Living at The Wintles
The Wintles is a consciously 'green' community of 40 houses set in the Shropshire Hills just above Bishop's Castle.
We have an expanse of rolling farmland to the North, and yet are close enough to the thriving small town to benefit from the best of both worlds - peace and beauty, fresh air, big skies and wonderful views as well as cafés, characterful shops, pubs and eateries.
There is a full complement of community services in the town, reducing the need to use a car for day-to-day activities. There are clubs and societies galore to join should you wish to. There is a swimming pool and Arts Centre in town which is often buzzing with festivals and events. If you would like to explore further afield, the lovely medieval towns of Ludlow or Shrewsbury are easy to get to.
The Wintles estate itself is quirky and individual - with a variety of formal gardens, winding footpaths, shrubberies and ornamental tree planting. We also have a wonderful wildflower area, grassy roadside verges, meadows, orchards and wildlife ponds. Perhaps best of all is our own communal hillside area - 13 acres of meadow and woodland with a high point called The Motte where you can sit and survey Shropshire and watch the sun go down.
Enthusiastic groups within the community keep bees, chickens and pigs and run a productive polytunnel. There is also a vineyard, which should hopefully start to be productive this year! There are allotments for those who enjoy getting their hands dirty and growing their own organic food.
The estate overall is successfully run by our own management company, of which all residents become members. There is a service charge, currently £55 per month and decided by ourselves under democratic process, which covers all the landscaping and maintenance work within the estate and hillside. General maintenance is undertaken by outside contracts and volunteers from the estate support their work (only if you feel like it!). We have a group email system and intranet website for communications and sharing information.
