13 incredible Surrey towns named among the most desirable places to live in Britain

Farnham is just an hour away from London by train
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


13 Surrey towns have been named among the top 50 most desirable places to live in Britain. Thirteen made the cut in a new ranking examining everything from health average house prices, Surrey's best entry being rated as the second best place to live in Britain.

Estate agent Savills was commissioned by The Telegraph to compile a list of Britain's 50 most affluent towns. It scored them across a range of different factors including the proportion of residents holding managerial jobs, their level of qualifications, the state of their health and the average house price.

The majority of the locations on the list are in the South East. They include Surrey's Cobham, Esher, Virginia Water, Ashtead, Farnham, Weybridge, Reigate, Haslemere, Guildford, Godalming, Oxted, Epsom and Leatherhead.

Cobham was the highest rated Surrey town, coming second in the list. The average house price is £1.4m and experts pointed to the river that runs through the town and a lively café society for making it a sought-after community within the commuter belt. Esher was ranked seventh for its amenities and "lively and vibrant feel", with the average house price put at £1.37m.

Virginia Water, Ashtead, Farnham and Weybridge were also in the top 20. Savills experts said Farnham is "bustling with thriving boutiques and cafés" and excellent schools while the Telegraph says Weybridge's many private estates make it the “Beverly Hills of Surrey” for estate agents.

Lucian Cook, head of residential research for Savills, told the Telegraph that the towns in the top 50 are all "aspirational, ­affluent places". He said they also have good schools and "a strong quality of housing stock where residents are economically active".

Britain’s most desirable towns, according to The Telegraph

  1. Harpenden

  2. Cobham

  3. Beaconsfield

  4. Chorleywood

  5. Amersham

  6. Hale

  7. Esher

  8. Gerrards Cross

  9. Berkhamsted

  10. St Albans

  11. Virginia Water

  12. Sevenoaks

  13. West Bridgford

  14. Ashtead

  15. Farnham

  16. Cambridge

  17. Henley-on-Thames

  18. North Ascot

  19. Altrincham

  20. Weybridge

  21. Reigate

  22. Lymm

  23. Wilmslow

  24. Marlow

  25. Wokingham

  26. Cheadle Hulme

  27. Rickmansworth

  28. Kenilworth

  29. Bramhall

  30. Crowthorne

  31. Haslemere

  32. Chigwell

  33. Ilkley

  34. Ponteland

  35. Knutsford

  36. Windsor

  37. Guildford

  38. Godalming

  39. Oxted

  40. Epsom

  41. Maidenhead

  42. Horsforth

  43. Fleet

  44. Bath

  45. Winchester

  46. Poynton

  47. Oxford

  48. Hitchin

  49. Hurstpierpoint

  50. Leatherhead

Read the Telegraph's guide to Britain’s most desirable towns in full HERE.

Get more news from SurreyLive straight to your inbox for free here.