Shepperton Matters Articles

The railway had come to Shepperton in 1864, but by the time of this photo in 1928 it had been converted to run electric trains for 12 years.

Ron Colnbrook contacted me some time ago asking if I would like to have a copy of his memoirs. As a Shepperton resident I was naturally curious to find out about him. A very professionally produced book turned up and I started reading. Not everyone is gifted with the ability to tell a story, but

The first part of the Hampton & Kempton Waterworks Railway – the Hanworth Loop – is now operating every Sunday until the end of August The line is in “Hanworth”, not far from ‘Jobs’ Dairy by the elevated section of the A316. The first train is at 10.30 and the last train is at 16.00

It is a sad fact that dementia is affecting a growing proportion of the population. It may be that you find yourself forgetting things more readily. You can remember your wedding day, but can’t remember what you did this morning. This can be a really troubling experience, and difficult to talk to anyone about. Surrey

On Thursday 11th July, my wife Sue and I were privileged to be invited to the completion ceremony for the new Walton Bridge. Having researched the history of the bridge, and photographed every stage of its build, it was fascinating to see the culmination of years of planning and construction. Guests gathered in a marquee

At this time, the High Street was actually called Highfield Road – it wasn’t renamed until 1939. In the middle of the photo can be seen the Railway Hotel, later known as The Crossroads, and now replaced by the Ballard Lodge retirement apartments. Beyond the pub, acres of orchards, long since felled, can be seen.

The Thames is unique in this country in having a series of inhabited islands. There are several in the Shepperton area. Travelling downstream, the first is Pharoah’s Island.

Sunbury & Shepperton Matters was recently invited to sample the fayre of the Warren Lodge in Church Square, old Shepperton. It sits in the delightful location of the historic square on the banks of the Thames, opposite Desborough Island. It doesn’t get much better than that and I can imagine happily whiling away the hours

If you are looking for a sailing club not too far away, which sails a variety of dinghies, has competitive races, but is not too ‘competitive’, and in and has an active, lively and inexpensive ‘social’ side, then you need look no further than the Desborough Sailing Club, Ferry Lane Shepperton.

Shepperton was laid out as a ‘through’ station rather than a terminus, no train was to go further towards Chertsey. Until that is, the 21st April 1982, when an electric Class 508 unit made a valiant attempt to do just that!

Many well known people have made their homes in Shepperton over the years. Perhaps because of the proximity of Shepperton Film Studios (though these are technically in Littleton), these have included numbers of people involved in the film and entertainment industry. Creek House in Chertsey Road had been home to two such people. In the

On February 19th our Mayor Robin Sider will be formally opening a memorial to Shepperton Life as depicted by Shepperton Artists, which will be exhibited in The Greeno Centre in perpetuity. The idea was to represent Shepperton landmarks and icons, as seen through the eyes of local artists. Robin will be hanging the first picture

As I write this article, a new sheltered housing development is taking shape at the top of Shepperton High Street, on the site of the old Crossroads pub.

Buba London, run by local couple Euan McDonald and Lesley Silwood, specialises in hand crafted, be-jewelled bags, jewellery and home ware.

The ultimate in cool and modern dance these days is surely the energetic modern dance called urban or street dancing. We have all seen it emerge on TV and on music videos, a kind of blend of free running and dance.

This festive period is indeed described as the season of Good Will. It is not always the case, but thankfully there is evidence of it being alive and well in communities and particularly in times of need.

It was a sunny autumn day when I went to meet Mayor of Spelthorne, Robin Sider at his home in Shepperton. I was greeted warmly by Molly the Collie, followed by some light ballroom music on the keyboards from Robin. This was a good start to an interview, I thought! Robin taught himself keyboards and

For many in Shepperton and the surrounding area, The Greeno Centre at the end of Glebeland Gardens is a life line. The Greeno offers a multitude of services to the the Aged and to various high need individuals.

One of our more colourful residents in Shepperton is surely Rod Littlewood. Jovial, he has a thing about feet…oh, and he sports rather a lovely handlebar moustache. Rod runs the Shepperton Chiropody Clinic, but in his spare time he is also President of the Handlebar Club, whose members are of the hirsute variety (partially at

Earlier this year I was most interested to meet local Shepperton sculptor, Stephen Kettle, whose work is featured on this months’ front cover. He was speaking at a networking event and I was intrigued to see his original method of creating art out of tiny chips of slate.