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Homes fit for gadgets

Helen Tither
21/ 7/2008

PROPERTIES don't come much more glamorous than the opulent footballers' mansions nestled in the Cheshire countryside - with their swimming pools, home cinemas and snakeskin-lined doors.

And property developers don't come any more glamorous than the woman who has designed most of those dream homes, Dawn Ward.

Slim, sassy, and super-stylish, the blonde-haired wife of former Manchester City footballer Ashley Ward has got the model looks of an A-list Cheshire socialite, matched with the savvy of a city centre businesswoman.

Which is why the 33-year-old mum-of-three is currently sitting pretty as one of the most sought-after developers in the golden triangle of Prestbury, Alderley Edge and Hale. Thanks, in no small part, to the stunning job she did building the palatial £4m Cheshire residence of Mr and Mrs Wayne Rooney. Not that she's taking all the credit.

Family business

"Everyone talks about Dawn Ward - but Ashley does 10 times more than me, he really is the brains behind everything," she insists, modestly. "It really is a family business and he can be sat working in the office 10 hours a day."

While Dawn plays down her involvement in Bilton Ward - the company she first set up to keep the family going once hubby Ashley's footballing days were over - it's clear that she is a major part of the company's success. Offering a full building to decorating service, the Salford-born glamourpuss started off with her own fashion boutique, bringing a sense of style to the world of property.

Now, she picks everything from swimming pools to sinks for the multi-million pound properties. Jetting off to trade fairs around the world to make sure Cheshire's well-heeled house hunters get the newest and best gadgets out there.

"We buy land, build houses and finish it right to the end so clients can literally just open the door and it's ready to move straight in," she says. "But it's all about individuality, no two houses we do are the same. The people we are selling to want quality things that are different.

"They see a lot of nice things and go to a lot of nice places. That's why we go to all the trade shows to find out what's hot in Milan, Paris, Las Vegas and Dubai."

In a bid to make her houses the best of the best, Dawn says she is always searching for that ultimate in opulence - from doors covered in snakeskin and sprayed with metal, to "marine walls" of giant fish tanks built into cinema rooms.

Hard graft

But, she recalls, it didn't start off quite so super glam, with her and Ashley putting in plenty of hard graft to get where they are today.

"We bought a derelict barn for ourselves over 10 years ago. We got quotes to convert it into a house and it was just too expensive so we did it ourselves. I was very heavily pregnant at the time but we both managed it - sold the house and doubled our money.

"We really enjoyed it and wanted to do another one. I bought some sites and renovated them, selling one house to Kevin Campbell of Everton and one to David Thompson from Blackburn Rovers. They were delighted and word just spread."

In the tight knit super-rich premiership footballer community word travels fast and the Wards soon found themselves handling plenty of requests from big name soccer stars. Culminating in the property jackpot of the Rooneys' pad.

Although she says she doesn't make a point of working only with footballers.

"I just buy houses and sell them - I just happen to know a lot of people in football. They would only buy them from me if the design was good. With Wayne and Coleen's house for instance, Coleen is a very good friend of mine and while I get given all the credit she had a huge input and has fantastic taste.

"She has made her house extremely homely, she's got fantastic taste so it was extremely easy working with her."

Extra mile

Currently, the Wards are working with some more of their footballing friends - Manchester United star Wes Brown and his fiancée Leanne Wassle. Even going that extra mile to make sure they have a smooth move.

"I'm just in the middle of finishing Wes' new house but he has sold his other one earlier than we thought so they have come to live with us for a while - luckily Leanne is my best friend. Actually, they're so enjoying living with us and getting their food cooked I don't know if they want me to finish!"

Home for the Wards is the sprawling glamour of Warford Hall, currently undergoing the mother of all makeovers at Dawn's hands to become a "flagship" example of what her company can do. Although, with miles of wiring to tackle - not to mention adding a swimming pool and cinema, the 10-bedroom house is taking a while to finish.

"I always come second best because my clients come first," she sighs. "But we have finished my youngest daughter Charlie's bedroom - it's fantastic, based on a castle theme with 9,500 Swarovski crystals stuck on the ceiling by hand."

And it's with their daughters - Darby, 12, Taylor, 10, and 16-month-old Charlie - that the couple really like to switch off at the end of a hard day's house building. By going horse riding on one of their many ponies, or travelling to horse events all over the country. Where they get a real break from the Cheshire mansion scene.

"I love it, nearly ever weekend we go off with the horse wagon. It's just like posh camping!" We would expect nothing less.