Hampton, London

Hampton is a suburb of Greater London on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, and the historic county of Middlesex. Hampton is bounded by Bushy Park to the east (and to the north of St Albans Riverside facing Tagg's Island), the suburbs of Hampton Hill and Fulwell to the north, green belt to the west, and the Thames to the south.

Historically, the manor of Hampton included Hampton Court Palace (and Bushy Park), Hampton Hill, and Hampton Wick (which are now known collectively as "The Hamptons"). Originally settled in Saxon times, the manor was awarded to the Norman lord Walter of Saint-Valéry following the 1066 Norman Conquest, passed by his heirs to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in 1237, and acquired by Henry VIII following the Act of Supremacy 1534 ( 26 Hen. 8. c. 1). The enclosure of common land in 1811 and rapid growth of 19th-century London saw agricultural fields converted to market gardens, and later nurseries. The construction of the Hampton Water Treatment Works in the late 1850s and early 1860s, and the opening of the Shepperton Branch Line to London Waterloo in 1864, led to a steady growth in the population of Hampton, and fields in south Hampton near the station being converted to suburban housing in the late 19th century and interwar period. Refrigeration, air freight and cheaper overseas labour ultimately rendered the market gardens and nurseries uncompetitive and derelict, and after a lengthy planning process the Nurserylands estate was established in north Hampton in the 1980s.

Today Hampton is a primarily residential suburb of Greater London. The population at the 2021 Census was 27,307 (20,000 excluding Hampton Hill).

History

Pre-history

The River Thames was displaced southwards to its present course through Berkshire and London following the Anglian glaciation c. 450,000 BCE. The local geology comprises Kempton Park Gravel above London Clay, on which the Thames deposits fertile, well-drained alluvial soils, making it an attractive area for human habitation and settlement.

There is evidence of small hunter-gatherer communities in the Thames Valley in the Palaeolithic period, who would have hunted migrating animal herds (reindeer and horse) depending on seasonal conditions. Hand-axes and a flint from that era have been recovered from sites in Hampton, indicating the presence of human activity as early as the Wolstonian Stage.

The resettlement of Britain following the Last Glacial Maximum and the start of the Holocene is evidenced in Hampton and surrounding areas by the artefacts (predominantly flintwork) of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, who would have favoured the diversity of habitats and food resources offered by rivers and their floodplains for settlement and resource procurement. Three Mesolitihic tranchet axes were discovered during construction of the Hampton Waterworks.

Evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement activity in the area is widespread, during a period when the level of the River Thames would have been significantly lower than at present. Finds on Garrick's Ait (Neolithic stone axe), Hurst Park (Neolithic pits), and Platt's Eyot (early Bronze Age axe); and the excavation in 1854 of a significant Bronze Age barrow in Bushy Park (containing the cremated remains and offerings of a local chieftain) indicate the transition to settled agriculture.

Before the Roman invasion of Britain, the Hampton area was occupied by the Catuvellauni, a Celtic tribe with its centre of government at '' Watamestede'', near modern-day St Albans. There is little archaeological evidence of Roman activity in the Hampton area (which was concentrated around the river crossing at Kingston-upon-Thames), except for a small collection of finds at Hampton Hill, a corn drier in Hurst Park, and field boundaries laid out to Roman proportions in what would become Bushy Park.

Anglo-Saxon Hampton and the Norman Conquest

Following the end of Roman rule the Hampton area would have been on the fringes of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, in territory which came to be known as ''Middlesex''. The settlement of Hampton first developed under the Saxons, centred on a village clustered around the intersection of the Windsor-Kingston road running east–west along the river with the road north to Twickenham, around the hillock on which St Mary's Church stands. The Anglo-Saxon parish of Hampton included the area comprising present-day Hampton, Hampton Hill, Hampton Wick, Bushy Park, parts of Teddington, and Hampton Court.

The Hampton settlement developed under the manorial system (where tenant serfs work the arable farm and grazing land of the manor on behalf of the absentee lord) as an agricultural domain primarily supporting neighbouring Kingston, which by the 9th century was a significant royal estate. Bushy Park shows extensive use of the ridge and farrow system of agriculture introduced by the Saxons. The 1086 Domesday Book records that prior to the Norman Conquest the Manor of Hampton belonged to Aelfgar, Earl of Mercia, but indicated that, as Aelfgar had not passed his lands to his son Edwin upon his death in 1062, they were instead held by King Harold at the time of the Norman Invasion.The name ''Hampton'' may come from the Anglo-Saxon words ''hamm'' meaning an enclosure in the bend of a river and ''ton'' meaning farmstead or settlement. ''Hamntone'' is recorded in the Domesday Book, the entry listing 41 villagers and 4 smallholders (accounting for households comprising ~200 individuals) occupying 35 hides, each comprising the area that could be ploughed by eight oxen in a year (~120 acres, or ~4,200 acres total). The demesne (lands belonging to the lord of the manor) comprised 18 hides tilled by only 3 ploughs, indicating it was used mostly for sheep pasture. The other 17 villanes (hides leased to serfs) each had a plough, suggesting cultivation. The entry also recorded a substantial meadow (for the provision of hay for plough animals) and a significant fishery.

