Clivden, former home of the Astors and the setting for the Profumo scandal in the early 1960s, is now a grand five-star hotel set on over 370 acres of grounds running down to the Thames.

An hour's drive from London, in Taplow, Berkshire, the estate is also the setting for a retirement village with a difference. Forget twee cottages with roses over the door and think cool contemporary design with not a zimmer frame in sight.

The houses and apartments being built on the estate and reserved for the over 55s will have large open plan living spaces, floor-to-ceiling windows and and the best in kitchens and bathrooms.

Two-bedroom apartments start at around £400,000 (€584,000) while houses start at £1 million (€1.46m). Around 135 units will be built in Cliveden Village, which should be finished by 2010. Residents will have the run of the estate which was left to the National Trust in 1942.

Developed by The Frost Partnership, the income from Cliveden Village will be used for the long-term conservation of the estate; developer Countryside Properties is building using sutainable development guidelines. www.clivedenvillage.co.uk