A housing estate in Surrey has managed to pull off an architectural feat that even Hollywood would be proud of… it looks more like America than America does.

At least that was the verdict of location scouts looking for a real-life village in which to film scenes for Practical Magic 2, the sequel to the 1998 supernatural comedy, starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, ahead of filming last year.

On 30 acres of greenery in the London/Surrey border area of Worcester Park, The Hamptons was completed 15 years ago, with the developers using a paint-by-numbers approach to recreate a perfect replica of a US village. 

While it’s named after the glitzy Long Island enclave beloved of the rich and famous, The Hamptons in Surrey was actually designed to mimic the more homey villages a little higher up on America’s east coast, in New England. 

Residents who have made a life in the UK development say the estate manages to achieve what many other British villages seem to struggle with – a real sense of community, although some critics have branded it ‘like Desperate Housewives’, referencing the US TV series about a seemingly perfect street with a dark side. 

Strolling onto the estate, which isn’t gated but is tucked away, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were 3,000 miles west in Cape Cod, Vermont or Rhode Island.

Have a nice day! The Hamptons in Surrey, which was completed in 2011, perfectly mimics a US village, with clapboard-style houses going for between £700,000 and £800,000 

The development includes both Housing Association property and private homes and sits on the Surrey/London borders in Worcester Park

In August 2025, Sandra Bullock and Dianne Wiest filming in The Hamptons in Surrey using the New England-style housing estate for scenes from Practical Magic 2. Residents, including Nicola Thompson (pictured), managed to chat with the stars on set

There’s a white steepled building with a clocktower, plus pristine clapboard houses, picket fences and a perfectly manicured green. 

The streets are already decorated for Halloween, with dozens of families set to go trick-or-treating at the month’s end, and at Christmas, a giant tree is installed.

Little wonder then that the scouts from film giant Warner Bros were impressed. 

Last summer, the crew rolled into town with cameras and a star cast – including A-lister Sandra Bullock and veteran US actress Dianne Wiest, to shoot scenes for the film which was released in cinemas last month.

The Hamptons Estate Company, which oversees the upkeep of the estate, ensured that all residents stayed put during filming. 

The main thoroughfare, Sherbrooke Way, was transformed into a New England shopping parade – including a lobster shack, country store and a food market, with vintage cars being added to the roads.

Wetlands and 30 acres of greenery have made The Hamptons hugely popular with families

Those who live there say the sense of community, particularly for parents with young children, means many don’t leave, simply upsizing if they need more space

The blueprint for The Hamptons may be all-American, but US accents are rare on the estate, with the residents who inhabit the 600-plus flats and houses, including Housing Association properties, much more reflective of London’s diversity.

Alongside the acres of green land and wetlands, the estate, which has a Kingston postcode, also has tennis courts, an on-site gym and a 1km running track. 

The white steepled building that looks just like a church is in fact Maple Lodge, a multi-roomed community hall that can be hired out for events. 

Three to four-bedroom houses sell for between ‘£700,000 and £800,000’ say local property experts, with two-bed flats at just under £400,000. 

Nicola Thompson has lived on The Hamptons for 19 years, buying off-plan with her husband Richard while the development was still being built after moving back to the UK from Jamaica. 

During filming for Practical Magic 2, the main thoroughfare, Sherbrooke Way, was transformed into a US high street, with a country store and lobster shack

Residents were allowed to come and go during filming of the supernatural comedy

The couple upsized after having their two children and Thompson says she now can’t imagine living anywhere else.

‘It suited us buying off-plan, my husband’s not a doer-upper DIY-er, and we just wanted everything brand new. 

‘We had everything we needed here, the commute’s easy into the city and for airports, and there’s a gym and tennis courts.’

However, facilities mean nothing, says Nicola Thompson, without the sense of community. 

She explains: ‘You’re not just buying a property, you’re buying a lifestyle. We genuinely know our neighbours and everyone’s happy to help each other. If you’re away, someone will put your bins out.’

Thompson adds: ‘I don’t have to speak to everybody every time I step outside my front door, but equally, I know if I needed to borrow something, or if I needed help, it would be there.

‘When the children were young, it was like having an NCT group on your doorstep. There were long summer days sat on the green, the kids grew up together and if someone was ill, other families would help.’

Maple Hall overlooks the green at the heart of The Hamptons, and can be hired out for community events

The landscaped development which includes different styles of housing and is managed by The Hamptons Estate Company 

Couple Nicola Cartwright, 52, and Ros Nunney, 43, sell and let property in the area via their company, Cerca Trova, but also lived on The Hamptons in a two-bed flat for more than two-and-a-half years before buying a house just outside of the estate.

They agree the estate manages to be friendly, something that’s not always a given in upmarket villages in one of England’s poshest counties. 

Says Cartwright: ‘Surrey can be quite reserved but, on The Hamptons, it’s very sociable and people say hello to each other. We loved living there because everyone looked out for one another, and it is a beautiful development within a 30-acre park with a wetlands nature reserve.

‘There’s a real community, there was a newsletter that went out pre-WhatsApp group chats and it’s very family-friendly both in The Hamptons and Worcester Park generally. 

‘The estate puts up a big Christmas tree, they go all out for Halloween and there’s a big firework display at this time of year too.’

Parallels have been drawn to Seaside, the picture-perfect Florida Panhandle community that was the setting for another US film released in 1998 starring Jim Carrey. 

Critics of The Hamptons say the scenery feels like Desperate Housewives, referencing the US TV series about a seemingly perfect street with a dark side

It can feel like stepping into a film set, says Nicola: ‘When we first went there to look to rent property, we wanted to physically touch the houses on the estate as they didn’t seem real – it is like The Truman Show!’

Thompson says the fact developers followed the New England village blueprint so closely has seen The Hamptons become a target for people to judge.  

‘Some people have said it’s like Desperate Housewives or The Truman Show and called it “cult living”, but for me, it doesn’t feel like that. Everyone has their own opinion of what good living is like, but for me, I like it.’

When the Practical Magic crew arrived last summer, Cartwright and Nunnery went along for a nose… and found themselves face-to-face with the film’s stars, who spent around a week filming scenes in the development’s weatherboard-finished properties. 

‘They told us it was an advert before admitting it was Practical Magic 2. Even while they were filming, they allowed people to come in and out. Between takes, they would let people in and out because obviously it’s not private land.

‘It was really fun to watch the filming and the cast and crew were very friendly.’