The British version of The Hamptons, a 645-home estate in Worcester Park just 14 miles from central London, was built to resemble the exclusive US playground for the rich and famous. Completed in 2011 and sharing the name of its American counterpart, the development features properties described online as an "American neo-colonial weatherboard style".
Unlike the original Hamptons on Long Island, New York, where homes are worth millions of dollars, the British properties sell for between £500,000 and £750,000, making the estate more accessible.
Residents praise the unique atmosphere
Karen Hinnigan, a 54-year-old HR consultant, moved in over ten years ago from Glasgow. She said: "I remembered people telling me about the Hamptons and how unusual it was. It does feel like the Hamptons in America. When I first came in it felt like being on a TV set. It was a little bit surreal."
She added: "It is something you will either love or hate, and I love it. You feel like if you need something you can knock on your neighbour's door and get it. I feel like that isn’t really the London way. You forget you are in London when you are down here."
History and filming activity
Built by St James, part of the Berkeley Group, the estate comprises 30 acres of housing and a 30-acre park with a wetlands nature reserve. Work started in 2002 and was completed just under a decade later.
According to locals, three or four productions are filmed there every year, mostly adverts including Nature Valley and Wild Deodorant, but it was also used for some scenes in Practical Magic 2 with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. The money from filming helps bring down residents' service charge.
Karen added: "The filming is good for the Hamptons, it puts us on the map. The crews are very respectful. Of course there is disruption, but it doesn’t feel like disruption."
Estate amenities and community feel
Nicky Thompson, 54, moved there in 2007 with her husband while it was still being completed and they purchased off-plan. The mum-of-two said: "We have a lot of filming on site. We had Sandra Bullock here last August. We have been used as a film set on quite a few occasions. It is good income for the estate. If it is a one-day shoot most people don’t even realise it is going on."
Nicky, who is the estate director, said the annual service charge was £1.56 per square foot of a home, which ranges from 1,000 sq ft to 2,500 sq ft. She said: "I’d rather pay a service charge and live somewhere that is well-maintained and looks nice. Most new-build estates are so squashed together and we are blessed to have all this open space. I think it is very unusual to have this much space being so close to London. It feels like a really safe area. Our crime rates are really low."
The Hamptons features fishing lakes, an amphitheatre, tennis courts, a gym, and children’s playgrounds. It is described as "A peaceful haven in an otherwise urban part of Greater London" on the website.
Iconic Maple Lodge and resident views
At the heart of it all is Maple Lodge, which residents call the town hall. It has a clock tower that has been described as similar to the one in the Back to the Future movie.
Helder Rodrigues, 44, who works in cyber security, moved five years ago with his wife and says the unique backdrop even attracts influencers. He said: "It is quite unique and has very distinct architecture. There is always something going on with filming. If someone wants to sell a bike or a car they come here and use some of the buildings as a background. People are always here with cameras or moving around taking pictures. I see people with tripods in front of them talking to a camera for hours and hours."
Titch Glenday, 78, moved in 14 years ago from Devon to be near her son. The bridge teacher and grandmother of two said: "I really have no desire to move at all. I am very happy here. It is so quiet, you wake up in the morning and you don’t hear any cars or anything. But you can be in London in under 20 minutes. Everything is just very easy. The theme is not overdone. It is built on British soil and it appeals to a wide community, but there is still the 'wow' factor of the fact we look very different. We have more visitors now than we used to. The negative aspect is that we have some areas where we have no control."
Carol Riha, who moved in 18 years ago with her husband, said: "It has been just amazing - we love it here. It was so different, it was colourful, the landscaping was beautifully done, it was clean, and it just felt like you were in a safe place coming from central London. When you enter the Hamptons it is just like 'wow' this is so calm and so beautiful. It has been perfect."
