It’s an exclusive part of the country that celebrites flock to and, after visiting Beaconsfield for the first time, I understood why immediately. Located just off the M40 – and home to the UK’s first motorway-based pub, a Wetherspoons named the Hope and Champion – it’s a town where seemingly everyone aspires to reside. With an easy trip to London, it’s an increasingly sought-after location in South Buckinghamshire.
Tess Daly and Vernon Kay chose to settle down here, and there are plenty of other famous faces in and around the town. Ozzy Osbourne lived nearby before his sad death, and Cheryl Cole picked the neighbouring village of Chalfont St Peter to live.
Film crews often frequent the area, too, with Midsomer Murders, Downton Abbey and more shot here. A nearby country pub, The Royal Standard of England, is often picked by location scouts and was featured in the Simon Pegg comedy Hot Fuzz.
However, Beaconsfield is not a place where just anyone can settle down. It ranks among the priciest places to live in the UK with the average house price now £1.1m, having hit its peak with a staggering average of £1.3m in 2022.
During my visit to the town, I was greeted by an array of stunning properties. I entered the town via Ledborough Lane, one of the priciest postcodes in the area.
The grandeur of the residences left me utterly gobsmacked, and it was clear from the numerous construction sites that developers are capitalising on this demand for luxury homes. If I were to ever win the lottery, Beaconsfield would definitely be a contender for a luxury relocation.
The town centre doesn’t disappoint either. With the Old Town, residents find upscale boutiques, fashionable bars and restaurants, while Beaconsfield New Town houses the majority of the area’s retail outlets.
The town is often ranked as being one of the best places in the country for luxury shopping, catering to its high-end clientele. There are few vacant retail spaces, and the area is rich in history to contrast and complement the lavish bars and restaurants.
Having absorbed the atmosphere of both town centres, I decided to explore some of Beaconsfield’s most exclusive roads.
Here, I discovered magnificent houses hidden behind towering gates, showcasing a mix of modern and beautifully preserved older properties.
Many of these homes boasted either a Porsche or a Land Rover on their driveways, and Jaguars were a common sight throughout the town. It’s easy to see why Beaconsfield has garnered such popularity, with a wealth of attractions and activities on offer.
From retail therapy in its excellent shops to intriguing venues like the Crazy Bear in the Old Town, there’s something for everyone. The residences are a delightful blend of contemporary and traditional styles, which perhaps best encapsulates the essence of Beaconsfield – it truly is the quintessential middle-class sanctuary it’s reputed to be.