The poshest county in the UK?

[Eyes98]

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.😂

I'll go for two - North Yorkshire and Perthshire.

Oxfordshire? Surrey?

Sorry

@Calliopespa , thanks.
Parts of Hampshire are lovely, but it's a big county.
I always fancied living in Bath, but I've only visited it.

I agree that Dorset is beautiful, but my interpretation of what you are describing is more of a nice place to be rather than 'posh', whatever that means.

FWIW I don't think there is such a thing as the poshest county. They all have inequalities to differing extents. With Dorset as an example, you have massive scales of wealth inequality. The sprawling Drax estate, founded off the back of slavery, then 15 minutes up the road you have the likes of Turlin Moor.

Blandford does have some lovely architecture, but the numbers of youths hanging around outside the Spar of a weekend waiting for the police to arrive and disperse them, rather detracts from it. Perhaps I have missed it's charm.

As for Sandbanks, yes it's conspicuously wealthy but some of it is rather footballers wives, and that's before we get started on the Airbnb stag and hen night house parties.

I should add that I do love Dorset, but it definitely has its issues.

I think this is very true; I don’t think there is a county without its “ups and downs”

I’m with you re Sandbanks, though I know it’s very aspirational for some.

I think maybe what has propelled discussion on this thread is the idea that some people prefer “a pleasant place to live” to the areas with the sorts of obvious “monetary wealth” that were being put forward as “posh.” I think it’s fundamentally a disagreement over whether “ poshness” is a concept that incorporates something more layered than just having lots of money.

In one way it’s an entirely pointless conversation and even rather inappropriate when there are - as has been pointed out - people living in poverty, which really ought to be occupying the public consciousness more than quibbling about who is posher than whom.

But on the other hand, there is an argument that what is declared “posh” has an impact on what is valued within society . Arguably a more nuanced interpretation of “ posh” (as something aspirational in the sense of “ nice to have,” which is where I think the two interpretations share common ground) perhaps preserves some important aspects of heritage and culture.

ETA there should be room for all “styles” of aspiration in a society, and pinning it just on money seems a bit one-dimensional.

I agree.

You've not been to Stevenage, have you? 😂

@canthavethatonethen , my thoughts too. Nothing against Stevenage, but it ain't posh.

Berkshire has 'posh' parts, but if you've only been to Bracknell, Slough and Reading, you might think otherwise.

Agreed, you could argue for either. There's more money and 'high living' in Surrey, but Oxfordshire would regard themselves as more cultured and 'legacy posh'. Gloucestershire, Hants and Herts are also very posh in select areas, especially if you like salubrious villages.