Slough Area Guide - SevenCapital

Regeneration
Transport Connections
Things To Do
Green Spaces
Drinking & Dining
Employment
Education
Map
Property for Sale

Located just 22 miles west of Central London, Slough is an exciting, thriving town in the leafy Royal County of Berkshire. Offering easy access to busy city life, whilst still being in close proximity of the beautiful Berkshire countryside, riverside towns and quaint villages loved by locals, Slough is the ideal location for those who want it all.

Business

Home to the highest concentration of global corporate headquarters outside of London.

Regeneration

Improving leisure activities, infrastructure, commercial, and retail space.

Employment

Top 10 for highest average salaries, boasting one of the highest average weekly wages in the UK (Centre for Cities 2020).

Recreation

An abundance of green spaces and leisure activities, with Surrey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty within an hour’s drive.

EXTENSIVE REGENERATION

In recent years, Slough’s town centre has undergone significant transformation thanks to the £450 million Heart of Slough regeneration scheme. The project includes substantial investment into leisure activities, commercial and retail space as well as infrastructure, transforming the area into an exciting and flourishing place to live.

This regeneration has seen Slough rise in prominence, with the Financial Times magazine predicting the area to become “Europe’s top small city of the future” for 2020/2021.

The development of Slough’s town centre continues with plans proposed for the regeneration of the high street, including a complete replacement of the Queensmere Observatory shopping centre and an additional investment of £3 billion from the Slough Urban Renewal project. These projects collectively aim to provide new homes and leisure facilities, improve local schools and provide the local community with access to education and training opportunities.

How Regeneration is Shaping Towns in the South East

CROSSRAIL & TRANSPORT LINKS

As one of the most important infrastructural developments for the town centre, the new Crossrail line solidifies Slough’s position as one of the best commuter towns outside of London.

Slough’s main train station sits on this line and is located just a short walk away from the town centre, with direct trains from Slough to London Paddington and Reading departing several times every hour throughout the day. Additionally, Crossrail Commuters can reach London Paddington in as little as 13 minutes, Bond Street in just 31 minutes and Canary Wharf in just 46 minutes, allowing easy access to the city, its attractions and job opportunities.

The opening of the Elizabeth Line has had a positive affect on demand and property prices in Slough, find out more here.

Perfectly nestled between the M4 and M40, Slough is also perfectly placed for car travel – whether it’s an everyday commute to work in the capital or international travel. Heathrow Airport is just a 15-minute journey away, serving 203 destinations across 84 countries. Distances and journey times approximate and are sourced via Google Maps and the TrainLine.

By Car

Slough is ideally located between the M4, M40 and the M25, integrating the town seamless into the heart of the UK’s transport network.

7 mins Upton Court Park

12 mins Eton College Golf Course

13 mins Royal Windsor Racecourse

14 mins Windsor Castle

19 mins Dorney Lake

By Train

Slough sits on the Great Western Main Line, halfway between London Paddington and Reading. It’s Crossrail connections mean that journey times are quicker and easier than ever, making the area a great place for commuters to live.

13 mins London Paddington

15 mins Heathrow Airport

22 mins Reading

46 mins Canary Wharf

52 mins Oxford

By Bus

Situated within London’s Commuter Belt, residents benefit from swift access to the city and its employment opportunities, world-renowned attractions, leisure and retail destinations with direct trains departing from the town centre regularly.

Getting around Slough itself is very easy thanks to numerous bus routes connecting the town to its surrounding areas. You can find out more about bus routes throughout Slough, here.

By Bike

Slough is a relatively flat town and has a number of traffic-free route options available, which makes cycling easy and convenient. Most of the borough is within a 20-minute cycle ride from the town centre and there is easy access to the neighbouring towns of Windsor and Eton.

Slough is one of British Cycling’s partner towns, working with the governing body to improve cycling opportunities for residents to help improve people’s health and wellbeing.

THINGS TO DO IN SLOUGH

Whether you’re a nature lover, sports enthusiast or prefer indoor activities, there are plenty of things to do in Slough that cater to everyone’s preferences, all within a short distance from Slough town centre.

