Newbury.
Joss recalls: “Despite working on site for national housebuilder, I was so blown away by the quality at Watership Place and we knew we had to buy our dream home there. I could have secured a big discount at my company’s development nearby but it didn’t come into our thinking.”
At that stage, Joss had no idea that in a matter of a few weeks he would be offered a job at Bewley Homes as an Assistant Site Manager on another development in the area.
Joss explained: “I was so impressed with the development at Watership Place, I jumped at the chance to join Bewley Homes and be a part of a fantastic team. It’s obviously meant to be!”
The house hunting started after lockdown. Joss recalled: “Jess’s family lives in Newbury, and my family are in Southampton, so we were keen to find somewhere to live within 15-20 minutes from our existing home.
“Newbury itself can be fairly expensive, so we widened our net a little. We were pleasantly surprised at the value we found with Bewley Homes in Whitchurch. It’s a lovely area, with beautiful countryside and plenty of individual shops and pubs to visit.
“Watership Place popped up when we searched online, so we went to take a closer look. We fell in love with it straight away.”
Joss, 21, and Jess, 21, were originally looking for a two-bedroom property but were able to buy the three bedroom house at the exciting new development.
The impressive three-bedroom semi-detached Highclere design has a large kitchen/dining room – with plenty of space to host family and friends. It also benefits from a garage.
Joss added: “I am all too aware of the advantages new-build properties bring. They require less maintenance than older homes – and are far more energy-efficient. Our home has a great layout – with room for two cars, a spacious lounge, kitchen/diner and a beautiful view over the wildflower meadow at the top end of the site.
“We love the fact that we have a third bedroom because I can use it as my PlayStation room, but double it up as an office for Jess. Of course, there is also plenty of space if people want to come and stay too.
“The kitchen/diner and good-sized garden make it perfect for entertaining, and I know we’ll both be very happy here. I’ve managed to get Joss to agree to a new family member – a dog,” said Jess. “It’ll be fabulous going for walks with our new friend in this beautiful area. I’ve already been looking, and there are so many routes to try out.”
He added: “Jess works in IT in nearby by Newbury – just 15 minutes away, so commuting is easy. But the surrounding countryside is another big pull.
Whitchurch, Hampshire’s smallest town, is positioned on the edge of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and famous for being the countryside the author, Richard Adams, wrote about in ‘Watership Down’, his classic 1972 adventure novel. Bewley Homes pays homage to this, naming the development ‘Watership Place’ and creating a road called ‘Richard Adams Way’.
Watership Place is in the perfect position for those wishing to enjoy the delights of a semi-rural area, within easy reach of local towns and cities. The M3 and A34 offer excellent access to Newbury, Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth. There is also fast access to London from the local train station – with journeys to Waterloo taking just one hour.
Joss added the team at Watership Place has given excellent service from the very beginning.
“We used Help to Buy and Emma and Roisin have both been lovely throughout – giving us plenty of advice and support,” explained Joss. “We looked at another housebuilder in the area, but for all the right reasons choose Bewley Homes. They can’t be rivalled for quality or personal service.”
Jess finished: “This is a very exciting time for us, and the entire team at Bewley Homes has made the experience a thoroughly enjoyable one. Now we can’t wait to settle in and enjoy our beautiful surroundings here. We feel very lucky to have found Watership Place, and we intend to spend some fantastic years here.”
Elaine Stratford, Sales and Marketing Director at Bewley Homes, commented: “This is a lovely story and speaks volumes about Bewley Homes that Joss, who at the time worked as a site manager for a competitor, immediately recognized we are a cut above the competition and wanted to buy a Bewley home. Not only that he will now be a colleague which is fantastic news.”
Elaine added: “I’m not at all surprised that Joss and Jess have chosen to move to Watership Place. It offers so much choice, with the village centre and all its local amenities just a stone’s throw away. The renowned River Test is right on the doorstep, providing an array of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy walks, cycle rides and, of course, fishing. This is the perfect location for commuters, and I think it suits Joss and Jess down to the ground.”