Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by '' The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long meander of the Thames between Hampton Wick and Strawberry Hill, Twickenham. Mostly residential, it stretches from the river to Bushy Park with a long high street of shops, restaurants and pubs. There is a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

over the lowest non-tidal lock on the Thames, Teddington Lock. At Teddington's centre is a mid-rise urban development, containing offices and apartments.

Economy

Teddington is bisected by an almost continuous road of shops, offices and other facilities running from the river to Bushy Park. There are two clusters of offices on this route; on the edge of Bushy Park the National Physical Laboratory,

National Measurement Office The National Measurement and Regulation Office (NMRO) was an executive agency of the UK Government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Its function were to provide a measurement infrastructure which supports innovation, facilit ...

and LGC form a scientific centre. Around

Teddington station Teddington railway station is located in Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south west London, and is in Travelcard Zone 6. It is down the line from . The station is operated by South Western Railway, as are all trai ...

and the town centre are a number of offices in industries such as direct marketing and IT, which include Tearfund and BMT Limited. Several riverside businesses and houses were redeveloped in the last quarter of the 20th century as blocks of riverside flats. As of 2016 the riverside site of the former Teddington Studios was being developed to provide modern apartment blocks and other smaller houses. The lowermost lock on the Thames, Teddington Lock, which is just within Ham's boundary, is accessible via the

Teddington Lock Footbridges The Teddington Lock Footbridges are two footbridges over the River Thames in England, situated just upstream of Teddington Lock at Teddington. There is a small island between the bridges. The two footbridges were built between 1887 and 1889, ...

. In 2001 the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

opened the

Teddington Lifeboat Station Teddington Lifeboat Station is a lifeboat station in Teddington, in west London, on the River Thames. It is one of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)'s newest lifeboat stations and is also one of the first to cover a river rather ...

, one of four Thames lifeboat stations, below the lock on the Teddington side. The station became operational in January 2002 and is the only volunteer station on the river.

History

Etymology

The place was known in Saxon and Norman times as Todyngton and Tutington.

Teddington's beginnings

Bushy House was built in 1663, and its notable residents included British Prime Minister Lord North who lived there for over twenty years. There have been isolated findings of flint and bone tools from the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...

and Neolithic periods in Bushy Park and some unauthenticated evidence of Roman occupation. However, the first permanent settlement in Teddington was probably in

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

times. Teddington was not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as it was included under the Hampton entry. Teddington Manor was first owned by Benedictine monks in Staines and it is believed they built a chapel dedicated to St. Mary on the same site as today's St. Mary's Church. In 971, a charter gave the land in Teddington to the

Abbey of Westminster Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Ki ...

. By the 14th century Teddington had a population of 100–200; most of the land was owned by the Abbot of Westminster and the remainder was rented by tenants who had to work the fields a certain number of days a year. The Hampton Court gardens were laid out in 1500 in preparation for the planned rebuilding of a 14th-century manor to form

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

in 1521 and were to serve as hunting grounds for

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

and later

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

and his family. In 1540 some common land of Teddington was enclosed to form Bushy Park and acted as more hunting grounds. A large minority of the parish lay in largely communal open fields, restricted in the Middle Ages to certain villagers. These were inclosed (privatised) in two phases, in 1800 and 1818. Shortly afterwards, the Duke of Clarence lived there with his mistress Dorothy Jordan before he became King William IV, and later with his Queen Consort, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. The facilities were later converted into the National Physical Laboratory.

Economic change

In subsequent centuries, Teddington enjoyed a prosperous life due to the proximity of royalty, and by 1800 had grown significantly. But the "

Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Ma ...

" had made farming much less profitable and residents were forced to find other work. This change resulted in great economic change in the 19th century. The first major event was the construction of Teddington Lock in 1811 with its weir across the river. This was the first (and now the biggest) of five locks built at the time by the City of London Corporation. In 1889

Teddington Lock Footbridge The Teddington Lock Footbridges are two footbridges over the River Thames in England, situated just upstream of Teddington Lock at Teddington. There is a small island between the bridges. The two footbridges were built between 1887 and 1889, ...

