Famous Residents of Elmbridge, Past and Present

The Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey might not be a name that stands out to non-locals. However, the area has been coined by the press as Britain’s answer to Beverly Hills thanks to its host of well known residents. So, let’s take a look at some of the iconic locals of past and present.

Who Wants to Be an Elmbridger?

Chris Tarrant OBE is a broadcaster, presenter, and comedian known for his work on TV and radio since the early 1970s. He is perhaps best known as the original presenter of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014 – a whopping 592 episodes over 30 series.

The TV quiz show remains a firm favourite of British audiences to this day, inspiring a relaunch in 2018 with Jeremy Clarkson at the helm. The show continues to have a lasting impact on popular culture, spawning a wide range of entertainment formats, such as the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire board game, as well as various online game versions. Individuals that play Slingo online may be familiar with the Who Wants to be a Millionaire themed game, where the aim of the game is to win as many of the iconic ‘lifelines’ as possible. This goes to show the enduring legacy of the show, which was supercharged by the presenting talent of Tarrant.

Born in Reading, and educated at boarding school in Worcester, Tarrant is said to reside in the Borough of Elmbridge alongside fellow presenters Gary Lineker and Michael Aspel – more specifically in the quaint village of Cobham. Due to his presenting duties and his roots, the TV legend also has roots in the village of Bucklebury in rural Berkshire.

Perhaps two of the most famous ex-residents of the Borough of Elmbridge are from arguably Britain’s most successful band of all time – The Beatles. At some stage, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr have all resided in the area, making Paul McCartney the only member of The Beatles to have not called this slice of Surrey his home. 

Starr lived in a mock Tudor mansion known as Sunny Heights in Weybridge, in the exclusive St George’s Hill estate area. Lennon’s home, Kenwood, was less than a mile from the Starr residence, with Harrison only a short drive from the two at Kinfauns in Esher. Sunny Heights was also briefly occupied by Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono in the 60s, valuing the home at £11 million in 2020. 

But the three Beatles were not the only musicians to descend on the borough, with other notable residents including Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood, Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall, and Sir Cliff Richard, making the area an iconic place for those involved in the music industry. 

As you can see, there is no wonder that Elmbridge is known as the Beverly Hills of Britain – and that’s before we mention footballers, with Frank Lampard, John Terry, Peter Crouch, and Didier Drogba to name a few! With this in mind, one thing for sure is that this area of the South East is packed full of influential people across all industries, and serves as a home to the stars we know and love.