Recommend Towns/Villages Southwest of London

We're looking to move, and are looking for recommendations of small towns or villages within an hour's drive or train ride of southwest London (I work in Chiswick a lot).

Any places come to mind?

Wokingham in Berkshire is always popular, but it's west of London, neighbouring Reading.

I have no idea of your budget, but not taking price into consideration at all, some lovely villages in Surrey within 1 hour from London (going into Waterloo or Clapham) would be Windlesham, Sunningdale, Virginia Water, Tilford, Farnham (I'd call this a town, not a village), Ash Vale or Chobham.  There are stations in Sunningdale and Virgina Water with direct service to Waterloo that take under an hour.   Closer to Ash Vale and Farnham would be Farnborough North station which has direct service that takes 35 mins.  

cobham, claygate, esher, weybridge, walton-on-thames

between Guildford and Dorking is full of gems too.

Thanks for the good info, y'all.  The search begins in earnest next month! 

Just to close this out for those of you who've been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to find out where we wound up, the winning village is Sarratt.  It's northwest rather than southwest, but otherwise it fit everything we were looking for, so what can you do?   

Cosmocat,

Hey did you get that movie roll? That is high rent area around Rickmansworth. I remember visiting someone there in a gated community. He was a US lawyer for a US oil company. Enough said.

Hiya Camoscato !!!

So not too far from me then!  I'll have to look out for you - BMW Power and all!

I often use the A412 to cut through Denham, Maple cross, through the back roads and see signs for Sarratt along the way up through to Watford when I know the M25 is packed up etc!  I agree, very nice and 'village' feeling within the M25 !

I do have to catch up with you and discuss something on my mind about creation of some video work and a 'variation' I think you'll be interested in! I thought it up whilst I was in Vegas in November 09. As I'm back in Vegas and LA & NYC in a few weeks, I might have to wait till once I'm back here in mid november.

Congrats on the move !

cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Camoscato, your location in your profile says Stroud?

Good luck in your new home! 

Hey did you get that movie roll?

Not sure which one you mean, Jim.  I did some extra work on a whim last summer.  I was in Robin Hood, but you'll only see me if I go to the movie with you and point out where I am.

That is high rent area around Rickmansworth. I remember visiting someone there in a gated community. He was a US lawyer for a US oil company. Enough said.

The rent is what pushed our search north a bit.  We'd rather have been south of the M4, but the rents down there are even worse than where we wound up.

So not too far from me then!  I'll have to look out for you - BMW Power and all!

I often use the A412 to cut through Denham, Maple cross, through the back roads and see signs for Sarratt along the way up through to Watford when I know the M25 is packed up etc!  I agree, very nice and 'village' feeling within the M25 !

I do have to catch up with you and discuss something on my mind about creation of some video work and a 'variation' I think you'll be interested in! I thought it up whilst I was in Vegas in November 09. As I'm back in Vegas and LA & NYC in a few weeks, I might have to wait till once I'm back here in mid november.

Thanks for the shortcut tips, Dennis, and feel free to get in touch about video stuff whenever you like.  If you see an arctic silver 523i tooling about, that'll be me.  

Camoscato, your location in your profile says Stroud?

Good luck in your new home!  

Thanks for that, Tin!  Profile info updated!  

Not sure which one you mean, Jim.  I did some extra work on a whim last summer.  I was in Robin Hood, but you'll only see me if I go to the movie with you and point out where I am.

I was joking about the astronomical, movie, income you would need to live around Rickmansworth
I hope they pay better for extras in the UK than in the US. I was an extra for a TV special filmed in San Francisco. They paid minimum wage then I had to lean on them to get paid. We got plenty of food off the "roach coach" though. My scene ended up on the editing room floor because I didn't see myself when it was shown on TV. Darn.

I was joking about the astronomical, movie, income you would need to live around Rickmansworth
I hope they pay better for extras in the UK than in the US. I was an extra for a TV special filmed in San Francisco. They paid minimum wage then I had to lean on them to get paid. We got plenty of food off the "roach coach" though. My scene ended up on the editing room floor because I didn't see myself when it was shown on TV. Darn.

That happened to me on the movie Green Zone.  I spent four days doing various scenes, but didn't see myself in the movie.  Bummer. 

In and around London the rates for extras are pretty good.  I got between £100 - £170 for the day, depending on whether or not there was overtime and if we had to do anything more difficult than standing or walking (haha). 

For example, on Robin Hood I was in the big battle scene at the end when the French are invading England.  The shots we were in were filmed in a big pool at Pinewood Studios, and under our costumes we were wearing wetsuits!  For that we got an extra £40 or something.  No way to get rich, but fun to play pretend battle with a rubber axe dressed like a medieval soldier. 

That happened to me on the movie Green Zone.  I spent four days doing various scenes, but didn't see myself in the movie.  Bummer. 

In and around London the rates for extras are pretty good.  I got between £100 - £170 for the day, depending on whether or not there was overtime and if we had to do anything more difficult than standing or walking (haha). 

For example, on Robin Hood I was in the big battle scene at the end when the French are invading England.  The shots we were in were filmed in a big pool at Pinewood Studios, and under our costumes we were wearing wetsuits!  For that we got an extra £40 or something.  No way to get rich, but fun to play pretend battle with a rubber axe dressed like a medieval soldier. 

I can understand using a rubber axe otherwise the cast may use it on the film director.
I was surprised we had to bring from home a change of suits. What happened to the wardrobe department?

Hey!
I'm on the same type of town-search, soul-search myself and it is hard.  Not sure where I will end up but it is worth every minute and I am sure you will be happy. Part of life is to learn to bloom wherever you are planted and I am learning as well 
But it doesn't hurt to be near Fenwicks either ...