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'Posh' Commuter Towns in Surrey

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Reply 20

NJA

Not East Horsley. That's where successful former commuters buy a house.

Reply 21

Timon

I sometimes wonder if the eastern areas of Hampshire, like Petersfield and Winchester, are far more posh, aristocratic, old-money, High Church and English than anywhere in Surrey. Any thoughts? Like much of Richmond and Fulham in London, the horsey, public boarding school clique seem to be in the majority. Granted, it's a whole universe away from the low-rent southern Hampshire cities like grubby Southampton, or pissed-up drunk and sleazy Portsmouth.

Reply 22

Magic Dust

Original post by Timon

Surrey and Hampshire are much the same to be honest... I think you can find grubby places in both and posh places riding along near by.

I can't believe no one said Farnham though.

Reply 23

Good bloke

Original post by Magic Dust

I can't believe no one said Farnham though.

That's because you didn't read post 5.

Reply 24

Magic Dust

Original post by Good bloke

That's because you didn't read post 5.

Interesting :p:

I read most of the posts :colondollar:

Reply 25

huddb001

As coming from Surrey I am surprised places such as Epsom come up.apart from the college it doesn't seem that posh!
Kingswood on the other hand, is the place to be for multimillion pound houses, its also where the footballers live, as well as oxshot

Reply 26

George Frisbee

I have the perception of Epsom being rich although I actually know nothing about it.

I'm not sure about Guildford, I think the richer people live in the surrounding towns. I know some people who fit this description in Cobham, which someone already mentioned.

Reply 27

Timon

Yes, but there's new money and then there's old money. There's a huge difference. Footballers, bookmakers, City bankers and moneylenders, who, with their limited or less than impressive educational backgrounds and the fact that they are usually just a generation or two short of being working-class are on the one side, and then you have serious old money who might not have the grand oppulence of cash anymore, but their families can trace wealth and high social rank for at least 4 generations. Theyt might no longer be able to afford the big townhouses in Kensington and Chelsea anymore, but you see them now retreating to the outer Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex suburbs (beyond the M25 ring road) where they live on what is left of the family trust and may even be engaged in one of the more gentlemanly professions such as academia (particularly the humanities such as History, English, Philosophy, Languages, Art, History, Music, etc.), archival preservation, publishing, art, wine selling, music, etc. These are the people with the boarding school educations at Eton/Roedean and Oxbridge, the people who speak fluent French, lived for a spell in New York or Paris, travelled extensively, may have earned a commission in the Royal Navy or the Army, etc. You see, there is a huge differnce between their tastefully done, older homes with charachter and leafy grounds, as opposed to the grossly over the top, newly built McMansions that you'll find on bare, treeless streets in Esher or Virginia Water.

Reply 28

Good bloke

Original post by Timon

, City bankers and moneylenders, who, with their limited or less than impressive educational backgrounds

Your view of the world seems to be rooted in the 1950s. I have just picked out one particular point above - you are clearly unaware that, here in the 21st century, the City banks prioritise the best results from what they see as the best universities when recruiting. They pay the best salaries and they expect to take on the best recruits to their industry.

Reply 29

HonestBob

Epsom, Ewell, Claygate, Esher, Oxshott, Kingswood, Reigate, Thames Ditton, Walton-on-Thames, Guildford, Weybridge....but Epsom, Ewell and Claygate have both a posh ambiance and a villagy nice comercial High Street, complete with locally owned shops, near their train stations. Guildford is almost a city in itself it's so large, and the same could almost be said about Reigate. Most of the rest I listed are wealthy, but they are sleepy bedroom communities without much of a vilagy feel to them. Their train stations lead you out into empty rural roads or purely residential streets.

Reply 30

sydney_watts

Original post by Timon

Which of the many commuter towns in Surrey are most synonymous with affluent, native English, Protestant, private school and prestigious university educated, upper middle class?

In other words, name a town that automatically makes you think Telegraph reader, who comes from a well-off, English, upper middle-class background. The type of person who may have been educated at elite boarding schools, Oxbridge, works in the City, votes Tory, comes from a fairly respecatable old southern Englsih family--but IS NOT, nor would be considered super rich or 'A-List celebrity', footballer, rock-star rich.

Which Surrey town that is leafy, stately and dignified would fit the above description.

Again, I'm writing a piece of fiction and I would really appreciate the help of people who are far more familliar with the lay of the land there than me. Thanks!

My man, you are describing either Godalming or Haslemere to a tee. I'd say Farnham is a distant third, but it's more of an ex-Army town for retired officers rather than something you would perceive as a 'posh' town. Godalming might slightly edge out Haslemere just for the fact that it is slightly wealthier, but not by much. They're both overwhelmingly upper-middle-class White, native English, very High Church Anglican, Tory voting towns with lots of tree-lined streets filled with very dignified Victorian/Edwardian 4 bedroom+ detached houses surrounded by old stately stone walls. Plenty of cricket played on the village green and ever present vicars on bicycles too. Both towns are symbols of an idyllic image of England from many years ago.

Reply 31

Dodge-Slant-6

Haslemere, Godalming, Farnham, Reigate, Dorking.......I'd also add Weymouth, Thames Ditton and Esher too but they're so close to London I'd say they're more inner suburb than commuter town.

Reply 32

Dodge-Slant-6

Don't forget West Sussex too. Most younger families of financial means can't even afford Surrey anymore. A lot of the white, native British, upper-middle-class who were raised in Surrey have set up home in the market villages of West Sussex or even commute to London from as far away as Brighton and Hove. Hayward's Heath, Chichester and Lewes are a few other favourite places where this crowd has relocated.

Reply 33

Good bloke

Original post by Dodge-Slant-6

I'd also add Weymouth, Thames Ditton and Esher too but they're so close to London I'd say they're more inner suburb than commuter town.

Hmm. Your geography needs a bit of brushing up. Weymouth is on the Dorset coast, almost 140 miles from London and about 100 miles outside Surrey.

Reply 34

Dodge-Slant-6

Original post by Good bloke

Hmm. Your geography needs a bit of brushing up. Weymouth is on the Dorset coast, almost 140 miles from London and about 100 miles outside Surrey.

Sorry for the mistake. You'd think I would know enough to write Weybridge and not Weymouth, considering I spent the first 18 years of my life there........Never try to type and watch television at the same time.