The Domesday Book records the total annual value of the estate in 1086 (used to calculate how much tax the lord should be charged) as 39 pounds. The assessed 1086 value was 9 pounds ''less'' than prior to the conquest, attributed to the devastation caused by Norman forces on their circuitous route around London as they sought its subjugation.

After the Conquest the Manors of Hampton and Isleworth (comprising the hundred of Hounslow) were granted to Walter of Saint-Valéry, from whose home town in Flanders, Saint Valery-sur-Somme, William had sailed in 1066. Walter probably never resided in Middlesex, and he and his heirs were active participants in the First and Second Crusades. In 1189 the estate passed to Thomas de St Valerie, who, as a baron in the "extraordinarily difficult" position of holding large possessions on both sides of the English Channel in the time of Magna Carta and the rebellion against King John, appears to have taken the precaution of severing the two holdings—transferring the Manor of Hampton to Henry de St Albans, a London merchant, and the Manor of Isleworth to his daughter Annora's husband, Robert III of Dreux—at some point before the 1217 Battle of Lincoln (in which he was implicated and ultimately exiled). The Manor of Hampton transferred from the hundred of Hounslow to that of Spelthorne in the late 12th or early 13th century.

Medieval Hampton and the Knights Hospitaller

The Manor was acquired in 1237 by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (known as the ''Knights Hospitaller''). A Benedictine order charged with the care and defence of the Holy Land, the Knights Hospitaller operated from headquarters on Rhodes, using their holdings in England (received via bequests from returning Crusaders) to fund their operations. The Order became established in Hampton around 1180 (probably by a gift from Reginald St Valery), and by 1237 owned a house and sheep pasture on the site of present-day Hampton Court Palace. In 1338, the Order commissioned a financial survey of its possessions in England, which showed the Manor of Hampton comprising 800 acres of demesne (rented arable land), 40 acres of meadow by the Thames, pasture for 24 oxen, 18 cows, 10 store cattle and 2000 sheep, a fish weir and a pigeon house.

The Knights Hospitallers developed their estate at Hampton Court into one of the largest and best-appointed of their manors in England, and it was frequently used by the royal court as alternative accommodation to Sheen Palace (the royal palace on the Thames at Richmond), and as a way station and guest house for visitors en route to the royal manor at Byfleet on the River Wye (constructed by Edward II in the early 14th century).

The destruction by fire of Sheen Palace in 1497 saw the royal court move to Hampton Court. In 1500 the Lord Chamberlain Sir Giles Daubeney ordered that 300 acres of the demesne near Hampton be enclosed for hunting, taking out a lease for the entire manor in 1505. After his death in 1508, the lease passed to Sir Giles' wife, who allowed it to lapse. Cardinal Wolsey purchased the lease from the Knights Hospitaller in 1514, and continued development of the site into the historic palace ultimately acquired by Henry VIII after Wolsey's demise in 1530.

Post-medieval Hampton

The 1534 Act of Supremacy enshrining Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England saw the expropriation of Catholic properties throughout England. The Knights Hospitallers Order was formerly dissolved by an Act of Parliament in 1540 and the manor annexed by the Crown. In 1536 Henry acquired part of Teddington from the Abbot of Westminster, enclosing the land for hunting. In 1537 Henry emparked the arable land around Upper Lodge and ordered the construction of brick walls from Hampton Court to Teddington and Hampton Wick. The boundaries of modern-day Bushy Park were set in 1620 with the addition of the Hampton Eastfield (nearest the town).
The supply of water for the ever-increasing population of the royal complex at Hampton Court had been problematic since the time Wolsey had first taken the Hospitallers' lease, but it was not until Charles I ordered the construction of a canal connecting the River Colne to the Thames via Hampton Court that the palace secured a steady supply for its household and expanding water features. Designed by Nicholas Lane, the canal started at Longford on the Colne, and was built swiftly in 1638–39, cutting through Feltham, Hanworth, Hounslow Heath, and the north Hampton heath on its route to Bushy Park. Initially unpopular for blocking roads and dividing parishes, the original river (variously known as the Cardinal's, Queen's or King's River) was poorly made and prone to flooding. Protesters dammed the river in 1649 and the river fell into disuse and ran dry during the Protectorate. After the Restoration, Charles II sought to replicate in Bushy Park the garden at Versailles, establishing the Long Water in Home Park as a wedding present for Catherine of Braganza, and thus ordered the Longford River restored.

Between 1500 and 1700 the population of Hampton and Hampton Wick grew from 300–350 to 1100–1200. This growth came despite regular outbreaks of plague in London, which both culled the citizenry and swelled the population of Hampton with the migration of London citizens out of the city. In 1603, 99 of the 119 deaths recorded among Hampton's 400-500 inhabitants were attributed to plague, compared to 11 total deaths the previous year.

In the Christmas of 1603-04 the newly crowned James I moved his court to Hampton Court Palace to escape the outbreak that had blighted London (and Hampton) that summer, before hosting the conference of bishops and clerics (also postponed due to plague) which would commission the ''Book of Common Prayer'' and the King James Version of the Bible. In July 1665 the court of Charles II escaped London to Hampton Court after an escalating outbreak of plague in the spring (which would come to be known as " The Great Plague"), but would be forced to move again to Oxford in September after the infection reached Hampton.

