If you dream of upping sticks and moving to a then one “posh” choice ticks all the boxes. The County Durham village of Brancepeth is located just a quick five-minute drive from the character-packed historic city centre of Durham but yet is still gloriously rural, featuring an array of ivy-covered chocolate box houses.
It’s clear to see why it regularly makes it to lists of the , with its fairytale 12th-century castle and acclaimed golf course. In fact it made the Telegraph’s poshest villages list in 2022, 2023 and 2024. But, perhaps a bit surprisingly, the very next village is not quite as exclusive. Just a mile or so down the road is Meadowfield – and residents there say there’s definitely a divide between the two.
The average house price in Brancepeth was £452,000 over the last year which compares to £146,000 in neighbouring Meadowfield. The cheapest property on the market in posh Brancepeth – in fact one of only two properties on the market – is a Grade II listed farmhouse listed for £400,000. Meanwhile in Meadowfield you can snap up an apartment for £65,000. The two properties are just a three-minute drive apart.
That’s not to say Brancepeth is a world away from affordable, as recent sales include a four-bed cottage for £375k and another property for just £206k, according to Rightmove.
The Express decided to take a trip to the little hamlet – which has a population of of just 400 people – to see what makes it so very special – and posh – and find out what sets it apart from its neighbouring areas.
The castle in the beautiful village of Brancepeth in Durham (Image: Andy Commins)
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Catherine MacLaurin, 55, (R), and friend at Bracepeth Castle Golf Club (Image: Andy Commins)
The village itself is eerily quiet, without so much as a dog walker venturing through it on the day we visited.
We headed to the closest hive of activity: the golf club. Catherine MacLaurin, 55, lives in another exclusive Durham village – Shincliffe – and is visiting Brancepeth Castle Golf Club for a lesson with her friend when we chatted.
The retired programme manager, who has three children with her husband Paul, 58, a retired chief operating officer explained that Brancepeth has always been considered posh.
She said: “It’s considered a beautiful village to live in. It’s just outside of Durham. I would say it’s mostly retired people as an issue here is it’s not in a good catchment area for schools – and there’s no pubs or shops. It’s quite isolated.”
Are people posh here? “It’s definitely got that posh reputation,” added Catherine.
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Retired dentist Bill Nichols, 75, is married to Janet, also 75, and they have two children and four grandchildren. They live in the city centre of Durham but Bill has been a proud member of the golf club for 42 years. He feels the posh label is simply due to its pretty rural surroundings.
Bill said: “It’s nice and rural and quiet. It consistently hits the ‘nice villages’ lists. There’s very little traffic – it’s just quiet and pleasant.”
The golf club is also a huge draw says Bill. He added: “It’s absolutely a great golf club. It’s certainly one of the best in the area.”
Leona Broom, 55, is an office manager at the golf club and grew up in the village. She says part of its appeal is that it always stays the same.
She said: “I lived here as a child. It’s not changed. It’s well kept and well looked after – there’s nothing scruffy about it. There’s no bother and no trouble and everyone takes pride in their houses. It’s got a gorgeous church – I actually got married in the church.”
Does Leona think it’s posh? “People from just outside the area definitely see it as posh,” she said.
Leona Broom, 55, office manager and golf club marketing manager Darren Maynard, 52. (Image: Andy Commins)
Golf club marketing manager Darren Maynard, 52, also has a say on the posh reputation of villagers. He lives just up the road in Low Willington with his wife, Stina, 51, who works at Durham University, and their two daughters.
Darren said: “When I say I work here people say ‘ooh that’s posh!’. It just comes with that reputation. It’s a beautiful village. It’s absolutely stunning. It’s a really nice place to live. The people are really friendly.”
Actual residents are thin on the ground on the day we visit – but we finally locate a couple who live in the village, in a stone-built cottage.
Cath Robson, 65, a pharmacy assistant, explains her partner Mark Gazzard, 72, a retired account manager for L’Oréal, has lived in the village since 1979.
Cath said: “It’s very pretty and only a few miles from Durham. There’s also good access to the motorways – but once you turn into the village it’s like stepping back in time.”
Mark bought his property 40 years ago for an eyepopping £11,000 and it’s now valued at around £350,000.
He revealed that people from outside of the area – including from down south – are catching on to its appeal.
Mark said: “There’s different generations coming in all of the time.”
He says that out of the stretch of ten cottages on his road two families from “down south” have come into the village over the last decade, so interest is building.
But is he posh? Mark splutters and laughs at the question – and the answer is most definitely not.
Cath Robson, 65, a pharmacy assistant, and partner Mark Gazzard, 72, a reitred account manager (Image: Andy Commins)
He said: “I left school at the earliest possible time and I haven’t been to uni – I just made my own way in life and I’m certainly not posh!”
What about others in the village?
Mark said: “I think they like to think that they are all posh but in the cold light of day I don’t think all of them actually are!”
In neighbouring Meadowfield Mark’s thoughts are echoed by resident Trevor Curry, 61, who works at a local college.
Father of one Trevor, who is married to Karen, 58, who works in an industrial laundry, said: “There’s a castle, a golf course and some lovely houses up there – it’s a nice place to live I suppose.”
Mark says there’s a bit of a divide between the two places.
He said: “I think a lot of people in Brancepeth feel as though they are higher up the ladder than people in the Meadowfield area.
“You often see them stick their noses up a bit.”
Tattoo artist Erin Bowes, 24, has lived in Meadowfield all of her life and agrees that there is a divide – but loves the pretty village all the same.
She said: “I think it’s very different [from here]. I think you can see the divide between the two.”
Erin added: “It’s a very tight community and they do all sorts of things as a community. It’s a nice place to live.”
Trevor Curry, 61, works at a local college in Durham (Image: Andy Commins)