The town centre itself has more than 120 retail shops to choose from in Slough’s Queensmere shopping centre providing a central hub of retail and social opportunities for locals.

Nearby, Windsor offers a wider range of independent boutiques, cafes and high street stores and, of course, the historic Windsor Castle. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the quintessentially English architecture, cafes and pubs along Eton high street.

Sports enthusiasts can also enjoy a range of activities including Eton College Golf Course, Royal Windsor Racecourse and Twickenham Stadium which offer plenty of opportunities to take to the golf course or enjoy some thrilling racing and rugby tournaments. Liquid Leisure Centre offers fantastic sailing, wakeboarding and other water sports to keep the whole family entertained. The waterpark is a top pick for families with young children and makes an ideal family day out.

PARKS AND GREEN SPACES

For nature lovers, there are plenty of open spaces to enjoy the great outdoors in Slough and its surrounding areas, including public parks and play areas, sports fields, riverside walks, woodlands, gardens and natural landscapes. Upton Court Park is ideally positioned just a short walk away from the town centre, whilst the Surrey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty can be discovered less than an hour’s drive away.

Colne Valley Regional Park is also a great place to enjoy tranquil, wooded wildlife areas, as well as an abundance of walking & cycling paths along lakes & rivers.

DRINKING AND DINING

There are many cafes, pubs and restaurants in Slough, from popular high street food chains, fine dining options as well as independent eateries and pop-up street food markets. Slough has a flourishing and diverse culinary scene and the area is fast becoming a great foodie destination, offering everything from traditional pub grub to international cuisine that caters to all tastes and budgets.

Pubs in Slough often serve an impressive range of real ales and craft beers, and hold lively events including live music, pub quizzes and screening major sports games. There are plenty of picturesque courtyards and beer gardens to enjoy in the heart of Slough as the area develops a vibrant social scene.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Thanks to its large trading estate and its close proximity to Reading, Oxford and London, Slough offers substantial employment opportunities for young professionals, coupled with fast commuter links. The bustling town has developed a strong reputation as a business and innovation hub, with the town hosting one of the highest concentrations of large corporate headquarters in the UK including Fiat, McAfee, Honda and Nintendo. Many overseas corporations see Slough as an extension of West London, benefitting from a convenient location within London’s Commuter Belt without the hefty real-estate costs.

In fact, a major Centre for Cities report revealed that Slough was in the top 10 for highest average salaries, boasting one of the highest average weekly wages in the UK (Centre for Cities 2020). This has helped Slough establish itself as a great choice to live for young professionals, having been voted the best place to work in the UK by Glassdoor for the third time running in recent years.

EDUCATION

There are a variety of high-performing colleges, primary and secondary schools in Slough, with the vast majority of these being rating “Good” or “Outstanding” by Ofsted in their latest inspections. There are 35 primary schools, such as The Langley Academy and Holy Family Catholic Primary School, as well as 20 secondary schools in the area, such as Upton Court Grammar School and The Westgate School. This makes Slough a great area for families to settle.

Slough’s largest private school, Long Close School, has built a strong reputation for outstanding academic results and is recognised as one of the best educational facilities throughout Berkshire having been rated “outstanding in all areas” in its most recent inspection.

Whilst the town itself includes Slough College, Cranbrook Business School, Slough College of Business Management and an Oxford Business School campus, Slough’s connectivity means easy commutes to plenty of nearby colleges and Universities in London and nearby towns such as Eton, Reading and Windsor. The prestigious Eton College is just a 25-minute walk across the Jubilee River from Slough’s town centre.

Points of Interest

Slough has plenty of interesting things to see and do, and is ideally located just a short distance from Eton and Windsor.

It’s transport connections mean easy access to London and the wider South East region, with The Elizabeth Line acting as an extension to London underground network.

SevenCapital proudly present The Metalworks, a newly completed property development just a 10 minute walk from Slough town centre.