Welcome to Sonning, Mr & Mrs Clooney

Lake Como or Los Angeles? Venice or Verbier? Of all the places they could have chosen for their first marital home, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin have apparently settled on a Berkshire village just three miles from the less than glamorous surroundings of, erm, Reading.

But while Sonning, where they are understood to have bought a £10million Grade II-listed mansion on the River Thames, is not the most obvious location for a Hollywood superstar and his internationally successful lawyer wife, it does have a number of modest charms all of its own. Here’s a brief guide to what seems to have drawn George and Amal to the spot:

The house

Built in the 17th century and once owned by the Lords of the Manor of Sonning, the nine-bedroomed house was remodelled with the addition of a handsome Georgian façade. It has its own library, gym, spa and steam room, along with a cellar and a boathouse and separate cottage for guests or staff. Set in four acres and surrounded by dense trees and expansive gardens, it offers all the seclusion required of a Hollywood power couple. Previously owned by a city banker, the vendors describe the house as “a delightful, comfortable family residence whilst maintaining the original grandeur of the day”.

The village

^{The Bull Inn in Sonning (David Rose/The Telegraph)}

Straddling the River Thames and separated from the outskirts of Reading by meadows and fields, Sonning was described by Jerome K Jerome, in his book Three Men in a Boat, as “the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river”.

The Clooneys have reportedly already paid a visit to the local pub, the Bull Inn, but there is also the Great House at Sonning, a riverside hotel with bar and restaurant, where the couple’s friends can stay if their eight other bedrooms are already occupied.

Julian Birsu, 25, a barman at the Great House, who moved here from Romania a year-and-a-half ago, said: “It’s a nice, quiet village. The people here are nice and friendly and George and his wife would be welcome in here any time. I would love to serve them.”

Enjoying a coffee in the bar overlooking the Thames, Trisha Redrup, 78, a retired designer, and her husband Philip, 81, a former head teacher, hoped that George and Amal would make an effort to mix with their new neighbours and join in the regular village events. These include the village rounders match, the children’s nativity play, an annual show and a scarecrow hunt. “I’m sure they would be made welcome,” said Mrs Redrup.

The theatre

^{The Mill at Sonning (Alamy)}

There’s one attraction in Sonning that few other Home Counties villages can boast and which might be of particular interest to George – a theatre. Sited on Sonning Eye, an island on the Thames, the Mill Theatre is famous for combining drama for its audience of 215 with dinner in the adjoining restaurant.

Currently playing is Party to Murder, a murder mystery inspired by Agatha Christie. Who knows, if leading man Jeremy Gittins unexpectedly drops out, a certain star of Ocean’s Eleven could always step in. As Matthew Dyer, 33, a local car mechanic, put it: “It will be great to have a bit of Hollywood glamour round here and I’m sure Clooney and his wife will love the place. It’s nice and rural. There’s a top notch restaurant, the French Horn, and a nice pub. There’s even a theatre here, if he fancies a bit of local dramatics.”

Sally Hughes, the Mill’s managing director, said: “A lot of famous people have been attracted to Sonning and Sonning Eye over the years, but we’re all very excited at the prospect of George Clooney living here. And of course, if he wanted to attend our theatre he would be welcomed among the audience with open arms.”

Celebrity spotting

Mixing with ordinary locals is all very well, but Sonning also has a number of celebrity residents too, should George and Amal want to share the burdens of fame. Until now Sonning’s most notable residents have been Uri Geller, the television illusionist, along with Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin’s guitarist, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, and Glenn Hoddle, the former England football manager. Previous famous sons have included Sir Terence Rattigan, the playwright, and Dick Turpin.

Further up the road, but a mere 15 miles away in the village of Bucklebury, are Mr and Mrs Middleton, grandparents to the future king of England. Known for their meticulously planned parties, Carole and Mike would no doubt be as welcoming to Hollywood royalty as they are to their in-laws.

Location

Near the M4 and just over an hour’s drive from central London, Sonning is handy for Amal’s Doughty Street chambers – where her clients have included Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks – as well as a last look at the Elgin Marbles, should her campaign to have them returned to Greece from the British Museum succeed.

The village is also just 40 minutes’ drive from Amal’s family home in Gerrards Cross, where her mother Baria still lives, close to Dr Challoner’s High School in Little Chalfont, which she attended before going on to Oxford. And it’s handy for Marlow, further west along the River Thames, where the couple are understood to be planning a reception at Danesfield House Hotel to celebrate their marriage with friends and family who could not make it to Venice.

Then there is the cradle of the British film industry at Pinewood studios, a mere 30 minutes’ drive to Iver, near Uxbridge, and Shepperton Studios, just a bit further away, near Chertsey – allowing George to keep up the day job. And of course, should George be required to tread the red carpet at any future film premieres, Leicester Square is just 37 miles away.

The river

^{Sonning (David Rose/The Telegraph)}

It may not be Venice – where George and Amal celebrated their wedding last month – but Sonning is perfect for messing about on the water. Day cruisers, skiffs and rowing boats ply the waters off the island where the Clooney’s new home is nestled, and with their own private boathouse there’s no excuse for George and Amal not to join in.

Shops, spa and glamour

Following life in heady Los Angeles, Amal might struggle to decide which Sonning hair salon to entrust with her glorious brunette locks. Will it be Studio 1 or Forresters hair and beauty salon? Time, and her tresses, will tell.

Should the couple find themselves bored with their own gym and steam room but in need of a trip to a spa, then Danesfield House Hotel & Spa is a convenient six miles away. Alternatively, The Pavilion Spa in nearby Cliveden is only an 11-mile drive, set amid 376 acres of magnificent National Trust-managed Grade I-listed gardens and woodlands.

Truth be told, there isn’t much red-carpet shopping to be had in Sonning. Beyond a pet supplier and local bakery, there is little to enthrall a girl known for her glamour, so Amal will have to head to Windsor and beyond for the lampshade dresses of her dreams.