, consisting of a

section and a

girder bridge A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box. The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge de ...

section, was completed, linking Teddington to Ham (then in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, now in London). It was funded by local business and public subscription. After the railway was built in 1863, easy travel to Twickenham,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

and London was possible and Teddington experienced a population boom, rising from 1,183 in 1861 to 6,599 in 1881 and 14,037 in 1901. Many roads and houses were built, continuing into the 20th century, forming the close-knit network of

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

and Edwardian streets present today. In 1867, a local board was established and an urban district council in 1895. In 1864 a group of Christians left the Anglican Church of St. Mary's (upset at its high church tendencies) and formed their own independent and Reformed, Protestant-style, congregation at Christ Church. Their original church building stood on what is now Church Road. The Victorians attempted to build a large church, St. Alban's, based on the Notre Dame de Paris; however, funds ran out and only the nave of what was to be the "Cathedral of the Thames Valley" was completed. In 1993 the temporary wall was replaced with a permanent one as part of a refurbishment that converted St Alban's Church into the

Landmark Arts Centre A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

, a venue for concerts and exhibitions. A new cemetery,

Teddington Cemetery Teddington Cemetery is a Grade II listed municipal cemetery in the north of Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Opened in 1879 it has many tall, eclectic trees and its nucleus was the outcome of a competition for designs by ...

, opened at Shacklegate Lane in 1879. Several schools were built in Teddington in the late 19th century in response to the 1870 Education Act, putting over 2,000 children in schools by 1899, transforming the previously illiterate village.

20th century

On 26 April 1913 a train was almost destroyed in Teddington after an

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

attack by

suffragettes A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

. Great change took place around the turn of the 20th century in Teddington. Many new establishments were springing up, including Sims opticians. In 1902 the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the national measurement standards laboratory for the United Kingdom, and the largest applied physics organisation in the UK, started in Bushy House (primarily working in industry and metrology and where the first accurate atomic clock was built) and the Teddington Carnegie Library was built in 1906. Electricity was also now supplied to Teddington, allowing for more development. Until this point, the only hospital had been the very small cottage hospital, but it could not accommodate the growing population, especially during the First World War. Money was raised over the next decade to build

Teddington Memorial Hospital Teddington Memorial Hospital is a community hospital in Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is operated by Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust. Its facilities include an NHS urgent treatment centre, a ...

in 1929. By the beginning of the Second World War, by far the greatest source of employment in Teddington was in the NPL. Its main focus in the war was military research and its most famous invention, the " bouncing bomb", was developed. During the war General Dwight D. Eisenhower planned the D-Day landings at his Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force ( SHAEF) at Camp Griffiss in Bushy Park. The "

towpath murders The towpath murders was a case in which two teenage girls were murdered on the towpath near Teddington Lock in Richmond upon Thames, London, England, on 31 May 1953. Alfred Charles Whiteway (1931 – 22 December 1953) was found guilty and hanged ...

" took place across the river in 1953. On 1 June, Barbara Songhurst was discovered floating in the River Thames, having been stabbed four times. Her friend Christine Reed, then missing, was found dead on 6 June. On 28 June, Alfred Whiteway was arrested for their murder and the sexual assault of three other women that same year. Whiteway was hanged at

Wandsworth Prison HM Prison Wandsworth is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West (London sub region), South West London, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Pri ...

on 22 November 1953. Whiteway and the girls were all from Teddington. The case was described as "one of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

's most notable triumphs in a century". Teddington Studios, a digital widescreen television studio complex and one of the former homes of Thames Television, opened in 1958. Most major rebuilding from bomb damage in World War II was completed by 1960. Chain stores began to open up, including Tesco and Sweatshop in 1971.

The Teddington Society

The Teddington Society, formed in 1973 by local residents, seeks to preserve the character of Teddington and to support local community projects.

