The Stockbroker Belt is a loosely defined region overlapping the borders of the London metropolitan area and the commuter region surrounding Greater London, particularly in the vicinity of Surrey to the south-west of the city in South East England. While the term "Stockbroker Belt" has been stated to be synonymous with Surrey,[1] it has also been more broadly defined to refer to any wealthy London commuter area,[2] or even as a generic term for any wealthy commuter suburb.[3]
The region takes its name from the history of affluent central London financiers who would commute in from these more rural neighbourhoods.[4] The archetypal large housing defining such a belt is noted for its premium on top of national house prices (among comparator places of similar mid-to-low population density). These match amenity-equivalent parts of London.[5] Due to a high proportion of such housing and many amenities most of the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey has been described as the "Beverly Hills" of the United Kingdom,[6] drawing comparison to the affluent neighbourhood in California.
- ^ Sheerin, Susan; Seath, Jonathon; White, Gillian (1985). Spotlight on Britain (2nd ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 0-19-432788-4.
- ^ "Stockbroker Belt". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Bell, Kenton (2014). Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Clarke, Paul. "28 places to live in the UK if you want to rub shoulders with successful financiers". efinancialcareers. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ Thornton, Philip (27 September 2003). "Surrey 'stockbroker belt' tops UK house-price list". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ Wallop, Harry (20 May 2013). "Elmbridge, Surrey: Life can be taxing in Britain's Beverly Hills". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2020.