POLL: Which Home County is Most Posh?

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I think Surrey has its posh parts, but you do have quite large areas of average/normal income, with some deprived places too.

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True, but you can say the exact same thing about everyone of these counties. I'm still of the mind that Surrey is the county that automatically comes into most people's heads when they think old-money, blue-blood, posh. But we shall see where this poll takes us.

Reply 21

User995789

Surrey by far, has so many posh people, I don't mind them, but I mind the posh arrogant ones... bastards.

Reply 22

Futility

I'm not sure how to measure 'poshness'. But the Hart District in Hampshire has come top of the quality of life survey a couple of times in a row if that's relevant.

Reply 23

superduper9

I always thought it was either Berkshire (as its known as the royal county) or Buckinghamshire.

Reply 24

sydney_watts

Original post by Futility

I'm not sure how to measure 'poshness'. But the Hart District in Hampshire has come top of the quality of life survey a couple of times in a row if that's relevant.

Sure, that's relevant, Futility. Thanks! Quality of life would indicate it is a desirable place to live and raise a family, which in turn would mean top of the range house prices, which would generally mean only wealthier people could afford to live there, etc., etc.

Regarding how to measure posh, at least how I am looking at it, would entail several factors. First, of course, would be income. Yet income is only a small part of that measurement. It's not possible to measure from government statistics, but if there was a way to gauge income going back generations (let's say 4 generations for sake of measurement) that would be a better indicator rather than present income.

Nonetheless, other measurements will work. Percentage of people who were educated at independent schools. Percentage of people with at least a Bachelors degree. Percentage of people employed in the high professions or upper management. Percentage of detached houses with at least 4 bedrooms or more. Percentage of households where there are at least two or more late model cars available.

Again, those are just raw statistics. You would have to sift carefully through such figures in order to flesh out what I would consider posh, namely 'old money', elite educations, and high status professions or upper management. Basically upper-middle-class....and upper class, if you can find any. The British upper class are a much smaller group.

Reply 25

sydney_watts

Original post by superduper9

I always thought it was either Berkshire (as its known as the royal county) or Buckinghamshire.

Berkshire is known as Royal Berkshire because of it being the county of residence of the Queen and the rest of the Mountbatten clan.

Reply 26

Triple-Sod

Two Barnsley lads were once sat in a car, middle of a village in Surrey talking about what a different world it was; cricket match on the village green, flash cars everywhere, olde houses, friendly locals..

Big gang of mums were walking there kids home from school with their blazers and hats.....and then we spots this Indian woman and her kids, a good distance from the main group.

'See mate...it's not that different from home', one said

I was the other one and bloody hell we p*ssed ourselves.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 27

AspiringGenius

Voted Buckinghamshire because that's where Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate factory came from. :smile:

Reply 28

sydney_watts

Once again, I am rather surprised that 'Royal Berkshire', yes, the same Royal Berkshire which is home to much of the Royal Family, Kate Middleton, and a posh bloke named David Cameron, hasn't polled higher. It might not be as moneyed, per se, as Bucks, but I'm sure you can argue it is much more aristocratic. Then again, you can't question the posh credentials for Surrey, can you? It's moneyed, and with a few exceptions, the money there is generational. It's not all footballers, entertainers, book-makers and city spivs, who tend to favour some of the other Home Counties to set up house. Once again, St George's Hill, Virginia Water, and Cobham can be discounted as the first is popular with some of the older crowd within the entertainment industry, the second is favoured by City money men (Americans especially), and the third is the preferred locale of Chelsea FC players and staff. However, these three towns only make up a small percentage of Surrey's brush with wealth. Let us not forget the dignified old-money enclaves such as Godalming, Haslemere, Farnham, East Horsley, Dorking, Reigate, etc. Bucks only comes close to this sort of ambiance with possibly Beaconsfield. Equally Kent might pass with Royal Tunbridge Wells, and Hampshire with Winchester. Royal Berks, on the other hand, has more than one or two old money haunts. Ascot, Sunningdale, Windsor, Wokingham are equally regal to those mentioned in Surrey.

Reply 29

username447608

Original post by sydney_watts

I live in Windsor and I went to school in beconsfield and you are very right but also gerrards cross in bucks is more loaded than becky

Reply 30

sydney_watts

Original post by SillyMilly

I live in Windsor and I went to school in beconsfield and you are very right but also gerrards cross in bucks is more loaded than becky

True, Gerrards Cross is wealthy, but I'm inclined to think most of that money is City generated, and usually not as pedigreed as you might find in Beaconsfield. Remember this old saying: 'All the money in the world doesn't buy class'. Class, as is often implied, only comes from generations of proper education and cultivation. Hence, the age old struggle between old-money blue bloods vs. the crass nouveau riche.

Reply 31

Hyde

Buckinghamshire.
Apart from a few areas with a high percentage of "chavs" and what-nots such as High Wycombe.

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Reply 32

Fullofsurprises

Surprised Berkshire hasn't had more votes - it is frightfully posh in many parts.

Sussex is actually posher than Surrey in terms of old money and distinction/old families, etc, but Surrey is agreeably wealthy, so I s'pose that's why it wins.

A fascinating topic of great importance, glad it's getting covered.

Reply 33

Fullofsurprises

Original post by sydney_watts

I think places like Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield are actually quite a social mix, they aren't really as posh as their rep. Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Buckingham ditto.

Isn't Great Missenden, Bucks, the single wealthiest village/town in the whole of the UK? I remember reading.

Reply 34

Rlove95

I live in Kent although technically I'm in Greater London.
Far from posh where I am :confused:

Reply 35

username878045

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Berkshire also has Slough and Staines to offset the Windsors and Ascots, whereas Surrey is pretty much all posh.

Original post by Fullofsurprises

High Wycombe and Aylesbury are very mixed, but Beaconsfield and GX are very posh - and that's coming from someone in Beaconsfield constituency. There's a reason it's the constituency that has the most expensive housing and is (I think) the most Tory-voting.