Education

The education authority for Teddington is Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council. Primary schools in Teddington include Collis Primary School (Fairfax Road), St Mary's & St Peter's Primary School (Church Road), Sacred Heart RC School (St Marks Road) and Stanley Juniors and Infants (Strathmore Road). Secondary schools include Teddington School. St Mary's & St Peter's Primary School was originally founded by Dorothy Bridgeman (d. 1697), widow of Sir Orlando Bridgeman, who left £40 to buy land in trust for educating poor children. In 1832, the foundation opened a boys' school, Teddington Public School, under the patronage of Queen Adelaide. Its buildings now house the primary school.

Leisure

The

, an independent charity, delivers a wide-ranging arts and education programme for the local and wider community. Its activities include arts classes, concerts and exhibitions.

Sport

Lensbury clubhouse 2007 by Stephen Parnell

;Cricket and hockey clubs in Bushy Park In the late 19th century, Bushy Park became home to Teddington Cricket Club. From this, stemmed Teddington Hockey Club in 1871, which was responsible for introducing important rules of the modern game of hockey including the striking circle and the "sticks" rule. ;Others *

Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Racing Club Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Club (DBC) is based in Teddington on the non-tidal Thames. History The club was founded in 1988 as the dragon boat racing section of the Royal Canoe Club (RCC), among the inceptive wave nationally. The section was ...

*NPL Sports Club * Royal Canoe Club, the oldest canoe club in the world * The Skiff Club, the oldest skiff club in the world, also competes at punting under TPC rules. *Teddington Athletic FC *Teddington Rugby Football Club *Teddington Lawn Tennis Club *

Walbrook Rowing Club Walbrook Rowing Club, colloquially sometimes named Teddington Rowing Club, is a rowing club, on the River Thames in England on the Middlesex bank 800 metres above Teddington Lock next to Trowlock Island, Teddington. It is the lowest club on the ...

, also known as Teddington Rowing Club *Weirside AFC play at the Broom Road site; they have a clubhouse overlooking Teddington Lock. * Park Lane Stables a Riding for the Disabled Association equine facility

Transport

Nearest railway stations

* Teddington * Hampton Wick * Fulwell *

Strawberry Hill Strawberry Hill may refer to: United Kingdom *Strawberry Hill, London, England **Strawberry Hill House, Horace Walpole's Gothic revival villa **Strawberry Hill railway station United States *Strawberry Hill (San Francisco), California *Strawberry ...

Teddington railway station Teddington railway station is located in Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south west London, and is in Travelcard Zone 6. It is down the line from . The station is operated by South Western Railway, as are all tra ...

, served by South Western Railway trains, is on the electrified Kingston Loop Line close to the junction of the Shepperton Branch Line. Trains run both ways to

London Waterloo Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of ...

: one way via Kingston upon Thames and

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

every 15 minutes, the other via

and Putney every 30 minutes. Trains also run to Shepperton every 30 minutes.

Buses

Teddington is served by

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...

services to other London locations, including

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

, West Croydon and

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

. Routes 33, 281, 285, 481, 681, R68 and X26 serve the town centre, and all seven connect the town with either Twickenham or Kingston upon Thames.

Geography

Demography and housing

Places of worship

St Mary with St Alban St Mary with St Alban is the Church of England parish church of Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It comprises the church of St Mary (Teddington's old parish church) and the former church of St Alban nearby. The vicar is ...

Church of England parish church, built circa 1400. St Mary's is the original church; St Alban's, across the road, is now the

Teddington Baptist Church Teddington Baptist Church is an evangelical Baptist church in Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The first members of the church met in a rented room in 1877. The church was officially established in 1881. The premise ...

– evangelical Baptist church *

Sacred Heart Church, Teddington Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Teddington, southwest London, that serves the Catholic community of Teddington and Hampton Wick. It is in the Upper Thames Deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster and ...

