Expensive houses, a lack of amenities and too many tourists are just some of the things you can expect to contend with if you choose to live in one of Britain’s poshest villages.
But residents of two of the villages lucky enough to be awarded that title, Beaulieu in Hampshire and Brancepeth in County Durham, have also praised the wonderful community spirit, saying it somewhat makes up for the one bus a week and the fact that there is nowhere to buy a newspaper.
This week estate agents Savills revealed the 54 most desirable villages in each county in Britain, based on a combination of factors including the highest house prices, best amenities and ‘chocolate-box appeal’.
It came as 60 per cent of their estate agents noticed a steep rise in demand for rental properties in desirable countryside locations.
In Hampshire, the triumphant village was Beaulieu – with an average house price of £1.5million making it the most expensive in England, Wales and Scotland.
The high street dates back to the 16th century and features artisan stores. It has a wide choice of schools and is right on the doorstep of the New Forest.
But despite its picturesque setting and tranquil atmosphere some residents say traffic is ‘like the M1’ and that you ‘can’t get anywhere’ without a car.
Residents in two of Britain’s poshest villages, Beaulieu in Hampshire and Brancepeth in County Durham, praised how ‘friendly’ and ‘welcoming’ the locals are. Left: Dominic Ide outside his coffee shop on Beaulieu high street. Right: Ulrike Hobbs, 26, and her son Eli, 6, who live in Brancepeth’s 12th Century castle
Wild horses and cows are known to roam free in the village of Beaulieu, which is on the edge of the New Forest national park. One local Peter Openshaw said: ‘It delights me when I see a cow walk past the window and it slows down someone in a hurry’
Residents of Brancepeth, in County Durham, have spoken of their love of the picturesque rural village which has been listed as one of the most desirable rural locations to live in the country but there were also complaints about the lack of amenities and public transport links
Carol Clark, who works at Beaulieu Chocolate Studio, has lived in the area for more than 30 years.
The 59-year-old said: ‘It gets very busy here during summer as we get a lot of tourists and I have seen it get busier and busier.
‘It’s quite expensive and there’s not a newsagent where you can get a newspaper. I have to go to Tesco if I want one, which is about five miles away.
‘Now there is only one bus a week as they’ve cut how frequent they are.
‘Basically if you don’t have a car you can’t get anywhere.’
A father of two, who has lived on the expensive Dock Lane for 25 years and raised his family there, added: ‘It is a stunningly pretty place – but it could do with a proper pub. The only pub at the minute is in the hotel.
‘But it is a nice little village.
‘There are second homes here but nothing like you wouldn’t find in other places.’
On the absence of a newsagent he commented: ‘It’s a shame there’s nowhere to get a newspaper, but if you want a coffee this is the place to come – I think there are four coffee shops.’
Beaulieu is the most expensive village in England, Wales and Scotland, according to Savills, with an average house price of £1.5million
The high street dates back to the 16th century and features artisan stores. It has a wide choice of schools and is right on the doorstep of the New Forest. You can also find Palace House (pictured), the family home of Lord Montagu
Beaulieu locals rejected the idea that the village was overly posh. Peter Openshaw, 65, (left) said: ‘I couldn’t say that there was any snobbery from any corners. There’s no poshness – it takes all sorts to live here.’ But it wasn’t all praise for the rural village, with Carole Clark, 58 (right) complaining of a lack of amenities and public transport
A similar complaint is made of the quaint suburb of Brancepeth, situated five miles from the historic city of Durham. The rural hamlet consists of two rows of terraced Grade II listed cottages and has no shops, pubs and only one bus stop.
The chocolate box village features Brancepeth Castle Golf Course, designed in 1924 by world famous architect Harry Colt, plus a 12th Century castle and St Brandon’s Church, which dates back to the middle ages. Average house prices here are a much more reasonable £390,238.
Ulrike Hobbs, 26, lives in the 12th Century castle with her husband and two children, Margaret, 1, and Eli, 6.
The mother-of-two, who is originally from Germany, moved to the historic village six years ago after becoming pregnant with her first child and now runs the cafe in the castle.
She said: ‘The only issue I had at first was there isn’t much public transport but if you have a car it’s fine.
‘The school is close by, only around a ten-minute drive so we have everything we need.’
Ms Hobbs added: ‘My husband’s grandfather bought the castle in 1974 and the family have lived there ever since.
‘We moved here to be closer to family so they could help out with children.
‘At first, I was worried about moving somewhere so rural but it’s such a wonderful place to live.
‘People welcomed us as soon as we arrived. We know everyone and host different events at the castle.
