Upminster

Upminster is where the District line runs out of track and London runs out of nerve, and it suits people who wanted to live in London without ever having to admit it. The high street has a Waitrose, an M&S and a family department store called Roomes. That is the line-up a place puts together once it has decided nobody needs to go into town again. Living at the end of the line gets you a guaranteed seat every morning, the nearest thing to inherited wealth most commuters will ever see, and residents guard it as fiercely as other suburbs guard their school catchment.