Bewley Homes’ third collection of homes in Hampshire has been named Canterbury Gardens, in honour of an Oakley-born Archbishop who served during the reign of kings Henry VII and VIII.
Canterbury Gardens in Park Farm, which will be launched this autumn, will comprise homes of between two and five bedrooms. Dedicated open spaces and play areas for children have been included in the plans. This development joins Bewley’s other Hampshire collections, namely Centenary Fields in Bramley and Owsla Park in Whitchurch.
Canterbury Gardens has been given its name in recognition of the achievements of William Warham, who was born in Oakley in around 1450. His family had lived in the area for several generations.
Educated at Winchester College and New College in Oxford, Warham practised law before taking holy orders. He took the important legal position of Master of the Rolls in 1494, was consecrated as Bishop of London in 1502 and became both Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury in 1504. In 1506, he became chancellor of Oxford University, while he was a key diplomatic adviser to King Henry VII.
Warham helped arrange the marriage between King Henry VII’s son Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon in 1501; the young prince died the following year aged just 15. In 1509, Warham presided over the wedding of Arthur’s brother Henry VIII to the same bride, before crowning Henry VIII as monarch just weeks after the wedding. More than 20 years later, Warham was involved in the negotiations to have the marriage between King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon annulled. Warham died in 1532 and is buried in Canterbury Cathedral.
Bewley Homes’ Sales and Marketing Director Elaine Stratford said: “William Warham was a pre-eminent figure in the Tudor period, rising to truly lofty heights in his chosen fields of the law and the church. Canterbury Gardens was an ideal choice of name for our new development to mark Oakley’s connection with this fascinating history.”
Founded in 1991, independent developer Bewley Homes currently has 11 sites across Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey. Canterbury Gardens is one of four further developments to be launched in the next year.
The design-led developer was named Housebuilder of the Year 2017 in the prestigious Thames Valley Property Awards, while it recently won a Gold award from leading market researcher In-house Research for customer satisfaction. Bewley Homes supports a number of different charities including British Heart Foundation, Guide Dogs, Help for Heroes and Sebastian’s Action Trust. For more information, visit www.bewley.co.uk.