Surrey Homes | SH46 | August 2018 | Wedding supplement inside

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Ray DunfoRD… the last to leave
anD the fiRst to RetuRn to
st Michael’s couRt, ashteaD
When Ray DunfoRD vacateD his business pRemises
on the street in ashtead in 2008, he never imagined
that within 10 years he’d be returning to live on
the exact spot where he’d run the family business. now
retired, mr Dunford (85) is looking forward to a new phase
in his life, downsizing from his family home in banstead
and moving to a stylish, contemporary apartment at the
newly built st michael’s court in the heart of ashtead.
Ray Dunford, along with his late wife, margaret, and their two
sons were well-known in ashtead. in 1983 they took over a rundown
petrol station and forecourt business on the street and
over the next 25 years built up a successful enterprise – ensuring
they always kept up with ‘the times’ as mr Dunford explains:
“We started the garage from nothing and it became
very successful. in the days when videos were popular,
we started a rental business and had over 2,000 videos
in our rental library. in the forecourt shop, we sold
everything from food and music cassettes to children’s
bicycles and garden furniture. We even installed a coffee
machine and microwave to heat food for customers.”
“there was a workshop at the back of the filling station which
became home to Key Drive, our motor servicing and car/van
rental hire. Key Drive is still run by my two sons, stuart and Gary,
but is now located in Leatherhead in premises on Kingston Road.
ashtead service station was bought by tesco in 2008 and the
Dunford family moved to Leatherhead but no work was ever
started on site. eight years later, the land was resold and was
finally redeveloped. the new development, aptly named ‘st
michael’s court,’ comprises an m & s food hall and just 9 one
and two-bedroom apartments with private, gated parking and
lift access. mr Dunford was the first person to buy there and,
since then, a further four apartments have been snapped up.
the sales success isn’t surprising. all the apartments are light
and airy and the majority have private balconies. there’s also
a ‘sky Garden’ - a delightful, communal outdoor space on the
first floor where owners will be able to meet and socialise.
the apartments are fitted with high gloss kitchen cabinets, a
range of neff and Zanussi appliances, underfloor heating and
a combination of carpeting and Karndean oak effect flooring.
the location in the heart of ashtead is perfect for retirees
like mr Dunford with all the shops and services on hand.
commuters will also appreciate the fact that the development
is close to junction 9 of the m25 and within easy reach
of ashtead’s mainline station which offers services to
London Waterloo, London victoria and London bridge.
“i feel as if i’m returning home,” adds mr Dunford. “the
new apartments are very nice indeed – i was impressed. in
fact, i fell in love with them straight away. i have chosen
to move now because i’m getting older and have health
issues – and st michael’s court is ideal because it’s above
my favourite food shop – marks & spencer. there’s a lift so
i don’t have to worry about walking upstairs and there’s
no maintenance or gardening to do. in a two-bedroom
apartment, there will be much less cleaning. now i just
have to declutter which makes you realise that a lot of
the stuff you have, you don’t use and you don’t need.”
“moving home at my age is my last challenge – and
i’ve had many in my life. i will still be close to my sons.
i wanted to make the move before someone else had
to make it for me. i am having the apartment furnished
nicely. it’s a nice modern flat and needs to be furnished
appropriately. i am really looking forward to it.”
the one and two-bedroom apartments at st michael’s court,
are suitable for singles and couples, from first time buyers
to downsizers. prices range from £300,000 to £450,000 and
the Government backed help to buy scheme is available
for eligible new home buyers. this means being able to
buy with a 5% deposit and a 75% mortgage with the
remaining 20% available in the form of an equity loan,
interest free for five years. for more information, please
contact selling agent, patrick Gardner on 01372 360832