Hampton in the Modern era

Hampton's transition from medieval manor to privately owned land and housing began with the passage of the ( 51 Geo. 3. c. cxxxviii), which led to the parcelling and enclosure of common land, and a steady increase in population. The rapid growth and urbanisation of 19th-century London saw agricultural production pushed out to the city's perimeter. Land in north Hampton which had been used for grazing and farming was enclosed and, after unsuccessful attempts at residential development, was converted to market gardens and nurseries to service the increased demand from London markets.

Having last been used as a royal residence by George II, Queen Victoria opened the State Apartments of Hampton Court Palace to the general public in 1838, displaying artworks from the Royal Collection. The 1840-46 restoration and redecoration of the Great Hall saw the palace became a major tourist attraction. Visitor numbers increased further following the opening of the Hampton Court branch line (off the London and Southampton Railway mainline) in 1849 (see Hampton Court Palace).

The passage of the Metropolis Water Act 1852 made it unlawful for any water company to extract water for domestic use from the tidal reaches of the Thames (i.e. below Teddington Lock). This led to the Southwark and Vauxhall, Grand Junction and West Middlesex water companies to jointly construct water works on the Thames at Hampton, between the Sunbury and Molesey Locks, which began operations in 1855, and became a major employer (see Hampton Water Treatment Works).

The Shepperton branch line, including Hampton and Fulwell stations, was opened in 1864, and electrified in 1916. The curve of the railway line would come to define the suburb of Hampton distinct from the original village, but did not immediately lead to an increase in population (unlike neighbouring Teddington). The 'New Street' (now Station Road) was developed along the route of a historic trackway to link Hampton Station to the village. The area around the station between the railway line and the water works began to be developed for housing in the 1880s and 1890s, and was occupied primarily by Metropolitan Water Board staff and their families.Hampton recorded a population of 1,722 in the Census of 1801, rising to 3,134 in the Census of 1851, and 9,220 in the Census of 1911. The passage of the Local Government Act 1858 allowed for the creation of elected Local Boards, which, unlike civil parishes, had the power to borrow money against future revenue, allowing for capital projects. Hampton residents initially voted in 1865 against establishing a Local Board, but after being subsumed into the Kingston Rural Sanitary Authority in 1872, voted in favour of establishment in 1884. Permission was however denied on the basis of Hampton being too small an area, and a Local Board was not created for Hampton until 1890. The Board converted to an Urban District Council in 1895, and established its office in Rosehill in 1902 (see Rosehill and Hampton Library).

St Mary's Church had been demolished in 1829 and replaced by the present larger building in 1831, at which time the parish of Hampton Wick was separately established. The parish of Hampton was further divided with the establishment of the parish of St James's Hampton Hill in 1863, and the parish of All Saints' in 1929 following the consecration of All Saints Church in 1908.

Hampton developed into its current form of a residential suburb of London over the course of the late 19th and 20th centuries, as the families of professional workers settled within commuting distance of the city, and demand for local shops and services grew. A police station was first opened in Hampton in c1840, and moved into purpose-built premises at 12 Station Road in 1846 (with an inspector and 9 constables). A "new and more commodious" Police Station was opened at 68 Station Road in 1905. Hampton fire station was built in 1897. London United Tramways extended its network from Twickenham to Hampton, Hampton Court, East Twickenham (west of Richmond Bridge) and Teddington in 1903.

Hampton during the Great War and Interwar period

Following the outbreak of the Great War recruitment drives were held by both services on Hampton Court Green in the summer of 1915. A mass meeting on Hampton Court Road in June 1916 calling for government action regarding aliens was followed later that month by a meeting of 5,000 people on Hampton Court Green calling for the internment of all Germans and Austrians. St Mary's Hospital was used throughout the war as a military hospital, and the Whitehall Hotel was converted to a military hospital in January 1917. Food shortages led to the ploughing and cultivation of fields in Bushy Park, and allotments established in Nine-Acre Field in Percy Road and other open land throughout Hampton.

Suburban development of the area bound north of the railway line took place mostly during the Interwar period: the streetplan laid out generally following old lanes and field boundaries. The commercial centre of Hampton also gravitated away from the original triangle of streets around St Mary's Church to along Station Road near Hampton Station, as the increased popularity of the motor car led to increased traffic (and associated dust, mud, noise) along the road between Sunbury and Kingston. The Electric Theatre opened in 1912 on Station Road, seating 400. Renamed ''The Palaceum'' in the 1920s, it operated until 1938. Hampton Pool was built in 1922 (on land previously occupied by the Hampton and Hampton Hill Rifle Club) after plans approved in 1914 were delayed due to the outbreak of the World War I (see Hampton Pool).

The four storey telephone exchange on High Street near St Mary's was built in 1927 as a replacement for the original telephone exchange at Manor Road in Molesey (hence known as the Molesey Telephone Exchange). The exchange switched from manual operation to Subscriber Trunk Dialling in the 1960s, and an additional building constructed on the other side of Old Farm Passage ini 1982. The exchange was enabled for ADSL broadband internet in 2000, and the newer building demolished in 2001.

