The White Horse’s window seat is ruined and it’s all Jude Law’s fault. Ever since she sat there watching Cameron Diaz for a scene in her Baileys-sweet romantic comedy in 2006 HolidayMovie fans flocked to the bar to park their own cars hips on the now ruined skin. It’s a pilgrimage of sorts, an homage to the Christmas movie back in the box.
I joined them last week, taking an hourly bus from Guildford to chocolate-box Shere, the village where the movie was shot. Morning mist was still clinging to the surrounding Surrey Hills as two woolly ladies ordered a G&T at the bar. Inspired by their pre-lunch indulgence, I ordered a pint.
“International tourists come every day,” Josh Cooper, the bar’s assistant manager, tells me over the crackling of the open fire. “There are a lot of Americans, but there are also Australians and South Africans. People from everywhere.”
For Holiday? “Most of them, yes. But it also has a very English feel to it, for the pubs and the Surrey Hills.”
He’s not kidding. I looked out the window at the old village stocks, the fairy lights on the trees, the crooked houses, the dilapidated church, the rolling hills. No wonder Americans love it. This is gift shop England. Exactly what the ancient world should have looked like.
But there were no Americans. I looked around the bar for a while but couldn’t find it. I did catch some Colombians though. “This village fits the image of idyllic England that we have back home,” said native Latin American Sebastian Montez. The Last of the Summer Wine flat cover.
Writer Montez, who moved to London, was showing around some of his friends from his hometown. “I told them, ‘You should definitely see this place’.” So what did his friends think? “Very nice,” they nodded politely.
Actually. But like the bar’s worn-out chair, Shere’s patience is wearing thin with the sheer number of visitors to the village. Or so the tabloids think. One report suggested residents were “at war” with tourists.
Locals I spoke to along the main street, lined with pretty tea gardens, independent souvenir shops and Tudor houses overhanging the pavements, claimed this was ridiculous.
“I love seeing tourists here, I think it’s good for our health to see people out and about,” local resident Caroline Goddard said. “To be honest, if it wasn’t for them we probably wouldn’t have these shops and tearooms, so you won’t hear me joking.”
Shere certainly has a slight buzz about it, and how many villages can you tell that about these days? Many of their sizes wouldn’t even be enough to support a pub, but Shere has two: the White Horse and the William Bray, both open before noon.
“There’s a lot going on, it’s a village,” Goddard said. “We have a cinema club in the village hall twice a month, we do pilates, yoga, and take stream baths in winter. All kinds of weird stuff. “If you want a crowded village, this is the place for you.”
However, in very British fashion, there is dissatisfaction with parking; The feeling that while tourists are welcome, their cars are not.
“That’s where the problem lies,” Goddard said. “Some people get quite angry when they don’t have parking. There is also a lot of inconsiderate parking. “Tourists parked on my road.”
But it’s not just about tourists. A longtime resident of the area who asked to remain anonymous pointed to recent “arrivals” — foreigners who bought the chocolate box dream and brought their own Range Rovers along for the ride. Of course, most have never seen mud. Not here, in Surrey.
Despite the SUVs, Shere made me nostalgic. Something about the babbling stream, the cozy tearooms, the Christmas lights, the cheerful locals. He’s been in countless movies, mostly silly ones of course, Bridget Jones’s Diary And Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Film crews love it here just like everyone else; Because it’s close to London but a world away. You can live the rural dream and still commute to the city (as another way) Celebration heroes – Iris, columnist Telegram She is played by Kate Winslet – she is).
Before heading back to town, I had a cup of tea at Hilly’s Teashop, where the tea is served loose leaf, in bone china, and with an hourglass timer, so you know when it’s brewed. A decent beer.
Like Shere himself, there was something quietly grounding in the ritual of drinking tea this way. A sense of opportunity. From tradition. That day, not for the first time, I found myself leaning into the cliché of it all, surrendering to old English nostalgia. After all, it’s almost Christmas.
Fundamentals
How to get there
Win the locals’ favor by taking the train to neighboring Gomshall and walking to Shere, which takes about 15 minutes.
Where to stay
Rookery Nook B&B (07946756344) is located in a low-beamed 15th-century building opposite St James’s Church. Bridget Jones’s Diary: The Edge of Reason. Prices from £160 for a double including breakfast.
where to eat
White Horse is a Greene King chain serving traditional pub food. For more freestyle modern British gastro fare, try William Bray or Kinghams.
What should we do
Shere is located in a bend in the Surrey Hills and is a good base for walking and cycling. The hyper-local Shere Museum tells the history of the area. The high street has a number of independent shops and tearooms, including Hilly’s.