Shanly Homes

Shanly Homes is an award-winning property developer founded in 1969. It is part of the Shanly Group. The company mainly deals with real estate in the country's South-East and creates high-tech, environmentally friendly and architecturally innovative new developments. The purpose is to harmoniously complement the surrounding landscape and improve the quality of life of the residents.

History of Shanly Homes

The company's history began in 1969 when Michael Shanly, a practical and dedicated 24-year-old professional, bought a semi-detached house in Pinner. He soon repaired and sold it for around £3,000. After that, Michael and a friend took on a larger project, namely an apartment building in West Dayton. Then he bought Elmsley School in Maidenhead to convert it into new build homes created by his own company, Shanly Homes.

The company's first office was located at 37-39 London End in Beaconsfield. There was one property disaster at the time, but Michael Shanley handled it well, proving he was strong enough to run his own business. One of the discoveries came when the founder bought a house in Old Windsor for his family, located near the River Thames. Then Michael saw the true potential of the land along the river and soon created the first marinas and quays of Saxon Mooring. In 1979 the company expanded its second office. The team grew to 22 people and was named "Sorbon" in honour of Michael's first investor, Jim Boncer.

One of the most exciting property developments is the construction on the site of a former landfill in Maidenhead. This place caught the attention of the founder back in 1984. However, having acquired the land, he could not obtain the necessary building permits for a long time. Finally, in 2007, the company planned to build 426 houses there. This project is known as Boulters Meadow and is the flagship site of Shanly Homes. A large-scale rehabilitation of the site had to be carried out to make it suitable for constructing a residential complex.

Another landmark project for the company is the site of the Wooburn Grange Country Club in Woburn Green, Buckinghamshire. The 1970s British sitcom Fawlty Towers was filmed here. Later the club burned down, and Shanly Homes acquired the land, demolished what was left of the hotel and built eight detached houses in 1993.

The Shanly Foundation was founded in 1997. To date, the company has donated over £20 million to support hundreds of local community groups and charities.

The next major project of housebuilder Shanly Homes began with the acquisition of the Old Cinema Site in downtown Maidenhead. This move marked the beginning of a wider regeneration in the Chapel Arches section. There were three phases in total: Picturehouse (2016), Chapel Wharf (2016) and Waterside Quarter (2021). After completing all stages, the company provided 261 new apartments and over 30,000 feet of commercial space, including a public amphitheatre.

Over the following years, the company has received numerous awards in the field, for example, the Housebuilder Awards 2014 for the best restoration project, the Thames Valley Property Awards 2016 as the builder of the year and many others. To date, Shanly Homes has built over 12,000 homes and continues to develop new projects.

Michael Shanly: Founder and Philanthropist 

Michael Shanly is not only the founder of the company that builds high-quality house developments, but also a renowned philanthropist. So, in 2015, he took 122nd place in the list of 200 largest donors in the UK. And as a former scout, in 2017, the Shanly Foundation teamed up with the Scout Association to launch the Building Futures competition. As such, Michael donated money for 12 prizes ranging from £5,000 to £100,000 to the participants. Also partnered with Woodland Trust, the home builder has helped raise over £350,000 to plant over 20,000 trees.

High Quality of the Houses

The buyers of the Shanly Homes new homes can be assured of impeccable quality and exquisite design, as experts adhere to their work principles. The team prides itself on building attractive homes in prime locations, enhancing landscapes and building great communities throughout London and other cities in the Southeast. All buildings of the company come with a 10-year guarantee and insurance.