Brits looking for the poshest villages to live up and down the country can find out where is the most desirable spot in their area - and how much it costs to live there - thanks to an exhaustive new list.
Postcode snobbery has always existed and now it appears to be as much so in the countryside as in towns and cities.
And people are willing to rent in their favourite spots while they wait for a house to become available to buy.
Unsurprisingly demand for rental homes in the countryside rose, according to many estate agents, during the pandemic with people having greater flexibility about where to live through working from home.
One estate agent, Knight Frank, has reported this month the highest number of sales in the countryside for 15 years, it is reported
The Telegraph has listed the top 54 poshest villages and how much it costs to live there.
A tiny village in open countryside between Billericay and Wickford is a typical example of one of those listed.
The charming village of Ramsden Bellhouse is nestled on the River Crouch and in the 2012 census recorded just 730 residents.
The guide rates the village's "posh appeal" and sums it up as: "Popular pub, the Fox and Hounds, good links to nearby grammar schools, proximity to London."
It then goes on to say: " House prices are high here, typically ranging from £800,000 to £2 million due to its large plots and proximity to London."
Christine Mahy of Connells estate agents is quoted saying: "There's a strong community with a local store and post office, a village hall and an extremely popular pub called the Fox and Hounds.
"The primary school, Downham, feeds Chelmsford and Southend grammar schools."
Proximity to London is a common theme across the guide, with a good local pub being another. The sense of community within these posh villages seems to come from having traditional local services, such as a small shops, sports clubs and good schools.
Other qualities included in other recommendations are annual events such as a scarecrow or flower festival, famous former residents or nearby attractions such as stately homes and gardens.
Full list of poshest villages and the average house price
Bedfordshire - Studham - £700,494
Berkshire - Sunningdale - £1,101,285
Buckinghamshire - Turville - £1,463,240
Cambridgeshire - Hemingford Abbots - £829,437
Cheshire - The Alderleys - £1,268,175
Clwd - Rowen - £363,214
Cornwall - Rock - £1,080,534
County Durham - Brancepeth - £390,238
Cumbria - Hawkshead - £460,001
Denbighshire - Llanarmon-yn-lal - £290,118
Derbyshire - Edensor - £670,644
Devon - South Pool - £999,000
Dorset - Studland - £972,831
East Lothian - Gullane - £356,615
East Riding of Yorkshire - Sutton upon Derwent - £409,071
East Sussex - Kingston-near-Lewes - £792,339
Essex - Ramsden Bellhouse - £1,017,722
Fife - Elie - £349,951
Gloucestershire - Bourton-on-the-hill - £799,348
Greater Manchester - Haigh - £257,020
Hampshire - Beaulieu - £1,524,287
Herefordshire - Bosbury - £452,954
Hertfordshire - Little Gaddesden - £1,333,501
Isle of Wight - Fishbourne - £509,356
Kent - Ightham - £836,260
Lancashire - Great Eccleston - £430,630
Leicestershire - Newtown Linford - £692,157
Lincolnshire - Uffington - £467,548
Merseyside - Hightown - £299,304
Monmouthshire - Shirenewton - £474,775
Norfolk - Burnham Market - £826,770
North Yorkshire - Kirkby Overblow - £698,656
Northamptonshire - Church with Chapel Brampton - £681,450
Northumberland - Warkworth - £289,459
Nottinghamshire - Colston Bassett - £786,955
Oxfordshire - Harpsden - £1,307,182
Pembrokeshire - Newgale and Roch - £219,555
Perthshire - Strathtay - £287,476
Rutland - Burley - £737,762
Shropshire - Cound - £454,587
Somerset - Wellow - £954,993
South Yorkshire - Cawthorne - £512,288
Staffordshire - Shenstone - £575,613
Stirling and Galkirk - Killearn - £315,927
Suffolk - Walberswick - £832,131
Surrey - Shackleford - £1,161,183
Tyne & Wear, Dinnington, £210,671
Warwickshire - Whichford - £901,115
West Glamorgan - Oxwich - £309,519
West Midlands - Barston - £571,202
West Sussex - The Lurgashall, Lodsworth and Lickfold Triangle - £1,055,250
West Yorkshire - Scarcroft - £630,325
Wiltshire - Avebury - £422,413
Worcestershire - Ombersley - £435,943