Hampton during the Second World War

Preparations by the Borough of Twickenham for the outbreak of hostilities in the Second World War began in 1936, and a public meeting held to discuss the enlistment of Air Raid Precaution (ARP) wardens held in the Public Hall on Church Street on 30 November that year. Anderson shelters were distributed to houses in Hampton, and public shelters constructed, during 1939-1940. Three air-raid rescue parties (out of 11 for the Borough) were established in Oldfield Road.

The first bomb to fall on the Borough in the Battle of Britain fell on 153 Tudor Road in the first night attack on London on 24 August 1940,Putland, Alan L
"19 August – 24 August 1940."
''Battle of Britain Historical Society''. Retrieved: 12 August 2009. and properties throughout Hampton were damaged and destroyed as bombing continued through 1940. On 7 October a high-explosive bomb landing in Warfield Road demolished most of the houses on Station Road between the ''Worlds End'' and ''Railway Inn'' pubs, killing four. Four nights later a high-explosive bomb damaged another five neighbouring shops on Station Road. On the night of 7 November Hampton was hit by 8 high-explosive bombs, killing six people.

In 1944 V1 flying bombs and later V2 rockets either passed over or landed in or near Hampton (their distinctive noises recorded in residents' diaries). On 19 June 1944 two V1 bombs landed in Hampton, one near Hampton Grammar School (breaking two panes of glass), the other falling into a reservoir at the Hampton Water Treatment Works blowing out the windows of the nearby Grange building. On 7 January 1945, a V2 rocket was heard to pass over Hampton and land in Teddington.

VE Day celebrations were held in Carlisle Park, with dancing from 8 to 11 pm; a drumhead service was held on Sunday 9 June, and children's events on 10 June, culminating with fireworks.

Post-war Hampton

Regeneration

Post-war austerity and recovery meant construction activity in Hampton focussed on the immediate needs of house rebuilding and repair, with construction of new roads and housing not returning to pre-war levels until the mid-1950s. The 1970s and 1980s saw the demolition and regeneration of significant parts of Hampton, including land occupied by the nurseries, and derelict properties along the riverfront.

The Hampton nurseries had begun to face competition in the 1960s from overseas and domestic produce sourced using refrigeration, air freight and cheaper labour, and by the 1970s had become uncompetitive and increasingly derelict. After a lengthy planning process, work to develop the area into the Nurserylands Housing estate began in 1980, with 48 new roads built by 1989. The Sainsbury's 'superstore' built on the site of the St Clare's nursery in 1989-90 was at the time the largest built by Sainsbury's in the UK. The population of Hampton North / Hampton Nursery rose from 3,977 to 6,426 between the 1981 and 1991 Censuses.

During the 1970s several historic Thames Street properties backing onto the river became derelict, partly due to the planning blight associated with proposals to construct an elevated road along the riverside,, and were successively demolished during the 1980s. ''Spring Grove'', constructed in the 1760s by the Clerk of Works at Hampton Court Palace on the site of the original conduit house supplying the palace, was demolished in 1981, having fallen into disrepair and despite repeated proposals for restoration. ''St Albans'', an imposing Restoration-era riverside property on Hampton Court Road, had been bequeathed to the Borough of Twickenham upon the death of the owner in 1961, but inaction on the part of the Council saw the property fall into disrepair and become unstable, and the property was demolished in February 1972. The gardens of St Albans are retained as St Albans Riverside.

The population of Hampton in the 2021 Census was recorded as 27,307, with 77.4% recording the United Kingdom as their country of birth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 52% of Hampton residents in employment recorded in the 2021 Census that they worked mainly from home, compared to 32% for England, reflecting Hampton's status as a commuter suburb.

Hampton and the River Thames

Hampton stands on the north bank of a bend in the River Thames, and has a close historical association with the river as a trading post, commercial/industrial centre, and recreation destination.

Industry

Boatyards and slipways have led down to the river from the village for centuries. Benn's boathouse on Thames Street was reputed to have been built before 1704 (being demolished in 1946-7 and merging with Constable's boatyard next door).

Platt's Eyot was the site of multiple boatyards during the 19th and 20th centuries. Thomas Tagg constructed the first boatyard on the island's eastern end in 1866, with German electric engine builder Moritz Immisch taking over the site to build electric launches from 1888. In 1904 shipbuilder John Isaac Thornycroft established the Hampton Launch Works, generating cabin cruisers and pleasure craft, including world water speed record holder Miss England III. During wartime, production shifted: to torpedo-carrying motor launches in the First World War, and constructing motor torpedo boats, motor launches and landing craft during the Second World War.

Recreation

In the 19th century the growth of the London middle class, increase in leisure time (assisted by the passage of the Bank Holidays Act 1871), and the extension of rail and tram networks to London's perimeter, saw attractions on the Thames become destinations for mass recreation. Rowing became a popular activity from the mid-19th century and Hampton Reach came to host regular regattas (see Rowing). Significant numbers of day-trippers would travel by river, tram and rail to visit Hampton Court Palace after it was opened to the public (with free admission) in 1838 (see Hampton Court Palace). Tagg's Island became the site of multiple resort hotel developments, culminating with the grand ''Karsino Hotel'' in 1913. As Henry Ripley wrote in 1883:

Islands

Hampton comprises Platt's Eyot, Benn's Island and Tagg's Island, but historically also includes Garrick's Ait and Ash Island.

