The sleepy Berkshire village thats overrun with A-listers

In Jerome K Jerome’s 1889 book Three Men in a Boat, he described the Thames-side village of Sonning as: “The most fairy-like little nook on the whole river. It is more like a stage village than one built of bricks and mortar.”

As I walk along the Thames Path at the crack of dawn, swans minding their own business while two kayakers carve through the water, the “fairy-like” comparisons ring true. The “stage” bit remains particularly apt as well, given that Sonning has, by my count, a higher density of A-listers than anywhere else in the country.

We all know why we’re here. So let’s get the name-dropping out of the way, shall we? Sonning, with a population of just 1,631 (and pronounced to rhyme with “running”, I am reliably informed), is home to ex-Prime Minister and local MP Theresa May, who locals say is a very present and well-liked member of the community.

If that doesn’t get your heart racing, Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page is a resident, although is said to be more private. Sonning is also home to a little-known Hollywood actor named George Clooney and his human rights lawyer wife, Amal.

The list goes on, albeit down from “A” through the alphabet. Ex-footballer Glenn Hoddle and psychic spoon-bender Uri Gellar are among Sonning’s famous alumni, joining Dick Turpin and former US President Dwight D Eisenhower. Up-river you’ll find the home of Debbie McGee (where she lived with her late husband, magician Paul Daniels). Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss is said to live nearby. There’s a fantasy dinner party invite list if you’ve ever heard one.

Clooney certainly seems to have enjoyed himself since buying his house in 2014. On an episode of BBC’s The One Show last year he said: “We have a really nice little world right there [in Sonning] that’s very private and very quaint and the people are lovely. I love it.” 

Luckily, if you don’t have the clout or cash to buy a house in this celebrity enclave (the average home costs £1.2 million, according to Rightmove), Sonning makes for a special self-contained weekend away complete with boutique rooms, fine dining and evening entertainment. 

My weekend visit begins at the heart of the community at the Village Hamper. Around 15 years ago, Sonning’s high street had a bank, a post office and an Indian restaurant, but over the years the businesses closed down. During the pandemic, local resident Kathy Drogemuller decided to take matters into her own hands and opened a shop to serve the villagers.

“It became a community hub. People would be out walking and it’d be their chance to have a chat with neighbours in the queue,” says Drogemuller, who describes Sonning as an “amazing community” and a “little oasis” where the residents respect the privacy of their famous neighbours. With an excellent flat white in hand, and a generous slice of apple and cinnamon cake in the other, I set off to see what else the village has to offer.

Through the churchyard of St Andrew’s I arrive on Thames Street and Sonning’s famous bridge. Or infamous, I should say. Aside from celebrity sightings, this bridge is the hottest conversation-point among local residents. Built in 1775, the single-track crossing has been the subject of many paintings over the years, but it is also the only bridge over the Thames between Reading and Henley. As a result, the village receives a lot of backed-up traffic. Today is no exception.

On the other side, over the border from Berkshire to Oxfordshire, I find The Mill theatre at Sonning Eye, which brings a flavour of the West End to the village in a converted old flour mill. The 215-capacity dine-in theatre prides itself on creating all productions on its premises, including the sets and costumes, as well as hosting touring comics and tribute acts.

“It’s a whole afternoon or evening’s entertainment under one roof,” says General Manager Dave Vass, who has worked here since it opened in 1982.

In that One Show interview, Clooney said of The Mill: “I get to go next door and watch a play about once every two months. Literally, we open the door and you walk across an alley and you’re in the theatre.”

Vass, just like everyone else in Sonning, shows tight-lipped respect when I ask him about their famous neighbours: “They’re nice people,” he says. “They’re the same as everyone else. They’ve got two arms and two legs.”

Across the road I pop my head into the French Horn. They are in between servings but the formally dressed staff allow me to take a look around. This is a £100 for 30g of caviar, white tablecloth and silver service kind of restaurant, and in the garden the pristine lawn and its weeping willows spill out onto the river. Blink, and you could be in an English version of The Great Gatsby.

