Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

The poshest county in the UK?

435 replies

Eyes98 · 10/04/2025 22:57

Which one county would you say is the outright poshest in the UK? Let’s not use Greater London here, and I know there will be social diversity in all, but which would you say is the poshest overall?
I’m going with Berkshire, darling.😂

OP posts:
FilthyforFirth · 11/04/2025 07:31

Outrageous that Hampshire has got no love on this thread!

TaggieO · 11/04/2025 07:31

Surrey

FoxedByACat · 11/04/2025 07:29

sophiasnail · 11/04/2025 07:15

North Yorkshire. It's not the loud, brash, posh of most of these places mentioned.

Doesn’t it have Scarborough though? And Selby? 😁

Meredusoleil · 11/04/2025 07:28

Trumpsgoneloco · 11/04/2025 06:51

Surrey has Croydon in it.

Not for decades

Enough said me thinks!

Croydon is a borough, some of it is fine, some isn't.

You're right - my mistake! Some of the postal addresses still use Surrey despite being in a London Borough.

TheOnlyAletheia · 11/04/2025 07:27

I’d make the case for Norfolk. Lots of “old” money but lots of wealthy Home Counties folk in and around north and west Norfolk and a sprinkling of the super rich and arty. The rest of the county is pretty well to do. Norwich is naice. The only slight fly in the ointment is Yarmouth but that is miles from anywhere 😂

Dramatic · 11/04/2025 07:26

Surrey came to mind first.

I'd say Durham is the least posh

marchblossom · 11/04/2025 07:24

WillimNot · 11/04/2025 07:20

Depends which bit of Berkshire.
Slough is awful now sadly, I think it was voted the saddest place to live in the UK recently

Parts of Reading are awful, crime ridden
Yes you Sonning and Henley but most of the rest is trying to stay posh and failing. I've lived across Berkshire for 20 years and it's definitely losing the posh undertones now.

Henley is Oxfordshire.

minnienono · 11/04/2025 07:24

There’s sections of many of the mentioned counties but all have much rougher underbellies too. Oxford its self has tough neighbourhoods, Gloucestershire has parts I would not recommend living, Surrey has very dodgy bits and so on. Tiny Rutland even isn’t all public schools!

Delphigirl · 11/04/2025 07:23

Sugargliderwombat · 11/04/2025 07:15

That's funny, I don't think of smart as a feature of being posh at all.

Smart is what smart people call posh which is a word they would never use.
its a social minefield 🤣

WillimNot · 11/04/2025 07:23

despairdespair · 10/04/2025 23:19

Kent,we have the best schools,and I live in a bubble where the celebrities live in a road that homes are worth 5-7 million quid. Lovely neighbours,so absolutely not bothered.
They are just people who go to same supermarkets and walk their friendly dogs.

Nah, Kent is screwed over by Medway
I grew up there..it's known for drugs and chavs.

Delphigirl · 11/04/2025 07:21

WillimNot · 11/04/2025 07:20

Depends which bit of Berkshire.
Slough is awful now sadly, I think it was voted the saddest place to live in the UK recently

Parts of Reading are awful, crime ridden
Yes you Sonning and Henley but most of the rest is trying to stay posh and failing. I've lived across Berkshire for 20 years and it's definitely losing the posh undertones now.

If you think Henley is in Berkshire you haven’t been paying attention!

ProfessionalPirate · 11/04/2025 07:21

BG2015 · 11/04/2025 07:18

Cheshire - loads of footballers live in Wilmslow, Alderly Edge. Lots of expensive houses.

That makes it the opposite of posh

WillimNot · 11/04/2025 07:20

Eyes98 · 10/04/2025 22:57

Which one county would you say is the outright poshest in the UK? Let’s not use Greater London here, and I know there will be social diversity in all, but which would you say is the poshest overall?
I’m going with Berkshire, darling.😂

Depends which bit of Berkshire.
Slough is awful now sadly, I think it was voted the saddest place to live in the UK recently

Parts of Reading are awful, crime ridden
Yes you Sonning and Henley but most of the rest is trying to stay posh and failing. I've lived across Berkshire for 20 years and it's definitely losing the posh undertones now.

BG2015 · 11/04/2025 07:18

Cheshire - loads of footballers live in Wilmslow, Alderly Edge. Lots of expensive houses.

sophiasnail · 11/04/2025 07:15

North Yorkshire. It's not the loud, brash, posh of most of these places mentioned.

Sugargliderwombat · 11/04/2025 07:15

Delphigirl · 10/04/2025 23:16

Oxfordshire
Nobody smart lives in Surrey

That's funny, I don't think of smart as a feature of being posh at all.

ProfessionalPirate · 11/04/2025 07:15

RitaAndFrank · 11/04/2025 06:59

I see Surrey as a bit Margot Leadbetter / Hyacinth Bucket.
Hertfordshire and Cheshire as a bit footballers’ wives.
Loads of money but not ‘posh’.

’Posh’ counties, IMO, are Rutland, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, parts of Norfolk and parts of Gloucestershire.

Agree with this, probably add parts of North Yorkshire to the list too.

ProfessionalPirate · 11/04/2025 07:13

despairdespair · 10/04/2025 23:19

Kent,we have the best schools,and I live in a bubble where the celebrities live in a road that homes are worth 5-7 million quid. Lovely neighbours,so absolutely not bothered.
They are just people who go to same supermarkets and walk their friendly dogs.

I wouldn’t say generally wealthy / celebrities = posh though, quite the opposite!

grannycake · 11/04/2025 07:13

I love Northumberland but did get strong feudal vibes from many of the areas we visited

Secretsquirels · 11/04/2025 07:11

memoriesofamiga · 10/04/2025 23:01

Oxfordshire in my experience.

I live in Oxfordshire and there are some very posh bits, people with big country estates, lots of old families and tradition.

22% of children in Oxfordshire live in food poverty so there is also a second, much more challenging side.

WutheringBites · 11/04/2025 07:07

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 11/04/2025 00:46

I seem to recall the good people of Eton - and maybe Maidenhead too, actually - campaigning a few years back to change their Slough (SL) postcode!

Ascot was also an SL postcode. And sunningdale

RitaAndFrank · 11/04/2025 06:59

I see Surrey as a bit Margot Leadbetter / Hyacinth Bucket.
Hertfordshire and Cheshire as a bit footballers’ wives.
Loads of money but not ‘posh’.

’Posh’ counties, IMO, are Rutland, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, parts of Norfolk and parts of Gloucestershire.

puffyisgood · 11/04/2025 06:58

it's Bucks, not even close.

Tubs11 · 11/04/2025 06:58

Where's Milton Keynes again?

ivegotthekeyivegotthesecret · 11/04/2025 06:56

Another vote for Rutland.

Old money a plenty.