Platt's Eyot

Platt's Eyot is a large island opposite the Hampton Water Treatment Works. Historically willow was cultivated on the island for osiers, with the island becoming the site of multiple boatyards and light industry in the late 19th and 20th centuries (see Industry). In 1910, the height of the island's western end was augmented by fill from the excavation of the Stain Hill Reservoirs. The island was connected to the north bank of the Thames by a pedestrian bridge in 1941. Boat building ceased in the 1960s and the boatsheds reverted to light industrial use, including being used as music studios. The boatyards were largely destroyed by fire in 2021.

Benn's Island

Benn's Island is a small uninhabited island close to the Hampton riverbank below St Mary's Church. In the 19th century the island was occupied by the Thames Valley Sailing Club (since relocated to Sunbury Lock Ait), and since 1945 has been leased by the Hampton Sailing Club.

Tagg's Island

Tagg's Island is an inhabited private island surrounded by 62 houseboats in a self-styled community of artists and creatives. Historically, the island has been the site of multiple hotel and resort developments, including the Island Hotel established by Thomas Tagg (after whom the island is named), the famous '' Karsino'' built by impresario Fred Karno, which, following Karno's bankruptcy, became known as the Thames Riveria under various owners. The island was bought by car manufacturer AC Cars in 1940, who converted the skating rink and tennis courts into factory space for wartime munitions, and later, Invacars for the Ministry of Pensions. The hotel was demolished in 1971. In 1980 houseboat owners Gerry and Gillian Braban bought the island, excavating a lagoon in the centre of the island (increasing the number of houseboats by 20) and rebuilding a road bridge to the north bank.

River crossings

Hampton Ferry has linked Hampton to the south bank of the Thames at Hurst Park, Molesey since at least 1514, and reputedly since the time of the Domesday book.

A ferry had also operated linking Hampton Court to present-day East Molesey since the Tudor period, with a bridge first constructed on the site in 1753. The present-day Hampton Court Bridge, opened in 1933, is the fourth iteration.

Locks and river management

Hampton lies on the River Thames upstream of Molesey Lock and downstream of Sunbury Lock.

The River Thames has always been a key waterway for the supply of goods along its banks and in and out of London. In the 19th century, barges carrying up to 200 tons of material, hauled by men or horses along tow paths, were a common sight along the Hampton/Molesey Reach and an integral part of the river economy. But as river traffic increased, the ''ad hoc'' wooden weirs and dams constructed to maintain the river level became unsatisfactory. A lock was first proposed to manage the shallows at "Kenton Hedge and Sundbury Flatts above" in 1802, but it was not until 1812 that Parliament passed an Act for the construction of a lock, and Molesey Lock was completed in 1815. There had been a weir at Sunbury to divert water for better navigation since 1789, and the first lock was opened in 1812. The lock was rebuilt downstream in 1856 after the Hampton Water Treatment Works were built. A second lock was opened in 1927.

Local Features

Hampton Water Treatment Works

The Hampton Water Treatment Works, currently owned and operated by Thames Water, occupy a 66 hectare site located between the A308 Upper Sunbury Road and the Thames. The Waterworks were constructed in the late 1850s and 1860s as a joint venture of three London water companies, after the passage of the 1852 Metropolis Water Act which made it unlawful to take drinking water from the tidal Thames below Teddington Lock because of the amount of sewage in the tidal river. The original works were designed by Joseph Quick and J.W. Restler, and the site comprises filter beds and four massive engine pump houses constructed in Gault brick, with large arched windows and decorative balustrades.Ordnance Survey, Six-inch map, ''Surrey VI'' surveyed 1867/8, published 1871. The Waterworks was in the past a significant local employer, and its brick pumphouses dominate the local landscape. The Waterworks currently has a maximum output of 700 megalitres a day, and supplies about 30% of London's fresh water.

Garrick's Villa and Temple to Shakespeare

Garrick's Villa

David Garrick, a renowned 18th century actor and playwright, purchased Hampton House, an established country house facing the Thames on the road to Hampton Court, in 1754. Numerous alterations were made to the house during Garrick's residence by the neoclassical architect Robert Adam, including an imposing portico, the building of an orangery and the construction of a tunnel under the road to connect with his riverside lawn. The house became known as Garrick's Villa, and received Grade I listing in 1952.

Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare

In 1755 Garrick commissioned an (unknown) architect to construct a garden folly as a temple to his muse, William Shakespeare. The architect designed an octagonal domed building modelled on the Pantheon in the Classical style with an Ionic portico, to be constructed in the villa's riverside garden. The temple's interior was furnished as a shrine to Shakespeare, exhibiting Garrick's collection of Shakespearean relics, and used by Garrick quite place to study, learn lines and entertain guests. Garrick's collection was sold on the death of his widow, but the temple was preserved and restored, becoming known as Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare, and also receiving Grade I listing in 1952. Garrick's Temple is now a museum, concert venue and educational facility, open to the public on Sunday afternoons in the summer.

