‘It is a lovely place to live, but ‘posh’ isn’t the word I’d use for it’
Ryan O’Neill, Rhodri Harrison and Annie Owen report on life in the Welsh villages labelled among the UK’s poshest...
OPENING her front door one early morning, Katie Lewis is merely a few steps away from the breathtaking Oxwich Bay, one of the Gower peninsula’s outstanding beaches. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Gower has many small communities that are fortunate to call it their home.
But it’s come as quite a shock for the people of one of them – Oxwich – to find they have been named by the Daily Telegraph as one of the 54 poshest villages in the UK.
It’s now the “talk of the village WhatsApp group”, and residents have been questioning “what the word ‘posh’ even means” with mixed opinions across the board and some wondering if other locals have “Champagne and prosecco” for brunch on a regular basis.
Katie lives in a little thatched cottage extended to a larger home. Having lived in the area for 20 years, the mother-of-two said she “laughed” when she discovered her little village had been described as “posh”.
“It’s not posh at all, it’s a beautiful place and how could you possibly describe it that way,” she said. “Posh feels soulless, you only have to take a walk in the area and see it is anything but that, there is certainly a lot of soul in the village. There is a small community feel here and I’m not sure any of us would describe it as that.”
With the family having two young children located in nearby schools, Katie argued the “posh” association might be down to people looking to “spend big” to land themselves a quiet “holiday home” property.
“It’s the same all across Wales, small communities are being broken into by people looking to develop holiday homes and buy existing properties as their second home. It is in danger of losing its ‘community feel’ and that is upsetting.
“That’s having a knock-on effect for local schools – families looking to live here can’t afford the prices and schools won’t have students to support them. It’s something I’ve noticed with Oxwich, there are a large number of houses here that are empty and I’m sad that’s the case. Most people here are welcoming.”
Home to a population of 454 inhabitants, according to the 2001 census, visit Oxwich and you’ll find a charming little village best known for being footsteps away from one of Gower’s most iconic beaches.
It has thatched cottages, a “former” post office, a luxurious hotel and wedding venue and a Michelin-starred restaurant, all within walking distance from the bay.
Recent findings from Savills Estate Agents found that the area was one of the “poshest in the UK” with its “medieval” feel, its sixth-century church, the Oxwich Bay Hotel and wildlife at Oxwich
Natural Nature Reserve, which were all considered criteria to justify the label.
But villagers have their own opinions on that. “I suppose we will have to talk with a twang now,” joked one, walking their dog along Oxwich Bay one bright morning, adding: “It’s nice to see the area recognised, but I certainly wouldn’t say it’s posh.”
Venturing down from Katie’s home, you will find several properties, some seemingly empty either from occupants enjoying their day or because they haven’t been booked. A quick glance at Airbnb confirms Katie’s fears, as approximately 26 properties are listed available for booking, suggesting they are currently empty.
Walking further down the street, you come
across residents who have seemingly moved into the area and chosen to develop their property. One local who wished to remain unnamed had moved to the area in the past two years and argued it was “certainly not Posh and Becks” as he laughed.
Their neighbour, Claire Glass, has lived in the area since 1988 and didn’t like the “posh” label either: “It’s a lovely place to live, but ‘posh’ isn’t the word I would use for it. There is a small community here, but that’s losing its size with the growing number of holiday homes. I suppose the silver lining is that for me the value of my property is going up, but I have no intention of leaving,” she said.
Heading closer to the stunning Oxwich Bay, you come across a recognisable name, not only to Wales but to the UK. Ian Williams’ family has owned and operated Oxwich Bay Hotel and wedding venue for generations, living just down the road in Oxwich Green.
“It was quite flattering to see the Oxwich Bay Hotel being described as a luxurious hotel and being considered as criteria as posh, but it isn’t how I would describe the village,” he said.
Having lived in the area all his life, Ian believed the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty would always have outside voices describing the village as something it wasn’t, with many perhaps not even visiting to see for themselves.
“I would say it’s a peaceful and tranquil place. Obviously as a hotel we try to offer a luxury experience that some may interpret as posh – but what does that word even mean?” he questioned.
“It’s a fantastic place to live and it’s sought-after. It’s all supply and demand, people want to live here and so house prices have risen because of it.
“I think the word ‘posh’ has an association with snobbery and nobody here is like that. I personally wouldn’t want to live anywhere else and I’m not sure many others would.”
With the wedding and hotel venue arguing that the village is sought-after for its location and relaxing environment, the business believes Oxwich has become a go-to destination for those looking for peace and quiet away from city life.
Another of the Welsh villages labelled posh is Shirenewton. Located three miles west of Chepstow, it is best-known for its spectacular views of the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel.
The village, along with its conjoined village Mynydd-bach, had a population of 657 in 2011 and has an average house price of £474,775. Depending on who you ask, opinions vary on the current state of the quaint little village.
Retired schoolteacher Sandra Fennell has lived in Shirenewton for 10 years.
“We all thought that was quite funny [the article],” she said. “I wouldn’t have called it posh. I mean the houses here are nice. I grew up on a rough estate in Scotland. I’m not sure posh is the right word [for the village].
“There’s a lot of community spirit here. The school is a full, seven-form school, it’s a lovely little school and there are a lot of young people here. There’s a lot going on, there are about three book clubs in Shirenewton, I think. There is the Women’s Institute where they do cooking and things like that with the young ones.
