The Stockbroker Belt

The Stockbroker Belt is the popular name for the county of Surrey, which has become a residential area (or 'belt') for London commuters. Although the word 'stockbroker' refers to a particular occupation - it is someone who works at the Stock Exchange - many different professional groups live here. The roads are lined with trees and there are large detached houses with well-kept gardens. Most people associate this area with the rich life-style of those people who work in the City of London.

Commuters are not only found in Surrey of course! People travel daily to work in London from all over the Southeast: from Brighton on the south coast, from Chelmsford in the north-east of the region, from Reading in the west, and from everywhere in between!

People who can live close to their place of work usually hate the idea of spending so much of their lives travelling. No doubt many commuters feel the same way, but there are some for whom it has become quite an enjoyable way of life. Train commuters pass the time in a variety of ways. There is the crossword, the newspaper, a good book, or office work, but some people have found more unusual activities. One set of travellers wanted to make the most of the two hours they spent travelling each day and so they organized themselves into groups, each with a 'teacher', to study French, car maintenance and other subjects of interest. One train even had a club called the 6.18 club (it was called this because their train left the station at 6.18 each morning). It had about thirty members who all played golf together after work. They had their own newsletter and a club tie, and the committee meetings were held on the train!

From time to time, proposals are put forward to try and improve the situation at the 'rush-hour' when over a million and a quarter commuters arrive and leave Central London at the same time each day. Until now, none of these has been acceptable to either employers or employees. So people who are not commuters still have to make sure that they travel at quieter times in order to avoid being crushed to death by the workforce of London!

Susan Sheerin, Jonathan Seath, Gillian White: Spotlight on Britain; Oxford University Press, 1985, page 39