Hampton Court Palace

Cardinal Wolsey began construction in 1514 of a royal palace on the site of Hampton Court formerly occupied by the Knights Hospitaller, which was continued and expanded by Henry VIII after Wolsey's demise in 1530. Hampton Court Palace went on to become a centre of royal power in the Tudor period. The palace underwent extensive renovation in the Baroque style during the reign of William III, designed by Christopher Wren. Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public in 1838 and the site became and remains a major tourist attraction. The palace is managed today by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity.

Roy Grove cannon and the Anglo-French geodetic survey

A cannon in Roy Grove marks the Hampton end of the baseline measured in 1784 by General William Roy in preparation of the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) to measure the relative situation of Greenwich Observatory and Paris Observatory. This high precision survey was the forerunner of the Principal Triangulation of Great Britain which commenced in 1791, one year after Roy's death. In the report of the operation Roy gives the locations of the ends of the baseline as Hampton Poor-house and King's Arbour. The latter lies with the confines of Heathrow Airport. The exact end points of the baseline were originally made by two vertical pipes which carried flag-poles but in 1791, when the base was remeasured, the ends were marked by two cannons sunk into the ground.

Other notable features

Rosehill and Hampton Library

Rosehill is a prominent 18th century Grade II Listed stock-brick built house on the Upper Sunbury Road. Built for the celebrated 18th century tenor John Beard, it was purchased by the Urban District Council (UDC) in 1902 and used as Council Offices and Library until 1937 when Hampton Council was joined with Twickenham and Teddington, and the whole house was given over for use as the Hampton Library. The building sports blue plaques for former residents, the singer John Beard and William Ewart MP, the Politician behind the Public Libraries Act 1850.

Pubs and inns

The oldest buildings and most longstanding businesses in Hampton are current and former pubs and inns. These include:

* ''The Feathers''. Constructed c. 1540 on the corner of Thames Street and Church Street, ''The Feathers'' operated as a pub from c. 1630 until 1792, and was frequented by Samuel Johnson and David Garrick. The building was later converted into cottages, one of which was let to historian Henry Ripley in 1874 (see Hampton and the River Thames), and which remains the oldest surviving building in Hampton.
* ''The Shipp / The Red Lion''. Constructed c. 1660 at No. 1 High Street, and renamed in the 1750s, ''The Red Lion'' was a focal point for members of London society in the late 19th century, particularly for crowds travelling by ferry to watch horse racing or boxing on Molesey Hurst. Having been gutted by fire the pub was rebuilt in 1909, and closed in 1980.
* ''The Bell Inn''. Located on Thames Street with a prominent view of the River, a pub has operated on the site of ''The Bell'' since at least 1557. In 1892 the pub was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in its current mock-Tudor form. ''The Bell'' is mentioned in works by Dickens and T.S. Eliot (see Literature).
* '' Jolly Coopers''. Originally called ''The Glass Bottle'', Jolly Coopers has traded at No. 16 High Street since c. 1720, and is Hampton's oldest pub still operating in its original premises.
* ''The Court Jester / The Hampton / The Hamptons Ale House.'' ''The Court Jester'' opened in November 1980 in the heart of the redeveloped Nurserylands estate (see Modern Hampton). After a fire in 2017 the pub now trades as ''The Hamptons Ale House''.

Hampton Youth Project

Hampton Youth Project is a youth centre established in Tangley Park in 1990. Built in a converted coach depot on the Nurserylands Estate it offers a wide programme of activities for those aged 11–19.

Beveree wildlife site

The Beveree Wildlife Site to the north of Station Road is a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation. It is a small secluded area of green open space, mixed woodland, self-seeded fruit trees, scrub, two small meadows, and orchard trees.

Tagg's Island sundial

In the park of St Albans Riverside beside the bridge leading to Tagg's Island is a sundial, "a globe with numbered longitude fins and tropic latitudes, resting on three balls, all upon a bell-shaped base" designed by David Harber.

Hampton Cemetery

Hampton Cemetery is a cemetery on Hollybush Lane in Hampton. The cemetery was opened in 1879, and fourteen Commonwealth servicemembers of World War I and seven of World War II are buried in the cemetery.

Sport and leisure

Football

Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. are a semi-professional club playing at step 2 of Non-League football in the National League South. The club has played at Beveree Stadium (capacity: 3,500) since 1959.

Rugby

Twickenham Rugby Football Club can trace its establishment to 1867, and moved to its current home ground at Parkfields west of Hampton in 1930.

Cricket

Hampton's first cricket club, the Royal Clarence Cricket Club, was founded in 1828. Sponsored by its patron the Duke of Clarence, the club played its matches on what is now Hurst Park in Molesey.

Hampton Hill Cricket Club was established in 1855 (as New Hampton Cricket Club) and moved to its present ground in Bushy Park in 1890. The club also plays at Carlisle Park in Hampton.

Sailing

The River Thames widens at Hampton Reach, and the prevailing south-westerly breeze over Hurst Park makes the river an attractive venue for sailing. Benn's Island was occupied by the Thames Valley Sailing Club in the 19th century, and since 1945 has been leased by the Hampton Sailing Club, which operates a clubhouse and boatyard. The club's racing course runs from upstream of Platt's Eyot down to Tagg's Island.

