With its New England-style barns and colonnaded buildings – not to mention a recent sighting of Sandra Bullock wandering past its clapboard facades – a visitor could be forgiven for thinking they were in the US.
In fact, this slice of East Coast Americana is located only 14 miles from central London: a 645-home residential estate in Worcester Park that has become Britain’s very own Hamptons.
While the name is synonymous with the Long Island playground of the likes of Beyoncé, Steven Spielberg and Brooke Shields, its namesake in south-west London is carving out its own Hollywood reputation, capitalising on production crews eager for a Stateside aesthetic.
Unlike the New York original, where waterfront homes change hands for tens of millions of dollars, properties here are more attainable, selling for between £500,000 and £750,000.
Yet the price tag has not deterred A-list glamour. Bullock spent time on location here last year shooting scenes starring as a witch in Practical Magic 2, one of three to four productions that are filmed on the estate each year and help residents to subsidise their communal service charges.
Karen Hinnigan, 54, moved to the estate more than 10 years ago from Glasgow and said: “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.”
‘You forget you are in London’
The HR consultant added: “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.
“It is something you will either love or hate, and I love it.”
She said: “You feel like if you need something you can knock on your neighbours 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.”
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 in 2011.
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.”
Helder Rodrigues, 44, who works in cyber security, moved there five years ago with his wife and said the backdrop also attracts influencers, keen to use its aesthetic to gain more followers.
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.”
Nicky, who is the estate director, says the annual service charge is £1.56 per sq ft of your home. Properties range 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.”
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.
At the heart of it all is Maple Lodge, which residents call the town hall, and has a clock tower that has been described as similar to the one in Back To The Future.
Titch Glenday, 78, moved to the estate 14 years ago from Devon to be near her son.
The bridge teacher and grandmother-of-two said: “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.”