– Roman Catholic church designed by

John Kelly John or Jack Kelly may refer to: People Academics and scientists * John Kelly (engineer), Irish professor, former Registrar of University College Dublin *John Kelly (scholar) (1750–1809), at Douglas, Isle of Man *John Forrest Kelly (1859–1922) ...

, opened in 1893 *

St Mark's, Teddington St Mark's, Teddington, the parish church of South Teddington and Hampton Wick, is a Church of England church in the liberal Catholic tradition. It is located on St Mark's Road, Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The curr ...

– Church of England *

Teddington Methodist Church Teddington Methodist Church and Community Centre is a Methodist church on Stanley Road, Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The first Teddington Methodist Church was situated in Clarence Road. Built in 1859, it was later k ...

Christ Church, Teddington Christ Church Teddington, founded in 1864, is an independent Reformed Protestant Congregational church on Christchurch Avenue in Teddington, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is associated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Congreg ...

– an independent congregation worshipping in Church of England style * St Peter & St Paul, Teddington – Church of England

Notable residents

Only notable people with entries on Wikipedia have been included. Their birth or residence has been verified by citations.

Living people

* Mo Farah, Olympian long-distance runner, has a home in Teddington. * Andrew Gilligan, journalist and policy adviser, was born in Teddington. *

Viv Groskop Viv Groskop (born 8 July 1973) is a British journalist, writer and comedian. She has written for publications including ''The Guardian'', ''Evening Standard'', ''The Observer'', ''Daily Mail'', ''Mail on Sunday'' and ''Red'' magazine. She writes ...

, journalist, writer and comedian, lives in Teddington. * Keira Knightley, actress, grew up in Teddington. * Jed Mercurio, creator of ''

Line of Duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. On 26 June 2012, BBC Two began to broadcast the first series; it was its best-performing drama series in ten years wit ...

'', lives in Teddington.

Historical figures

* The Dowager Queen Adelaide (1792–1849), widow of William IV, spent her last years (1837–1849) at Bushy House, Teddington. * Luffman Atterbury (1740–1796), composer and builder, lived at a house now known as Clarence House, between Middle Lane and Park Lane facing Park Road, from 1780 until 1790. * Rear-Admiral

Valentine Collard Rear-Admiral Valentine Collard (''c.'' 1770 – 18 March 1846) was a Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Born into a naval family, Collard serve ...

(c. 1770–1846), served in the

French Revolutionary The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...

and Napoleonic Wars. *

Sir Noël Coward ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(1899–1973), actor, playwright and songwriter, was born at 131 Waldegrave Road, Teddington. There is a bust of Coward, sculpted by Avril Vellacott, in Teddington Library, which is only a short distance away. * Dorothy Edwards (1914–1982), children's author, was born in Teddington.Egmont: Dorothy Edwards biography
/ref> * Stephen Hales (1677–1761), clergyman who made major contributions to a range of scientific fields. * Benny Hill (1924–1992), comedian, actor, singer and writer, lived and died at Flat 7, Fairwater House, 34 Twickenham Road, Teddington. * Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours (1814–1896), lived at Bushy House. *

Eugène Marais Eugène Nielen Marais (; 9 January 1871 – 29 March 1936) was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer. He has been hailed as an intellectual genius and an Afrikaner hero. His early years, before and during the Boer War Marais w ...

(1871–1936), South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer, lived in Coleshill Road in Teddington from 1898 to 1902. * Frederick North, Lord North (1732–1792), British statesman, Prime Minister from 1770 to 1782, lived at Bushy House as his London suburban residence when Ranger of Bushy Park, from 1771 to 1792. * Norman Selfe (1839–1911), engineer, naval architect, inventor, urban planner and advocate of technical education, was born in Teddington. * John Thaxter (1927–2012), theatre critic, lived in Teddington. * John Walter (1738–1812), who founded '' The Times'' newspaper and died at The Grove, Teddington.

Notes and references

External links

*
British History Online – Teddington

The Teddington Society
{{Authority control Districts of London on the River Thames Districts of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Places formerly in Middlesex Wards of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames District centres of London