Rowing

A Watermen's Regatta was first run at Hampton in 1835, and which ran until 1910, becoming an informal entertainment (including water jousting and canoe polo) in its final years.

Molesey Boat Club has operated the Molesey Regatta since 1867. For much of its early history, the race course finished downriver from Garrick's Temple, with crowds and officials massing on Garrick's Lawn. The current race course follows an 850-metre course starting upstream of Platt's Eyot and finishing opposite the Waterworks and Hurst Park.

The rowing clubs of Hampton School and Lady Eleanor Holles School jointly operate the Millennium Boathouse, opposite the upstream end of Platt's Eyot on the north bank of the Thames. Both clubs have produced multiple British school champions, competitors in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, and international representatives.

Canoeing

Originally founded as the Westel Club in 1970, Hampton Canoe Club has operated from the old pumping station at Bell Hill since 1990.

Triathlon

Thames Turbo Triathlon Club was established in 2012, and is based at Hampton Pool. The Club runs an annual triathlon on the first Bank Holiday Monday in May, with the swim leg at Hampton Pool, the cycle course along Hampton Court Road/Lower Sunbury Road/B375 from Hampton Court to Dumsey Meadow, and the run leg in Bushy Park. The Club also runs an annual junior aquathlon at Lady Eleanor Holles School in June.

Hampton Pool

Hampton Heated Open Air Pool and Gym near Bushy Park was built in 1922 after plans approved in 1914 were delayed due to the outbreak of the First World War. A diving pit and filtration system was added in 1939, and the pool widened in 1961. The pool was closed by the council in 1980 due to financial reasons, and re-opened with community support in 1985, with management transferred to a dedicated charity.

Hampton in art, literature and other media

Art

Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissarro

Following the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war some Impressionist artists sought refuge in England. Anglo-French Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley came to England in 1874 at the invitation of baritone Jean-Baptist Faure, settling in Hampton Court in the summer and painting a series of paintings along the banks of the River Thames around Hampton Court and Molesey. '' Regatta at Molesey near Hampton Court'' features the Molesey Regatta, with the recently constructed Island Hotel visible on Tagg's Island in the background. ''The Thames with Hampton Church'' shows the view up river from Molesey towards Hampton, featuring St Mary's Church and Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare. French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro first visited London in 1870, and made further visits throughout his lifetime. During a short visit to visit his son George in May–June 1890 Pissarro painted six canvases of various London outdoor scenes (including ''Charing Cross Bridge','' ''Old Chelsea Bridge'' and ''Primrose Hill, London''). Among these works was ''Hampton Court Green'', depicting a cricket match on the green.

Literature

Anthony Trollope

The 1857 novel '' The Three Clerks'' by Anthony Trollope is set in Hampton, which was then a village on the western outskirts of London.

Charles Dickens

Hampton features in two Charles Dickens novels. In ''Oliver Twist'', Oliver and Bill Sikes stop in a public house in Hampton on their way to the planned burglary in Chertsey.

In ''Nicholas Nickleby'', Sir Mulberry Hawk and Lord Frederick visit the 'Hampton Races', which refers to a racecourse at ' Moulsey Hurst'.

H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells moved to Woking in 1895 after his marriage to Catherine Robbins. Wells planned and wrote ''The War of the Worlds'' while living in Woking, which mentions Hampton Court in Chapter 14 of Part I:

T.S. Eliot

In 1936, T.S. Eliot sought respite from the intrigues of London's literary circles (and his wife Vivien) by holing up at the Bell Inn in Hampton, writing to his editor John Hayward under the nom-de-plume 'White Cargo'. Eliot's residence at the Bell Inn led to a reference in ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''.

Jerome K. Jerome

Hampton is also mentioned in humorist Jerome K. Jerome's ''Three Men in a Boat''.

Other media

In '' 24: Live Another Day'' terrorist Margot Al-Harazi's first hideout is stated to be in Hampton.

Serial killer Levi Bellfield murdered Marsha McDonnell near her home in Hampton on 4 February 2003.

The streetscape on Station Road, Hampton near the old Police Station has been used as a backdrop for TV series including Fleabag and The Gold.

Notable inhabitants

Living people

* Evgeny Lebedev, the ''Baron Lebedev, of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation,'' owner of Stud House
*Hayley Mills (born 1946), actress, lived on Belgrade Road, in Hampton with her son Crispian Mills (born 1973), singer, songwriter, guitarist and film director
* Bill Milner (born 1995), actor, lives with his family in Hampton
*Brian May (born 1947), musician and astrophysicist, born in Hampton

