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?

Experian, the credit checking organisation do a thing called segmentation which categorises every area. You can put your postcode in and see what they think of where you live. www.experianmarketingservices.digital/MosaicPortrait/58

A decorator once told me I was posh as I wanted two colours of emulsion and the coving painted. Definitely not posh in my street. Driveways and fancy cars indicate a degree of well offness but still not posh to me. Posh is landed gentry or royals not needing to be wage slaves in my mind. Anything less is all fur coat and no knickers

Sorry, that link was a page too late on their website, try this one. www.experianmarketingservices.digital/mosaicprofile

ooh i'm a metro high flyer!

No fast food/chicken shops, no betting shops, housing that is incredibly expensive and the main food shop is waitrose.

An area where the houses look in good condition and not riddled with “hoodies” intimidating everyone or “boy racers” keeping everyone awake all the time. Also the type of shops in the local area and how well kept the area is. Doesn’t have to be mansions either.

I knew she'd be in Sutton Coldfield. Some of it is super-posh million+ pound mansions, but some of it is a council estate and some of it is completely ordinary semi's and terraces. If she needs to tell you how posh it is, I'm guessing she is not in one of the massive houses.

Sutton Coldfield does have a 'posh' reputation.

I've no idea what a posh area is. I was brought up to think somewhere where most of the houses are private was posh.

I can see why your friend couldn't describe it.
It's individual and as you can see on here by the comments everyone has a different idea of posh... on a different scale.

To be posh doesn't necessarily mean mansions well that's obviously posh. You can get suttle posh. In my mind a posh area.. means some where that is nice to live and I may think it's lovely here I wouldn't mind living here, I think of clean and tidy paths and bought houses. It's not top of the range though necessarily to live on a posh street.
The houses look well put together. It is tricky to describe but you know when you see a posh house OP.
I guess it's the people also who live in the houses.

Oh it’s Sutton Coldfield the town that refuses to identify as being part of Birmingham. My former manager was from Sutton Coldfield and she’d never say she lives in Birmingham! It’d always be she lives in Sutton Coldfield.

Is it Four Oaks..?

@OfstedOffred

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.

I think villiages are an exception by far. I would definitely assume posh if someone said they live in a villiage.

[quote Lincslady53]Experian, the credit checking organisation do a thing called segmentation which categorises every area. You can put your postcode in and see what they think of where you live. www.experianmarketingservices.digital/MosaicPortrait/58[/quote]
I am cafes and catchments which is bollocks- no-one with children lives here they cant afford it

and my other address

metro high flyers
Again bollocks as most people here are retired!

The posh ends of my city have houses with actual space in the dimensions (no 7x8 "bedrooms") and the space in the dimensions is part of the original design (as opposed to everyone extending properties to the edges of their deed lines).

Houses feature front and back gardens, the neighbourhood has trees, and there is a playground or two with equipment kept in good condition and no penis graffiti.

Garages.

Cars in the driveway: clean looking Audis, Mercedes, Land Rovers and Volvos.

Bus stops that aren't smashed in or fitted with scratched old plexiglass covered in remnants of old bus schedule adhesive.

Roads are repaired and kept in good condition.

The local school looks nice from the outside as well as the inside, the roof is watertight, the boiler is functional, and the building has enough windows to let in natural light.

The high school assumes your teenager intends to attend university, unless they say otherwise.

The school offers the Duke of Edinburgh award as an after school club.

There are after school clubs.

There are after school clubs for literally anything beyond a football team which may or may not include one or two primary-aged girls and several boys punting the ball at each others' faces.

The local dance class, drama class, gymnastics club, swim club, football club, rugby club, field hockey club and basketball club act as professional feeder operations for children who are aged 7 and 8.

Named in Today's Times as one of the best places to live?

Posh is a term of (mild) abuse though.

@GreyCarpet

Is it Four Oaks..?

Oh just seen you said Sutton Coldfield

I knew it would be there as soon as I read your first post.

Yes, people who live in Sutton do tend to think they're a bit better than everyone else.

Not posh. Just very petit bourgeoise.

No supermarkets, just independent butchers, bakers, coffee shops and greengrocers, now that's posh.

Large detached houses with well established, well cared for front gardens (not new build estates). Mature trees and shrubs or rose hedges. Parking for at least 2 cars on the driveway.

All the houses having a similar ‘theme’ eg ski chalet look or similar style but each one being a bit different and quirky.

Wide roads with well kept areas of public land, with very old mature trees and plenty of space.

I think the type of car is less important. Generally the fancy expensive cars I see (eg BMW sport) are crammed onto side roads in terraced areas, or onto driveways too small for them to fit so they look a bit odd!

As for people; in ‘posh’ areas lots of people walking dogs on leads, lots of retired people. Dogs mostly labs/retrievers/collies. No bull breeds.

No visible wheelie bins or rubbish bags (or the bins are set back from the house so it’s not the first thing people see on getting to the front door!

This is very funny. Who knows what posh is. Expensive is relative. Posh is relative.

@BigWoollyJumpers

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

I agree! It's the least posh thing you can do!

Our area is so posh, we don't even have chicken shops!!

(I'm talking shit.)

& I was born into the uptown elite, in reality that part of London was a bit rough back then!

We live in a Glasgow suburb which is often labelled as posh and the place local comics like to poke fun at.

I have just done the MOSAIC thing and it says "Alpha Families - High-achieving families living fast-track lives, advancing careers, finances and their school-age kids' development."

Pretty much exactly sums up my area. People move here for the schools. We have a Waitrose and a M&S foods. (Although there is also an Aldi, Lidl and Home Bargains). The local shopping area has an independent fishmonger, jeweller's, delicatessens, high-end butcher's shop, loads of coffee shops and a shop selling candles and other nick nacks.

It's also about good community spirit, there are lots of things going on like Am Dram societies, a gardening group which looks after communal areas, choirs, loads of stuff going on for all ages.

Waitrose apparently, x

@topcat2014

Named in Today's Times as one of the best places to live?

Posh is a term of (mild) abuse though.

Does it have an everyman cinema?