| Sunningdale | |
|---|---|
 Shops on London Road | |
  Sunningdale Location withinBerkshire | |
| Population | 4,875 (2001) 5,347 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU955675 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Ascot |
| Postcode district | SL5 |
| Dialling code | 01344 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°23′53″N0°37′34″W / 51.398°N 0.626°W /51.398; -0.626 | |
Sunningdale is a village and acivil parish in theRoyal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner ofBerkshire,England and is adjoined by greenbuffers includingSunningdale Golf Club andWentworth Golf Club. Its northern peripheral estates adjoinVirginia Water Lake.
Sunningdale adjoinsSurrey, and is east ofSunninghill from which it takes its name. It is south ofVirginia Water Lake. It is centred 23.2 miles (37.3 km) west south-west ofCharing Cross,London. The nearest major towns areBracknell,Camberley,Staines upon Thames andWoking. It is connected to two of these by theA30 oldtrunk road.Sunningdale railway station is on theWaterloo to Reading line.
The present-daycivil parish of Sunningdale came into existence in 1894 under the provisions of theLocal Government Act 1894; the village had previously been part ofOld Windsor.[2] It was, until 1995, partly inBerkshire and partly inSurrey. The Surrey area of the village, known as Broomhall, was also split between theboroughs ofSurrey Heath andRunnymede. This original arrangement caused problems and was resolved after much consultation locally between the twocounty councils, threeborough councils and fourparish councils. As a result, its former Surrey neighbourhoods merged with the rest in theRoyal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in the Royal County of Berkshire (which became a non-administrative county in 1995). The area is popular with professional golfers due to its adjoining green buffers includingSunningdale Golf Club andWentworth Golf Club.[2]
Charters is a Grade II-listedart decomansion, built in 1938 for the industrialistFrank Parkinson by the architectsAdie, Button and Partners. It was built on the site of an earliercountry house built in the late 1860s by William Terrick Hamilton. Parkinson's guests includedWinston Churchill andthe Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In 1949, the house was bought by SirMontague Burton. It later became a corporate headquarters and has since been redeveloped as an apartment complex andspa.
Now the Coworth ParkHotel, this is a late 18th-centurycountry house which was the home ofEdward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, the early 20th-centurySecretary of State for War andBritish Ambassador to France.
TheSunningdale Agreement was signed atSunningdale Park, at theCivil Service Staff College (now theNational School of Government) on 9 December 1973, a precursor of theNorthern Ireland peace process.[3]
