PUTTING DOWN ROOTS AT BROADOAKS PARK
Victor Wang always had an adventurous spirit. After completing his education in mainland China, he chose education for his own career. Focusing on the rapidly expanding online teaching sector for international audiences, he was transferred by his company initially to Hong Kong, and then to the UK.
Victor, along with his wife and daughter, settled happily in a rented home in Esher for a couple of years, enjoying the combination of a buzzy town centre with the nearby serene green countryside. But the Wangs yearned to put down more permanent roots, so started searching for a house to buy. Education for his own daughter was a top priority, so they needed to be near good local schools.
Victor comments; “It took no time at all to discover Broadoaks Park was going to be right for us. Having landed on the Octagon website, we were soon booking a site tour of the new development. It is built on the lines of a grand country estate, and we fell in love with the idea of being part of a real community. All the houses on offer had everything and more that we had wished for, traditional external architecture, light-filled rooms, and modern fixtures and fittings. We really liked all the house designs, which made us the ‘buyers from hell’ or so we thought, as we changed our minds three times about which house-type we preferred. The properties were selling almost as soon as they went onto the market, so decisions had to be made, and stuck to.
“The Broadoaks Sales Office team couldn’t have been more helpful (or patient!), eventually guiding us to reserve our dream house, which had ample space for my home office, was close to some excellent schools, and equally important for me, had a generous garden.”
He goes on to say, “There is nothing I like more than working in my garden, scheming and dreaming about what plants to add and also enjoying the woodland views that border the Broadoaks estate. This is in direct contrast to my childhood and early adult memories, when I lived in, and was surrounded by, high rises. Land is very precious, especially in the major Chinese cities and throughout Hong Kong, so private back gardens, rolling lawns and natural woodland just didn’t feature. In West Byfleet, and particularly Broadoaks Park, we are surrounded by pleasing vistas, and not a high rise in sight.”
Victor also appreciates living in a place with some fascinating history, and has really enjoyed reading up on the colourful past life and inhabitants in the Broadoaks Mansion, the centrepiece Grade II listed building currently being restored to its former glory by Octagon’s master craftsmen.
The garden has also led to Victor becoming a bit of a regular visitor in his local garden centres. His passion for plants is infectious and the staff relish the arrival of their budding Chinese horticulturist, who is always keen to learn what he should be putting where, and how to care for it.
Victor concludes, “We are living in a thriving and friendly community, all of us newcomers, keen to get to know each other, which has led to a string of social get-togethers on our quintessentially English village green. I must just control my obsession with collecting gardening books!”