‘Living in a castle is also extremely cool, especially for the children.
‘People are always offering to babysit and the kids love to play in the courtyard. There are two other families who rent apartments in the building so the children all play together.
‘In 2020 the woman who ran the cafe left and we decided to take it over. It’s fantastic as I get to chat to everyone about the rich history and also technically work from home.
‘It’s a tight-knit community here and a very beautiful village. We love it here.’
Brancepeth is home to a 12th Century castle and St Brandon’s Church (pictured), which dates back to the Middle Ages
Ms Hobbs lives in the 12th Century castle (pictured) with her husband and two children, Margaret, 1, and Eli, 6, and also runs the castle cafe
The rural hamlet consists of two rows of terraced Grade II listed cottages and is just five miles from the historic city of Durham. Average house prices here are a much more reasonable £390,238
Other Brancepeth locals also spoke of the close-knit community, which sees neighbours greeting each other in the street and engaging in small talk.
Hester and Mike Higton have lived in the village for seven years, after moving from Cambridge.
The couple moved after Theology professor Mike received a job offer up North.
51-year-old Mike said: ‘We decided to live here because it’s a stunning village and there is a beautiful church, which we use, down the road and our neighbour is a castle.
‘When we got here, we were given such a warm welcome. People knocked on our door with a bottle of wine to say hello.
‘There’s a community feel. It dimmed down during the pandemic but the social events have started up again.
‘Our home has a rich history, these houses used to be for workers in the castle but they were all bought out in the 60s.
‘Our house was where the estate manager lived and people who have lived here all their lives have told us they have memories of coming here with their parents to pay rent.
‘There’s a real mix of people here, you have people born and raised and some who have moved here recently. So it’s not as if everyone is wealthy.’
Hester and Mike Higton (pictured) said they were given such a ‘warm welcome’ when they moved to Brancepeth seven years ago from Cambridge
Houses in the village have a rich history, with many being grade II listed, while a lot of the trees have reservation orders
Brancepeth hosts a wide range of events for its villages, with crafts at the castle and carol singing at Christmas, according to Hester Higton
Editor Mrs Higton, 52, added: ‘It’s extremely social.
‘There’s a wonderful golf course and there is always something happening in the community.
‘There are craft events at the castle and at Christmas time we do carol singing and go into each other’s homes for drinks.
‘We also have a progressive supper, where you go to different people’s homes and have a starter at one, main course at another and so on.
‘It’s a great way to meet people.
‘The village is buzzing at Christmas time as it has that homely holiday feel and people come home to see families and grandparents.
‘There aren’t that many amenities here but we travel to local areas to do our shopping and people can get things delivered.’
People in both villages complained about a lack of amenities and public transport. Pictured: Beaulieu’s only bus stop where no regular bus routes operate
But one thing there is enough of is cafes, joked one Dock Lane resident, who claimed there are now four in the small village
Ann Scott (right) owns a homeware shop on Beaulieu high street, and has rented on the same road with her partner Paul Deakin (left), who she met at the local marina, since 2011. Miss Scott said: ‘Everyone is so friendly. We are forever waving to each other’
Mark Gazzard has lived in his home for 45 years.
The retired key account manager for L’Oreal bought the terraced abode for £11,000 but says it is now worth £350k.
Mark, 70, said: ‘This is my forever home, I never want to leave.
‘I used to work near here and would always say how much I wanted to live here and I made that happen.
‘The homes are well maintained and all of them on this street are Grade II. Even the trees have reservation orders.
‘It will always be a beautiful place to live.
‘I’m a golfer so having such a fantastic golf course nearby is amazing for me.
‘Everyone is lovely here, we don’t live in each other’s pockets but we all know each other and are very welcoming.
‘We all send each other Christmas cards and help each other out when needed.
‘The village hall is central here and we all like to socialize together.’
This former colliery village features ivy-covered cottages and even a castle that dates back to the 12th century – Brancepeth Castle
Mark Gazzard, 70, (pictured) said his terraced house, which he bought 45 years ago for £11,000 is now worth £350k. He said it is his ‘forever home’ and that he never wants to leave
Mr Gazzard said he also loved the village because of its fantastic golf course. Brancepeth Castle Golf is a first class parkland course designed by Harry S Colt around the ancient castle
Residents of both villages tried to tone-down their area’s ‘posh status’, with one woman in Beaulieu insisting ‘there’s no snobbery from people’.
Ann Scott owns a homeware shop on Beaulieu high street, and has rented on the same road with her partner Paul Deakin, who she met at the local marina, since 2011.