But there’s no time for blinking. Because back across the Thames I see a group of finely dressed individuals boarding a glamorous boat that wouldn’t look out of place zipping around the canals of Venice. I make a dash across Sonning Bridge, past the inevitable queue of cars, to see where they’re off to. 

Philippa, dressed to the nines for the Henley Festival, says she lives on the high street near the Village Hamper, and is proud to call herself a resident of Sonning.

“It’s got a buzz to it. It really has a great atmosphere, it’s quite sociable and there are a lot of characters here too. And it’s beautiful, obviously,” she says, telling me that I should pop into the timber-framed pub, The Bull Inn, just around the corner. 

She is spending the day on one of the classic vessels owned by Sonning Boats, which runs chauffeured trips along the river (day outings from £1,295 per day). The festival-goers pop a champagne cork and I watch as the boat glides up the river, half expecting to see the credits to Made in Chelsea roll before my eyes.

I stay on terra firma and, after a swift pint at The Bull Inn, finish my day at the Great House, where I stay the night. Its riverside bar and restaurant is clearly the place to be seen in Sonning. Set in a former Elizabethan coaching inn, this is the flagship clubhouse of the Coppa Club which has outposts in similarly refined settings like Putney, Clifton and Bath. 

They’re doing good things here, which should come as no surprise when you learn that its owners are Hugh Osmond (the man behind Pizza Express and founder of Punch Taverns) and its chairman is Andy Bassadone, who founded Strada and Côté Brasserie. The place has whiffs of all the above, but also maybe a bit of Soho House in its cool, comfortable rooms and filament bulb-lit bar area. 

Sitting in its long garden with a glass of rosé, looking out towards the white-washed French Horn in the distance, I see another leisure boat moor up on the river, probably also off to Henley for the afternoon. A fine decision. It is a pleasure to stop off, whether for an hour or a weekend, in this very private, very quaint little world.

Stay here

The Great House (coppaclub.co.uk; 0118 969 2277) has a selection of 49 family- and dog-friendly rooms ranging from cosy (from £105 per night) to the Coach House Apartment (from £195 per night). Expect quirky touches, like vintage telephones and retro fridges, plus a family room complete with a toy box and a kids’ corner with bunk beds. You can read our full review here.

There are also seven boutique bedrooms at The Bull Inn (bullinnsonning.co.uk; 0118 969 3901) from £126.50 per night for a cosy room. The French Horn (thefrenchhorn.co.uk; 0118 969 2204) has 12 more traditionally decorated rooms starting from £195 per night.

Eat and drink here

As well as the Coppa Club, the French Horn and the Bull Inn, on my visit there was a much-hyped pop-up Mexican food truck called Tacito (tacito.co.uk; 07305 657 971) parked up at The Sonning Club next to Pearson Hall.

A walk along the river

Going south from Sonning, you soon reach the picture-perfect Sonning Lock. From April to October there is a tea house here serving cream teams. The spot is as pretty now as it has been for 150 years, it seems. The 19th-century lock-keeper, James Sadler, received high praise from one Charles Dickens, who in 1882 wrote: “The floral tastes of the lock-keeper generally make Sonning Lock very bright and gay.” 

Going in the other direction, take the path on the north side of the river and wend your way to Shiplake Lock. Nearby is the village of Lower Shiplake, where a young George Orwell once lived.

Have you visited A-list Berkshire hotspot Sonning? Please share your experiences in the comments below

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbHLnp6rmaCde6S7ja6iaKyilsOmuI6dnKysmaOutbXOp6ponaWnvLGxjq6loqyVmXqstc2gm6ilX5q7qLjAp5tompWnuLS0yKucaKyYmnq0uMSep7Jlkpq%2FrL%2FHoqmeZaaeua2txp5kraCRqcBuu9WeqautnmLEqsDHZphmpJmowaa%2B0mg%3D