To wonder what makes an area “posh”?

[NotCure172]

Just came back from a friend’s house in a very leafy suburb of West Midlands city. She loves talking about how posh it is where lives but I asked her what does it mean to live in a posh area? How do you know it’s posh? She couldn’t really answer my question and the area was very average.

How do you define a “posh” area?

Well in MNs land it would only be posh if the residents looked unkempt with old clothes & were driving bangers back to their freezing, falling down stately homes!

When the cheapest chicken shop is Nando's.

Cash machines dont dispense fivers

@MephistophelesApprentice

When the cheapest chicken shop is Nando's.

I think this is the official definition ^

Certainly not somewhere where the inhabitants call themselves 'posh'. That is just so common .

When there isn't an old fridge freezer/mattress on the front drive. At least that's my mum's definition of a 'posh' area. That, and more than one car on the drive.

I'm sure there will be a lot of debate on this.

When I was at university and people asked me where I was from they often replied, "Oooh that's very posh!" but I was previously oblivious that it was considered to be so!

When I'm driving around I can sense the tone of an area from looking at gardens. I've noticed that areas that are deemed by many to be "rough" often have old car wrecks, stained mattresses and sofas lying in their front gardens. Conversely, areas deemed to be "posh" have lovely colourful borders and potted plants etc.

I thought posh people don’t use that word themselves?

@whoatealltheeggs

Well in MNs land it would only be posh if the residents looked unkempt with old clothes & were driving bangers back to their freezing, falling down stately homes!

Made my day!

For me though (although I’m not British) it’s (at least 3 bed) semi-detached bed houses with well kept garden and drives.

Streets clean, well lined with trees… nice restaurants… not just full of cheap takeaways.

A very leafy suburb in the West Midlands probably isn't "average" if you look at house prices and consider that a LOT of people don't live in such places.

Whether it's "posh", well, that's really very subjective. As evidenced by the fact that the person who lives there thinks it is, and the person who doesn't is casting around for reasons why it's not.

Large houses (except for central London, where it's large, high spec apartments), nice gardens and cars, artisan bread shops and cafés, higher end clothes shops and independent boutiques, Waitrose.

Waitrose and/or m&s are the only supermarkets.

Houses, detached and set far back from the road.

Shops with little purpose , like nice candles and pashminas . Places selling art or overpriced mid century furniture.

Also to add I think ‘posh’ = comfortably middle class.
I think my current area is posh😏.
My rented house goes for £650 on the open market, but it’s also near the tram and in a grammar school area. People are likely to be well off.

I suppose that PROPER posh means very rich places like Alderley Edge, and parts of Cheshire where the footballers live.

High housing costs
Housing stock involving high percentage of larger detached houses and less flats/HA/LA.
High employment rates
Population educated to a higher than average level
Supermarkets are waitrose and sainsbury's rather than tesco/asda

Somewhere you feel relatively safe waking round at night?

Where there aren't many fast food shops like kebab etc, gambling shops, corner shops and instead there are organic greengrocers, re-useable eco weigh shops, independent coffee shops, French bakeries etc. I live in a posh area and it's a very unique high street!

is it Edgbaston? Parts look very average, but others streets are stunning. Georgian mansion after Georgian mansion.

No Greggs

Where I'm from posh =

• no/few cars parked on the street (obviously not the case somewhere like London)
• cant see the houses because long drives and hedges/ fences/ gates
• lots of greenery
• nearly everyone has a garden waste bin
• quiet
• parade of shops with no takeaways/ betting shops/ pound shops

High income, low crime, people who go to work and don’t have time to cause trouble.

@BigSandyBalls2015

No Greggs

And certainly no Wetherspoons either

I'm a Londoner so lots of things aren't applicable eg unlikely to get large detached houses & the high street could easily have a posh trinket shop next to a cheap takeaway or a Waitrose opposite an Aldi.

An area where housing has grown organically over time rather than as estates by developers

I live in an area often described as posh. Its characterised by small villages where the residents are very high income, very little rented housing, typical house prices £700k plus for a 3 bed, most housing is detached. The nearest supermarket is waitrose, there's an m&s opposite it. The population are primarily educated to beyond degree level and employed in professional/managerial occupations.