The 52 year old, originally from Kettering, Northamptonshire, said: ‘[The locals] are all lovely and is just generally a nice place. I wouldn’t tolerate any stuffiness.
‘It is a lovely place to live.
‘There are a few second home owners here along the high street. There are not many of us that live here permanently as there are a lot of holiday homes and Airbnbs.’
‘But everyone is so friendly. We are forever waving to each other.’
Mr Deakin, 59, who helps Ms Scott in her shop making lamps and chopping boards, also commented on the village’s ‘posh’ label: ‘I think being ‘posh’ is trying to live an idea of something that doesn’t exist anymore.’
The properties with red doors in the village indicate that they are owned by the Montague estate – which provides rent at a discounted rate so as not to price out locals.
Dominic Ide is one such beneficiary. He owns Pallets Tea and Coffee shop and lives in the flat above it on the high street.
The 29 year old, who has been living and working here for four years, said: ‘For your average person it is very hard to get a place in Beaulieu.’
Pictured: Beaulieu River, formerly known as the River Exe – a small river draining much of the central New Forest
The properties with red doors in the village indicate that they are owned by the Montague estate – which provides rent at a discounted rate so as not to price out locals
Mr Ide explained that this was his grandmother’s shop for 30 years beforehand.
Previously of Hythe, Hampshire, Mr Ide, has recently opened another coffee shop further down the high street called The Beaulieu Bakehouse.
He joked: ‘Being posh is having rather a lot of money and status.
‘But I don’t think either of those apply to me.
‘The village is really really friendly and we get to know a lot of people.’
Regarding the high house prices, Mr Ide offered: ‘Beaulieu is different because some people work and live on the high street. Dock Lane is where the expensive places are.’
One couple, who have been renting a property on Dock Lane since May and who did not wish to be named, were complimentary but hate the traffic.
They said: ‘It’s a fantastic place, with lots of independent shops and it’s so nice that you can just walk into town. We absolutely love it.
‘We feel very welcomed by the community in this wonderful village with a lot of community spirit.
‘There is always traffic though – sometimes it’s like the M1.’
Dock Lane is considered the poshest road in one of the poshest villages in the UK. House prices on this lane can be as high as £4million
One of the main attractions of the New Forest is the horses that roam freely. Beaulieu resident Peter Openshaw said tourists can’t believe it when they see them walking about on the roads
The village is used by some as a cut-through to get to the seaside town of Lymington – with many HGVs driving through and sometimes big oil tankers coming to and from the local oil refinery in Fawley.
Peter Openshaw moved to Beaulieu five years ago with his wife as both of their jobs had turned to ‘work from home’ in the pandemic.
The 65 year old said: ‘It’s a bit unusual if you live here and you don’t have two [cocker] spaniels and a Land Rover – which I finally do. I just bought an old one, I feel like a local.
‘It’s a very pretty village and the fact Lord Montagu is our landlord is our only claim to fame.’
Mr Openshaw, who works for Hampshire County Council, added: ‘Somebody said in our WhatsApp group chat that they were looking for a property in Beaulieu for £600,000.
‘We said ‘put a one in front of that and you might be lucky’.
‘But I couldn’t say that there was any snobbery from any corners. There’s no poshness – it takes all sorts to live here.’
On the expensive Dock Lane properties, Mr Openshaw, previously of Rugby, said: ‘I’m glad that there are that amount of people with that much money who want to spend it on houses here.
‘But the village is lovely – we have got to know a lot of people.’
Wild horses and cows are known to roam free in the New Forest and the locals are sometimes more tolerant than tourists.
Pictured: The entrance to St Brandon’s, the parish church serving Brancepeth village. There has been a church here since Saxon times but most of the present building dates from 1075
Mr Gazzard said of Brancepeth: ‘Everyone is lovely here, we don’t live in each other’s pockets but we all know each other and are very welcoming. We all send each other Christmas cards and help each other out when needed’
Mr Openshaw added: ‘It delights me when I see a cow walk past the window and it slows down someone in a hurry.
‘The tourists cannot believe it.’
For Ray Mead, a self employed heating engineer, Beaulieu is a home from home.
The 59 year old father moved to the village at Christmas and couldn’t be happier.
He said: ‘I’ve worked all over the place. I was born and bred in London, but when I come to the Hampshire sign on the motorway, I think ‘great, I’m coming home’.
‘I couldn’t think of a better place to live.
‘You could go to live any place in the world and I’d still come back here.’
The heating engineer joked: ‘Manual workers can live in Beaulieu – we’re not all bankers and investment people.’