This super-affluent area is located in Weybridge, south east London, and is predominantly made of the private estate of St. Georges Hill, home to oligarchs and celebrities. Including golf and tennis clubs, the estate is peppered with approximately 420 houses, some of which reach prices approaching £20 million. With many of its residents living very private lives, the area is incredibly quiet, and strict security measures mean that the general public rarely get a chance to take a peek at this exclusive part of Surrey. Neighbouring Brooklands is much more down to earth, with affordable post-war homes and the celebrated 60-acre Community Park, which provides residents and visitors a vast green space and a riverside walkway. The Brooklands Museum, which displays a wide range of motoring and aviation exhibits, also draws numerous tourists to the area every day. The South Western Railway station of Weybridge is located to the area’s north and runs semi-regular services into Waterloo, though its 31km distance from central London makes commuting from the neighbourhood rather expensive and time consuming. Nonetheless, this suburban part of town is incredibly popular with families who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the inner city.

Brooklands has a surprising history as a 4.4km motor racing circuit and aerodrome. Opened in 1907, it was the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit, hosting the first ever 24-hour motor event in June of that year. It became Britain’s largest aircraft manufacturing centre by 1918 after it was requisitioned by the War Office in 1915, and produced military aircraft such as the Wellington and airliners like the VC-10.

In 1929 Brooklands was the site of a distance record, when Violette Cordery and her sister Evelyn drove 30,000 miles in less than 30,000 minutes, averaging 61.57mph. The record took about 21 days. After being an important factory for military aircraft production during the Second World War, the site continued to expand into the 1960s before closing in 1989. The Brooklands Museum was opened next door in 1987 to record, research and preserve the site’s heritage.

The prestigious St. Georges Hill estate has been home to some notable names over the years, including Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Pakistan’s richest man, Mian Muhammad Mansha. It was also home to Alexander Perepilichny, a Russian businessman who was allegedly assassinated in 2012, dying while on a jog through the estate.

The rural character of St Georges Hill means that development is generally slow, with greenbelt protections enforced across much of the area, and most residents eager to resist changes to their neighbourhood. Despite this, 58,300 square metres of land south of Brooklands industrial park has been set aside by the local council to build housing between 2027 and 2040. The site’s location on the other side of Byfleet road from the rest of St Georges Hill meant most local residents have come to accept the proposal despite its scale.