Historical figures

Residents of Hampton and Hampton Court

* John Beard (c.1717–1791), tenor singer, lived at what is now Hampton Branch Library, Rose Hill, Hampton. The site is marked by a blue plaque.
* R D Blackmore (1825–1900), novelist, author of '' Lorna Doone'', lived at 25 Lower Teddington Road, Hampton Wick, whilst he had Gomer House in Teddington (since demolished) built for him.
* John Blow (1933–2020), lutenist and classical guitarist, grew up in Hampton.
*Sir Richard Doll (1912–2005), epidemiologist, was born in Hampton.
* William Ewart (1798–1791), promoter of public libraries, lived at what is now Hampton Branch Library, Rose Hill, Hampton. The site is marked by a blue plaque.
*Michael Faraday (1791–1867) was granted the grace and favour residence now known as Faraday House (formerly on the site of the Master Mason's Lodge opposite Hampton Court Green) by Queen Victoria, where he lived out his final years.
* Sir Francis Mark Farmer (1866–1922), a dental surgeon who worked on facial reconstruction, lived in Belgrade Road.
*David Garrick (1717–1779), actor, lived at Garrick's Villa, Hampton Court Road, Hampton.
* Harry Hampton (1870–1922) recipient of the Victoria Cross, was born in Crown Terrace, Richmond and died in Twickenham. He is buried in Richmond Old Cemetery.
* Norman Cyril Jackson (1919–1994) recipient of the Victoria Cross, died in Hampton Hill and is buried in Twickenham Cemetery.
*W. E. Johns (1893–1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of the ''Biggles'' stories, who died at Park House, Hampton Court.
* Edward Lapidge (1779–1860), who held the post of County Surveyor of Surrey and designed the present Kingston Bridge, was born in Hampton Wick, where he also designed a number of churches.
*Jessie Matthews (1907–1981), famous actress, singer and dancer from the 1920s to the post-WWII era, resided at The Old House, Marlborough Road, Hampton.
* Vic Mitchell (1934–2021), author and publisher, was born in Hampton.
*Thomas Rosoman (1781–1782), founder of Sadler's Wells Theatre, lived at Jessamine House, Thames Street.
*Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876–1948), British suffragette, daughter of deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh, and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, was granted a grace and favour residence by the Queen at Faraday House (then part of the Hampton Court estate) in 1896. The site is marked by a blue plaque.
*John Templeton (1802–1886), opera singer, lived at 114 High Street, Hampton Hill.
*Alan Turing (1912–1954) lived at Ivy House (which now has a blue plaque) in Hampton High Street between 1945 and 1947 while working at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington.
*Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723), lived at The Old Court House, Hampton Court Green. The site is marked by a blue plaque.
The graveyard within the churchyard of St Mary's Church holds the tombs and graves of various notable individuals from the 17th to 20th centuries.

Local amenities

Education

As a predominantly residential suburb, Hampton has a significant number of primary and secondary schools.

Secondary schools

* Hampton High (previously Hampton Academy, Hampton Community College, Rectory School), a co-educational academy
* Turing House School, a co-educational academy
* Hampton School, an independent school for boys
* Lady Eleanor Holles School, an independent school for girls
* Hampton Court House, an independent co-educational school

Primary and infants schools

* Hampton Junior School
* Hampton Infant School and Nursery
* Hampton Hill Junior School
* Carlisle Infants School
* Buckingham Primary School
* Hampton Prep School (formerly Denmead), the junior school for Hampton School
* Twickenham Prep School
* Jack & Jill School (incorporating Nightingale House and Clarence House)
* St Mary's Hampton CE Primary School

Churches

Church buildings are a significant presence in the area, with the listed St Mary's Church and St James's Church standing out against the surrounding 20th century housing.

Local churches include:
* Hampton Methodist Church, Hampton (incorporating Hampton Baptist Church).
*Hampton Hill United Reformed Church, Hampton Hill
* St Theodore's Roman Catholic Church, Hampton
* St Francis de Sales, Hampton Hill and Upper Teddington (Roman Catholic)
* All Saints (Church of England), Old Farm Road, Hampton
* St Mary (Church of England), Church Street (by Thames Street) Hampton
* St James' Church, Hampton Hill (Church of England)
The Christian churches in Hampton and Hampton Hill work together as Churches Together around Hampton.

Transport

;Roads

In keeping with its lack of high rise buildings, the district has no dual carriageways, its main routes the A308 and A312, have in their busiest sections an additional filter or bus lane.

Bus routes that serve Hampton are the 111, 216, R68 and R70. The 411 and 285 serve Hampton Court and Hampton Hill respectively.

;Rail

Hampton railway station is towards the south-west and by the main parades of shops on either side of the line; just north of Hampton Hill is Fulwell railway station; both are on the Shepperton Branch Line. Just south of Hampton Court neighbourhood, clustered about the Tudor, Stuart and Georgian Palace and Gardens is Hampton Court railway station on the Hampton Court branch line. Hampton Wick railway station is on the Kingston loop line. The London terminus for both lines is London Waterloo.

Climate

Nearest places

* Twickenham
* Sunbury
* Fulwell
* Hanworth
* Teddington
* Whitton
* West Molesey
* East Molesey
* Esher
* Hampton Wick
* Kingston

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

External links

*

Local history

Borough of Twickenham Local History Society

Jam Yesterday Jam Tomorrow: History of Market Gardens in Middlesex

The Twickenham Museum

Societies, and archived news and usergroups

The Hampton Society

One Hampton


Our Hampton

Hampton People's Network

{{The Hamptons

Areas of London
Districts of London on the River Thames
Districts of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Places formerly in Middlesex