THOSE living in the “Beverly Hills of Britain” have told how they rub shoulders with Premier League footballers and Hollywood actors.
Just a stone’s throw away from Chelsea Football Club training ground, homeowners in the sleepy villages of Oxshott and Cobham spot stars, flanked by 24/7 security, on the daily.
Peter Crouch, Jorginho and Raheem Sterling are just some of the players calling the Surrey area home, along with former Hollywood veterans Stanley Tucci and Antonio Banderas.
Tree lined roads and protective gates give privacy to the mansions worth millions of pounds.
Oxshott has just a few shops, including a luxury coffee house and a fancy butchers – with owners spotting blacked-out Bentleys and Jaguars cruising past.
In nearby Cobham, the high street is filled with pilates studios and juice bars.
Local butcher Joe Harrington, 21, who grew up in the area, regularly sees flash cars and recognisable faces from behind the counter.
He said: “We see a lot of football players hanging about, and their friends and family.
“We get a couple in the shop, but people usually pop in on their behalf, we don’t see them directly every time.
“There are a few big names and faces hanging about, someone came in the other day who had seen Raheem Sterling at the petrol station down there.
“You see a load of faces pulling out of the training ground over the years, I remember seeing Jorginho pull out in a red Ferrari.
“It’s full of them round here, everyone’s got big four by fours, Bentleys, any BMWs, Audis, Jaguars.
“I did some landscaping jobs and there are some massive houses.”
Builder Ian Shoesmith, 45, said: “There is a lot of footballers who live around here. You see Peter Crouch here now and again, you can’t miss him though.”
Many Chelsea players are regulars at Cobham restaurant Grappelli, an Italian in the centre of the village.
Manager Eddie Alves, 36, said: “This restaurant, the food is amazing, our chef is very talented and has a background in Michelin star restaurants.
“But it is also the atmosphere we create. I’m half-Italian, half-Brazilian, so I bring this little bit of spice.
“We treat everybody who comes in here the same, I am not the biggest fan of football, but especially with Jorginho, he is half-Italian, half-Brazilian too, so we got connected a lot.
“We even became good friends, we went out together, my kids are friends with his kids, he is an amazing guy.
“He even did a charity event here with us, celebrated his birthday here with us, so I love all of them, but I have a special attention for Jorginho.
“He is an unbelievable guy, he is number 1 for me.”
He added: “We also have Ashley Cole very regularly, John Terry very regularly.
“The entire team comes here. The chef even tries to help cater to their diets.
“We had Robert Sanchez come in recently.
“Old players have come here as well, Roberto di Matteo, Jimmy Hasselbank, Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch, and all of them come with their families.
“We also had Neto, who just signed, and Marc Guehi – lovely guy, fantastic. Noni Madueke, great guy, all of them are so lovely.”
BY Jon Rogers
GRAND mansions on the posh Fulwith Mill Lane in Harrogate have sold for between £2.5 and £3.5m in recent years and one is currently on the market with a price tag of £3.7m.
The country lane near Pannal is in the heart of Yorkshire’s Golden Triangle, which is home to those who are absolutely minted.
Many homes are fitted with large electric gates, security cameras and guard dogs keeping watch for protection.
They often come with swimming pools, tennis courts and well-maintained lawns and gardens.
For those who can’t quite afford to live here, they can always saunter past dreaming which property they’d buy if they won big on the National Lottery.
Resident Boris Gnonto, 55, the dad of Leeds United star Willy Gnonto, 20, loves living in the street along with his Italian superstar son.
Boris, from the Ivory Coast, moved to the street last year and loves going for country walks in the neighbourhood.
He told the Examiner: “I’ve been living here for one year. It’s easy for me. It’s very tranquil here which is very important. There’s no problems here. It’s very nice for me.”
The location is great for Willy, who regularly has to go to the LUFC training ground in Thorp Arch, near Wetherby.
Boris added that he hasn’t really connected with much of the neighbourhood so far as he’s happy with the company of his son.
Katie Thomas, 52, who was waiting to collect her daughter from the Pilates studio in Cobham, believes the transport links are the main reasons so many high profile people call the area home.
She said: “I need to qualify this with I’ve never been to Beverly Hills, but it definitely has some glamour about it.
“There are a whole range of people who live here.
“You only have to look in the estate agents down this road to realise that it has some exceptionally nice properties, and it is perfectly positioned for both the Surrey countryside and for Central London, and the airports of both Gatwick and Heathrow.
“If you’re talking location, location, location, this area has it.
“There are Chelsea football players around, but I don’t think most people notice and I think that’s what is attractive about this area.
“Nobody is going to get stared at for going down the street.
“I don’t think anybody treats anybody differently no matter who they are.”