“The Huntsman pub down at the end of the hill is brilliant. They’ve been doing a lot to help the homeless and they ran a takeaway service during lockdown as well.
“We’ve lost our little shop, which was a shame. We were all going to do a little community shop ourselves, but we’re so close to Chepstow that it’s not far to go. The Tredegar Arms pub closed too, but that has been taken over.”
Rob Davies, 64, works at the Huntsman just down the road from the centre of the village. The pub runs a takeaway service, but during lockdown it also opened up as a homeless shelter.
Rob said he felt Shirenewton had experienced less of a community feel in recent years: “There is no community here. It’s not a village anymore, which is sad,” he said.
“We had a cricket team, a football team, there were three darts teams – that was 30 years ago. When I used to go to the pubs back then, all of them would be busy every night of the week. We used to have four pubs and there’s only one left. We have no shop, we have no post office.”
Rob said many of Shirenewton’s locals who had previously lived in the town had moved out over the years and that he had noticed less support for its facilities since.
“The big thing here is that the village is a commuter village for London, being so close to the M4. People don’t support the local facilities enough. I have run events where you might get five or six people, out of a community of 600.
“I laughed when I saw it [named as one of the poshest villages in the UK]. It’s nothing against the people here at all, everyone is friendly and says hello. I recognise that people’s habits have changed as well, as they have everywhere. Because the houses here are so expensive, people are maybe too mortgaged to actually go out. It could be that too.
“Unfortunately it’s not specific to Shirenewton – it has been happening to villages all over Wales, all over the UK,” he added.
“I’ve lived here all my life and I’m 65 in March. If I had to move out of Shirenewton now, I don’t think I’d be overly upset. If you’d have asked me 10 years ago I’d never have said that.
Dorothy Brabon, 71, has lived in the centre of the village for 35 years.
“It’s a lovely village, but the trouble is that Covid has impacted us heavily,” she said. “We had four pubs and two shops, but the shops have closed and one pub closed before Covid. The others shut during Covid. So it is hard to meet with people.
“We’ve seen a lot of change here in the time we’ve been here. People who lived here before have passed away and their families move away because they can’t afford to live here.”
“But it is a very nice village. Our neighbours are lovely and there’s a lot going on in the church. There’s a history association and other groups, but a lot of that has not been able to happen for two years because of Covid. Zoom has been great in that sense.
“We have no shop or post office here anymore, which is sad. I would like the planning around it to change. There have been a lot of extensions made to houses which are then sold for a lot of money.
“I know the [Tredegar Arms] pub has been bought, that hasn’t been open since February. So it would be nice to see that open again for the community. I would like to have a shop again.”
Meanwhile, the Conwy village of Rowen was also named as one of UK’s poshest villages by the Telegraph, based on a range of factors including demand for housing, proximity to cities and green space.
Although many of the residents live in the village full-time, there is an increasing number of second homes and short-term holiday lets – with properties in high demand, the average house price is now more than £360,000, significantly higher than the national average.
Rebecca Crane, who has lived in the village for 27 years, said: “It’s lovely and exciting that people want to come to the village, but there’s also a sadness there too. I’ve got three children who grew up here, but they wouldn’t be able to buy a house here because they’re being priced out.
“People are buying houses in the village for investment and there’s no way they could compete with that.”
She continued: “There’s nothing wrong with the people in the holiday homes, they’re not bad people, but all of the houses around us are holiday homes now. I don’t blame them for wanting to move here, it’s lovely. I don’t know what the answer is, but there has to be some change in government to make it harder to buy second homes.”
Local councillor Jimmy Logan, who has lived within half a mile of the village his entire life, says he can see why people are attracted to the area. But the 80-year-old said he would like to see more affordable housing for locals, rather than holiday homes.
He said: “I would recommend Rowen, but as a place for people to live, not for holiday homes.”
One resident, who did not wish to named, said she was surprised to hear that the village had been named one of the poshest in the UK, because she “can’t bear it”. The woman, who has lived in Rowen for more than 20 years, said she is “desperate” to leave the village.
She said: “It was the biggest mistake of my life moving here, it’s horrible. Yes, it’s pretty, but it’s not a nice atmosphere here. When people come here for a week and then leave they don’t see what it’s like to live here.
“We moved here thinking it would be quiet and calm, but it’s not like that at all, the pub is open all hours and there’s shooting in the fields.”
Cathy Gadsby, who has lived in the village for 38 years, said she has seen things change dramatically. The village has lost its local shop, cafe and post office. The village school also closed in 2011. Cathy said she feels lucky to live in the village, although the pace of life has slowed in recent years.
She said: “Since everything closed you have to travel out of the village if you want something. If you don’t drive, like me, you’ve got to be prepared to be out all day waiting for the bus.”
With a declining permanent population, Graham Morris believes it’s important to keep the community spirit going.
He said: “People who have holiday homes come and visit, but they don’t always mix with the locals.
“We’ve known some of our neighbours for 50 years, the whole time we’ve lived here, and it’s important that we do our bit to keep this community going.”
There’s nothing wrong with the people in the holiday homes, they’re not bad people, but all of the houses around us are holiday homes now. I don’t blame them for wanting to move here, it’s lovely