We look around Dodford and Grafton - UK's poshest village

The village is small - there are no more than a thousand residents.

It has no police station, doctors’ surgery, pharmacy, museums, libraries or supermarkets, and at night, there are no streetlights.

Despite this, Dodford with Grafton has been chosen by the Telegraph as one of the UK's poshest villages. I went to find out why.

The narrow lanes aren't the easiest to get around on foot (Image: Kieran Williams, Newsquest)

The first thing you notice about Dodford are the roads. They are narrow. There is barely enough room to fit two cars down.

The hedges tower over your vehicle as you drive down them.

With the houses set back from the roads, almost concealed, the only break from the great green barriers are the driveways that poke out sporadically.

My first stop is the village hall, found in the centre of Dodford.

The village was founded in the mid-nineteenth century, and, aside from the cars and telephone poles scattered around the village, much of it looks like it would've during the Victorian times.

The hall, however, is a more recent addition and serves as a venue for all sorts of clubs, as well as the parish council.

Dodford village hall (Image: Kieran Williams, Newsquest)

As I head for the Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary, a downpour begins.

The church opened in the early twentieth century and is now a part of the conservation area that covers Dodford. 

The Church of The Holy Trinity and St Mary (Image: Kieran Williams, Newsquest)

After leaving the church, I head for one of very few businesses: The Dodford Inn. 

The Inn has been owned by the Mayhew family since June 2015, and has been transformed from a small village pub into a popular wedding venue, as Ben Mayhew explained: "We added a new part to the building in 2017, but wanted to make it look like a Chartist cottage.

"The whole building was gutted - you could see through the roof from the cellar."

Mr Mayhew grew up in Dodford and explained the historical significance of the town: "Five villages in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire were chosen to be Chartist locations.

"Working class people would be picked out of a lottery and given four acres of land to grow food on.

"It's quite ironic really that it has become so desirable.

The Dodford Inn was not built at the same time as the cottages, as the Chartist's were Catholic (Image: Kieran Williams, Newsquest)

The Chartist movement died out quickly after Dodford was selected in 1849, but much of the heritage lives on, thanks to the conservation area.

Mr Mayhew explained to me why he thinks the village is seen as so desirable: "When I'm showing couples around, I get the comment 'it feels like I'm in the middle of nowhere' when Bromsgrove is so close."

The district's county council representative Shirley Webb also told me why she thinks it's desirable: "Dodford with Grafton is a quaint village with many chartist heritage assets.

"It has a conservation area which preserves the natural beauty of the area.

"There are also lots of fabulous walks in wonderful countryside."

A view of the district from the Dodford Inn's honeymoon suite (Image: Kieran Williams, Newsquest)

But this desirability comes at a price. There are currently three four-bedroom houses for sale in Dodford. All three of them cost between £750,000 and £900,000. Just a few miles away in Bromsgrove, a four-bedroom house costs half the amount. 

In my opinion, Dodford with Grafton is so desirable for its perfect location.

It is close enough to Bromsgrove and Birmingham to make it a commutable location, but is far enough that it feels secluded.

And that seclusion seems to be the second biggest selling point of Dodford. Most homes are spread so far apart, it can feel like you're in a different postcode from your neighbour.